How many wolves should Idaho have?

There have been a number of recent articles in area newspapers from those on both ends of this controversial subject that cast doubt and confusion on Idaho’s commitment to manage for a viable wolf and ungulate (deer, elk, and moose) population.

As the (Panhandle) Idaho Fish and Game commissioner, I am continually amazed at the ability of both extremes to utilize the same information for the purpose of criticizing, demonizing and accusing the Department and Commission of lying, distorting, and over all general mismanaging of the States ever expanding wolf population. For some reason the focus of both sides is on the number of wolves allowed to be killed by hunting, rather on the ability of wolves to reproduce and the total number of wolves that will be roaming the countryside at the end of each year.

The real issue in this contentious debate is how many wolves should Idaho have? At one extreme is the anti-hunting crowd who feel that feeding our elk to 1,000 of wolves is a good thing. On the other end is a small percentage who would like to see them all gone. IDFG will eventually find a balance between the predator and its prey that is acceptable to most.

According to the 2009 Wolf Conservation and Management Progress Report issued by IDFG in early March biologists documented 94 resident wolf packs at the end of 2009 with a minimum estimate of 843 wolves. There are another 15 packs that share the Montana/Idaho boarder, but den in Montana. By comparison, in 2008 the minimum population for Idaho was estimated at 856 wolves. Most biologists believe that the actual number is substantially higher than the minimum estimated number because new wolf packs are regularly being reported before they are verified and documented.

One of North America’s top wild ungulate authorities, Valerius Geist, stated prior to the 1995 Federal wolf re-introduction. “There is a French saying that he who desires a beautiful park must have a very sharp ax, and a heart of stone. We should heed it-for the sake of elk, elk hunters, the wolves themselves and for the future of wildlife conservation in North America.”

Idaho is committed to maintaining a healthy wolf population that complies with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Wolf Recovery Plan. It is the department’s intent to reduce the existing number to the 2005 minimum population of 518 wolves. Once this reduction has been achieved it will be maintained at this level for the post five year de-listing period. Based on the results of Idaho’s first successful hunting season it has been determined that additional tools will be required to achieve the desired reduction. These tools along with a historical overview of wolf re-introduction can be viewed on the IDFG web-site.

The fate of Idaho’s second wolf season is in question because a decision is still pending in the lawsuit brought by a coalition of conservation groups fighting the USFWS decision to remove wolves from the protections of the Endangered Species Act. The Federal Judge is considering returning them to the ESA for the technical reason that Wyoming’s recovery plan has not been approved and the ESA does not allow delisting a species based on state boundaries. A hearing for this lawsuit is expected later this year.

Tony McDermott is a Sagle resident and is the Panhandle commissioner of Idaho Fish and Game.