Bringing wolves to Utah is complex

Just how wolves will be welcomed into Utah, if and when they arrive, will likely be decided next Thursday.

A plan has been written, and the public has responded. Now the Utah Wildlife Board must decide during its scheduled meeting whether wolves will be treated as friends or foes.

The idea of having wolves roam the mountainsides of Utah has not been warmly received, certainly not by ranchers and hunters at the five Regional Advisory Council meetings, where public comment on the proposed plan was collected.

There are no wolves here in Utah, at least that anyone is aware of at this point. One did wander down from Yellowstone three years ago. It was eventually sent back and has never returned.

Which, in a way, supports the belief that wolves will never reach large numbers here in Utah, because Utah simply does not have the vast mountain acreage filled with herds of big game animals needed to feed a pack of wolves.

So, the fears are:

1. They'll eat too many deer and elk, especially the trophy bulls and bucks.

2. Then they'll turn to a menu of cattle and sheep.

Currently, wolves are a member of the endangered species club, which means they're managed at the federal level. When wolves are de-listed, which is expected to be soon, then each state will have to decide its management strategy.

Anticipating the change, Utah started writing up a plan a year ago. Now it's coming up for final re-write and, eventually, approval.

The only sticking points concern who should pay the bill for the wolves' "meals," i.e. deer, elk, moose and, very likely, cattle and sheep; and whether ranchers and farmers should be able to shoot troublesome predators.

Proposed changes in the plan would: (A) Allow ranchers to shoot menacing wolves; (B) be fully compensated for the price of the meals; (C) compensate others who "feel" the competition because of the wolves, such as hunting guides and those selling hunting gear.

Ranchers are asking for full compensation, or fair-market value, for livestock that are confirmed victims of wolves and 50 percent for those "possibly" killed by wolves. Conservationists are asking that they start at 75 percent of market values for wolf kills — and go down from there.