Wolf plan is overly punitive

Last week, the Utah Wildlife Board caved to the complaints of ranchers claiming that wolves and livestock are incompatible and adopted a wolf management plan that will never allow wolves to be viable in our state. The plan will allow ranchers to kill any wolf they determine is "harassing" their livestock on all lands — public or private. This conflicts with the Division of Wildlife Resources' original recommendation — that stock owners be allowed to take wolves for harassment on private lands but not on public lands.

The Utah Wolf Forum, which spent 18 months helping to write the Utah wolf plan in good faith, has pulled out of the process at the 11th hour, since we cannot endorse the final product. Our parting words to those who pushed for the overly punitive management in the plan: "be careful what you aim for down the sights of your gun . . . you may shoot yourself in the foot."

Allison Jones

biologist for the Utah Wolf Forum

Murray