Wolves may lose protected status

A growing Rocky Mountain gray wolf population may soon lose special protection, if a proposal is approved to remove them from the federal endangered species list.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Thursday gave notice of proposed rule-making that outlines the agency's intent to "delist" the wolves.

That means a distinct population segment (DPS) of wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon and a small part of north-central Utah have exceeded biological recovery goals and no longer require protection under the Endangered Species Act.

"We're in favor of delisting," said John Bair, president of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, a regional group that was founded in Utah.

He likes delisting because it would allow states like Utah to maintain a balance between predatory wolves and game animals like deer and elk. With millions of dollars spent on reinvigorating moose and elk populations here, Bair would prefer wolves just stay away, period.

"We just don't feel like there's any room for wolves," he said.

If wolf populations expanded into and grew in Utah, it would put added pressure on game herds, namely world-class bull elk numbers. "We don't want to jeopardize that," Bair said.

But there's probably little cause for worry in Utah.

Only seven wolves have traveled more than 180 miles since they were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995, according to Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Helena, Mont. One was trapped just north of Morgan in November 2002. That wolf was returned alive to the Jackson, Wyo., area.

"As far as we know, there are no other wolves in Utah right now," Bangs said. "It appears that wolves can make it there."

Biologically, Bangs added, it's interesting one wolf made it that far into Utah, but it's otherwise meaningless in the context of wolf populations expanding and growing here. It would take a male and female that like each other, Bangs said, to get a population going here.

Still, another wolf or more wolves could venture into Utah at any time.

"We believe it's going to happen again," said Mark Hadley, spokesman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

So in June 2005, the state adopted a draft wolf management plan that Hadley said is awaiting legislative approval.