GOVERNOR RISCH PROMISED WOLF
DELISTING BY FEDS IN JANUARY

BOISE – Governor Jim Risch met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall today regarding the delisting of wolves in Idaho. At the meeting Hall promised Governor Risch they would give notice in the Federal Register at the end of January to begin the delisting process that will remove federal protection for wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

Idaho and Montana have had management plans in place for their wolf populations that have far exceeded recovery goals. The State of Wyoming has resisted moving forward since the federal government rejected their management plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been waiting for Wyoming before starting the delisting process so it could occur in all three states simultaneously.

“The wolf population in Idaho has fully recovered and Idaho is prepared to manage the species. As a sovereign state we should be allowed to move forward to manage a fully recovered species within our borders,” said Risch. “We should not be held hostage by another sovereign state who wants to do something different. While I am encouraged by what I heard today, promises have been made in the past that have not been kept.”

Hall noted they are preparing a two-prong approach for delisting wolves in Idaho and Montana. One approach includes the State of Wyoming, if their legislature approves a new management plan in their upcoming session, and the other excludes Wyoming if no progress is made.

If the federal government moves forward with plans to delist the species in Idaho the state could manage wolves within its borders in a year.

Risch noted that he has been pushing the delisting issue since he took office. “Idaho should not be penalized for doing what was required and I have continually told the federal government that. We will be able to maintain a viable population of wolves in the state that is in balance with other game populations,” Risch said.

Risch first met with Dale Hall on July 24 in Boise with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer participating by telephone. Both governors urged progress on delisting. Governor Risch later held a conference call with Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, in mid-October, continuing his push for delisting in Idaho. In addition, Governor Risch sent a letter to Scarlett on November 14, stating that, “No reason of any kind exists to deny the State its lawful right to manage a non-endangered, non-threatened species within its border.”

Wolves were listed as an endangered species in 1975. In 1995 a reintroduction program was established and over the next several years 35 wolves were introduced into the state. In 2004 there were approximately 420-500 wolves with 43 documented packs in Idaho.

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