Idaho Reps. Simpson, Fulcher support delisting of gray wolf in lower 48 states

A recent proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List in the lower 48 states is supported by Idaho’s federal lawmakers.
 The proposed action would not have any impact in Idaho, where the gray wolf has been delisted since 2011 and is managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as a big game animal.
 The state  developed a wolf management plan that allowed the wolf to be hunted as long as populations were maintained above a certain number.
 The wolves are already delisted in the Northern Rocky Mountains and wolf populations in the West are stable. In addition to Idaho, the states of Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington already manage wolf populations within their borders.
 Gray wolves are found in nine states across the country. Delisting the gray wolf would turn management of gray wolves back to individual states. Populations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are also strong.
 In total, the range-wide gray wolf population stands at more than 6,000, exceeding the combined recovery goals for the Northern Rocky Mountains and Western Great Lakes populations, according to the USFWS.
 Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, said he supports the USFWS decision to delist the gray wolf. As a state lawmaker, he was a vocal critic of the reintroduction of wolves into Idaho more than two decades ago in the 1990s.
 “The excess population of wolves in Idaho has proven detrimental to our economy, ranchers, and natural resources,” Fulcher said. “I am extremely pleased with Acting Interior Secretary Bernhardt’s decision to delist the gray wolf and I will continue to support efforts to undo federal government overreach.”
 Congressman Mike Simpson said under the delisting proposal the management of gray wolf populations will be returned to the states where it belongs.
 “This is a smart, sound, scientific decision that recognizes the successful efforts of states and local partners who have dedicated time and resources to conserving and maintaining a healthy wolf population,” said Simpson said.
 The IDFG no longer documents or tracks wolf packs in Idaho like it did a few years ago when the federal wildlife agency funded wolf monitoring in Idaho by the state. The latest map of wolf breeding pairs and packs was produced in 2015.
 Along with the loss of federal funding, there also was no longer a federal requirement to estimate packs statewide. That has allowed state wildlife officials to focus radio-collaring efforts in area of high conflict, such as the Lolo elk zone and southwest Idaho livestock depredation areas, IDFG regional supervisor Brad Compton said.
 Wolf predation on livestock remains an issue in southwest Idaho even today and some problem wolves have been removed from the region that includes Valley, Adams and Washington counties over the past 12 months, Compton said.
 He said wolf packs are fluid and move around central and south central Idaho. The higher elevation in the Hitt Mountain and Cuddy Mountain areas of Adams and Washington County are known to have wolves, although they may only visit. The IDFG has caught and collared wolves near Council.
 “Wolves are extremely mobile. It’s kind of hard to paint them in a box,” he said. “It’s not as structured as you might think.”
 Washington County commissioner Kirk Chandler said there are wolves in Washington County but no breeding pairs noted on the IDFG map.
 He said there is a wolf pack that moves in and out of the area on the west side of Cuddy Mountain.
 To help reduce the wolf predation on livestock in Valley, Idaho and Adams counties, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, which sets hunting rules and regulations in the state, recently approved a year-around hunting season for wolves on private land.
 The federal wildlife service’s proposal to delist the gray wolf throughout the contiguous United States is open for public comment in the Federal Register until May 14, 2019. All comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov.