News in Brief
Montana Governor Notifies Feds of New Policy on Wolves
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer's letter to Ken Salazar authorizes a new approach to controlling -- and culling -- wolves in the state.By New West, 2-16-11
 |
|
 | |
| Photo by Flickr user dobak. | |
|
In the latest development in the battle between state and federal leaders on how to manage federally protected wolves in the Northern Rockies, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announcing a new wolf management plan for the state.
The plan gives ranchers more leeway in protecting their livestock while authorizing wildlife officials to cull wolves that prey on elk in the Bitterroot Valley.
Schweitzer noted he is “profoundly frustrated” by the situation that led him to issue the new directives.
The full letter:
February 16, 2011
The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Secretary Salazar:
I write to you today regarding wolf management in Montana.
While almost everyone acknowledges that the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population is fully recovered, as the Governor of Montana I am profoundly frustrated by the lack of any actual results that recognize Montana’s rights and responsibilities to manage its wildlife. Montana has for years done everything that has been asked: adopting a model wolf management plan; enacting enabling legislation; and adopting the necessary implementing rules. Our exemplary efforts have been ignored. I cannot continue to ignore the crying need for workable wolf management while Montana waits, and waits, and waits. Therefore, I am now going to take additional necessary steps to protect the interests of Montana’s livestock producers and hunters to the extent that I can within my authorities as governor.
First, for Montana’s northwest endangered wolves (north of Interstate 90), any livestock producers who kill or harass a wolf attacking their livestock will not be prosecuted by Montana game wardens. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) wardens will be directed to exercise their prosecutorial discretion by not investigating or citing anyone protecting their livestock.
Further, I am directing FWP to respond to any livestock depredation by removing whole packs that kill livestock, wherever this may occur.
Still further, to protect the elk herds in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley that have been most adversely affected by wolf predation, I am directing FWP, to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act, to cull these wolves by whole-pack removal to enable elk herds to recover.
At this point, I can do nothing less and still maintain my commitment as Governor to uphold the rights of our citizens to protect their property and to continue to enjoy Montana’s cherished wildlife heritage and traditions.
Sincerely,
Brian Schweitzer
Governor
Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.
Comments
Seems like a critical mass is developing, a BIPARTISAN mass, of politicians who want to continue their political careers past the next election.
Can't wait to see what Tester and Baucus do now.
Schweitzer cannot order peace officers, including game wardens, not to enforce the law.
RH
Ranchers should have the right to protect their livestock. The bitterroot will not turn into another yellowstone, devoid of wildlife.
Sorry Robert, you lose. Keep in mind, Idaho already did this.
Finally, a politician who is not gonna ride the fence.
GO BRIAN GO! BRIAN FOR PRESIDENT!
Do you really want peace officers to willfully violate their oaths to uphold the law?
RH
We are talking Montana Law here, not laws brought on by people who do not understand the problems like yourself.
My god man, PEOPLE live here!
President B.O.'s budget requests a $10 million reduction in WildlifeServices operations for next fiscal year including elimination of directives of livestock protection in SD, MT, ID, WY, WV, PA and wolf $ inWI, MN and MI plus millions generally from the program operations.All programs will be affected with some states entirely shut down from federal funds.
The historic 3-7-77 is found on the Montana Highway Patrol car for a reason. The emblem is a tribute to the Vigilantes, the first law enforcement group in the Montana Territory. DOI Secretary Salazar , his elitist lucky sperm club buddies and the national media might want to look into the customs , culture, history and heritage of the Sovereign State of Montana
Environmentalists have been willing to risk a range war over wolf delisting , now they have it.
If the Governor of Montana will defy the Feds, then so will all his citizens. Lock & load and saddle up while there is still snow on the ground. Enough is enough.
Schweitzer's "shoot 'em all!" reaction is just plain stupid. No wonder the feds don't want to turn management of wolves back to Montana--we're acting like a bunch of paranoid drunk college kids shooting at shadows after a fraternity party. Time to grow up.
Let's review a few facts, shall we?
---------------------
1. Wolves are not “decimating” the elk herds in Montana, Wyoming or Idaho. In fact these herd numbers are increasing.
2. There are pockets here and there where elk numbers have decreased, but these are likely due to decreased habitat and seasonal fluctuation, not wolves. Also wildlife predator-prey relations take awhile to get in balance—savvy wildlife managers know that you don't make wildlife decisions based on isolated data from one or two years.
3. Wolf reintroduction has led to an overall improvement of habitat. An alpha predator has led to much healthier ecosystems in the west.
3. Public support across the US for wolf reintroduction is massive—Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington surveys all show overwhelming support for wolf reintroduction—in some surveys more than 70% want to see wolves reintroduced in other areas of US. And that high percentage includes hunters!
4. Methods to protect livestock from wolf predation with nonlethal means have been used for centuries in Europe. Some of our more savvy ranchers in the west are now adopting these approaches, and find that they work.
5. Instead of whining that wolves are killing their livestock, ranchers should man up and learn how to raise their cattle and sheep in predator country. Leaving tasty and stupid livestock alone in wolf country without any oversight is shameful. Learn to use predator-friendly techniques for managing livestock. It’s the adult approach. Even the Bible talks about shepherds "watching their flocks by night."
-----
SUMMARY--The AMERICAN PEOPLE want wolves reintroduced in the US. Those who scream loudest against the desires of the majority do so because they are in such a small minority of our population. Screaming, bullying, and demeaning others is all they can do. But screaming and name calling is childish. And saying "by God, we'll do what we want 'cause this is Montana!" is immature at best.
Majority rule, sound science, and the facts will win the day for wolves, for other wildlife, and for us all.
-Jon Cheever (native Montanan)
Super legislative majorities in all 3 state capitols have had enough. Their wolf related legislation over the past decade has proven it.
Wolves will suffer because of the likes of zealots; Marvel, Stone, , Lahey, Jon, Ralph, Jeff E, Skoglund, Honnold, and Wilkinson who have now made it personal, very personal.
L. David Mech predicted to me in his office Oct., 15 2003 that this is exactly how it would end because the extreme left had hijacked the wolf program.
When the caps pop,and they have for several months all over the NRM, it won't be the wolves that are hated and despised, it will be the Agent Provocateurs like Cheever et. al. that brought down the wrath on the wolf reintroduction . The people of Montana , Idaho and Wyoming possibly just might have learned to tolerate and accept wolves. Instead they have learned to despise and hate those in the wolf protection rackets. Payback is a bitch eh Jon ? You brought this on yourselves.
This is what you environmentalists represent, LIES
Reviewing the FACTS
1. In every area would have colonized for more than 5 years and have become established, elk numbers have decreased. In yellowtone alone, a 70% reduction has occurred. The moose could become extinct in yellowstone in another 10 years.
2. Those "pockets" you talk about are the only areas where wolves have resided for more than 10 years.
3. The only possible place that habitat may have improved is yellowstone. There is no evidence doen by nonprowolf biologists that suggests that habitat has improved because of wolves. Keep in mide we have always had mountain lions and bears to prey on weak or diseased ungulates.
4. The nonlethal forms of wolf control have solved nothing. Sure, if I keep my cows in the barn every night and lock them up, no predation occurs. This is not a viable option for many people. The Europeans you talk about have very few wolves, and when problems occur, they use LETHAL means, be it legal or illegial. They do not have thousands of wolves to deal with.
5. The so called "whining" of ranchers? It must be nice to work for a nonprofit and not have to deal with a "bottom line" concerning a business. The fact is that the added costs of trying to keep the wolves out of the cows could cause an economic hardship for livestock producers.
SUMMARY: THE PEOPLE OF MONTANA WANT WOLF MANAGEMENT!
Majority rule and sound science concerning ALL WILDLIFE, not just wolves, has won the day.
JEFF E and (not-so) real mike...what ever happened to that phony buddy of yours...Cody Coyote? The Three Stooges just isn't a complete act unless he's right there chiming in with you two.
Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
Exhibit A: Tobias Bridges. Full disclosure: at least Toby is an immigrant, not that it excuses him. There is no excuse for him.
(No reply necessary)
How many computers do you have fired up today...how many different names are you posting under? My guess is at least 4...5...6...
You are definitely the Sybille of the internet.
Anything you post Dewey...I mean Cody...see there I get confused by your smoke and mirrors...DOES deserve a reply and to be acknowledged.
Through the grapevine, I heard that D.O.W. is thinking about making you their "Poster Boy"...for doing such a great job of following their doctrine of lies and deceit. Any truth to that?
Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
In the abstract, it doesn't matter, , because as I read it and set it against the existing legal framework and especially 10(j) , what Schweitzer is advocating is illegal. He cannot simply wave his hand and order his state employees to ignore law or not perform their service duties. This resolves nothing. It only further corrodes the situation . After all, the REAL problem with wolves is Wyoming.
In the real world of Northern Rockies Wolf Management , lawlessness and grandstanding , special interest rhetoric and their propaganda jams have become the norm. Science, ecological principles, and long range wildlife management plans were tossed out with the bathwater.
I do not know of any person , agency rep, environmentalist or outfitter, hunter , or rancher who does not want wolf management. Why can't we all just agree that wolves are wildlife and start managing them as such , legally ?
Take it up with the new Governor of Wyoming, Matt Mead, and his merry Good Old Boys at the Stockgrowers and Rocky Mountain Elk FOundation , et al.
THAT is where the path to the solution lies...through downtown Cheyenne Wyoming ...not in Brian Schweitzer's foolish illegal pomposity.
( I'm not excusing Fish and Wildlife Service here, and I do not belong to nor support any environmental organizations )
...except in your besotted mind. When you indulge grossly of wine stomped from sour grapes, as you do, the buzz is a bad one and you see things that are not there. You're hearing the voices again. Might I honestly suggest counseling or a psych exam ?
I am not the issue, Toby . Get over it. Stay on topic. Try to show us you have a multilobed brain instead of an enlarged fevered spleen and overactive gall bladder, for once...
Thanks for proving my point. When you (purposely) post under different names on the same topic, in support of one another, is the same kind of smoke & mirrors, deceit, and outright lies that have been used by your beloved radical environemntal organizations to paint an entirely false image of the wolf...and the validity of the entire Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project.
And that dishonesty is now catching up with you and those like you. The introduction of those non-native, non-endangered wolves into Montana, Idaho and Wyoming has all been based on one great big pack of lies, a huge dose of deception, a ton of fraud, and several great big heaping handsful of stolen wildlife funds.
So, Cody, or whoever you're pretending to be as you read this, yes you are the problem.
Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
With the budget melt down bankruptcy of the states and the landslide conservative election of 2010 that was the biggest rebuke of the far lefts agenda since 1934 combined with the wolf issue we have a perfect storm.
The panic is so widespread on both sides of the political aisle in Congress & the Senate in the Executive branch & at the state level that the only thing that I can advise is to expect the absolutely unexpected.
In the field take fullest advantage of the Governors invitation and encourage every able bodied long range shooter to do the same.
Environmentalists have been willing to risk a range war over wolf delisting , now they have it.
Marvel, Stone, Lahey, Jon, Ralph, Jeff E, Skoglund, Honnold, and Wilkinson just don't get it. The ball is in their court to sue for peace. Surrender.
You still persist in trying to make me the issue. Why ?
For years we have endured your own bombast and your bile.
It's time the readers of NewWest.net found out exactly who you are and why you feel so eminently qualified to comment so vociferously here, and elsewhere. I fully admit I detest you and your activist one sided commentary , and it shows.
The Prime Question: Why do you feel you are a worthy spokesman for those who seriously dislike wolves ? What's on your resumé that gives you the qualifications to inflict upon us your dogma about wolfma. Lay it out for us. Why should we listen to you , ever?
Your ONLY qualifications, as near as I have been able to determine, are a broad knowledge of projectile weaponry. You are Mr. Muzzleloader and the Baron of Black Powder blasting. For that much we give you the kudos and street cred you deserve ( even if a few of your sponsors back in Missouri-Illinois did heave you over the rails for going beyond the pale). I fully respect those knowledgeable about guns and ammo and the expert use of same, and the creed of the responsible sportsman. But you test that resolve every time you post...
OK--so we set aside the guns. The role of guns and shooting in Wildlife Management is a small one. Guns are a tool, but are vastly overrated.
What ELSE is in Toby Bridges' resumé that gives you credibility here in the northern Rockies? A degree in Wildlife Management? Biology ? Range Conservation ? Ecological Science ? Zoology ? a long Public Affairs and Political Science curriculum ? Ever run for office ? ( If so, the vote totals ??)
What DOES your college coursework read like, anyway ? What's your level of education on the issues at hand, namely wildlife ? Moreso, what are your accomplishments in these fields ? What, besides your despicable LoboWatch website(s) have you done to add to the discourse about wolves and advance the issues ?
Secondary Question : Please tell us here and now why you feel you add constructively to the Wolf issue, rather than destructively so ? Some would say , including me, that you are far from a consensus builder but rather a polarizer and divider and an agent of apostasy.
How would you respond to those assertions?
I'm calling you out, Toby. Tell us why we should give you the time of day. I'm all eyes. The readers deserve as much.
*
*
You might also consider going across town and finding Brad at the NewWest office and sit down with him and plead your case on why he should let you keep continually fouling his forums with your execrations.
Remember Toby , I am not the issue. But YOU on the other hand have self-anointed yourself and erected a pedestal under your wafflestompers and flannel and demanded to be heard , and have long preached to us zealously against wolves like you really have something worth hearing , besides all the hatred and the personal attacks and the BS.
Tell us about yourself, Toby , like you were applying for a real job or something. We need to know you.
On the other side of the debate, there is big bucks involved.
Sure, alot of these fellas don't have college degrees...so what? Whats wrong with common sense?
Besides, the horric mistakes make by the people in charge in the past....the college made biologists who have destroyed ecosystems with mysis shrimp experiments and such, don't give much creditability to our collegiate graduates.
It use to be declared that there were two types of scientific collegate graduates, enginneers......and the rest. Few biologists, if any, are engineers.
First thing biologists need to do, or any of the so called range specialists, whatever.....TALK TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE BEFORE YOU ACT.
Now we have the mess we have, and the people have had enough. Elected officials don't get elected without public support.
Experience in life is worth more than any degree, but only wise people understand that. Suppliment yourself with education as best you can, but don't rule out common sense.
Game over , ad hominum attacks on Toby or anyone else are a meaningless waste of time. The longer you delay,the higher the stakes will go. Xylitol, winter killed carcasses and denning season are on the horizon. Is it about your love for wolves or your lust for legal fees? Your choice.
Tell Honnold / Senatore to walk into Molloy's court room on Feb 22 and drop their suit and produce a "covenant not to sue" over wolves in the 9th signed by all the plaintiffs.
All the rest is bull shit
"At this point, I can do nothing less and still maintain my commitment as Governor to uphold the rights of our citizens to protect their property and to continue to enjoy Montana’s cherished wildlife heritage and traditions."
What Governor Schweitzer should have said is WHITE traditions and heritage.
By declaring an illegal open season so to speak on wolves, he is returning Montana to the "heritage" and "tradition" that was full on extermination, not just of wolves, but also Indians who co-existed with them, as well as respect them, yes, even today, in a spiritual capacity.
I'm the Governor and a lot of other people don't, and won't see it that way, hence the very problem to which I refer.
Lest anyone forget, the first time whites were excited and busy slaughtering almost all wildlife on this continent, including wolves, they were also getting paid for the Indian scalps they were harvesting.
The repulsive legacy of racism, violence and complete lack of consideration for Indian values and traditions, AKA the events this country was REALLY built on, continues to this day. If there was even feint level of respect for Indian tradition and heritage on the landbase, the Governor would not be encouraging such behavior.
But I suppose he's a lot more interested in lining his out-of-state pockets with special interest money than he is is respecting the "brown people" in "his" state or the values and traditions of other people who have a different vision than white ranchers and trophy hunters. People who value species like the wolf.
The Governor made it very clear in this letter to the Interior that he is fed up, he and all the ranchers and hunters who share his view on things.
Well, a lot of us are fed up Governor, fed up with the violence, fed up with the continuing legacy of greed, racism and murder, fed up with the lack of respect for other animals who have just as much right to be here as human beings.
It's not a by-gone era to which I refer to here. Hatred, murder and intolerance are still in full swing. Millions of Indian People are living the trauma of past wrongs to their families, culture, and ancestral homelands. Indians are also building coalitions not just here in the US, but around the world to strengthen their voice and gain the respect, visibility and future they deserve.