Montana's "dyed-in-wool" wolf-hating U.S. Senator Conrad Burns held what was billed as a "wolf summit" November 21 in Helena, Montana.He brought forward a number of angry ranchers and pressured the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make it easier to kill wolves and reduce the number of packs needed before wolves, as a species, are declared "recovered" in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. And, according to a story in the Billings Gazette, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "will consider giving ranchers more freedom to kill wolves threatening their herds."
"These wolves did not stay where they were put," said Joe Helle, a Dillon-area cattleman. "They came out as killer packs." This statement seems to indicate that some ranchers believe the wolves were meant to stay inside Yellowstone National Park. Helle was apparently referring to the sudden dispersal of the Nez Perce Pack from Yellowstone in October. They killed several cattle south of Dillon, Montana.
A spokesperson for the Montana Farm Bureau said some ranchers were afraid to even shoot wolves when they saw their livestock attacked. Some ranchers said they weren't in the business of raising livestock to feed to wolves, even though Defenders of Wildlife pays them market value for losses to wolves.
Presently, the reintroduction rules indicate that the wolf will be declared "recovered" when ten packs have produced pups in each of the three states for three years. I do not believe that this rule can be changed without a full scale series of public hearings and the standard process of U.S. government rule-making, i.e., published in the Federal Register with allowance for public comment. However, in the newspaper story, Paul Gertler, assistant regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was reported to have said they might reduce the number of wolf packs needed for recovery.
My Analysis:
This meeting was organized by Burns who is avowedly anti-wolf. The Montana Farm Bureau appears to have played a major role in organizing the meeting. I believe only one spokesperson for wolves was allowed to attend. Wolf predation of livestock has been a bit above predictions this year in Wyoming and Montana, but below in Idaho. The Sierra Club news release puts the level of predation in perspective.
Burns is on a campaign against Yellowstone National Park. He has been a leading force behind the slaughter of bison as they reach the Park boundaries. He recently introduced a bill, "Yellowstone National Park Community Participation Act." The bill would mandate summer and winter opening and closing dates for the west entrance of Yellowstone and mandate snowmobile and numerous other recreational uses in the Park. The bill does not provide any penalties should the weather not cooperate ;-)
Burns and some other local congressionals are trying to push the idea that Yellowstone National Park doesn't consult with local communities. Of course, they consider the views of local communities. The National Park Service realizes, however, that the views of the citizens of local communities are not unified. They also consider the views of larger communities too, such as the citizens of the United States. This is what Burns, Wyoming's Senator Mike Enzi, and others don't like. This is also why Americans must be vigilant or they could lose their national treasures like Yellowstone.
Are Burns' views on wildlife and conservation issues what Montanans want? I don't think so for a majority; but he does get elected, and that is a powerful argument. My view, however, is the natural resource interests make sure that he drowns out any opponent with his massive campaign contributions. They have found it is far easier to buy a few small states like Montana, than New York or California. They're smart. Every state gets two votes in the Senate.
From email and various conversations I have overhead, I believe that some ranchers are claiming losses for animals that were not killed by wolves or by any predator at all. A lot of ranchers are good folk, but there are always some who steal the pubic's grass (politely called "overstocking"), trespass their cattle, and claim predators did it when it was the incompetence of their help or themselves. A number of ranchers are beginning to co-operate with conservation organizations understanding that the threat to their future is subdivisions, not wolves. I have heard Farm Bureau is terrified of this budding cooperation. This could be a motive for the summit.
Finally, the quote from the Dillon-area cattleman: "These wolves did not stay where they were put. They came out as killer packs" -- I just watched the video, "The Lost World." I'm sure the scene near Dillon was much worse ;-)
Below is a news release from the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club on the matter
Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club
415 N. 17th Avenue * Bozeman, Montana 59715
For more information, contact Sherm Janke: (406) 586-3172 or 587-9782
or Steve Thompson: (406) 862-3795Wolf recovery ahead of schedule, below budget
Wolves responsible for only 1 out of 28,000 livestock losses in Montana."Wolf recovery in Montana is ahead of schedule and below budget.
Livestock depredations have been relatively few. Federal agencies have
aggressively controlled the few wolves that have killed livestock. And
ranchers have been fully compensated for cattle and sheep lost to wolves."That was the response of Sherm Janke, Chairman of the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club, today to the so-called wolf summit convened today by Sen.
Conrad Burns between agriculture interests and federal wildlife managers."There's a few ranchers out there who claim the sky is falling because of
wolves, but these accusations just don't measure up to the facts," Janke
said. "Ranchers have some legitimate concerns, and those concerns are
being fully addressed. The recovery process is working."Janke noted that wolves have killed fewer than 50 livestock animals this
year, which is the worst year of depredation since wolves first returned
to Montana in 1979. Biologists attribute this in large part to the heavy
winter-kill of game animals. A small minority of Montana wolves were
involved in depredations, and these animals have been subject to control
actions by federal agents.Montana ranchers lose approximately 170,000 livestock animals every year
to a wide variety of causes, such as disease, weather, poison and birthing
problems, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Over the past
decade, wolf depredations have averaged around six a year. That means
wolves are responsible for only one out of every 28,000 livestock losses."Stray dogs kill between 100 and 400 livestock every year in Montana,"
Janke said. "Perhaps Sen. Burns should convene a stray dog summit if he
wants to address a real predator problem for ranchers. Wolves affect a
small number of livestock operations. Unlike dog, coyote or lion
depredations, ranchers are compensated for losses to wolves. So the
overall economic impact is minimal. Let's keep this in perspective."Janke also said the proposal by some ranchers to reduce the recovery
target is a non-starter. If anything, the current ten-pack target for
each of the three recovery areas may be too low to sustain viable
populations for the long term, he said. "Wolf recovery should be based
on biology, not special-interest politics."Janke criticized Sen. Burns for holding a one-sided forum, which was
billed as a meeting between the agricultural community and FWS. "He's
Montana's Senator, so he should represent all Montanans. A roundtable
discussion should be inclusive of all interests. It's a shame Sen. Burns
is trying to polarize this issue when recovery actually is going well and
ranching concerns are being addressed."
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