Government wolf updates

Recently, there have been a few government wolf updates published.

Wyoming Status Reports (which sometimes have information from states like Washington, Oregon, Utah and Colorado):
11/27/2009
11/13/2009
10/30/2009

Idaho, as has been the case since wolves were delisted in the first time in 2008, has provided little information other than numbers. Their reports don’t mention the areas where incidents occur or the packs involved. They also don’t mention information about new packs or other interesting information. This information exists but is rarely published anymore.

There has also been no update to my knowledge about the 6 Soldier Mountain wolves killed near Fairfield this summer. Tissue samples were sent to the USFWS lab in Ashland but I am unaware whether there have been any results from the testing. One BLM law enforcement officer claimed that the wolves may have died from drinking water that may have had chemicals linked to an illegal marijuana growing operation discovered in the area but there has been no official explanation of the incident.

Idaho Report
November 2009 Management Progress Report

Recent Montana Reports:
2009-11-13 Montana Wolf Weekly
2009-11-20 Montana Wolf Weekly
2009-11-27 Montana Wolf Weekly

Feds kill 7 wolves near Stanley

Here is the longer story from the Mountain Express about the killing of the Basin Butte Pack near Stanley.

Basin Butte Wolf just across the river from Stanley, Spring 2006 © Ken Cole

Livestock do not winter in the Sawtooth Valley so there was no imminent danger of livestock losses. This was a revenge killing.

On public lands allotments there are no mandatory terms and conditions requiring livestock permittees to do anything proactive to protect their livestock. There are several non-lethal methods of avoiding conflict with wolves on public lands but there are no requirements to do so. Cracker rounds, turbo fladry, guard dogs, more herders, and better management of livestock are effective ways but they are resisted because of cost. It appears that ranchers would rather have the taxpayers pay to shoot livestock from the air.

Maybe it would be better for the taxpayer if livestock grazing on public lands ended, especially where there is a history of conflict due to the presence of livestock in wolf habitat.

Feds kill 7 wolves near Stanley
Jon Duval – Idaho Mountain Express

Turbo fladry © Ken Cole

FWP files brief against relisting wolves

Montana does not want wolves to be relisted

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has filed its brief in the wolf delisting lawsuit arguing that wolves should not be relisted under the Endangered Species Act.

Two stories:
FWP files brief against relisting wolves
Billings Gazette

State FWP to Molloy: Wolves are recovered, should be delisted
Missoulian

Big game animals scarce in once-popular hunting district along Gallatin River

This is the story about hunting district 310 that a lot of SW Montana hunters are upset about-

Big game animals scarce in once-popular hunting district along Gallatin River. By Brett French. Billings Gazette.

The coywolf, a product of evolution

The wolf was not the gray wolf, however, it was the Eastern wolf — canis lycaon-

Dr. Jon Way has been telling us this for some time. I see he has changed his suburban coyote page to the “coywolf page.”

Broken link now fixed. Coywolves’ a product of evolution. By Lawrence Pyne. Burlington Free Press.

Gros Ventre habitat plan would help swans

Restoration proposal would cover more than 600 acres, bring back streamside vegetation-

Wildlife habitat keeps getting better in the Gros Ventre river drainage.

Gros Ventre habitat plan would help swans. Halpin restoration proposal would cover more than 600 acres, bring back streamside vegetation. By Angus M. Thuermer. Jackson Hole News and Guide