Local meeting spotlights wolves

RONAN — Stockgrowers, hunters, meat processors and taxidermists came out in droves Monday evening for a meeting on recently re-listed gray wolves.

The question of how to manage wolves in western Montana has been a contentious one. A recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula rescinded the federal government’s decision last year to remove wolves in Montana and Idaho from protection under the Endangered Species Act, which gave both states the authority to manage wolves. Both states had wolf hunts in 2009, but Molloy’s ruling ended hunts planned for this year.

Molloy’s name was uttered almost as a bad word during Monday’s meeting, as a presentation and open forum let frustrated sportsmen relay their concerns and begin discussion on ways to fight the ruling.

“We could complain about the decision all we want but it’s not going to go anywhere,” Western Montana Stockmen’s Association President Terry Murphy said. “This is about way of life, about how we make our living.”

Jay Bodner, the natural resource director for the Montana Stockgrower’s Association, came to the meeting from Helena to discuss some of the actions his group is hoping to take on the wolves. One of the biggest issues, he said, is the “arbitrary line” that designates wolves as “endangered” in the northern part of the state and “experimental” in the southern areas. The endangered status, which covers Lake County and most areas north of Interstate 90, means stockgrowers cannot shoot a wolf, even if it is attacking livestock, Bodner said. While wolf attacks on livestock have begun, Bodner said they would occur more frequently as the animal continues to repopulate, something he said the stockgrowers had predicted while fighting wolf reintroduction in the 1990s.

“Our industry, knowing the impact then, tried to tell [the government] that we’re the ones that are really going to be impacted by the wolves,” Bodner said. “Going through the court system has not been kind to us. We are going to need help from the congressional delegation to get something done. If we don’t get something done congressionally, I don’t know when we’ll see wolves de-listed.”

While Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks manage the wolves under federal guidance, investigations into livestock deprivation and other wolf conflicts are conducted by USDA Wildlife Services. Ted North, who covers Lake and more than four other counties for the USDA, came to the meeting to discuss some of the things he has observed out in the field. During the last fiscal year, North said he spent more than 70 hours in a helicopter while his department removed 42 wolves from northwest Montana, in addition to 72 taken during last fall’s wolf hunt.

“This year, the livestock damage has doubled, we’re at $42,000 in confirmed losses,” North said. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and Wildlife Services will be grounded for three months this year with no flying. With the relisting, I’ll not be able to use traps and snares, a lot of the tools I need to use. I won’t be able to cover my area the same.”

The effects of wolves have been more far-reaching then just among stockgrowers. Rick Johnson, of Rick’s Kustom Kuts in Arlee, said he processed 25 percent less meat last year than he traditionally does.

“With the way it’s going this year, I’ll be down 50 percent,” Johnson said.

Most of the crowd seemed extremely upset with the “endangered” designation, and some people brought up ways to poison wolves or encouraged others to abide by the three S’s: shoot, shovel and shut up. While some of the discussion seemed in jest, Jack Stivers, secretary of the Western Montana Stockmen’s Association, the organization which hosted the meeting, said after the event that they do not encourage any illegal activity.

“We respect the law and opinions about breaking the law were not representative of our organization,” Stivers said.

Ultimately, many gathered at the event agreed the only way to make a change in the rule is to band together.

“We have the same ideas but we need to decide how to act,” Murphy said. “You don’t think your voice matters but it does.”