Since 66 wolves were released into Yellowstone and Idaho in the mid 1990s, federal agents, ranchers and poachers have killed about as many wolves as the 1,500 that roam today through the Northern Rockies.
And still, the population continues to grow by 24 percent each year.
That's why federal officials were confident enough Thursday to remove federal endangered species protection from wolves in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah.
The change will let the states manage the wolves, which will mean hunters, ranchers and others will be able to kill more of the animals under more conditions than the Endangered Species Act allows.
"We wouldn't be here today if we didn't have every expectation the wolf will continue to thrive in the Rocky Mountains," said Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett, who called the restoration of wolves to the Rocky Mountains one of the greatest conservation success stories.
The states are now slated to take over wolf management by the end of March. But eight environmental groups are not confident that local managers will protect the wolves and may sue to stop the handover.
Environmentalists and federal managers disagree on how low wolf numbers can get before additional protections are required to maintain the predators in the region.
Independent scientists say at least 2,500 wolves are necessary to be sustainable, said Louisa Willcox, of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Bozeman. But the current plan would allow the population to drop to just 300 wolves before the federal government stepped in.
"Three hundred animals is not enough for the wolves to survive in the long run," Willcox said. "Far more wolves are needed before the species can be considered truly recovered."
The environmental lawyers group Earthjustice, representing seven environmental groups including Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and others, plans to file a notice of intent to sue when the rule is published in the Federal Register in the next few days. But it is not certain the groups will seek to stop the states from taking over management 30 days from then.
"If it appears there will be significant increase in killing the wolves shortly after the delisting we will consider asking for an injunction," said Michael Robinson, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity.
Idaho's Department of Fish and Game plans to finalize its plan for managing wolves, including opening a hunting season. The first wolf hunt could occur as early as fall.
Biologists have recommended controlled wolf hunts concurrent with deer and elk seasons, which would mean a limited number of wolf tags would be issued for hunts in October and November. Steve Nadeau, F&G's large carnivore biologist, said the department intends to keep wolf populations between 500 and 700 wolves statewide after the first season.
"For the first year, we think a good approach is to go at it conservatively," Nadeau said.
Hunts would be concentrated in areas where there's a history of attacks on livestock or where wolves are reducing elk herds below F&G's population objectives.
Nadeau said the department will know more after the first season, then adjust seasons and tag allocations.
"Adaptive management is how we will approach the whole wolf management issue," he said.
The Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to vote on the plan March 6 and on wolf bag limits in May.
Idaho accounts for more than half of all of the region's wolves - about 800 of them.
Rocky Barker: 377-6484
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