10/16/08 Wolves back on endangered list

Federal wildlife officials say they will try again next year to have wolves removed from the endangered species list. A U.S. District Court judge restored the endangered status in response to a lawsuit filed by several environmental groups. That means there will be no hunting of wolves this year in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Dustin Miller and the Idaho Office of Species Conservation have only been overseeing wolves for the past six months but since July had been barred by a court injunction from killing any wolves. Miller says Judge Donald Molloy had two concerns with the state hunting plans. MILLER "He was concerned that once we started shooting wolves under those approved hunting seasons that numbers would fall below sustainable levels. And his other concern was that he wanted to see information that the central Idaho and Montana wolf populations were interbreeding with the Yellowstone populations." The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it will change its delisting proposal and take it back to Judge Molloy next year so that it can reissue the rule to downgrade the wolves status and left the three states take control. Environmental groups contend that wolf populations will crash if the animals are hunted in the Northern Rockies and given their success this time around its seems certain they'll be back in court challenging state control if it ever comes. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott