TimPEarthjustice

The official government recovery standard calls for 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves in Wyoming outside of Yellowstone National Park, with genetic connectivity to other wolf populations and adequate state regulations to make sure that neither the population nor connectivity requirements is compromised in the future. Wolves were returned to the endangered list in Wyoming because a federal court found that Wyoming does not provide adequate state regulations to protect the species. In addition, Wyoming wolves remain largely isolated from any other wolf populations.

Because Yellowstone National Park is not under the State of Wyoming's authority, the federal wildlife agency established a recovery standard that imposes specific population requirements for the area that the State does control -- i.e., the area outside the Park. This is because Yellowstone National Park is not big enough to support a sustainable population by itself. The idea was that the combination of the Park wolf population plus the required population outside the Park would together ensure a sustainable population for the future.

Wyoming's management plan is not like Montana's. Wyoming's proposed wolf management approach differs from any other state in the Northern Rockies region by declaring open season on wolves year-round across 85 percent of the state. Because of that sweeping authorization for unregulated wolf killing, it was very important for Wyoming to provide adequate legal protections for wolves in the remaining 15 percent of the state where wolf killing would be regulated. As a federal judge determined, the state failed to do so. From our perspective, a state plan that allows eradication of wolves across 85 percent of the state and provides insufficient safeguards in the remainder is not a good middle ground.

Actually I took a pay cut to do this work when I left a private firm to work for Earthjustice. And we represent our clients for free in bringing lawsuits on behalf of wolves and other wildlife. We are supported by public donations.

The experience of wolf reintroduction in the Northern Rockies shows that wolves can successfully recolonize a landscape if there is sufficient habitat available and human killing of wolves is adequately limited. The return of the wolf can herald a return of wildness to the landscape and many people find that very inspiring.