Info from RMEF
Elk Foundation Praises Wolf Delisting in Idaho, Montana
MISSOULA, Mont.<America is well past the day when keystone predators can be left
unmanaged. Thatıs why the May 4 formal delisting of gray wolves in Idaho and
Montana is drawing praise from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, as well as
encouragement for the same action in Wyoming.
³Weıre pleased with the partial delisting and glad to see wolf management
authority turned over to state wildlife agencies in Idaho and Montana.
Management is a modern necessity<we donıt live in a zoo and this isnıt the old
West,² said David Allen, Elk Foundation president and CEO.
Allen explained that conservation today means managing habitat, prey and
predators together, on balance with biological and cultural carrying capacities,
rather than a piecemeal mishmash of independent components and objectives. Itıs
all tied together. Delisting wolves brings true conservation a step closer to
the northern Rockies.
³We must work together to ensure that Wyoming also gains the ability to manage
wolves in concert with its other species and habitat programs,² said Allen.
In March, the RMEF board of directors updated and added urgency to the
organizationıs longstanding position on wolves, which supports state regulated,
ethical hunting of restored wolf populations.
Allen said wolves are an organizational concern because of their impacts on
local elk herds, elk hunting success and participation, livestock and
landowners, rural economies and the Elk Foundationıs own ability to facilitate
collaborative conservation in the future.
