CHAPTER i : HURPOSK ANU NKEI) lOK ACTION 



resources of the state using the fees generated through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and 

 matching federal monies. As there was disagreement about the recovery of the gray wolf, a long-absent 

 native species, there are also different opinions about how future wolf conservation and management 

 activities should be funded. 



Livestock. These comments address Montana's livestock industry, its importance and responsibilities, 

 and what actions government officials and private citizens would take when wolves kill livestock. 

 Wolves can cause problems for some livestock producers. Financial losses may result directly from wolf 

 depredation. Indirect costs may accumulate because of increased management activities, changes in 

 husbandry practices, or unconfirmed losses. These financial hardships accrue to individual farmers and 

 ranchers and may be significant to them. 



Wolf Habitat, Habitat Connectivity, and Land Management. These comments address the need for 

 wolves to move freely through Montana, within the tri-state area, and across the international border and 

 question how and where this will be accomplished. During the recovery phase, connectivity of the wolf 

 population in the northern Rockies with the Canadian population was assured through federal legal 

 protections, adequate prey populations, and the network of public lands-all of which facilitate dispersal 

 and maintenance of genetic viability, an important underpinning of recovery and long-term security of a 

 recovered population. Montana is an important link between Yellowstone, Idaho, and Canadian sub- 

 populations. Interagency coordination and monitoring programs must assure that regional connectivity is 

 maintained through adequate dispersal. Comments also address whether or not there is a need for 

 motorized travel restrictions or localized area closures where wolf packs establish den or rendezvous 

 sites. 



Compensation. These comments address payments to livestock producers and others who experience 

 wolf depredation losses; comments also address the source and reliability of the funding and how a 

 compensation program would be administered. Wolf population recovery has and will continue to result 

 in the loss of personal property or income to some individuals due to wolf activity and depredation. 



Economics/Livelihoods. These comments address the economic costs and benefits of having wolves in 

 Montana, livelihoods, ecotourism, and fiscal impacts to FWP. 



Information, Education, and Public Outreach. These comments address the need for FWP to develop 

 information and education techniques and programs to keep Montanans informed about wolf 

 conservation, wolf management, and human safety. Corrmients also address the need for technical 

 assistance for landowners and other rural residents. The long-term status of gray wolf populations will be 

 determined by human attitudes toward wolves. 



Human Safety. These comments identify Montanans' concerns about the safety of their children, pets, 

 and their livestock in the presence of a recovered wolf population. Generally, wolves fear people and do 

 not pose a significant threat to human safety. However, individual wolves may gradually lose their fear 

 of people and begin associating or interacting with people and/or loitering near buildings, livestock, or 

 domestic dogs. While this behavior is unusual for a wild wolf, it is more typical of a released captive 

 wolf or wolf-dog hybrid. Habituation of wild wolves has been identified as a contributing factor in 

 aggressive wolf-human encounters (McNay 2002b). 



Monitoring. These comments address how and at what intensity wildlife managers will monitor wolf 

 populations, pack sizes, pack locations, locations of individual wolves, and the status of prey populations. 

 During the first five years after delisting, FWP must document that the Montana sub-population of wolves 

 is secure and that the combined total of wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming exceeds the delisting 

 threshold. 



