CHAPTER J: I'l lU'OSE ANO NF.Kl) I (H{ ACIION 



coordinates with federal agencies on wildlife and habitat issues of mutual interest, but has no jurisdiction 

 over how those lands are managed. Both the USFWS and state agencies have authorities and 

 responsibilities for wildlife management on national wildlife refuges. NPS also has jurisdiction over 

 wildlife within national parks. 



Montana's Indian tribes have jurisdictional authority for wildlife conservation and management programs 

 within reservation boundaries. FWP coordinates with tribal authorities on issues of mutual interest. 



Public Involvement Process 



Although wolves have been documented in Montana intermittently since the 1950s, recovery in the sense 

 of a breeding population in Montana actually began about 17 years ago when the first Rocky Mountain 

 gray wolves in more than 50 years denned in Glacier National Park. Then, in 1995 and 1996, a total of 66 

 wolves from southwestern Canada were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. 



Montana's effort to take over this endangered species upon its recovery began in 1994 when FWP 

 solicited public comments on the agency taking a more active role during the recovery phase. That effort 

 resulted in the 1995 draft Wolf Recovery and Management Plan. That plan was not implemented, 

 primarily because of uncertainties about funding and agency responsibilities. Then, five years later, the 

 effort hit full stride when Gov. Marc Racicot convened Montana's Wolf Management Advisory Council. 



The 12-member Wolf Management Advisory Council — a mix of livestock producers, hunters, educators, 

 outfitters, conservationists, and other citizens — worked for seven months to develop 26 "Guiding 

 Principles" organized in four broad subject areas that address the public interest, public safety, 

 maintaining wildlife populations and protecting the livestock industry. An Interagency Technical 

 Committee advised the council, providing scientifically based infonnation about biological, technical, 

 legal, or financial aspects of wolf conservation and management. The Technical Committee also helped 

 the council identify and assess challenges associated with implementing overall management strategies or 

 specific management actions. It was comprised of wolf experts and resource managers from the National 

 Park Service, USFWS, U.S. Forest Service, Wildlife Services, and FWP. 



The council delivered its report and recommendations to Gov. Racicot, and then governor-elect Judy 

 Martz, in early 2001 . Based on its public deliberations, the council reported that the State of Montana 

 could contribute to wolf recovery in the northern Rockies. Furthermore, the council reported that, once 

 recovered, wolves can coexist within Montana's complex biological, social, economic, and political 

 landscape and that it is appropriate for FWP to develop a management program. 



More specifically, the advisory council recommended that Montana: 



• maintain wolf populations at levels that will prevent reclassification as "threatened" or "endangered" 

 under federal law. 



• encourage wolves to inhabit large, contiguous public-land areas where the potential for conflict is 

 lowest. 



• 



integrate wolf and wildlife management to maintain traditional hunting heritage and wildlife viewing 

 opportunities. 



incorporate public outreach and encourage Native American cooperation. 



