CHAI»TER 1: PURPOSE ANO NEED FOK ACTION 



Benefits of the Proposed Action 



Managing gray wolves as a resident native species according to state guidelines will allow the program to 

 be more flexible and adaptable in meeting the needs and interests of Montana citizens and visitors. 

 Montana's legal requirement to maintain a secure population of wolves in the northern Rockies in 

 conjunction with Idaho and Wyoming would be met by developing and adopting a program. Managing 

 gray wolves will not be easy, but wolf restoration is fundamentally consistent with Montana's history of 

 wildlife conservation. FWP believes that it is in Montana's best interest to recognize and take on the 

 challenges, responsibilities, and benefits of a restored wolf population. 



Decisions to be Made 



FWP is using the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) as a tool to decide if the state will assume 

 management responsibility. The process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) requires 

 FWP to decide how wolves will be managed if it assumes responsibility. One alternative suggests that 

 FWP neither prepares nor adopts a plan. Other alternatives suggest that FWP develops a plan and go on 

 to describe conservation and management activities that would be implemented under each alternative. 

 The alternatives describe a spectrum of philosophies, strategies, and tools from which FWP will 

 ultimately determine a course of action. 



If FWP selects an alternative that describes a wolf program implemented by FWP, the alternative will 

 become FWP's management plan. That plan will address wolf conservation and management anywhere 

 wolves occur in Montana, except where management authority is otherwise explicitly reserved to other 

 jurisdictions, such as Montana's Indian tribes. Ultimately, the outcome of this EIS process will result in a 

 management and conservation plan which would be implemented through the combined decisions and 

 actions of the FWP Commission, the seven FWP administrative regional offices, FWP's headquarters in 

 Helena, the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL), USDA Wildlife Services (WS), local law 

 enforcement or county authorities, and other cooperators. 



Other Agencies that have Jurisdiction or Responsibility 



At present, USFWS and WS are responsible for wolf recovery and management activities. Federal laws, 

 rules and regulations provide guidance. WTien wolves are delisted and management authority is 

 transferred to the State of Montana, state laws become the primary regulatory and legal mechanisms 

 guiding management. Two titles within Montana statutes describe the legal status and management 

 framework for wolves. Title 87 pertains to fish and wildlife species and oversight by FWP. Title 81 

 pertains to the MDOL and its responsibilities related to predator control. Montana statutes assign joint 

 responsibility to FWP and MDOL for managing wildlife that causes property damage to livestock. 

 Through a cooperative agreement with MDOL, WS conducts field investigations and management 

 activities in cases of property damage caused by wildlife such as mountain lions, bears, coyotes, and now 

 potentially gray wolves. 



Outfitters in Montana are under the jurisdiction of the Montana Board of Outfitters and the Montana 

 Department of Commerce, which is responsible for issuing outfitting licenses and the enforcement of 

 laws regulating the outtuting industry. Outfitters using federal lands are also overseen by the respective 

 federal land management agencies. 



The U.S. Forest Service (USPS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management, 

 USFWS, or other federal jurisdictions administer federally owned lands. These agencies manage these 

 lands according to their enabling legislation and relevant federal laws, rules, and regulations. FWP 



