CHAKIKK 3: Al.Xr KNATIVES 



to conserve threatened and endangered species. The State of Montana will still informally consult with 

 USFWS, but the state would not participate in decision-making. 



Prey Populations. USFWS would not carry out any particular management on behalf of prey 

 populations, but the agency acknowledges that wolf predation can influence prey population abundance or 

 distribution, particularly in conjunction with other environmental factors or concurrent with human 

 hunting. FWP would continue managing ungulates subject to existing plans and policies. In 2000, 

 USFWS proposed new regulations to allow a state or tribe to capture and translocate wolves to other areas 

 because of adverse impacts to wild ungulate populations after preparation of a state wolf management 

 plan. State plans must define impacts, describe how they will be measured, and identify possible 

 mitigation measures. Before any management activities occur, USFWS has to approve the plan and 

 conclude that such translocations would not slow wolf population growth. Presently, a Montana wolf 

 management plan has not been adopted or submitted to USFWS for approval. Under this alternative, 

 none would be prepared in the foreseeable future, so capture and translocation of wolves to other areas 

 because of impacts to ungulate populations could not occur. 



Funding. USFWS wolf recovery program in the northern Rockies is funded through the U.S. 

 Congressional budgeting and appropriations process. FWP occasionally consults informally with 

 USFWS as needed. The current FWP budget will cover the administrative costs of ongoing informal 

 coordination (up to $5,000). 



Livestock / Compensation. USFWS and WS respond to and resolve wolf-livestock complaints according 

 to existing federal regulations. Pending rule changes could provide more flexibility for federal officials to 

 resolve conflicts in northwestern Montana (Bangs pers comm.). Federal officials attempt to resolve 

 conflicts as quickly and efficiently as possible by focusing on the offending individual/s. Management 

 tools include technical assistance to reduce the conflict potential, telemetry-based monitoring, non-lethal 

 hazing devices (or munitions by permit), relocation, and lethal control. 



For as long as the gray wolf is listed, livestock producers are also constrained by federal regulations, so 

 they need to be cautious because different rules apply in the three federal recovery areas overlapping 

 Montana's state borders (Figure 1). In the Northwestern Montana Recovery Area, wolves are presently 

 classified as "endangered" which prevents landowners from legally hazing, injuring, or killing wolves 

 caught wounding or killing their livestock whether or not the incident takes place on public or private 

 land. The only recourse is to report the incident to USFWS or WS as soon as possible. Elsewhere in 

 Montana, landowners are able to harass wolves in an opportunistic, non-injurious manner on leases or 

 private property, but producers must report it to USFWS within seven days. Also, a landowner could 

 lawfully injure or kill a wolf caught injuring or killing livestock on private property, but the incident must 

 be reported within 24 hours. In some circumstances, USFWS issues special permits to individual 

 landowners or their agents to kill a wolf, in lieu of a USFWS or WS control action when agency control 

 actions have been ineffective. These permits have strict provisions and conditions under which they 

 could be issued to and exercised by a landowner. Until adoption of new rules, the differences in options 

 available to Montana livestock producers remain in effect. 



Defenders of Wildlife recognized that a compensation program could help shift the economic liability of 

 wolf restoration away from livestock producers who may be directly affected by wolf-caused losses. 

 Established in 1987, the fund is administered and financed independently from USFWS or WS activities. 

 Upon receiving the report of a WS field investigation, a Defenders of Wildlife representative negotiates 

 directly with the livestock owner to determine compensation. Through the Bailey Wildlife Foundation 

 Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund, Defenders of Wildlife also cost-shares proactive, preventative 

 management activities, such as installing electric fencing, building a night pen, or increasing the number 

 of guarding animals. The compensation program is intended to assist in the recovery efforts of listed 



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