CHAPTER 3: ALTERNATIVES 



species. Defenders of Wildlife will presumably continue providing compensation payments and cost- 

 sharing preventative management tools so long as the gray wolf remains listed. However, these efforts 

 are voluntary and sustained by private donations. 



Wolf Habitat, Connectivity, and Land Management. The gray wolf is a habitat generalist and can 

 survive where there is adequate prey and legal protection from indiscriminant killing by humans. The 

 federal program emphasizes public lands where the potential for conflict is lower, but USFWS 

 acknowledges that wolves can and do use private lands. Connectivity of wolf packs is assured by the 

 legal protections of ESA, a relatively high reproductive rate, and dispersal between and among the three 

 recovery areas. Designating critical habitat or specific corridors was not necessary for wolf recovery in 

 the northern Rockies. Outside national parks, there are few travel restrictions or area closures on public 

 lands specifically for wolves. YNP and GNP both enacted temporary area closures around den sites 

 vulnerable to excessive disturbance by humans. 



Economics I Livelihoods. USFWS recovery program has avoided disrupting land management activities 

 such as logging that may be harmful to local economies and people's livelihoods. USFWS has also tried 

 to address wolf-livestock conflicts rapidly and efficiently in recognition of the disproportionate effect 

 wolves may have on some operators. Changes in big game hunting activity and resultant economic 

 effects on outfitters are primarily a state issue because FWP manages ungulate populations and a state 

 board oversees the outfitting industry. USFWS recognizes that wolf recovery in the northern Rockies 

 benefits other economic sectors and commercial activity because of the increased tourism and visitation 

 associated with wolf viewing. 



Information /Public Outreach. USFWS and theii" cooperating partners prepare an annual report for the 

 Northern Rockies Recovery Program. Weekly updates are widely distributed electronically and posted on 

 the USFWS web site throughout the year. Technical assistance is provided to landowners and others. 

 Presentations are made to civic groups and in educational settings. In addition, private entities and non- 

 profit organizations help fulfill public educational needs. 



Human Safety. A person can legally injure or kill a wolf in response to an immediate threat to human 

 life. The action must be reported to USFWS within 24 hours. Currently, citizens cannot injure or kill a 

 wolf to defend a pet in Montana, but that could change depending on whether USFWS adopts a proposed 

 revision to the rules (USFWS 2000). 



Monitoring. The goal of the federal monitoring program is to measure progress towards recovery, such 

 as documenting breeding pairs and counting pups, confirming pack persistence or new pack formation, 

 delineating pack territories, etc. Radio telemetry is an important, but expensive monitoring tool. Other 

 information is gathered from public reports of tracks, sightings, or sign. WS field activities also yield 

 important information and contribute to the monitoring program. How intensively USFWS would 

 continue to monitor a recovered, but still listed wolf population in the Northern Rockies is unclear. Any 

 effort beyond documenting that the minimum recovery goal is met could be subject to USFWS budget 

 priorities. 



Other Wildlife. Wolves are an important link in the food chain and probably are important for ecosystem 

 functioning. No special management provisions exist for other wildlife species per se. Prior to 

 implementing any recovery program, USFWS completes an internal review to assess the impacts of 

 recovery on any other ESA-listed species. FWP could address any special needs of non-listed species if it 

 becomes necessary. 



Private Property. Although the federal program concentrated recovery efforts on public lands, the gray 

 wolf is a wide-ranging carnivore capable of long distance movements. USFWS acknowledges that 



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