CIIAITICK 3: M.TKRNAMVKS 



wolves will use private property. In addition, USFWS acknowledges thai wolves can injure or kill 

 livestock, a type of private property damage. Aspects of the program address that damage (see Livestock/ 

 Compensation issue above). Private property uses are not restricted. 



Hybrids. Gray wolf-dog hybrids or captive wolves do not contribute to the federal recovery program in 

 the northern Rockies and are not protected by ESA. In response to reports of large canids near people, 

 USFWS establishes whether or not the animal is a wild wolf. If it is not a wild wolf, USFWS defers to 

 local or state authorities to resolve the problem. State law assigns regulatory oversight of hybrid or 

 captive wolf ownership to FWP. Federal and state laws prohibit removing wolf pups from the wild. 



Wildlife Management Areas. There are no special provisions in the federal program governing wolf 

 occupancy or use of FWP WMAs. WS would investigate wolf-livestock conflicts on WMAs similar to 

 investigations elsewhere. 



Alternative 2. Updated Council - FWP's Preferred Alternative 



Under this alternative, FWP adopts and implements the Montana Wolf Management Advisory Council's 

 Wolf Conservation and Management Planning Document and the updates to the document described in 

 this EIS. This document suggests that FWP recognize and accept the challenges, responsibilities, and 

 benefits of a restored wolf population. It also acknowledges that wolf management will not be easy, but 

 that wolf restoration is fundamentally consistent with Montana's history of wildlife restoration and 

 conservation. The planning document also describes a spectrum of management activities that maintain 

 viable populations of wolves and their prey, resolve wolf-livestock conflicts, and assure human safety. 

 The management philosophies and tools are intended to assure the long-term persistence of wolves in 

 Montana by carefully balancing the complex biological, social, economic, and political aspects of wolf 

 management. The Planning Document is presented in its entirety as Appendix 1. How the planning 

 document and subsequent council updates address each of the scoping issues are summaiized below. 



Upon federal delisting, provisions of SB 163 take effect and wolves would automatically be reclassified 

 under state law from "endangered" to a "species in need of management." This statutory classification 

 confers full legal protection under state law. 



Implementation of this Alternative 



Implementation of this alternative is contingent on securing adequate funding for each of the program 

 elements. Implementation also requires FWP to develop and adopt final administrative rules and 

 regulations under the "species in need of management" designation. This alternative represents FWP's 

 proposed management direction, rules, and regulations. The FWP Commission may then approve and 

 adopt the administrative rules and regulations, including any special language pertaining to wolf 

 management or how FWP would interpret relevant state laws. This alternative would form the basis of 

 those administrative niles and regulations. Future FWP Commission action could reclassify the gray wolf 

 as a big game animal or a furbearer when it becomes appropriate to do so. The FWP Commission would 

 concurrently establish regulations pertaining to management and regulated harvest under the new species 

 designation. The Montana Legislature would establish a wolf license for regulated public harvest, the 

 license fee, penalties for illegal take, and the restitution value. MOUs must also be finalized with MDOL 

 and WS. FWP may seek to develop MOU's or cooperative agreements with Indian tribes to coordinate 

 management and clarify roles and responsibilities. 



69 



