CHAPTKK 3: ALTERNATIVES 



Monitoring. FWP has the primary responsibility to monitor the wolf population, ahhough collaborative 

 efforts with other agencies and universities will be important. FWP will estimate uolf numbers and pack 

 distribution, document reproduction, and tabulate mortality. FWP will also tabulate the number of 

 breeding pairs meeting the federal recovery definition. Ecological understanding will also stem from 

 documenting territory boundaries, the locations of wolf den and rendezvous sites, and identifying where 

 significant wolf activity may be less desirable. While monitoring of the wolf population will help discern 

 wolf population trends, wolf monitoring may also be conducted in the context of other wildlife 

 management objectives related to prey species, such as identifying key wintering and .spring wolf use 

 areas and the prey species abundance and availability to wolves in those areas. The monitoring program 

 will balance scientific precision with cost effectiveness. FWP will use a variety of tools, including radio 

 telemetry and non-invasive techniques. Some social groups may be monitored more intensively than 

 others, depending on the setting, landownership patterns, land uses, and prey species. 



During the first five years post-delisting, FWP's monitoring program will have to be rigorous to 

 demonstrate that adequate numbers of breeding pairs are present, that packs are reproducing, and that 

 Montana's contribution to the tri-state recovery goal is met. FWP will monitor and tabulate packs 

 according to the federal breeding pair definition to determine the appropriate adaptive management tools. 

 Concurrently, FWP would also tabulate packs according to a more general definition of a social group, 

 meaning "four or more wolves traveling in winter." While there is no guarantee that a group of four or 

 more wolves traveling in winter would include young of the year, it is indicative of a socially cohesive 

 group holding a territory and capable of reproduction. Four or more wolves traveling together will likely 

 contain a male and female as an alpha pair and that has or will produce young in the spring. Determining 

 counts in winter would follow the peak of human-caused mortality on adult wolves associated with 

 summer/fall livestock grazing seasons, potential illegal mortality during the fall big game hunting 

 seasons, and the harvest expected through regulated hunting and trapping seasons. 



FWP will use the monitoring program to verify that the more general definition is adequate to document 

 that the population is reproducing and secure. Once FWP becomes confident that the more general 

 definition is adequate, it will be applied within the adaptive management framework and FWP would not 

 monitor packs using the more rigorous federal recovery definition. Maintaining the federal recover)' 

 definition as the monitoring metric under adaptive management over the long term may be too stringent 

 for a recovered population, especially in light of the difficulty in distinguishing pups from similar-sized 

 adults in December and the expense of radio telemetry. USFWS data indicate that there is a significant 

 correlation between the number of packs meeting the federal recovery definition as a breeding pair and 

 the number of social groups according to the more general definition of four or more wolves traveling in 

 winter, lending greater confidence that the more general definition will prove adequate. 



FWP will coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions to monitor boundai-y packs, whether tribes, NPS, other 

 states, or provinces. This type of coordination already occurs for other wildlife species. 



Other Wildlife. Under this alternative, the gray wolf would become integrated into FWP's wildlife 

 management program as the species integrates itself back into the natural environment. Other species of 

 wildlife will benefit from the increased amount and availability of carrion while other species may 

 compete for the same prey base, alter habitat use patterns to increase security, or even be killed by 

 wolves. Overall, FWP's program .seeks to conserve and manage wildlife from an ecological point of view 

 rather than focusing on single species. Recognition of ecosystem functioning is also important. 



Private Propeiiy. FWP recognizes that tolerance for wolves on private property is important to maintain 

 the long-term security of a wolf population in Montana. Livestock damage in the context of private 

 property is addressed above. Private property ow ners retain (he right to grant or deny access to their 



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