CHAPTER ?: AI.TEKNATIVES 



property by FWP, WS or other entities. Private property owners also retain the right to choose whether 

 any wolf management activities or control actions talce place on their property. 



Hybrids. FWP would respond similar to USFWS response in Alternative 1 (No Action). Montana law 

 assigns regulatory oversight of wolf-dog hybrid or captive wolf ownership to FWP. State law prohibits 

 removing wolf pups from the wild. At the present time, state laws are thought to be adequate. Public 

 outreach efforts will include identification techniques to discern a hybrid or captive wolf from a wild 

 wolf. FWP biologists or game wardens will assist local authorities in making that determination and 

 provide the appropriate management support to local authorities if necessary. 



Wildlife Management Areas. Wolves will be able to occupy or hunt on WMAs, consistent with the 

 philosophy that mountain lions and black bears inhabit these lands, too. While these lands were 

 purchased with license revenue and are managed primarily for wintering ungulates, they also provide 

 habitat for a variety of wildlife species and for public recreation opportunities. 



WMAs frequently adjoin both public and private lands and may attract carnivores due to the 

 concentration of deer and elk. Wolf occupancy may cause ungulates to alter habitat use patterns, which 

 may provide some relief for chronically overgrazed areas. However, wolf occupancy may also 

 redistribute wild ungulates to neighboring private lands, potentially generating other conflicts. FWP will 

 work collaboratively to address this situation and resolve any conflicts, but will generally not remove 

 individual wolves or wolf packs that use WMA lands. 



Alternative 3. Additional Wolf 



Under this alternative, FWP would adopt and implement the Montana Wolf Management Advisory 

 Council's Wolf Conservation and Management Planning Document and the subsequent updates described 

 in Alternative 2 (Updated Council), but with some modifications. Each issue is listed in the same 

 chronological order as the other alternatives. If this alternative approaches the issue as the council had 

 recommended, it will be stated and the reader is referred to Alternative 2 (Updated Council). If this 

 alternative approaches the issue differently, the changes are described. 



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. 



Implementation of this Alternative 



Implementation of this alternative is contingent on securing adequate funding for all program elements. 

 Implementation also requires FWP to develop and adopt final administrative rules and regulations under 

 the "species in need of management" designation. The FWP Commission may then approve and adopt 

 the administrative rules and regulafions, 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 rules and regulafions. Future FWP Commission acfion 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. 



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