DRAI-T KIS APPKNDtX I 



Although the primary management responsibility related to wildlife and human safety rests with MFWP, local law 

 enforcement or other state of federal agency personnel may respond to a wolf-human incident if MFWP personnel 

 are not available in a timely manner. This cooperation already takes place for other wildlife species. Regardless of 

 the responding party, the public can be confident that response will be rapid and the conflict will be resolved in 

 favor of public safety. Providing the public an effective and prompt response to wolf-human conflicts, whether 

 through their own or agency management actions, will foster public support for wolves in Montana. 



Implementation 



Table 5 summarizes a spectrum of management activities to ensure public safety. While MFWP has always been 

 charged with this responsibility, wolves represent a new category of wildlife for which the state assumes 

 responsibility, upon delisting. Game wardens, conflict specialists, and some wildlife biologists will now respond to 

 wolf-human incidents and any threats to public safety. Information specialists will now incorporate new materials 

 into their public outreach efforts. Wolves have engaged the spirit, imagination, and emotions of people for a long 

 time - whether fear or awe. Public outreach materials must address the pubhc's perception of risk and fear of injury 

 or death due to wolves and how to protect oneself during a close encounter. Public outreach materials must also 

 guide the public towards maintaining a healthy respect for wildlife and keeping it wild, an ethical approach to 

 viewing wolves, and the hazards of habituation. Table 5 also summarizes actions that citizens may take during a 

 threatening encounter with wolves. 



Many activities fall within existing duties and responsibilities already carried out by MFWP, but some activities 

 clearly add to existing responsibilities and workloads. Additional resources will be required to implement these new 

 responsibilities because existing budget and personnel resources cannot absorb the expansion. A draft budget is 

 presented as Appendix 3. The budget outlines the personnel and financial resources necessary to prevent wolf- 

 human conflicts and minimize the risks of human injury due to wolf presence. Public safety is a responsibihty that 

 MFWP takes very seriously and it is an agency function that crosses many Divisions. The Conservation Education 

 Division, the Wildlife Division, and the Enforcement Division all have a role to play, as is outlined in this Chapter. 

 As such, the budget truly reflects the comprehensive nature of designing and implementing a wolf management 

 program that also assures human safety. While this budget represents our best projection of the resources required, 

 we cannot assess its accuracy until MFWP actually assumes management authority and begins implementation. 

 Some components of the wolf program may not be captured fully by this draft budget. There may also be costs that 

 could not be predicted at this time or were unforeseen. This budget will be refined in the future as MFWP gains 

 more experience. MFWP will pursue all possible funding sources including, but not limited to public/private 

 foundations, federal or state appropriations, and other private sources. Adequate funding will be necessary to fully 

 implement the provisions to assure human safety outlined in this Chapter. 



INFORMATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM 



The primary determinant of the long-term status of gray wolf populations will be human attitudes towards wolves 

 (USFWS 2000). But attitudes, beliefs, and concerns about wolves are highly variable. Underlying various attitudes 

 are human safety concerns, perceptions of risk, the symbolic significance of wolves, economic impacts on livestock 

 producers, convictions that wolves should not be killed. Native American traditions, perceptions that wolves 

 comf)ete with human hunters for ungulates, beliefs that wolves do not have a place in the 2r' century - and many 

 others. Attitudes have changed over time and acceptance for wolves has increased among some segments of the 

 public. Attitudes will continue to evolve. 



Regardless of personal beliefs and attitudes, an active, informed pubHc is critical to the protection of Montana's 

 wildlife resources. This is particularly true for the gray wolf. The history of wolves in Montana has as much to do 

 with the relationship between wolves and people as it does with the ecology of the species. The same will be true of 

 the wolfs future. 



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