URAKnaS APPENDIX I 



During the first five years after delisting, MFWP will be required to document that the wolf population in Montana 

 is secure and exceeds the relisting criteria identified when wolves are delisted. MFWP will consult with USFWS on 

 a regular basis, including a periodic fonnal review by the U.SFWS. USFWS will point out any deficiencies or areas 

 of concern and recommend corrective actions to MFWP. The State of Montana recognizes that the interests of its 

 citizens are best served by maintaining a secure, viable population that is managed by MFWP and its cooperating 

 partners and not the federal government. We would take the necessary corrective measures to avoid a relisting of 

 the gray wolf under ESA. 



During the first five years, MFWP will also confer with other state and federal agencies in Montana. Ongoing 

 consultation will evaluate aspects of the management program as they intersect with the responsibilities and 

 jurisdictions of the other agencies. Conferring with cooperating partners such as WS will also help identify any 

 necessary modifications stemming from unanticipated or unforeseen events. Mf^P will also confer with the states 

 of Idaho and Wyoming. These consultations will assess the collective adequacy of the three state plans to maintain 

 a viable wolf population in the northern Rockies. These elements are discussed in more detail in the Interagency, 

 Interstate, and Tribal Coordination section of the Wolf Conservation and Management Chapter. 



The Wolf Conservation and Management Plan will also serve as a source of information and provide guidance to the 

 MFWP Commission. However, the plan does not preempt MFWP Commission authority to fomiulate annual rules, 

 set hunting and trapping season regulations, or implement emergency actions in response to unexpected events or 

 circumstances. Whereas the MFWP Commission cannot modify the plan per se, it does have statutory authority to 

 evaluate and modify how certain elements are implemented. 



As with any wildlife management program, MFWP anticipates that the wolf program will evolve through time. 

 MFWP will undertake a thorough, formal review of the wolf management program following the five-year USFWS 

 oversight period required by ESA. Cooperating state and federal agencies will also participate. Findings of the 

 review will be incorporated. The wolf management program will be subsequently reviewed at least every five years 

 and modified to insure that the document will be as current as is practical and that the management activities 

 originating from it are effective and appropriate. 



This plan describes an adaptive management model for wolves in Montana. MFWP views the adaptive management 

 approach as an important underpinning of the monitoring and evaluation of the Wolf Conservation and Management 

 Plan. By definition, an adaptive model incorporates monitoring and evaluation components as an ongoing effort 

 within the management program. Management is thus refined and improved through time as information and 

 experience accumulate. MFWP will evaluate new information annually and incorporate it into wolf management. 



An adaptive model will help address and evaluate the wolf-specific components of this plan. For example, are 

 viable populations of wolves being maintained? Are the monitoring protocols adequate to assess wolf population 

 trends or other biological parameters of interest? Adaptive management principles already incorporated into 

 ungulate management programs serve the same purpose. For example, are adequate populations of prey species 

 being maintained to sustain a wolf population and provide citizens with the opportunity to hunt a wide variety of 

 species under a wide variety of circumstances in a sustainable manner? The advantage of managing adaptively is 

 that, by definition, it provides a framework and a process for decision-making, as well as the mechanism to monitor 

 and evaluate the outcomes. 



Equally important components of any wolf management program are the social factors that shape public tolerance 

 for wolves and their satisfaction with how conflicts are resolved. For example, is the management program 

 adequately and efficiently addressing wolf-livestock conflicts? Is public safety assured? These are important 

 management program components for which ongoing evaluation is critical. MFWP anticipates that Montana 

 citizens will readily identify real or perceived problems or shortcomings of the wolf management program - on 

 these topics and others. 



The challenge for MFWP will be to discern between earnest differences of opinion in preferred management 

 direction and substantive shortcomings of the program. Wolf management in Montana will take place within a 

 complex biological, social, economic, and political environment. Difficult decisions will have to be made and will 

 sometimes be called into question by various interests. However, the ensuing public dialogue will also help evaluate 

 the management program and may lead to revisions. The Wolf Management Advisory Council recominended that 



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