Howls ought not stop wolf delisting
Inter Lake editorial
Predictably, there was a barrage of press releases from outraged environmental groups after Wednesday's announcement that wolves in the Northern Rockies are on track for delisting once again.
The groups, acting as if it were the end of the world for wolves, are making the usual promises of waging a perpetual battle that keeps them in business, regardless of whether it creates animosity and a steady degradation of public goodwill toward wolves.
No, they don't see it that way. They are somehow hallucinating that a majority of the public thinks things are hunky dory the way they are now.
"This move is not viable legally, politically or biologically," pronounced a grandee from the Natural Resource Defense Council. "They have actually come up with a strategy that will anger everyone from ranchers and state officials to conservationists."
That sort of politically tone-deaf declaration is presumptuous and flat-out wrong. We doubt that turning wolf management over to the state of Montana "will anger everyone," much less ranchers who currently can't legally do a darn thing if they personally witness wolves attacking their livestock.
In fact, we're willing to bet that a halfway decent survey of the state's residents would show overwhelming support for delisting as soon as possible. Frustration over the current situation - reactionary management of proliferating wolf packs - is unmistakeable in Montana. It is what prompted a Bozeman lawmaker to propose legislation that would have the state completely wash its hands of the federal government and assume total control of wolf management. Never mind if this 10th Amendment claim will prevail in court or not; it is a 'statement," and it will win far more support than it would have two years ago because of changing sentiments.
We've said it before: Years ago, Montanans bought into the notion that the state would assume management authority over the reintroduced wolves, and they are not wrong to be incensed that the transition has taken years to happen, especially when the wolf population reached recovery goals in 2002 and their numbers have been increasing ever since.
That success is the reason the latest proposal for delisting has come about, not some nefarious political agenda as some environmental groups have claimed.
"The Bush administration has managed to sneak in one final attack on America's wildlife before leaving office," is how the National Wildlife Federation put it.
That's just inflammatory poppycock. It is long past time for delisting wolves in Montana. And when it happens, a sustainable population will be maintained, if for no other reason than to avoid the prospects of a relisting and enduring another ride on the litigation merry-go-round.