Of wolves and men
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Oct 11, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett
I didn't notice a lot of politics news skimming through the papers today, so I'll link to the Associated Press story on Wyoming's new lawsuit over wolf management. It sounds like the state may yet one day get its day in court over whether the feds had the right to reject our wolf management plan. My concerns about the success of the wolf reintroduction program were put to rest one night a few years ago when I heard one of the nation's top wolf scientists speak on the issue in Cheyenne. He was one of those the federal government had hired to review Wyoming's plan. Almost every scientist said our plan, in conjunction with Montana's and Idaho's plans, was a scientifically sound strategy for wolf recovery, including the guy who visited Cheyenne. He said three things that stick with me. 1) He didn't personally like Wyoming's plan, because he is a fan of wolves and wants them to recover as quickly as possible. 2) In his work for the federal government, despite his personal feelings about the issue, he SUPPORTED Wyoming's plan, because in his scientific opinion, it was sufficient for a wolf population recovery, and that is the standard he was required to apply to his analysis. 3) EVEN WITHOUT THE WOLF REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM, this guy believed the wolf population would have naturally recovered in this part of the country, because as we all know by now, wolves multiply like rabbits - or at least, they have since they've been reintroduced in our part of the nation.
Thus, the courts should apply some common sense to this issue and rule in our state's favor on this lawsuit. But you never know ...