The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department is coming up with a new wolf management plan, but there is disagreement over how the animals are being counted.

Critics contended the state is not taking the non-hunting public into account. Montana Fish and Wildlife said hunters and trappers took 248 wolves in the state last year, far below the allowed quota of 450. A higher number of wolves in Montana combined with extending the hunting season to six months has drawn criticism from people who love wolves, but who do not hunt them.

Marc Cooke, executive director of the group Wolves of the Rockies, said the state is keeping so-called "nonconsumptive" wolf supporters out of the counting process, playing to big game hunting interests instead.

"By doing this, what it's doing is, it's commercializing our wildlife," Cooke contended.

Cooke argued wolf watchers have a better understanding than hunters of how many wolves there really are. The state estimates the value of tourists coming to Montana to see wolves at $82 million a year. A draft wolf management plan is expected to be released for public comment by the end of August.

The Fish and Wildlife Department relies on hunters' surveys, estimates, pack size and territory to arrive at a wolf count, and Cooke stressed nonconsumptive Montanans, such as Wolves of the Rockies, have been kept out of the process.

"We've applied to virtually every group that the department has set up to seek guidance from the Montana community, and the department continually refuses to select us to be part of that process," Cooke explained. "They don't want us involved because the fact is we know what we're talking about."

Wolves were taken off the endangered species list in Montana and other areas of the northern Rockies in 2011, but remain protected elsewhere in the lower 48.


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Conservation groups are celebrating a long-fought battle to protect the dwindling population of wolverine in the Northwest and northern Rockies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced wolverine warrant being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. There are about 300 left across the Northwest and northern Rockies.

Bethany Cotton - conservation director at Cascadia Wildlands - said the effort to protect wolverine began more than two decades ago.

"It's literally been 20 years of advocacy," said Cotton, "to ensure that these climate-sensitive species receive the protections they need and can get on the road to recovery."

Fish and Wildlife has seesawed on the question of protecting wolverine. Last year, arguing against listing, the state of Idaho said conservation efforts had restored the species to a stable population.

The listing was published today and opens up a 60 day public comment period on the interim rule.

Cotton said listing the species as threatened is a great first step but adds that trapping is a major threat to wolverine that could be allowed to continue under this rule.

"It also has language that allows some activities," said Cotton, "and unfortunately, one of the things in that interim rule is allowing for take or harming or killing wolverine in trapping."

Cotton said the science has been clear that wolverine need safeguards.

"Now, we need to make sure that those protections are meaningful," said Cotton, "that they're followed by state and federal entities, that we get a recovery plan and critical habitat, and that we really do protect these really amazing animals."




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It might not make hearts skip a beat like the sight of a Monarch butterfly or gray wolf, but biologists say a rare flowering New Mexico plant nonetheless deserves endangered species protection.

Inclusion of the swale paintbrush is under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Michael Robinson, senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the plant historically grew at several Southwestern sites but climate change and excessive grazing have taken their toll.

"We're talking about an extraordinarily arid area in the Bootheel of New Mexico -- it's Chihuahuan Desert -- it's got its own stark beauty," Robinson observed. "But when you see a relatively tall, graceful plant it provides a whole new perspective on the landscape."

He noted the swale paintbrush is one of the rarest plant species in North America. After accepting public comments over the summer about adding the plant to the endangered list, it is now under consideration for inclusion. Should it move forward, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to develop a recovery plan.

Robinson pointed out the swale paintbrush, also known as the glowing Indian paintbrush, has bright yellowish flowers which produce nectar and support pollinators. Its rarity means not much is known about habitat requirements, but it's generally found in seasonally wet grasslands.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service has had its eye for decades on the need to protect the swale paintbrush, but just always found some reason not to do it," Robinson stressed. "Which is the sad reality for so many imperiled plants and animals that need protection sooner rather than later."

A 2022 study found protections offered by the Endangered Species Act often kick in too late to fully recover declining species. Published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers found over the past three decades, species remained on waiting lists for protection far longer than the Endangered Species Act intends.


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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is moving forward with the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor designation process.

Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the move is an important step to protect key spots along the iconic route between Rock Springs and Grand Teton National Park.

That includes places where animals get corralled and funneled into bottlenecks, and places herds recover from winter by hunkering down to feed on green-up vegetation.

"It's really important for the whole herd, but especially females that are getting ready to have their fawns," said Metten. "So making sure that there is appropriate management of development in these high priority areas, like stopovers and bottlenecks."

A recent threat evaluation released by Game and Fish found that the corridor is at "high risk" of being lost due to human activity.

In just the past three years, high priority areas saw developments - including a 3,500 well gas field, a state gas auction leasing 640 acres for $19 an acre within a known bottleneck, and more subdivisions - according to Wyofile.

Metten said he believes protecting the corridor is not an either-or proposition.

Thanks to advanced GPS collar data tracking herd movements, he said all stakeholders can sit down at the same table and find ways to accommodate multiple uses of adjacent lands - including energy production, housing development, and increased access to outdoor recreation.

"These are all things that we can still have on the landscape, if we do it right," said Metten. "Using a science-based approach to identify what are the most important areas to conserve, and we set appropriate limits in areas that are needed."

Public meetings are set for this Thursday in Pinedale, November 29 in Green River, and November 30 in Jackson. The agency will accept public comments through January 5.

Metten said enjoying wildlife like the Sublette Pronghorn herd is a big reason why hard-working families are proud to call Wyoming home.

"We're thankful to Gov. Gordon and the staff and Wyoming Game and Fish Department," said Metten, "for their commitment to ensuring that this irreplaceable wildlife resource is sustained into the future."