Montana wildlife officials make changes to wolf, grizzly bear management

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission passed several changes to wolf and grizzly bear management at its recent year-end meeting.

Montana Public Radio’s Austin Amestoy sat down with Ellis Julin to discuss how the state manages one large mammal, and what that can tell us about how the state plans to manage another mammal.

Austin: Ellis, let’s talk about wolves first. I understand that the country released a new wolf management plan this fall, the first in 20 years. What have been the highlights and how has the response been so far?

Ellis: Well, it’s getting mixed reviews, especially at public hearings held across the state this month.

Conservation groups have expressed concern about the new plan’s minimum population target of 15 breeding pairs across the state. This is the minimum threshold needed to avoid wolves being relisted under the Endangered Species Act.

Another point of contention is that the development of the plan was not overseen by a citizens’ advisory group. The last plan, the latest plan for grizzly bears and elk, also involved citizen groups.

Non-hunting and trapping groups feel their voices are being intentionally excluded.

There may be some merit in doing so, especially after Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Commission acknowledged violating the public’s right to know earlier this fall regarding wolf management decisions.

But FWP said anyone will have the opportunity to submit public comments.

Austin: Well, all of this was set in motion before last week’s Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting. How did the group react to the new plan?

Ellis: The board removed all references to Project Wolf from state administrative rules. They say it’s just a code simplification, but in public comments, many said they found the move worrisome.

Conservation groups such as the Greater Yellowstone Alliance and the Large Carnivore Foundation said the decision allows the state to manage wolves as it sees fit outside of the wolf program.

FWP is still following the 2021 Legislature’s mandate to reduce the state’s population by nearly half.

According to FWP, as of this writing, 93 wolves have been killed this hunting season. That’s about one-third of the statewide quota, which was reduced this year due to population decline over the past few years.

Austin: Now let’s turn to another large mammal: the grizzly bear. Federal officials said it is recommended that the bears be removed from the endangered species list as early as February. And, they’ve always been entangled with the management of other animals like wolves, right?

Ellis: correct. Just this fall, wolf hunting seasons were cut in half in many places after a federal court ruled that the season posed a threat to grizzly bears that had not yet entered their dens.

But beyond that, the Wolves are often seen as a barometer of how the country will manage after the Grizzlies are gone.

As we saw with wolves, there is much debate, disagreement, and opposition on both sides of the argument, and there are many legal challenges. State wildlife managers say populations, at least in the Greater Yellowstone and northern Continental Divide ecosystems, have recovered sufficiently that they are ready to manage the bears.

But conservation groups dissatisfied with how the state manages wolves are skeptical that the state will do the same with grizzly bears.

Austin: Speaking of bear management, is the SEC making any changes in anticipation of the Grizzlies being delisted?

Ellis: The Commission finalized rule changes to prepare for delisting, incorporating legislation passed at the meeting. The guide provides guidance on how to lethally manage bears, including guidance on when landowners can kill problem bears. And, if you haven’t guessed yet, from our discussions with Wolf, there’s both a lot of resistance and a lot of support for these changes.

Opponents raised concerns about whether the rule changes would apply to private individuals and businesses. public lands, and they feared it would pose a safety risk to the public if ranchers could shoot bears on public lands. Ranch owners talked about the need to protect themselves and their livestock, especially as bears appear more frequently and in more places.

Austin: Ellis, you just mentioned Lethal Management. One of the methods of wildlife management often used in the state is hunting. What can we expect the Grizzlies to look like if they are eliminated?

Ellis: This could also go with the wolf trend. FWP will not be open to hunting during the first few years of delisting, but after that, current changes indicate the state plans to use hunting as a primary management tool.

This was condemned by conservation groups, particularly the Montana Wildlife Federation, as being inconsistent with scientific basis. There are concerns that their numbers will decline and we may see them end up back on the endangered species list.

Consideration of delisting two subpopulations of grizzly bears also adds complexity. Even if bears in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems are delisted, other groups will remain threatened species, complicating management.

What we’re seeing this year is that the Grizzlies are heading into territory they haven’t been in decades, so it’s hard to say how the front office will need to adapt to that.