Otter Tells Salazar: Take Your Wolves, Please
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter today terminated Idaho’s “Designated Agent” status with the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding wolves, making good on his August 30th boycott ultimatum to Interior Sec. Ken Salazar [here].
The full text of Otter’s letter is [here]. His press release [here] reads:
C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER
GOVERNORNEWS RELEASE
October 18, 2010GOVERNOR OTTER ENDS IDAHO’S “DESIGNATED AGENT” STATUS IN WOLF MANAGEMENT
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter notified Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today that Idaho no longer will act as the federal government’s “designated agent,” managing wolves imposed on the state under the Endangered Species Act.
Instead, the Governor directed the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to immediately refocus its efforts on protecting Idaho’s deer, elk and moose, and said the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be submitting applications to the Interior Department for additional flexibility in addressing wolf depredation issues “so we can exercise our sovereign right to protect our wildlife.”
In his letter, the Governor reiterated that the State of Idaho has consistently proven itself to be a responsible steward of all wildlife – “including your wolves.”
“We also showed that we could successfully manage a hunting season for wolves as we do for other species,” he said. “The State managed wolves as part of the ecosystem, in concert with other species and needs, which was ironically decried by environmentalists who seemingly want wolves to benefit at the expense of other wild and domestic species.”
“I am still committed to finding a path forward for delisting. My goal remains restoring State management under our approved plan as quickly as possible, if for no other reason than to fulfill the promise of our State law that all wildlife within our borders will be managed by the State. To that end, I am encouraged by the efforts of representatives from the three legislatures (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) to see if there is a path forward for delisting and state management,” Governor Otter wrote to Salazar. “Although we could not agree during the course of our negotiations, I share your commitment to delist the species and restore state management as quickly as possible. It is truly frustrating that we cannot accomplish that shared goal today.”
From the Associated Press:
Idaho won’t manage wolves under ESA
By JOHN MILLER, AP, October 18, 2010 [here]
BOISE, Idaho — After talks with the federal government collapsed, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter ordered Idaho wildlife managers Monday to relinquish their duty to arrest poachers or to even investigate when wolves are killed illegally.
Otter rejected the wolf management Idaho has conducted for years as the federal government’s “designated agent” after a U.S. District Court judge in Montana returned wolves to Endangered Species Act protections earlier this year.
This means Idaho Department of Fish and Game managers will no longer perform statewide monitoring for wolves, conduct investigations into illegal killings, provide law enforcement when wolves are poached or participate in a program that responds to livestock depredations.
In an angry letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the Republican governor said withdrawing from wolf management will keep Idaho hunters and their money from subsidizing the federal program. Otter accused the federal government of foisting wolves upon Idaho - he calls them “your wolves” - and promised to quickly submit plans asking for special permission to kill dozens of wolves to protect big game herds.
“History will show that this program was a tragic example of oppressive, ham-handed ‘conservation’ at its worst,” Otter wrote. “Idahoans have suffered this intolerable situation for too long, but starting today at least the state no longer will be complicit.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency that oversees endangered species, didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment on how it will respond to Idaho’s move. … [more]
