Wyoming, he says, although he is making a larger point.
The most pro-wolf state of them. Bill Schneider. New West.
My guess is that the delisting is really the courtesy of Dirk Kempthorne, former governor of Idaho, now Secretary of Interior; and I suspect that Wyoming never really thought they would get their wolf extermination, state wolf plan approved until it suddenly fell into their hands.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
I have been visiting Yellowstone every year for the past 3 years with a group of friends to wolf watch. The prospect of Idaho and Wyoming killing off so many packs outside of the park makes me absolutely sick. When I return I will not spend one dime in Idaho or Wyoming. I hope many others do the same.
Bill interviewed me for his column yesterday and of course calling Wyoming pro-wolf is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, simply for the reason that the State’s intransigence over its dual status wolf plan has had the practical effect of obstructing delisting while at the same time pushing the wolf population numbers and distribution in Wyoming well beyond what anyone thought possible in 1995, when wolves were brought into Yellowstone National Park.
While the payoff for opposing delisting until the feds caved in over dual status might be the joy of watching aerial gunners wipe out wolf packs throughout western Wyoming, I still believe that there is little actual support for delisting in Wyoming even among those who hate wolves. G&F can’t afford to manage wolves on its own, wolves give the Stockgrowners a concrete enemy to rage against in public as it does whatever it can to maintain its political power in Wyoming, and for Governor Dave Freudenthal, his anti-fed/anti-wolf stance improves his political career–it certainly helped get him re-elected in November.
Of all the entities out there dealing with wolves, the only ones who actually want delisting are the FWS and the rank and file hunters and ranchers who don’t understand the politics involved.
Why can’t all of those people who want the delisting and the extermination and killing of wolves just drop it!All those wolves in Idaho and Wyoming have done nothing so evil or vile unlike all those file hunters ranchers the FWS and all those wolf murderers have done.All of those wolves have done nothing. It is them that has done all of that evil.They did it but never got punished for there crimes.They have to be pun ished and we have to say sorry to the wolf.
Where is your proof anonymous?
I have started an Idaho wolf discussion at IdahoFallz.com.
The point is to gather facts and apply logic, rather than relying on anecdotal stories. There is also a poll asking what you would do with the wolves.
I invite you to comment at
http://idahofallz.com/2007/01/27/idaho-wolf-discussion/
Thank you,