The wolf, made a futile sprint for freedom, and the blood dripped from gunshot wounds, spattering the fresh snow. She was the alpha female of the Basin Butte wolf pack. She ran through the thick forest but the radio collar around her neck betrayed her every movement. The aircraft quickly closed in, and a hail of gunfire ended her life, near the edge of an alpine meadow.
In November of 2009, Wildlife Services (WS) killed seven wolves, of the well known Basin Butte Wolf Pack, because of wolf depredations on livestock. 10 wolves were identified for removal by the Idaho Fish and Game, but WS made the determination to remove 8. (Idaho Press Tribune, December 4th, 2009). There were an estimated 10-13 wolves in the pack. Wildlife managers used a helicopter and a fixed wing airplane to shoot the animals from the air but some of the pack escaped. Two pups were initially shot and killed. The initial wolf shootings were done near the town of Stanley, Idaho. When the gunfire erupted, many residents of Stanley had no idea what was happening and some rushed to locate their children to make sure they were out of harms way
The Basin Butte wolf pack roamed the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), which encompasses 778,000 acres of federal lands. Within the boundary of the SNRA there are also 25,000 acres of widely scattered private lands, mostly found in narrow strips along the creek and river bottoms. The SNRA, is located in central Idaho, and is one of the crown jewels of the national system, with scenic mountain peaks and clear rushing rivers. There are an estimated 1,000 lakes and several rivers that have their headwaters within the SNRA, and a multitude of wildlife including elk, deer, black bear, wolverine, bighorn sheep, and wolves. There are even wild salmon, chinook and sockeye, that make the 800 mile trip from the Pacific Ocean. The SNRA is buffered by National Forest lands on all sides, and private land holdings are few and very far between.
The US Fish and Wildlife Services addressed the issue of chronic depredating wolves in their 1994 10j rule [at 50 CFR 17.84(i)(3)(vii)] with this specific language: "All chronic problem wolves will be removed from the wild. Significantly, this language did not specify that chronic depredating wolves “may” be removed from the wild, but that they “will” be removed from the wild. Removal of chronic depredating wolves had been required under the 10j rule since 1994. The WS had little choice but to follow the 10 j rule, however they basically targeted almost the entire Basin Butte Pack, instead of individual wolves that were involved in the depredations.
The elimination of most of the Basin Butte Wolf pack, was a mistake in many ways. This has created a public relations fiasco for the State of Idaho, where tourism is ranked number 1 in revenues, and is a 3.4 billion dollar industry, ahead of all other business's in the State, including agriculture. Public opinions do matter because even a minor decrease in visitation could have a serious impact on local economies. The wildlife of Idaho is a huge natural and economic asset to this State, and we should be promoting wild Idaho, instead of needlessly destroying this resource.
The State of Idaho wolf management program doesn't appear to have to comply with federal environmental and safety requirements, even though most of this operation took place on Forest Service lands within the boundaries of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA).
The reaction to the killing of the Basin Butte wolves was swift. Even some groups that supported the delisting of the gray wolf, decided the State of Idaho had gone to far. The Wolf Recovery Foundation and the Western Watersheds Project filed lawsuit, on December 31st, 2009 against the Forest Service and Wildlife Services, over the killing of wolves in the SNRA. This lawsuit was the result of the control actions taken against the Basin Butte pack and the eradication of several other wolf packs that used to roam the SNRA. The lawsuit contends that the Forest Service and Wildlife Service violated the SNRA Organic Act, the Wilderness Act and other federal statutes in these wolf-related actions,
On Feb, 18th, 2010 the Western Watersheds Project and the Idaho Conservation League won a major victory in their efforts to protect Idaho's wolf populations. The court ruled that the 1972 act that established the SNRA gives wolves and other wildlife precedence over livestock, and requires that the Forest complete a National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) analysis on grazing allotments. The impact of that ruling remains to be seen, but in the long run it should provide more protection for wolf populations.
The bottom line is that the removal of wolves from the SNRA is biologically, and economically a mistake. Ranchers that lose livestock to wolf depredation need to be reimbursed for those loses, which they are, for the most part. That system is not perfect, however grazing fees on federal lands are much lower than on private lands, which benefits livestock owners.
Tourism dominates the economy of Idaho especially in the mountainous regions and maintaining the wolf packs can increase visitation. Targeting entire wolf packs for elimination does not follow the established rules, and doesn't make any sense. Helicopter use in wilderness areas and the SNRA should also not be allowed, except in emergencies.
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