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Wyoming Wildlife Advocates & Jackson Hole Bear Solutions

USFWS PROPOSES RULE TO STOP PREDATOR KILLING ON WILDLIFE REFUGES

Public Comment Opportunity for Predators in Wyoming and Wildlife Refuges Coast to Coast

Comment Deadline is Monday, March 4

The Oxford Languages Dictionary Definition of Refuge:

A condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble

Because of the challenges of climate change and global loss of biodiversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking steps to try and maintain – and in some situations – restore and enhance “biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health” (BIDEH) on all National Wildlife Refuges. One of their proposed rules is to prohibit the killing of predators on wildlife refuge lands. This would be a huge relief to millions of animals nationwide and would save lives.

As climate change and other anthropogenic factors are increasingly having an impact on natural systems, it will be more important than ever for the USFWS to protect fish and wildlife in the Refuge System. As a nation, we have chosen to protect fish and wildlife for current and future generations through laws like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS is promising protection of native species through this rulemaking. Let’s make sure we don’t deprioritize native species when they need it most.

CLICK HERE TO SEND A COMMENT TO THE USFWS

WILDLIFE ADVOCATES CALL FOR ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY AND MORAL INTEGRITY FOR ELK

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) Final Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Management Plan, published earlier this month, perpetuates the practice of artificially feeding elk—a method contradicted by scientific consensus highlighting its detrimental effects on elk populations. Despite recognizing the unsustainability of this approach, the plan inadequately addresses the necessity for change, admitting that ceasing feedgrounds would benefit elk but failing to propose a concrete strategy for doing so. As advocates who have spent years on this issue, we felt the need to advocate for the elk since the WGFD isn’t prioritizing their health. The first goal of the Plan is to “promote elk health by limiting disease transmission while providing supplemental feed.” A goal that cannot be met considering the potential for environmental contamination by CWD and the continued presence of hoof rot that can kill hundreds of elk on a feedground in a single winter.

The Department has set also up sideboards and confirms that “no strategies can be implemented to accomplish the Goals without adhering to the sideboards.” The sideboards are meant to “provide assurances to the public and affected stakeholders.” These sideboards are:

Adhere to standard Department process for elk herd unit population objective review with public process and Commission approval for any proposed changes.
Prioritize hunting opportunities as the primary tool to manage elk populations toward the Commission-approved herd unit objectives.
Minimize elk damage to private property, disease transmission to livestock, and negative economic impacts to livestock producers.
Minimize competition with other wintering wildlife species.

In the paragraph above the sideboards, the Department correctly states they have a “responsibility to mange for healthy and sustainable cervid populations over the long-term.” However, the sideboards directly contradict that responsibility. Feeding elk, prioritizing livestock, and meeting the goals of the plan are not compatible.

Additionally, the process in WGFD’s plan for involving the public is restrictive, raising concerns about the genuine integration of public opinions and conservation viewpoints into feedground management strategy. For instance, the plan states, “Goals can only be achieved at the rate at which affected stakeholders and public sentiment align.” On this topic, our executive director, Kristin Combs, states, “That speaks directly to the fact that they are not going to do anything without approval of a select group of individuals…and they still don’t really have a way of measuring public support or sentiment. This approach failed with the brucellosis management plans in the early 2000s and there’s no reason to think that this process will be any different.”

READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

READ THE FULL FINAL FEEDGROUND MANAGEMENT PLAN HERE

YELLOWSTONE WOLF POACHED

The mortality quota for wolves in hunting unit 313 in Montana was set at six wolves which was a hard-won victory sought by wildlife advocates. This was a lower quota than previously existed in the year where Yellowstone saw 20% of its wolf population killed by hunters and trappers outside the park. Unit 313 was closed when the quota was met but a poacher took it upon himself to kill an additional wolf just north of Wyoming near Gardiner, Montana. If you have any information about the death of this wolf, please call Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT. Informants can remain anonymous.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to conviction of this poacher.