Number: 1988-17
WHEREAS, wolves were an integral part of the Northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem prior to virtual elimination of that species in the United States during the early 20th Century; and
WHEREAS, the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf (Canis lupus irremodus) has been listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 states since passage of the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1973; and
WHEREAS, a wolf recovery plan has been completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for three areas of the Northern Rocky Mountains, including the Yellowstone ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, the Department of the Interior, as the agency responsible for this program, has delayed indefinitely the Environmental Impact Statement process which will allow the preparation of alternative plans for reintroduction and management of the wolf, subject to public review and comment; and
WHEREAS, the orderly process of public consideration of wolf recovery is being hampered by emotional rhetoric from wolf recovery supporters and opponents which serves no useful purpose;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana urges the Department of the Interior to begin immediate preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Environmental Impact Statement deal realistically with the need for prompt delisting of a wolf population in any of the three recovery areas when the proposed recovery level in that area has been reached; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any such recovery program developed for wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains include full partnership between the involved Federal agencies and the State agencies of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana in the ongoing wolf recovery and management program, including determination of control methods on wolves outside the three recovery areas.