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Show Se . ... . ' " . i . Gray wolves such as this one may soon become more often seen in the area as plans move forward to reintroduce them into Utah. Boulder residents who claim sightings earlier this year, however, believe the gregarious wolves didn't wait to be introduced. Wolf Management Plan Development Underway SALT LAKE CITY -Monday marked the beginning of a public-driven process to develop a plan guiding the future management of northern gray wolves in Utah as Utah's Wolf Management Working Group met for the first time at the Department of Natural Resources. The group's meeting meet-ing was open to the public for observation only no public comment com-ment was taken. Cnii" K I .auj.'hlin, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, reported, j "Following the establishment of wolf populations in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning to discuss transferring transfer-ring management authority for wolves to state wildlife agencies. agen-cies. "Lone wolves are beginning to make their way into Utah. The Utah Legislature and the Utah Wildlife Board have directed the Division of Wildlife Resources to prepare to assume future management authority for (See WOLF on page 6A) Wolf Management Plan From Front Page northern gray wolves by developing devel-oping a wolf management plan." The announcement that "lone wolves" had made their way into Utah came as no surprise to several in the Boulder area who have claimed sightings over the past year. When Rohn Fullmer of Provo visited his family there last May, he reported having seen a "blondish" wolf, but a check with a Division of Wildlife Resources officer in Cedar City stated he must have seen a large dog. Convinced of what he had seen, however, Fullmer went online to check photos of wolves and remained firm in his belief that he had indeed seen a wolf. In eastern Arizona, dead young male wolves are being found on ranchers' properties. The ranchers, accused of shooting shoot-ing them, deny it and say they are being set up. There had also been articles about wolves wearing radio collars col-lars in the Logan area of northern north-ern Utah which were caught and removed and sent north to Wyoming. At the request of the Wildlife Board, the DWR has assembled a Wolf Management Working Group. This group will identify issues that are important for managing wolves in Utah and draft a plan that includes a list of management alternatives and strategies. The Wolf Management Working Group's draft plan should be complete in early 2005. The Wildlife Board will then review and modify the plan so it adheres to state statutes and policies. The broad-based working group includes 13 representatives rep-resentatives of varied interests including: Robert Schmidt and Randy Simmons of Utah State University; Allison Jones and Trey Simons of the Utah Wolf Forum; Bill Christensen of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Don Peay of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife; and Wes Quinton from the Utah Farm Bureau. In addition, Clark Willis of the Utah Wool Growers; Mark Walsh of the Utah Association of Counties; Karen Corts of the Ute Indian Tribe; Debbie Goodman representing the Utah Audubon Society; Bill Burbridge of the Utah Wildlife Federation; and Jim Bowns representing rep-resenting the Utah Wildlife Board, are also serving as members. mem-bers. Technical personnel from the Division of Wildlife Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA-Wildlife Services will assist the working group. Dynamic Solutions Group, LLC, based in Casper, Wyo., will facilitate the Wolf Management Working Group's activities. Dynamic Solutions is a team of professional facilitators with considerable expertise in assisting assist-ing state and federal agencies in incorporating public input into complex natural resource planning plan-ning processes. They recently conducted the public scoping effort for Wyoming's state wolf management plan. The working group will develop a process for acquiring public comment in the near future, including a series of well-publicized meetings at ; locations throughout Utah. More information is available from the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801)538-4700. |
