WASHINGTON - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, today questioned the wisdom of the final deal between the Interior Department and the state of Wyoming to allow gray wolves in most of the state to be shot-on-sight, which will reduce the wolf population in Wyoming by forty percent.
Responding to this decision, Rep. Markey sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar with his concerns, and asks for information about the agreement.
"The backbone of the Endangered Species Act has always been its commitment to use science to protect species from extinction. Science, not politics, should ensure the conservation and management of the gray wolves in Wyoming, should they be delisted," writes Rep. Markey.
The Fish and Wildlife Service have estimated that there are currently 343 wolves in Wyoming, including 97 wolves inside of Yellowstone National Park. Under the agreement, Wyoming would maintain 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park, or a reduction of forty percent of the current population.
The agreement creates a "dual-status" plan under which wolves in a small portion of northwest Wyoming would be considered "trophy game," requiring a license to be hunted. Wolves outside of this area would be considered predators and could be shot on sight without a license. It is currently unclear if the "flex-line", which would determine the seasonal "trophy game" area, has been established using the best-available science.
