Statement regarding Wolf Plan recovery zones
Conservation Northwest / Mar 18, 2018 / Restoring Wildlife, Wolves
Conservation Northwest reaffirms our support for the existing 2011 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (Wolf Plan).
There was discussion at the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in Wenatchee on Saturday, March 17th about reopening the Wolf Plan to modify the boundaries of recovery zones. We think the current plan, which was based on extensive public process and peer review, is better left as is until recovery goals are achieved. Any reopening could make other elements of the plan vulnerable to changes that could be detrimental to adequate wolf distribution and a resilient population. Such a process would be expensive and time consuming, taking resources away from implementation of recovery actions and deployment of non-lethal deterrents to minimize livestock conflicts.
The Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) will soon be discussing what comes after wolf recovery goals are met, and will be advising the Department on how to incorporate new science as well as how to design a fair and inclusive public process for future wolf conservation and management. We think that the public should be broadly consulted in any new changes to wolf management in the state, and we hope the Commission and the Department will allow that process to unfold.