Monday, October 20, 2008

Wolf proposal well-received State Rep. Keith Gingery said he was cautiously pleased with how legislators and the public responded to changes he has proposed to how wolves would be managed in Wyoming. Gingery (R-Jackson) in September unveiled significant changes to the state’s wolf plan, which he said he will propose during the next legislative session. He testified Friday in front of a meeting of the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee in Riverton. “If I took anything away from the meeting, it was that there are just a lot of people who are tired of the issue and want it resolved once and for all,” he said. “If that is a true sentiment, then let’s stop fighting in court and find a solution similar to Montana and Idaho. I think most people are getting to recognize fighting in court doesn’t get you anywhere.” Gingery’s bill allows for all wolves to be classified as trophy game, meaning they could be shot only during regulated hunts, and it rewrites the state’s depredation control law to be similar to laws in Idaho and Montana. In Wyoming’s current plan, wolves are classified as trophy game in the northwest corner of the state. In the rest of the state, wolves can be killed at will by any means. Gingery said the changes address criticism leveled at Wyoming’s plan from U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Montana....

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