Cody comments on new wolf plan A group of about two dozen sportsmen, ranchers, environmentalists and others made comments Wednesday night on Wyoming's latest plan for managing gray wolves in the Rocky Mountain region. Among questions asked were why the public comment process was being rushed, whether the state and ranchers would have adequate options to control wolf depredation and whether the plan would guarantee genetic diversity among wolves. Gov. Dave Freudenthal approved emergency rule changes that clarify a commitment to maintaining 15 breeding pairs and 150 individual wolves in the state's northwest corner, including in Yellowstone National Park. The changes also more clearly define "damage to private property" and "chronic wolf depredation." Unchanged are the boundaries defining where wolves may be shot any time as predators, a provision in the plan defined by law, and which cannot be altered until the state Legislature convenes in January. In the northwest corner of the state, they are classified as trophy game. The animal's status as a predator across most of the state is a key sticking point with opponents of Wyoming's plan, who say it exposes wolves to potentially devastating losses that could threaten their long-term recovery....