Idaho lawmakers considering next step on wolves

A panel of Idaho state lawmakers met Thursday to review the legal and on-the-ground status of wolves in Idaho and discuss potential actions lawmakers could take next year. Gov. Butch Otter, Idaho state agency leaders, and all of Idaho’s members of Congress have panned a court decision putting wolves back on the endangered species list, and taken steps to urge federal official to resolve the situation.  Many of the state lawmakers at the meeting in Boise were unhappy with the current legal status of wolves, but uncertain of how they could respond. Representatives from the governor’s office and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) said they’re doing all they can to bring back state management of wolves. The governor’s attorney, David Hensley, said the state would send the draft of a new memorandum of agreement to the U.S. Department of the Interior to outline how the state would handle wolves until they are delisted. “One of the most frustrating aspects with this is that the problems really lie in federal law,” Hensley said. Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, said the state should look into adopting one of the tactics of the environmental groups challenging federal decisions. “Our legislative approach to try to address the wolf delisting again in there may be an opportunity for us to file federal suit against the government,” he said. Siddoway, a sheep rancher, said Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming all have more wolves than the 10 packs that were set as the threshold for being on the endangered list. “Now we’ve got packs up the ying-yang,” he said...more