Hunters, ranchers and wolf lovers all gathered Tuesday to listen to and make comments on the proposed wolf management plan for Utah.

The meeting, the fourth of five Regional Advisory Council meetings, discussed proposals for dealing with wolves migrating into Utah.

“I guess I’m the closest the department has to a virgin biologist being sent to the altar for sacrifice,” said Kevin Bunnell, mammals program coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, before beginning the presentation of Utah’s plan for the wolves.

His comment generated a chuckle in an audience full of ranchers and sportsmen who have not been in favor of the plan.

Bunnell told the Salt Lake Tribune after the southern region meeting that, “people made it very clear where they stood.”

In 2003 the Utah Legislature passed a joint resolution that directed the Division of Wildlife Resources to draft a wolf management plan. The Wolf Working Group was created to help formulate the wolf plan.

The group, made up of people representing various wolf interests, has worked together since November 2003 to create the wolf plan.

The plan will guide the management of wolves in Utah from their de-listing, or removal from the federal endangered species list, to 2015.

Any anticipations of heated conflict at the Tuesday meeting slowly drifted out of the auditorium when two-thirds of the audience left after the wolf plan was presented. The exiting audience was primarily members of Dedicated Hunter.

The Dedicated Hunter is a program run by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Dedicated Hunters volunteer hours and attend one regional meeting a year and receive a guaranteed permit to hunt the buck deer general archery, rifle and muzzleloader seasons in the region of their choice.

Scott Strong, a Dedicated Hunter who attended the meeting said he was expecting a lot of people to show up, particularly Dedicated Hunter members, because the Tuesday meeting was one of the last they could attend.

While many of the Dedicated Hunters said they were not happy with the wolf plan, they also said their comments and opinions don’t really matter.

“It’s all political, almost a joke,” Strong said.

Dedicated Hunters, although the majority, was not the only group represented at the meeting.

Dan Nelson, in favor of protecting the wolves, drove an hour from his home in Salt Lake City to show his support for the wolves. He said he wanted to make his opinion heard.

“You come to these meetings and the ranchers are more vocal,” Nelson said.

Nelson, who planned on driving to Brigham City for the final wolf management meeting Wednesday night, said that once wolves are taken off the federal endangered species list the wolf plan would have a significant effect on Utah policy dealing with wolves.

While the group has almost finished a draft, disagreements still remain about dealing with wolves caught harassing and in the act of biting or grasping livestock.

“We want to keep livestock away from wolves,” said Mike Bodenchuck of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services. During the presentation, Bodenchuck emphasized that while the wolf plan wants to keep wolves away from livestock, they want to focus on non-lethal containment of the wolves.

Despite these disagreements, the group agreed their ultimate goal should be ensuring the state gets authority as soon as possible to resolve any wolf issues.

Something is better than nothing, Strong said.

The Utah Wildlife Board will discuss and then vote on the wolf plan June 8 through 9.
Copyright Brigham Young University 26 May 2005