Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 4.6.16

NEWS
FWP: Gray Wolf Population Stable, Above Federal Standard Gray wolf numbers rose across most of the Northern Rockies last year and hit their highest level in two decades
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
Five years after the contentious decision to remove federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, Montana’s gray wolf population remains healthy and among the largest in the Northern Rockies, according to state wildlife o cials.
The state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department reported a minimum count of 536 wolves across Mon- tana in 2015, 18 fewer than the previous year but well above the federally-mandated minimum of 150.
Biologists con rmed a minimum of 32 breeding pairs, down from 34 in 2014. The federal and state stan- dard requires a minimum of 15 breeding pairs.
The agency released its annual wolf report April 1, showing that the state’s wolf population has declined each of the last three years. In 2011, when wolves were delisted, there were a minimum of 650 in Montana.
The recent ndings come as the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service is slated to end its ve-year post-delisting monitoring program of the population.
Gray wolf numbers rose across most of the North- ern Rockies last year and hit their highest level in two decades, according to the USFWS. The agency reported a minimum of 1,904 wolves at the end of last year in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington.
“Wolf management in the 21st century requires us to strike a balance socially and biologically,” stated FWP Director Je Hagener. “We feel like we are getting closer to that as Montana’s wolf population continues to be sta- ble, healthy and far above recovery goals.”
Wolves killed 64 livestock last year across Montana, an increase of 17 from the previous year, according to FWP. This included 41 cattle, 21 sheep and two horses.
Northwest Montana remains home to the largest col- lection of wolves in the state. The minimum wolf count increased from 338 in 2014 to 349 in 2015. Twenty of the 85 known packs met the breeding pair criteria.
Since wolves were delisted in Montana and other states in 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided oversight as FWP took over management of the population and established a hunting and trapping
season. The federal monitoring program is slated to end in May. The agency has said that if relisting is ever war- ranted, it would make prompt use of the ESA’s emer- gency listing provisions.
Conservation groups have led a notice with the USFWS stating their intent to le a lawsuit seeking to force the agency to extend the monitoring program in Idaho and Montana.
The Center for Biological Diversity and four other organizations — the Western Watersheds Project, Friends of the Clearwater, Cascadia Wildlands and WildWest Institute — claim both states “have under- estimated the impacts and risks of aggressive hunting policies for gray wolves.”
This past season, hunters in Montana killed 136 wolves and trappers killed another 73.
The total documented wolf mortality hit 276 in 2015, down from 308 the previous year. These numbers include all documented wolf deaths, including those from vehicles, poaching and disease.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
Glacier Park Horseback Concessionaire Contract Up for Renewal Out tters interested in 10-year contract to run pack animals in national park must apply by June 3
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
Touring Glacier National Park by car is one of the most popular ways to discover the incredible scenery and wilderness found there, thanks in large part to the engineering marvel that is Going-to-the-Sun Road.
There are also boat options, and of course human-powered transportation, such as cycling, as well as 734 miles of trails to hike.
But one of the most romantic and classic ways to travel the park is on horseback, taking in the sights and sounds on the back of a gentle creature willing to do the legwork.
It’s a truly Montana experience, and only one com- pany is allowed to operate guided interpretive trail rides and pack animal services in Glacier. Since 2007, that company has been Swan Mountain Out tters, located in Swan Lake.
That concessionaire contract is up this year, accord- ing to the National Park Service, with another 10-year
contract starting up next January. The park service issued the prospectus for the contract on March 25, and any out tting companies wanting a shot as a con- cessionaire must turn in their o ers and applications by 4 p.m. on June 3.
According to the prospectus, the horseback conces- sionaire runs three corrals within the park’s boundar- ies, located at Apgar, Lake McDonald, and Many Glacier. The Apgar site tends to run trail rides on six major loops, the Lake McDonald site typically includes four major trails, and the Many Glacier site regularly covers seven trails.
Speci c operating standards and requirements include o ering daily horseback trail rides, ranging from one hour to all day, as well as having one wrangler per nine riders.
Swan Mountain Out tters, which also runs out t- ting trips outside the park’s boundaries as well, had its busiest year ever in 2015, according to o ce manager Kristine Marvin.
Marvin, who is also the general manager of the Crown of the Continent Discovery Center, said SMO de nitely plans on reapplying for the concessionaire contract.
“We love doing it,” she said. “It’s a passion that we all have; we love our horses.”
The horses, currently out to pasture in White sh and Wyoming, are getting ready for another summer of trail rides, she said. Each summer, SMO wranglers work with 250 horses, and each year they take approximately 15,000 riders into the wild.
Last year’s banner year happened despite the intense wild re season, Marvin said, with June and July coming in at record rates and August proving to be the lowest month, due to the thick smoke and intense heat.
The horses hit the trail in Glacier Park typically in mid-May, and continue their work until after Labor Day. All o ers must be received by Jennifer Parker, Chief of Concessions, NPS, Intermountain Region, P.O. Box
25287, Denver, CO 80228-0287 on June 3.
mpriddy@ atheadbeacon.com
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APRIL 6, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM