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Current Status:

The only significant threat to wolves in Montana is illegal killing, primarily through shooting. Habitat and prey are ample to support more than the 10 breeding pairs recommended by the recovery plan.

Achievements:

Wolves denned in Montana in l986 for the first time in many years. During recent years, 41 wolves have been radio-collared and studied. Using radio-telemetry, biologists are monitoring five packs in Montana and two other packs (one that straddles the U.S./Canada border and a second just north of the border) that are part of the same population. The Montana packs produced four litters in 1992, totalling at least 18 pups. In 1992, the other two packs produced 13 pups, which may disperse into the Montana population. Single dispersing wolves are probably living in various parts of western Montana but, due to their elusive nature, are nearly impossible to census. A lone male, being monitored by tracks and sign, has established a territory in the Bob Marshall Wilderness; a radiocollared male wolf from Glacier National Park has settled in Idaho; an apparent wolf was filmed in Yellowstone National Park in August 1992; a wolf was killed just south of the Park border in September 1992; and there has been confirmed wolf activity in Montana 240 miles south of the Canadian border. In 1988, an interagency Wolf Working Group, consisting of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control Division, Blackfoot Nation, Flathead Nation, and Montana's State Lands Department, was established to coordinate wolf recovery, and a three-phase monitoring system now documents wolf presence in Montana.

The Fish and Wildlife Service, with cooperation from the Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control program, has captured 16 wolves since 1987, including 7 during 1990 and 1992. Of the 16, 2 were radio-collared and released on site, 5 were killed, 2 were placed in captivity, and 7 were translocated. Wolves verified for a first-time depredation are translocated and released; while wolves verified for subsequent depredations are removed from the wild. These actions slowed population growth, but reduced local animosity and very likely illegal killing of wolves, thus encouraging tolerance of wolf recovery in the longterm. Montana's wolf population has attained half the recovery goal of 10 breeding pairs (for 3 successive years) recommended in the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan. In 1991, Congress directed the Fish and Wildlife Service, in consultation with the National Park Service and the Forest Service, to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. This project is under way.

Since 1990, the Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted several hundred informal section 7 consultations annually in Montana. Consultations concerning timber harvests, oil and gas exploration, mining, road management plans, grazing allotment management, and other issues were done in conjunction with other endangered species issues in the areas of concern. No mitigation measures were needed to protect wolves, and no jeopardy biological opinions have been issued.

Current Recovery Needs:

Continued educational efforts and wolf control to increase public tolerance for the species are the greatest needs.

Partnerships

National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control Division: The first two agencies have funded research efforts. The Animal Damage Control Division has been involved in all wolf control activities. The Forest Service also is monitoring wolves on various national forests. Also cooperating in these efforts are the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, The Blackfoot Nation, University of Montana, and Montana Department of Livestock.

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; Montana Department of State Lands; and Missoula County: Montana has proposed that the wolf be federally delisted and managed under the State's Nongame and Endangered Species Act. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has chosen not to be a formal member of the interagency Wolf Working Group, but has designated an individual to represent its interests. The Montana Department of State Lands has signed an agreement indicating willingness to assist with monitoring and related needs. Missoula County has promoted wolf recovery, offering county lands as release sites for translocations of wolves that kill livestock.

National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, Wolf Haven International, and University of Montana: The National Wildlife Federation has assisted with public education efforts. Defenders of Wildlife has a program compensating ranchers for livestock lost to wolves, as well as a reward system for landowners on whose property wolves successfully raise a litter. Wolf Haven International has sponsored surveys, has been active in public education, and has accepted wolves into its captive facility. The University of Montana has researched wolf prey along the Northfork of the Flathead River area.

Recovery Plan Status:

Original plan approved 5/28/80; revised 8/3/87.