the Star-Tribune staff | Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 12:00 am
Gov. Dave Freudenthal has engineered an agreement between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will give the state more say in Wyoming-centric wildlife issues.
According to a release from the governor's office, the three parties involved will sign a "memorandum of agreement" today in Cheyenne. Among other items, the agreement will allow more collaboration in decisions relating to the listing and delisting of animals under the Endangered Species Act. The agreement could have direct impact on the numbers of wolves, sage grouse, grizzly bears and the Preble's meadow jumping mouse in the state.
The agreement comes on the heels of the federal agency's acceptance of Wyoming's wolf management plan on Friday. The plan, similar to ones drafted in Montana and Idaho, could soon lead to the removal of wolves from the federal endangered species list. And with more state control of the plan, the number of wolves removed from Wyoming could rise.
"This would not have happened three or four years ago," Freudenthal said in the release. "This MOA is a testament to the trust and cooperation that has been built between my office, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in dealing with difficult issues including the management of wolves, grizzly bears and the Preble's mouse."
The agreement also calls for more data collection related to endangered species. Freudenthal mentioned the Preble's mouse and the sage grouse, specifically. With more information, the governor said, the sage grouse could receive more protection and the mouse less.
"With the expanding list of species being labeled as 'sensitive,' it is more important than ever that we work together to address up-front conservation and data collection," Freudenthal said. "I hope it means we can avoid situations like the Preble's mouse which was listed, but shouldn't have been."
For more on this story, please see Thursday's Star-Tribune.