Archived Story

Consider how wolf hunt could hurt our economy
By TODD TANNER

Now that the federal government has turned wolf management over to the state of Montana, it looks like 2008 will go down in history as the Year of the Wolf.

It’s true that 11 conservation groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, plan on suing the Feds over delisting. But unless those legal challenges slow or halt the process, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will allow hunters to shoot wolves this fall. As someone who lives and hunts in Montana, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.

Let’s set aside the fact that wolves are a vital part of our Northern Rocky ecosystem and take a look at the numbers. According to Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana has about 420 wolves right now. That compares with approximately 1,800 mountain lions, 15,500 black bears, 138,000 elk, 237,000 whitetails and 327,000 mule deer. Can you imagine FWP holding a general elk season with only 420 elk?

There’s another number we need to consider: $1 billion. Tourists inject more than a billion dollars into western Montana’s economy every year, and many of those tourists are fascinated by wolves. Images of Canis lupus grace everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs to stationery, while Montana’s reputation as “The Last Best Place” is solidified by the fact that wolves now roam our mountains and forests.

So what will happen if Montana’s proposed wolf hunt goes forward and USA Today or Newsweek Magazine runs a front-page photo of a dead wolf, its muzzle bloody and its tongue hanging out, in the back of a Montana pickup truck? Will America’s tourists, who are already worried about a sour economy and $3.50/ gallon gasoline, still flock to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and all the points in between? Or will a firestorm of negative publicity cost us jobs and money that we really can’t afford to lose? The New York Times just reported that our economy lost 80,000 jobs in March, and that 81 percent of Americans feel like our country is on the wrong track. Do we really want to give our visitors another excuse to stay home?

Perhaps the day will come when it makes sense to hunt wolves in Montana. Maybe, when the economy is stronger, the science is settled and our wolf population is in balance with the landscape, we’ll decide that it’s worth the risk of alienating our visitors and damaging our financial bottom line. Until then, though, let’s exercise a little common sense and hold off on the wolf hunt. There’s no point shooting ourselves in the foot and then watching it over and over again on the evening news.

Todd Tanner is an outdoors writer who hunts and fishes all over western Montana. He lives near Bigfork.
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)
Current Word Count:
   

Beverly Teach Roxby wrote on Mar 13, 2009 9:10 AM:

" As a retired teacher I have time to travel and a little money--enough to camp, hike, and hopefully experience wild adventures that include being within listening range of howling gray wolves.

However, I cannot spend money in any region that actively welcomes wolf hunting and general wolf slaughter. (By air, snowmobile, etc.) I may not be wealthy, but my money talks, too.

Best wishes and thanks to all of you working to preserve wolf populations in the Greater Rockies.

Beverly Roxby "

|

Subscribe to the Missoulian today — get 2 weeks free!