Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Wolves threatened by judges decision

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1998 | 1:27 a.m.

PAULA DEL GIUDICEhas been an outdoors freelance writer, author and photographer for 13 years. Her column appears Wednesdays.

WOLVES ARE walking free in their historic range in the Northern Rockies, thanks to painstaking work by environmentalists and those who just plain love nature. This majestic animal was reintroduced into central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in 1995 in what has become an incredible conservation success stories.

But this story may not have a happy ending. Last December, the carefully balanced agreement that protects both livestock producers and wolves was shattered when U.S. Federal District Court Judge William Downes sided with the American Farm Bureau in ruling the reintroduction program violated the Endangered Species Act.

Although Judge Downes' ruling requires the reintroduced wolves and their offspring "only" need be captured and removed, his decision will likely result in the death of the reintroduced animals because Canada has refused to take the wolves back.

The issue is under appeal and likely will take years to iron out.

The American public has clear and sincere views about how the matter should be handled, according to a survey conducted by the research firm of Lauer, Lalley, Victoria, Inc., 1,200 people across the country and then a subset of those in Wyoming and Idaho.

Awareness about the wolf reintroduction is quite high. Almost half (46 percent) said they are familiar with the reintroduction program and are overwhelmingly in favor of returning wolves to the wild in Yellowstone and central Idaho. Three of four support the program, including 50 percent who say they support the program strongly. Only 13 percent oppose the program.

The reaction to the federal court ruling ordering the government to capture and remove the wolves also is strong. When informed of ruling, a 63-percent majority of the public is opposed to it. Fewer than one in five (19 percent) support the judge's decision.

In the states most impacted, Wyoming and Idaho, the issue divides the public more sharply than it does the nation as a whole. Forty-eight percent in Wyoming say they support reintroduction of the wolves while 47 percent are opposed. Idahoans are more receptive to wolf reintroduction.

Attitudes haven't changed much since the program was first initiated.

The judge's order to capture and remove the wolves is not necessarily a popular one in these two states. Fifty percent of Wyoming residents oppose the ruling while 43 percent support it. In Idaho, 54 percent oppose the ruling and only 34 percent support it.

The survey shows that the public overwhelmingly agrees that wolves are an integral part of the natural order.

Since removing the wolves might mean killing them, the survey asked if the wolves' lives should be spared. Seven in 10 strongly agree.

Those who make decisions based on public sentiment should have no trouble seeing the value of the survey. It may come down to the will of the people after all, as there also is strong support for Congress intervention.

In the event the Supreme Court rules the wolves should be removed, two in three Americans think Congress should act to allow the wolves to stay.