April 26, 2017--“After a long and torturous trek we are pleased that the legal wrangling for wolf management has concluded,” stated Ken Hamilton, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Executive Vice President. “We certainly believe Wyoming has stepped up to the plate on this issue and we are glad a three judge panel saw it the same way.”

“Wyoming met its commitment for wolf recovery in 2003 and almost a decade and a half later we can now manage wolves as outlined by the wolf recovery plan,” Hamilton continued.

According to a news release from Wyoming Governor Matt Mead’s Office, the Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. entered its final order on April 25, 2017 upholding Wyoming’s wolf management plan which confirms Wyoming’s management of wolves.

“I am delighted that the Circuit Court recognized Wyoming’s commitment to manage a recovered wolf population,” said Governor Mead in a news release. “Our wolf management plan is a result of years of hard work by people across Wyoming. We recognize the need to maintain a healthy wolf population. I thank former Secretaries of the Interior Ken Salazar and Sally Jewell as well as former Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for their commitment to getting this done. This is a good day for Wyoming.”

The Governor’s release continued, “Wyoming managed wolves from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, a federal District Court judge reinstated federal protections for wolves on the premise that population commitments in Wyoming’s wolf management plan needed to be found in regulation or statute. Wyoming and the federal government appealed that decision and ultimately prevailed in the D.C. Circuit Court.”

For more information about management in both the Trophy Game Management Area and the predator zone, please contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department or visit their website: wgfd.wyo.gov.

“I’d like to remind folks that wolves have a dual classification in Wyoming and it is important that people avoid violating the law by understanding that wolves are protected in the northwestern part of the state, where practically all of suitable wolf habitat is located and it is necessary to obtain a license before they can be hunted,” Hamilton concluded.

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. The primary goals of the federation are to protect private property rights and help members achieve an equitable return on their investment. Visit www.wyfb.org.