H.J.R. 12 Enrolled

RESOLUTION PROVIDING MANAGEMENT OF
WOLVES IN UTAH
2003 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Michael R. Styler
This joint resolution of the Legislature urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
to expedite the process for transferring authority to manage wolves to the states. The
resolution also urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reject requests to
establish additional recovery areas that would include the state of Utah; urges the Utah
Division of Wildlife Resources to draft a wolf management plan that is to the extent
possible consistent with the wildlife management objectives of the Ute Indian Tribe,
prevents livestock depredation, and protects the investments made in wildlife
management efforts; and urges the Division of Wildlife Resources to prepare a grant
proposal recommending that the Department of Natural Resources, through its species
protection line item, fully compensate private landowners for losses, not covered by other
mitigation sources, resulting from depredation to livestock by wolves.
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
WHEREAS, wolves have become well established in the Northern Rocky Mountain
states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and dispersing young wolves from these expanding
populations are traveling into and attempting to recolonize parts of Utah;
WHEREAS, the biological status of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain Recovery
Area has recently exceeded criteria for full recovery under the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf
Recovery Plan;
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that the presence of
wolves in Utah is not necessary for the recovery of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain
Recovery Area;
WHEREAS, Utah is not a participating state in the Northern Rocky Mountain recovery
effort for Gray Wolves;
WHEREAS, the wolf is currently protected in Utah by state statute as well as by the

Federal Endangered Species Act;
WHEREAS, the state of Utah has a legislated, public process for the purpose of
developing policy for the management of protected wildlife, which includes the Regional
Advisory Councils and the Utah Wildlife Board;
WHEREAS, the Utah Wildlife Board has been recognized by the Western Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies for its ability to resolve complex, controversial wildlife management
issues;
WHEREAS, the Utah Wildlife Board has approved a Policy on Managing Predatory
Wildlife Species that provides direction to the Division of Wildlife Resources in managing
predator populations;
WHEREAS, recent biological assessments recognize that lands within the original
boundaries of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in the Uinta Basin of Utah contain suitable wolf
habitat;
WHEREAS, the state of Utah and the Ute Indian Tribe are party to a Cooperative
Management Agreement which recognizes the need for cooperation in the management of
wildlife within the original boundaries of the Reservation;
WHEREAS, citizens and conservation organizations in Utah have invested significant
resources to restore populations of wildlife in Utah; and
WHEREAS, hunting, ranching, and livestock production contribute significantly to the
economy, heritage, and quality of life in Utah:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to expedite the delisting process for wolves in the
Western Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment, thereby transferring authority to manage
wolves to the states.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service to reject requests to establish additional recovery areas that would include the
state of Utah, leaving the entire state in the Western Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly urges the Utah Division of

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Wildlife Resources to draft a wolf management plan for review, modification, and adoption by
the Utah Wildlife Board through the Regional Advisory Council process.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges that the objectives and
strategies of the plan, to the extent possible, be consistent with the wildlife management
objectives of the Ute Indian Tribe, prevent livestock depredation, and protect the investments
made in wildlife management efforts while being consistent with United States Fish and Wildlife
Service regulations and other Utah species management plans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly urges the Division of
Wildlife Resources to prepare a grant proposal for consideration by the Department of Natural
Resources, within the department's species protection line item, to fully compensate private
landowners for losses not covered by other mitigation sources and resulting from depredation to
livestock by wolves.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service Region Six, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Utah
Wildlife Board, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the members of Utah's
congressional delegation.

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