H.J.R. 12

1

RESOLUTION PROVIDING MANAGEMENT OF
2 WOLVES IN UTAH
3 2003 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Michael R. Styler
6 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
7 to expedite the process for transferring authority to manage wolves to the states. The
8 resolution also urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reject requests to
9 establish additional recovery areas that would include the state of Utah; urges the Utah
10 Division of Wildlife Resources to draft a wolf management plan that is to the extent
11 possible consistent with the wildlife management objectives of the Ute Indian Tribe,
12 prevents livestock depredation, and protects the investments made in wildlife
13 management efforts; and urges the Division of Wildlife Resources to prepare a grant
14 proposal recommending that the Department of Natural Resources' Endangered Species
15 Mitigation Fund fully compensate private landowners for losses, not covered by other
16 mitigation sources, resulting from depredation to livestock by wolves.
17 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
18 WHEREAS, wolves have become well established in the Northern Rocky Mountain
19 states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and dispersing young wolves from these expanding
20 populations are traveling into and attempting to recolonize parts of Utah;
21 WHEREAS, the biological status of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain Recovery
22 Area has recently exceeded criteria for full recovery under the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf
23 Recovery Plan;
24 WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that the presence of
25 wolves in Utah is not necessary for the recovery of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain
26 Recovery Area;
27 WHEREAS, Utah is not a participating state in the Northern Rocky Mountain recovery

28 effort for Gray Wolves;
29 WHEREAS, the wolf is currently protected in Utah by state statute as well as by the
30 Federal Endangered Species Act;
31 WHEREAS, the state of Utah has a legislated, public process for the purpose of
32 developing policy for the management of protected wildlife, which includes the Regional
33 Advisory Councils and the Utah Wildlife Board;
34 WHEREAS, the Utah Wildlife Board has been recognized by the Western Association
35 of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for its ability to resolve complex, controversial wildlife
36 management issues;
37 WHEREAS, the Utah Wildlife Board has approved a Policy on Managing Predatory
38 Wildlife Species that provides direction to the Division of Wildlife Resources in managing
39 predator populations;
40 WHEREAS, recent biological assessments recognize that lands within the original
41 boundaries of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in the Uinta Basin of Utah contain suitable
42 wolf habitat;
43 WHEREAS, the state of Utah and the Ute Indian Tribe are party to a Cooperative
44 Management Agreement which recognizes the need for cooperation in the management of
45 wildlife within the original boundaries of the Reservation;
46 WHEREAS, citizens and conservation organizations in Utah have invested significant
47 resources to restore populations of wildlife in Utah; and
48 WHEREAS, hunting, ranching, and livestock production contribute significantly to the
49 economy, heritage, and quality of life in Utah:
50 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
51 urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to expedite the delisting process for wolves
52 in the Western Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment, thereby transferring authority to
53 manage wolves to the states.
54 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges the United States Fish and
55 Wildlife Service to reject requests to establish additional recovery areas that would include the
56 state of Utah, leaving the entire state in the Western Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment.
57 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly urges the Utah Division of
58 Wildlife Resources to draft a wolf management plan for review, modification, and adoption by

59 the Utah Wildlife Board through the Regional Advisory Council process.
60 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges that the objectives and
61 strategies of the plan, to the extent possible, be consistent with the wildlife management
62 objectives of the Ute Indian Tribe, prevent livestock depredation, and protect the investments
63 made in wildlife management efforts while being consistent with United States Fish and
64 Wildlife Service regulations.
65 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly urges the Division of
66 Wildlife Resources to prepare a grant proposal for consideration by the Department of Natural
67 Resources' Endangered Species Mitigation Fund to fully compensate private landowners for
68 losses not covered by other mitigation sources and resulting from depredation to livestock by
69 wolves.
70 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the United
71 States Fish and Wildlife Service Region Six, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the
72 Utah Wildlife Board, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the members of Utah's
73 congressional delegation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-20-03 3:20 PM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel