Agreement puts wolverine trapping season on hold

Montana’s wolverine trapping season will not happen this year, and there’s the possibility it could end for the foreseeable future.

Last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and several environmental and sportsmen groups reached an agreement in district court in Helena that this year’s wolverine trapping season would be permanently suspended.

The truce of sorts came after FWP said it couldn’t bring witnesses to the stand by a Jan. 10 hearing date. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide Friday whether to place wolverines on the Endangered Species List.

The expectation is that wolverines will be listed by FWS, which in 2010 found that listing wolverines was warranted but precluded because other species were in greater need of protection.

Wolverines are the largest member of the weasel family. They’re known for their toughness and tenacity. In Northwest Montana, particularly Glacier National Park, seeing one of the rare creatures is not uncommon.

FWP, however, allows trapping of five wolverines per year outside the Park. Several environmental groups sued FWP late last year, challenging the trapping season. Helena District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock issued a temporary restraining order that halted the trapping season until both sides could argue their case.

The plaintiffs include Helena Hunters and Anglers, Friends of the Wild Swan, Montana Ecosystem Defense Council, George Wuerthner, Native Ecosystems Council, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth Guardians and Footloose Montana.

The environmental groups saw the latest ruling as a victory, according to Matthew Bishop, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, which represents the environmental groups

“With the 2012-2013 wolverine trapping season effectively over, new leadership at the state, and the likely federal listing of rare wolverines as a threatened species in the coming months, Montana is well positioned to take a leading role in wolverine conservation in the Lower 48,” he said. “I hope the state takes advantage of this opportunity.”

FWP maintains that the wolverine population is healthy enough to sustain a limited trapping season — even if they are listed.

The environmental groups maintain that studies of wolverines have shown that trapping is a significant cause of wolverine mortality in the Lower 48. There’s about 250 to 300 wolverines in the continental U.S. Population estimates in Montana range from 100 to 175. The effective population which breeds is about 35 animals in Montana, the groups claim.

Last week’s district court ruling gives the groups and FWP until early April to reach a settlement. If not, the case will continue.