[Jeff Higgins]

That Congress, led by the Idaho and Montana contingent, finally managed to get them delisted as "endangered"? Seems they snuck a rider in on the budget bill, when everyone was in a panic (or excited about) the federal gubmint (finally?) shutting down.

This marks the first time a species has been delisted by an Act of Congress. Wolves had already been delisted by the Interior Department, but that action had been overturned by some federal judge who felt he was a better wildlife biologist or something.

This now leaves wolf management in the hands of the states, where it has always properly belonged. State wildlife biologists and game managers can now manage their wolf populations, along with their other wildlife populations. It gives them more control over the big picture, without some arbitrary, emotionally and politically driven wildcard in the mix over which they have had no control.

Wolves exert a great deal of infuence over other species' viability in any given area where they are found. Local wildlife managers were having one hell of a time managing everything else that shared their habitat, with the "hands off" mandate that came along with their status as an "endangered species". That has now changed. Now we can have responsible professionals managing their populations locally, rather than special interest groups (via the courts) managing them from afar.

Some won't see it this way, but this is actually a victory for the wolves. With the introduction of responsible, responsive local management of this top tier predator, we have increased their chances of survival and acceptance. Locals will now feel they have a voice, and a way to manage an animal that they have all felt was more or less rammed down their throats by clueless urban ninnies who wouldn't know a wolf from a coyote.