Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Wolf public meetings set

SALT LAKE CITY - One thing is clear from the Nov. 10 meeting of Utah's Wolf Management Working Group — group members want help from the people of Utah in writing a wolf management plan for the state.

The plan the group is working on will guide the management of Northern gray wolves that may one day make their way to Utah from surrounding states.

To accomplish their goal, group members set March 8 to 19, 2004 aside as the time when 10 public meetings will be held around the state. These meetings will give people a chance to learn about wolf issues the group has identified and give people a chance to provide their input to the group.

Group members have also asked the Division of Wildlife Resources to establish a wolf portion on the DWR Web site (wildlife.utah.gov/wolf/). Minutes of the group's meetings and the latest information about Northern gray wolves will be posted on the site. People can also send the group comments about gray wolves through the site. These comments will be compiled, together with comments from the March 2004 meetings, and considered by the group as it drafts a Wolf Management Plan for Utah. The group will work with the DWR to draft a plan to present to the Utah Wildlife Board in 2005.

Formed by the Division of Wildlife Resources, the Wolf Management Working Group consists of 13 people who represent various wolf interests, including livestock owners, hunters and environmentalists. The group is being facilitated by the Dynamic Solutions Group, LLC, a team of professional facilitators who recently conducted the public scoping effort for Wyoming's state wolf management plan.

The Wolf Management Working Group's meetings are open to the public. The next meeting will be held Jan. 20, 2004 in Salt Lake City.

"I'm very impressed with this group and their desire to put their differences aside to draft a wolf management plan for Utah," said Kevin Conway, director of the Division of Wildlife Resources. "I'm also excited about the public input process they've adopted. It will give everyone in Utah a chance to stay current on what the group is doing and to provide their input to the group."