Viewpoint: Prevent FWP from becoming corrupt anti-wildlife program
Juliet Giarraputo
Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has experienced corruption and bias throughout its past, and yet again it has proposed a policy benefiting a slim amount of the public that could cause significant harm to our State’s beautiful and balanced ecosystems.
June 8th will be a pivotal day for Montana’s wildlife and political conflict. It is the day that our FWP will determine if rulemaking in the management of delisting grizzly bears should occur, and whether or not to pass the new Grizzly Bear Policy.
The former is an amendment to Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) and the ladder, a likely byproduct of that amendment's passage. If rule making is initiated, proposed language from the FWP would be next. Public comment on this language may be a component of the Commission’s procedures.
Proposed language and public comment is often used within FWP as a way to highlight the beliefs of right-wing minorities, and hide partiality against unwanted, and popular opinions that desire protection of our unjustly hunted species.
Over 100 people traveled to Helena last August to speak out in the opposition of rampant wolf hunting/trapping, and even more people wrote in. All that to discover the decision was made prior to the meeting. This is stated, not as a discouragement, but as a plea for us to reveal the deceit and dishonesty that occurs through backhanded political deals within the FWP and our government.
We can stop these dealings through lawsuits, and by fighting against rule making. Senate Bill 295 proposes rule making and is currently being viewed by Gov. Gianforte. If he does not sign this bill before June 8th, we could delay the FWP’s usage of proposed language, a great gain for Montana and our wildlife.
The second part to that bill is the topic of grizzly bear hunting in Montana. The FWP has proposed a new Grizzly Bear Policy that would allow sport hunting of Montana’s grizzlies. It states that hunting bears for trophies would be the best way to manage the species’ population and it would minimize grizzly bear attacks and sightings near humans.
Grizzly bears are already low in numbers, and inhabit only two percent of their historic habitat, if this policy is passed we may lose and/or permanently damage the species population forever. The FWP faces intense pressures from our Congress to delist grizzlies, with personal gain put ahead of our flora and fauna. Poaching of bears will become a regular occurrence without federal oversight, and there will be few safe places for the species as hunting closer to National Park borders increases.
We need to protect our wildlife, and there are many ways to do so. Educating communities about the impact their votes and voices have on laws being passed, having non-lethal ways to avoid predator and wildlife conflict be prioritized, and creating corridors of wild land for our animals to travel throughout the state and build a healthy population are all ways to help.
Protecting Montana’s animals and ecosystems is vital for our future. Learn more and how you can help at footloosemontana.org