Wolf bill scheduled 3/17

Dear MSSA Friends,

MSSA’s “Montana Wolf Recovery Act” has been scheduled for public hearing before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee on Tuesday, March 17th, at 10 AM.

This is a likely conflict problem since our Self Defense bill, HB 228 and our Resolution about guns in National Parks, HJ 14, are scheduled for public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the same morning. We will try to get SB 183 scheduled for later in the morning so interested persons can attend both hearings.

Messages to Senate Finance and Claims Committee members about SB 183 should focus on the Fiscal Note attached to the bill. Your comments might cover one or more of these items:

1) The actual costs of implementing SB 183 will be less than the Fiscal Note indicates. FWP padded the Fiscal Note because they oppose the Legislature’s proposed policy under SB 183. FWP wants to determine Montana’s policy about wolves rather than allow the Legislature to do so.

2) The cost of not passing SB 183 is horrendous – loss to Montana’s wildlife resource, loss to Montana’s hunting heritage and culture, loss to Montana’s agricultural industry, loss to Montana’s communities and commercial sector from decline in hunting, loss to FWP in plummeting license sales for nonexistent game, and more. Although many of these losses don’t show up in the state budget, the people of Montana will pay them nonetheless.

3) The trend analysis of wolf delisting projects continued failure. Every promise to delist wolves has been a failure. Continued failure is projected. Wolf advocates already have their lawsuit prepared to block proposed delisting.

4) Proposed delisting will not render effective state wolf management sufficient to save Montana game herds because it relies on the federally-mandated Montana wolf management plan. The federal conditions imposed on Montana in the existing plan will not allow salvage of Montana’s game herds and hunting heritage.

5) Hunting of wolves won’t help. Hunting of wolves has nowhere reduced wolf population growth as long as a sufficient food supply for wolves exists. The delisting plan in effect will force an end to human hunting, or a drastic curtailment of hunting.

Plan on getting your comments to F&C Committee members no later than this weekend. For information about how to reach legislators, see:
http://www.progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/

Anyone who cares about hunting in Montana should make time to show up at the hearing, or get comment to Committee members in support of SB 183. We have gotten SB 183 written and introduced. Whether or not it passes the F&C Committee is now in your hands. Act now! Show up, and/or send messages to Committee members.

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com