Alec Underwood

Chronic Wasting Disease has been getting a lot of attention in Montana lately, after the disease was first detected in the Treasure State last November in a mule deer buck in Carbon County, and subsequently in more deer around the state. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks responded with two special hunts to get an adequate sample size to determine prevalence and geographic distribution of the disease.

But someone else responded as well – Montana Senator Jon Tester. He has introduced a bill that would allocate $60 million in federal funds nationwide to help fight this disease. The money would go right where it’s most needed – to state and tribal wildlife agencies doing the on-the-ground work to manage wildlife and CWD.

Tester’s bill could help pay for special management hunts, CWD lab testing and for the facilities to help implement a program to monitor and manage the disease. State and tribal agencies have the staffing and expertise to handle the disease. But at a time when they’re dealing with so many other wildlife issues, CWD puts a tremendous strain on their resources. Simply put, it takes time – and that takes money – to address this very complicated and serious wildlife disease.

Eight wildlife conservation and hunting organizations recently sent Senator Tester a letter thanking him for his work on this key issue. The groups included the Montana Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Federation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Mule Deer Foundation, Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Montana Bowhunters Association, Traditional Bowhunters of Montana and Wildlife Management Institute.

We hope that Congress can prioritize a response to this issue.  Other Senators are looking at cosponsoring Senator Teste’rs bill, and a companion bill has also been introduced in the House of Representatives.  Without the federal support to manage the disease, state and tribal wildlife agencies are left with a major burden to get ahead of CWD. Public servants like Jon Tester understand they need the help, and he’s working to get that help to protect our valued native wildlife and our hunting heritage.

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

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The Arctic grayling is one of Montana’s native species that would benefit from the new law.

If the last century of wildlife conservation has taught us anything, it is that wildlife management isn’t rocket science. When we provide wildlife managers with adequate resources and the authority to manage wildlife according to the best science, they can recover fish and wildlife populations. That’s how we brought big game like elk, mule deer, and pronghorn back from the brink of extinction to support Montana’s world-class hunting opportunities. It’s why Montana has blue ribbon fishing for abundant wild trout.

We know the same approach works with species that we don’t hunt or fish.  From salamanders to prairie dogs to songbirds, the principles are the same: protecting habitat and managing threats according to the best science keeps wildlife abundant. Preventing at-risk species from declining to the brink of extinction has another benefit: it can avoid the need to put species on the federal Endangered Species list, and all the regulatory headaches that come with that law.

For the last 15+ years, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have implemented a best-in-the-nation program to conserve nongame species that has done exactly that. And, in fact, these efforts have helped keep species abundant and prevent endangered species listings for animals like the Arctic grayling, black-tailed prairie dog, and northern leopard frog.

Unfortunately, current funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered is just a drop in the bucket and varies from year to year depending on the whims of Congress. For every success, there are dozens of more species waiting in the wings.

To address this problem, Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) and 60 cosponsors from both parties have introduced the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act to dramatically and permanently increase federal funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would dedicate $1.4 billion in federal funding to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program. This bold legislation is the direct recommendation from a  Blue Ribbon Panel that included leaders from conservation groups, wildlife agencies, businesses, and the oil and gas industry. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks would see more than $29 million in new funding as a result of this program.

If conservationists, wildlife managers, the oil and gas industry, and outdoor businesses can find common ground, our political leaders should be able to take action to adopt their recommendations. We need our leaders to act now and pass dedicated funding to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered.  It’s good for wildlife and people.

Take Action: Ask Rep. Gianforte to support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act!

Every two years Montana hunters get a chance to make their voices heard on the regulations that will affect their opportunities through the season setting process.

Can you kill cow elk with a general license in your favorite hunting district? Do mule deer bucks require a special permit? The list goes on, and on.

This process is about the nuts and bolts of wildlife management and hunting opportunity.  It affects what is out there on the landscape, what’s available for hunters and what tools state biologists have to address herd numbers, game damage on private lands and other major issues.

Right now, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is holding public meetings on its tentative hunting season proposals throughout the state. These are the meetings where local management biologists, who know their areas and the wildlife there, get out in their communities and interact with local hunters. It helps them to hear what hunters are concerned about, what suggestions they have for wildlife management and other concerns.

It’s important that we review hunting regulations every two years, because wildlife and habitat are incredibly dynamic. In one area, white-tailed deer could be booming and need a good, aggressive harvest. In others, populations may be way down, and need to have doe harvest trimmed back or outright eliminated.

Elk management, with more of the coveted game species on the landscape than ever before, is always a big topic of discussion. FWP is struggling to bring elk numbers down in more than 80 hunting districts throughout the state. The agency has implemented “shoulder seasons” outside of the standard five week general season, but hunters have serious concerns because of limited access to some lands during the general season that has allowed these herds to build up and continue growing.

Mule deer continue to struggle in many parts of Montana. White-tailed deer are common in some areas, and less abundant in others. And of course Montana has other proposals that include the other eight big game species – moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats among them.

Writing hunting regulations is complicated, and that’s why hunters need to be engaged. Attend one of FWP’s meetings in your area. Check out the tentative regulations and make your voice heard. It’s your wildlife, and you should have a say in how it’s managed.

For more information, go to fwp.mt.gov/hunting/ and scroll down to “opportunity for public comment.”

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.