Idaho Gov. Butch Otter appeared on a national satellite radio show Thursday run by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to discuss the state’s wolf population.
Otter is responding to several events in August he disagreed with. The governor condemned an Aug. 5 decision by a federal judge to put Idaho’s wolves back on the endangered species list. Later in the month, he criticized a move by the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife (Defenders) to stop its payments to livestock producers whose animals are killed or injured by wolves.
The governor appeared on the NRA News, which is broadcast on satellite radio and online. Otter told IdahoReporter.com he wanted to discuss the shift in expectations from the federal government and wildlife groups.
Defenders has said that federal funds could replace money it gave to ranchers, but Otter said that wasn’t part of the original agreement.
Otter said he supports a plan in Congress that would remove Idaho’s wolves from the endangered species list. He’s also written a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking the federal government to let Idaho manage its wolves.
On the NRA broadcast, Otter said that Defenders started the compensation program for livestock “in an effort to get people sedated” during wolves’ reintroduction in the 1990s. “We knew they weren’t going to keep their promise,” he said.
[...] already sent a letter to Salazar asking the Interior Department to grant Idaho the power to manage wolves. If the governor gets [...]