Agriculture stakeholders in Montana have filed to intervene in litigation that has limited all wolf trapping and snaring across large swaths of Montana.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA), Montana Wool Growers Association and Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) filed a motion on May 6 to intervene in Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force v. State of Montana.
The suit was brought by the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and WildEarth Guardians against the state of Montana last fall. The environmentalists argued Montana’s wolf trapping and snaring in grizzly bear habitat is unlawful.
“While this case is centered around grizzly bear habitat, it has far reaching implications for livestock producers,” Raylee Honeycutt, MSGA executive vice president, told WLJ in an email.
In November, a district judge issued a preliminary injunction that required Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to limit all wolf trapping and snaring across thousands of miles from Billings, MT, west, and north to Phillips County between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, when grizzlies are most likely to be in their dens.
“That’s a lot of Montana and a lot of ranchers who need to be able to utilize predator management tools like trapping and snaring to protect their livestock,” Honeycutt said in a news release.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on April 23 upheld the district judge’s fall decision to limit trapping and snaring to only six weeks.
“Given all the evidence, it was plausible for the district court to find a reasonably certain threat of imminent harm to grizzly bears should Montana’s wolf trapping and snaring season proceed as planned,” 9th Circuit Judge Mark J. Bennett wrote. “In other words, the district court’s finding was not implausible given plaintiffs’ evidence and the evidence as a whole.”
However, the court disagreed with the district judge’s order limiting the hunting season in regions 1-5 and Phillips, Blaine and Hill counties in Region 6, and said the order should be modified to only include areas where grizzly bears are known to live.
The most recent brief filed by the suit plaintiffs in mid-April amended the original lawsuit to include coyote trapping, leading ag groups to intervene in the case.
MSGA said coyote trapping and snaring are proven methods for controlling one of livestock’s most damaging predators. “MSGA believes protecting this management tool is crucial for Montana’s ranching industry to continue to protect their livestock,” Honeycutt said.
MFBF Vice President Gary Heibertshausen said in a statement that coyote predation is one of his greatest economic expenses and the largest physical threat to his livestock. “Coyotes attack calves, sheep, and lambs and cause mental distress, physical harm, and death to ranchers’ animals,” Heibertshausen said. “Coyote predation strains an already challenging industry and contributes to the closure of many smaller farms and ranches.”
MFBF said it does not believe trapping or snaring for predator control poses any danger to grizzly bears due to the small size of the traps.
Oral arguments on the case are set for June 24 in Missoula, MT. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
