Secretary Deb Haaland
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Acting Director Martha Williams
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
January 13, 2022
Dear Secretary Haaland and Acting Director Williams,
We the undersigned are guides, photographers, and business owners who operate in and around Yellowstone National Park, and are uniquely impacted by the presence of wolves on the landscape. A healthy wolf population is critical to the success of our businesses, our jobs, and the strength of the region’s large tourism and recreation economy. We are deeply concerned by the new state laws in Montana that allow for a dramatic increase in the hunting and trapping of wolves. The wolves of Yellowstone do not recognize invisible park boundaries and depend upon a broader ecosystem for survival. When wolves travel out of the park they are immediately at risk, as there is no longer any quota for the number of wolves that can be hunted or trapped in the wolf management units on Yellowstone’s border with Montana. Additionally, hunters and trappers can use bait, hunt at night using artificial light and high-powered night scopes, and an individual can kill up to twenty wolves per year. As of the writing of this letter, sixteen wolves have been killed in wolf management units 313 and 316 and the trapping season has just begun.
An added concern to our livelihoods is a wolf population that is hunted is not compatible with a population that is good for viewing. Hunted wolves are less tolerant of people and less likely to be visible to the public. The wolves of Yellowstone, particularly the Junction Butte Pack, are currently the most visible wolves in the world and one of the reasons parallels are drawn between Yellowstone and the Serengeti for its wildlife viewing potential. At least three of these wolves have been killed already this year by hunters.
In 1995, the year wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, there were 130 commercial use authorizations that allowed tour companies to operate in the park; by 2019 that number had grown to over 300. In 2005, when visitation to the park was 2,835,651, the annual economic impact assessment of wolves in the park was estimated to be $35.5 million. Park visitation has grown to over 4.4 million visitors in 2021, an approximate 57% increase. Adjusted for inflation, the current economic impact of wolf recovery is approximately $80 million annually — money that is spent in communities and supports local jobs. Additionally, visitor polling in Yellowstone consistently places wildlife viewing in the top three reasons people want to visit the park, making wolves a key contributor to the region’s overall tourism economy. In 2020, visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks spent over one billion dollars in the parks and surrounding communities.
The changes to Montana’s laws has had the most immediate and direct impact on the wolves of Yellowstone. However, neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming also have laws in place which allow hunting and trapping practices that seriously jeopardize the biological integrity of the wolf population across the entire Greater Yellowstone region. Laws passed in Idaho this year allow 90 percent of the state’s wolf population to be killed through trapping, snaring, night hunting, and being chased and run over by motorized vehicles; additionally, bounties are being paid of up to $2,500 per wolf including wolf pups. Wyoming’s predator zone — 85% of the state where wolves can be killed for any reason, by virtually any means without a license — means the wolf population will not expand outside a limited “trophy game zone” around the national parks where wolves are currently managed down to the minimum number. This style of management does not reflect the best available science and will swiftly reverse decades of recovery.
We recognize that living with wolves on the landscape has a cost; conflict mitigation and compensation for depredations takes time, money, and resources to address. However, wolves are essential to the wildness of the Greater Yellowstone region and to the region’s thriving tourism economy. Their recovery has reverberated throughout the ecosystem, bringing tremendous benefit to the environment, to local economies, and our businesses. They are a critical part of how we make a living and we need thriving, healthy populations of wolves to be part of our future.
We are glad that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has undertaken a status review for the gray wolf in the western U.S., and we ask that the review be completed expeditiously. We are joining our voices with hundreds of Tribal Nations, members of Congress, scientists, conservationists, and countless concerned citizens in calling for gray wolves to be returned to the Endangered Species List. The positive economic impact of having a robust and healthy wolf population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is significant and having a reliably visible wolf population brings inspiration and awe to thousands of visitors to our region each year.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ami Vitale Photography
Ami Vitale, Photographer/filmmaker
Missoula, MT
Amivitale.com
Austin Adventures
Kasey Morrissey, Head of US Operations/ President
Billings, MT
Austinadventures.com
Buffalo Roam Tours
Matthew Fagan, Owner
Jackson, WY
Buffaloroamtours.com
CTH Inc. dba/Yellowstone Wild the Gallery Chris T Hoff, Owner / President
Gardiner, MT
Yellowstonewild.com
Don Getty Wildlife Photography
Don Getty, Photographer
Wapiti, WY
Dongettywildlifephotography.com
Fitpacking/Callipygian Ventures, Inc. Steve Silberberg, Owner
Hull, MA
Fitpacking.com
Gary Rowe Photography
Gary Rowe, Photographer
Laramie, WY
Garyrowephotography.com
Images of Nature Gallery
Tom Mangelsen, Photographer/Owner Jackson Hole, WY
Mangelsen.com
In Our Nature Guiding Services LLC Cara McGary, Owner
Gardiner, MT
In-our-nature.com
Jack Bayles Photography
Jack Bayles, Photographer/Filmmaker Jackson Hole, WY
Team399.com
Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris
Matthew Scott and Jen Scott, Owners Jackson Hole, WY
Jacksonholewildlifesafaris.com
Louise Johns Photographer
Louise Johns, Photographer
Bozeman, MT
Louisejohnsphoto.com
Montana Alpine Guides
Sam Magro, Owner/Lead Guide
Bozeman, MT
Mtalpine.com
Natural Habitat Adventures
Court Whelan, Chief Sustainability Officer Boulder, CO and Bozeman, MT
Nathab.com
Reedfly LLC
Jeff Reed, Owner
Paradise Valley, Montana
Reedfly.com
Safari Yellowstone
Carl Swoboda, owner
Livingston, MT
Safariyellowstone.com
Sandra Lee Photography
Sandy Zelasko, Owner/Photographer
San Diego County, California
Investinnature.org
THE WILD SIDE LLC / Yellowstone Wolf Tracker Nathan L Varley, Co-owner
Gardiner, MT
Wolftracker.com
Tracy Kidston Photography
Tracy Kidston, Photographer
WA
Traceykidstonphotography.com
Walking Shadow Ecology Tours of Yellowstone Ashea Mills, Naturalist Guide
Gardiner, MT
Yellowstone.education
Wild Things Of Wyoming, LLC
Kurt F Johnson
Wilson, WY
Wildthingsofwyoming.com
Yellowstone Guidelines
Chris Hondorf, Owner/Lead Guide
Livingston, MT
Yellowstoneguidelines.com
Yellowstone Hiking Guides
Emily Jo and Josh Mahan, Owners
West Yellowstone, MT
Yellowstonehikingguides.com
Yellowstone Insight
MacNeil Lyons, Owner/Guide
Bozeman, MT
Yellowstoneinsight.com
Yellowstone Reports
Linda Thurston, Wildlife Biologist
Gardiner, MT
Yellowstonereports.com
Yellowstone Safari Company
Matthew Scott and Jen Scott, Owners
Yellowstonesafari.com
Bozeman, MT
Yellowstone Wild, LLC
Emil McCain, Owner/Guide
Tyrene Riedl, General Manager/Naturalist Guide Gardiner, MT
Yellowstonewildtours.com
Yellowstone’s Wild World, LLC
Deby Dixon, Wildlife Photographer/Guide
Gardiner, MT
Yellowstoneswildworld.com
Yellowstone Wilderness Photography Expeditions
Tom Murphy, Photographer/Owner
Livingston, MT
Tmurphywild.com
Yellowstone Wildlife Guide Company
Evan Stout, Owner
Gardiner, MT
yellowstonewildlifeguidecompany.com
cc: Senator Jon Tester (via Henry_Ring@tester.senate.gov) Senator Steve Daines (via holly_hinojosa@daines.senate.gov) Representative Matt Rosendale (via sean.brislin@mail.house.gov) Governor Greg Gianforte
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Hank Worsech Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission
Pat Tabor
Jana Waller
Pat Byorth
KC Walsh
Brain Cebull
Lesley Robinson
William Lane
