Does History Repeat Itself? Analyzing Montana's 2023 Draft Wolf Management Plan in Light of Historical Misconceptions of Wolves

This Note intends to argue that Montana’s Draft Wolf Management Plan, when compared to other states’ plans, particularly Wisconsin’s, is inadequate because it contains many indicators of the antiquated societal bias that has plagued the wolf’s reputation for centuries. Part I begins with a historical overview of wolf hysteria and controversy beginning in Europe and extending to colonial America. Included in Part I is a specific focus on the treatment of wolves in Yellowstone and Montana during the early 1900s. Part I ends with an overview of the reintroduction of wolves into the [Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem] GYE and the success of the conservation efforts. Part II addresses Montana’s 2021 “anti-wolf” legislation and argues that the laws are connected to the historically ingrained notions of wolves rather than scientific evidence. Part II also identifies the effects of such legislation and briefly predicts the impact of these laws on Montana’s and Yellowstone’s ecosystems and economies. Part III analyzes both Montana’s and Wisconsin’s wolf management plans. This section compares the presence and adequacy of four elements of each state’s plan: (1) overall objectives; (2) population management; (3) addressing societal attitudes towards wolves; and (4) level of public involvement. This abstract was taken from the author's introduction.