College of Business and Economics Poster Presentations
Title
Wolves in Idaho
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-16-2012
Faculty Sponsor
Scott Lowe
Abstract
The purpose of our project was to find a solution to the issues brought on by the reintroduction of wolves in Idaho. Some of the main issues we looked at were conflicts between humans and wolves, the importance of wolves in Idaho’s ecosystems, and a lack of education about wolves. We identified our stakeholders as ranchers, hunters, wildlife conservationists, the state and federal governments, tourists, and Idaho residents as a whole. In order to assess the best course of action, we gathered data on where wolf populations were the most abundant, the management plans of other states, and the largest ranching districts in the state, plus a few other areas of interest. What we found was that wolf tourism, especially from out of state, could provide much revenue for the state. We also noticed that non-resident elk and deer tag sales were down in the past few years, partly due to lower populations of these animals. We decided to focus hunting in certain hunting districts to protect elk and deer herds while eliminating wolf tags in others to maintain the tourism revenues. In addition, we also evaluated the introduction of a wolf education program to try and get the public more informed about these animals.