Dave Moody Valued G&F Employee; Goal of Wolf De-Listing Continues for Wyoming

4/25/2003

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has finalized its review of the comments made by Dave Moody at the North American Interagency Wolf Conference and has taken appropriate action.

Contrary to what has been previously reported Moody was never suspended from his position, he was placed on paid administrative leave for a short time and is now back at work.

"Moody is a valuable employee with our department," said Director Brent Manning. "He will continue to be involved in wildlife management. His expertise and experience are invaluable."

The department is moving forward with its wolf management plan and expects to have it out in a few months.

"There is probably not a more contentious issue in wildlife management today than wolves," said John Emmerich, assistant chief of the department’s Wildlife Division. "The decision to reintroduce wolves to Wyoming was a national decision reflecting the diverse interests of the citizens of Wyoming and the entire country. Our goal is to get the wolf de-listed so the Wyoming Game and Fish Department can manage wolf populations and distribution to meet the desires of both Wyoming and national publics.

"We are going to work as a team to get the wolf de-listed. We are going to strive for excellence, not perfection. We may have different opinions on how to get to where we want to be, but we will get there," said Emmerich. "We have a responsibility to manage all wildlife, and that now includes wolves. We plan to do that while still maintaining our traditional Wyoming lifestyles, including hunting opportunities.

"We will strive to balance the interests of all folks in Wyoming to the best of our ability while ensuring viable wolf populations are maintained and there is no future need for re-listing," said Emmerich.

-WGFD-