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Gila County approves MOU on Mexican wolf recovery and management; supervisors express strong views on program
Summary
The board approved a memorandum of understanding regarding Mexican wolf recovery and management and designated the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization executive director to represent the county when supervisors are not directly involved; supervisors voiced sharply critical views of the federal recovery program during discussion.
The Gila County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), dated Oct. 18, 2024, concerning Mexican wolf recovery and management. The concurrence letter attached to the MOU designates the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization (ECO) executive director to represent Gila County on implementation matters when county supervisors are not directly involved.
Board discussion included extended comments critical of the federal/state wolf recovery program and the program’s local impacts on ranching, livestock operations and rural communities. Several supervisors described the program as burdensome to local ranchers and said it constrains land and livestock operations; comments included concerns that the program reduces producers’ ability to sell or use land and that reintroductions have resulted in livestock losses and management difficulties. One supervisor said the program is a "political situation" and described federal reintroductions as imposing costs on rural communities; another called it a "total waste of money." Those remarks were part of a broader exchange about wildlife management and the county’s role in regional coordination.
Supporters of a management-focused approach, the staff said, can participate through the ECO seat to advocate county priorities. The MOU and concurrence letter formalize that representation and establish a county role in regional discussions and incident review tied to wolf management.
The board approved the MOU and concurrence letter by voice vote. The transcript records both support for participating through ECO and substantial criticism of the recovery program from multiple supervisors; the board’s action authorizes the chairman to sign the documents and continue county participation as described in the MOU.
