Environmental and animal rights groups are seeking an injunction in U.S. District Court in Montana to stop the hunts. Judge Donald Molloy is seeing the case, and it’s uncertain how and when he will rule. Earthjustice attorney Doug Honnold sought an an “injunction to stall hunting in both Idaho and Montana as part of a lawsuit seeking to restore protection of the wolves under the Endangered Species Act.”

“Although the gray wolf has rebounded from virtual extinction in the region a mere twenty years ago, wolf populations in the northern Rockies are not yet stable enough to lose these critical protections” according to the Sierra Club.  “The management of the animals now falls to individual states to implement as they see fit, including hunting and aggressive agency management.”

“The population of gray wolves in the northern Rockies consists of three relatively isolated sub-populations, rather than one genetically connected group.  There are approximately 1,600 individuals and 100 breeding pairs in the region.  Many scientists maintain that this number is not high enough to ensure long-term population viability.” The Sierra Club Website continues,   “Instead, to have a sustainable population, wolves need to number between 2,000 and 5,000 individuals in the northern Rockies.  The state management plans tend to slide backwards, rather than allowing wolf populations to grow naturally.  Idaho, for example, plans to allow the number to be reduced to around 100 individuals, down from approximately 900.”

“In Idaho, the limit is 220 wolves, and in Montana, it would be 75. Members of the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho can kill up to 35 wolves” according to CNN.

Though from a different part of our country, and with an outdated script, here is a quick, timeless video, shot by videographer Michael Mauro, highlighting the Wolves of Alaska.

About 1/2 an hour southeast of the store is an amazing park, Chimney Rock. As Parks go, this one has it all. Miles of hiking trails with huge elevation changes, rock climbing, a small cave named Moonshiner’s and even the 404 foot Hickory Nut waterfall. The pamphlet reminds guests that the movie “Last of the Mohicans” was filmed in the park.

The entrance fee of $14 must go to maintain the main roadway, the trails, the wooden staircases; in fact the entire park was well maintained. Additionally, the views of the valley below including the Rocky Broad River and the distant mountains were well worth both the steep price and climb to the top of “Chimney Rock” at 2280 feet above sea level.

Like many of the adventures I’ve had this year so far, Chimney Rock is a bit off the beaten path and a place I could easily have missed if it weren’t for my Garmin GPS unit calling it out to me. That said, like so many of my stops during the 2008 Wonder Explore Believe National Tour, I am glad to have stumbled upon it.