Ahead of tomorrow's first-time-it-kind-of-matters Democratic primary here in Montana, we caught up with Brian Schweitzer, governor of the Big Sky state, at a fundraiser last week in -- of all places -- San Diego. The first-term Democratic governor is running for re-election in November, and the popular state executive is occasionally mentioned as a possible running mate for Barack Obama.

Schweitzer's ancestors came to Montana in the early 20^th century; his Irish grandmother, at age 17, homesteaded 320 acres alone. In recounting the natural history of the region during the San Diego event, he spoke about the 400 generations of Native Americans "who left the state exactly the way they found it." He apparently intends to follow their lead, as his administration pushes natural infrastructure restoration as an economic driver for the state.

When it comes to Montana's wildlife, Schweitzer objects to those who would lump the state together with Wyoming and Idaho as menaces to wolves following their federal de-listing as an endangered species. The efforts of his neighboring states to maintain healthy wolf populations under the Endangered Species Act amounted to "a wink and a handshake," Schweitzer said, whereas Montana has no intention of managing for elimination. "We recognize that having wolves maintains a healthy balance with other wildlife," he told EnviroWonk.

Unlike Wyoming, where wolves can be shot on sight, Montana law allows it only if a wolf is seen killing livestock, dogs or threatening humans. He says Montana is committed to maintaining over 100 individuals and never to fall below 15 breeding pairs. It currently has "close to five times that," Schweitzer added. The difference between today's number and the bare minimum could beg the question of whether Montana might open hunting season on the wolf.

But Tom Palmer, at Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, says the state's Wolf Advisory Committee, made up of hunters, ranchers and wildlife advocates, has recommended that the FWP "manage wolves at their status quo."