One of Wyoming's top Game and Fish biologists was suspended from his job for two weeks without pay after criticizing the state's proposed wolf plan last week at a scientific conference focused on wolves.

Critics say the administrative suspension apparently belies statements by the governor and director of the Department of Game and Fish earlier this year, emphasizing tolerance of dissent among state employees.

Game and Fish Trophy Game Coordinator Dave Moody was apparently suspended for sharing concerns about the plan with fellow scientists at an April 9 conference in Chico Hot Springs, Mont., at the 15th Annual North American Interagency Wolf Conference. Moody, reached at his home in Lander, and Wyoming Game and Fish Human Resources Director Brian Foster both refused comment.

Moody told conference attendees the plan passed by the Wyoming Legislature was cumbersome and could delay the animal's removal from the endangered species list.

Early in his administration, Gov. Dave Freudenthal publically rejected a long-standing policy by the Geringer administration that public employees should "speak with one voice" and without dissent.

Game and Fish Director Brent Manning, at his first meeting with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on March 17 in Casper, extolled the virtues of open communications.

Manning said he would operate with no secrets and no surprises, and he believes in his staff. Interviewed Thursday, Manning said he could not comment about a personnel issue. He did offer his thoughts about issue management. Manning said he supports free expression of opinion.

"I encourage it," Manning said, "but if they're going to express the opinion of the agency, I want to know what the opinion of the agency is, before I read about it in the paper." Manning said the "no surprises" policy applies to him, in that he has promised his commission and the governor that he will not surprise them with an issue.

Interviewed Thursday, Freudenthal emphasized that he had nothing to do with a personnel decision about Moody, but backed the department's decision.

"We should really have a trial before we hang the program," the governor said. He maintained there should be a "good faith effort" to make the plan work, before a key manager criticizes the plan.

"This has a very chilling effect," said Eric Wingerter, national field director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Wingerter said Moody's fellow employees at Game and Fish contacted PEER and confirmed that Moody received a two-week suspension.

"It gives the impression that a scientist can't be candid with fellow scientists," said Wingerter.

Sound science depends on scientists sharing their data and opinions based on their research, Wingerter said. Scientific speech should be protected speech, he said.

"What's so frustrating about this is his critique of the wolf plan wasn't scathing," Wingerter said. "It just sounded like a routine scientific assessment and it's resulted in a political temper tantrum."

At the wolf conference, Moody said the Wyoming Legislature had passed a bill that classified wolves as trophy game animals in the few wilderness areas in national forests adjacent to the national parks in the northwest corner of Wyoming. Everywhere else in the state, the wolves are classified as predators and can be shot on sight. Moody shared his scientific opinion that these trophy game areas are too small -- that the wolves range in and out of protected and unprotected lands and will be regularly exposed to unregulated killing.

Moody said it will be difficult and expensive for the Wyoming Game and Fish staff to monitor how many wolves are killed as predators, so that management can be adjusted.

Ralph Maughan, a professor of political science at Idaho State University, attended the wolf conference and heard Moody speak. Moody was relating the simple facts of the situation, Maughan said. "It wasn't an opinion or a rant, it was just the facts," Maughan said. "I don't see how anyone could be ethical and say anything differently."

The state is expected to present its wolf management plan to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for adoption in June or July.