Please Voice Your Vote with Idaho Fish & Game!

		Speak Out for Idaho’s Wolves   State officials have announced a proposal for an aggressive hunting and trapping program across most of Idaho, endangering the future of wolves in the state. Idaho officials want to know what you think about the proposal. Please take their survey today and speak out for wolves.        Share on Facebook Last week, Idaho officials announced an aggressive wolf hunt proposal in the entire state and a 10-week trapping season. Please make your voice heard on this important issue. Take the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s survey and let state officials know that you oppose this aggressive proposal.   The state’s proposed wolf hunt would allow hundreds of wolves to be killed across most of the state. The proposal would also allow trapping in many parts of the state to further reduce the number of wolves. Under Idaho’s plan, the state would only enforce hunting limits in limited areas. The state’s trapping plan poses even more problems. Leg-hold traps and snares can result in wolves being left for days to die in the traps. Other animals could also become easily ensnared and killed. Speak out now. Take the state’s survey on proposed hunting and trapping regulations.   Make sure that you let state officials know… Idaho’s wolf plan is unacceptable. Killing hundreds of wolves through an extensive hunt across most of the state and aggressive trapping in certain areas threatens the future of wolves in Idaho and could destabilize the greater Northern Rockies wolf population. Wolves are part of what makes Idaho special. Idaho hosts 2,000 – 3,000 mountain lions, 20,000 black bears, more than 100,000 elk and several hundred thousand deer. We can and should maintain a healthy wolf population as well. Idaho Department of Fish and Game should become more involved in helping livestock owners adopt effective nonlethal deterrents to avoid predation from wolves.  Helping ranchers reduce their livestock losses in these ways helps reduce conflicts and promotes better wolf conservation efforts in the state. Wolves are ecologically important. Wolves help restore damaged wildlife habitat by keeping elk and deer moving and on alert which helps wild plants like willow, aspen and cottonwood recover from over-grazing. Many other wildlife species including beaver, song birds, and even native fish benefit from the presence of wolves.  Wolves help cull disease from elk and deer herds.  They serve an important role in keeping elk and deer herds stronger and more robust. Science matters. It’s time to let go of the Red Riding Hood fairy tales and use good wildlife management based on sound science to establish plans that support a lasting future for wolves in Idaho. This survey will only be posted for a few days, so please make your voice heard now…   For the Wild Ones, Suzanne Asha Stone Northern Rockies Representative (Idaho) Defenders of Wildlife