#Wolf of the Day

  Approaching wolf by Tambako The Jaguar   

#Wolf Weekly Wrap-Up by #Defenders of Wildlife

30 January 2015

Posted by: Melanie Gade

     

Oregon Wolves Headed Towards Delisting? Seven years ago there was not a single wolf in Oregon. At last count at the end of 2013, there were more than 64 wolves in the state. Thanks to protections afforded by the state and federal Endangered Species Acts and Oregon’s strong state management plans, today wolves in Oregon are making a steady comeback. Preliminary counts of the state’s wolf population (official counts are expected in March) show that Oregon’s wolf population could have as many as four breeding pairs in the state – for the third year in a row. A “breeding pair” is a pair of adult wolves which produce at least two pups that survive to the end of each year, a strong indicator of the population’s overall health. But maintaining more than four breeding pairs for three consecutive years is one of the criteria that could trigger a delisting of gray wolves in Oregon under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Defenders is thrilled to see this population of wolves continue to recover, but just because one criterion for state delisting has been met (i.e. the number of breeding pairs), Oregon shouldn’t automatically remove wolves from the list of state protected species. There are several criteria, such as whether the rules governing the management of wolves offer enough protection, that need to be evaluated before experts can determine if wolves can safely be removed from the state endangered species list. Defenders will continue to encourage Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct a neutral and unbiased status review once any of the criteria have been met to assess the wolves’ overall population health in Oregon.

Anti-Wolf Bills Proposed in Washington State. Public hearings in the Washington State legislature next Thursday February 5th could mean big problems for Washington’s wolf management plan. Both the House and the Senate are considering a series of bills that could severely undercut how wolf recovery is governed going forward. Five separate bills will be heard by the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that would weaken protections for wolves in the state, including one to authorize increased lethal control of wolves and another to delist wolves in large portions of the state. Just next door, the Natural Resources and Parks Committee in the state senate will consider a companion bill that would also authorize delisting wolves in much of the state. If you are a local resident, tell your Representative that you oppose these bills, and if you live close to Olympia, come out and testify next Thursday at these 1:30pm public hearings! The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hearings will be held in Hearing Room B in the John L. O’Brien Building. The Senate hearing will take place at the same time and will be held in Senate Hearing Room 1 in the J.A. Cherberg Building.

source

Wildlife Commission Passes Resolutions Regarding Red #Wolves

By N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Published: Friday, January 30, 2015

RALEIGH — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on Thursday adopted two resolutions regarding reintroduction of red wolves in North Carolina — the first requesting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service end its experimental, non-essential red wolf reintroduction projectin northeastern North Carolina, and the second  requesting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service capture and remove all individual animals and subsequent offspring that were unauthorized releases on private lands by the federal agency.

The Wildlife Commission cited hybridization with coyotes, encroachment onto private lands and a failure to meet project goals as reasons to end the program in North Carolina. The red wolf reintroduction area occurs in Washington, Beaufort, Tyrrell, Hyde and Dare counties.

The Wildlife Commission cited 64 unauthorized releases of red wolves on private lands in what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had intended to be done on federal public land as one of the reasons to recapture the red wolves and offspring that were unauthorized releases.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a 171-page, peer-reviewed evaluation in November 2014 to address deficiencies and determine the program’s future in eastern North Carolina, with a broader announcement on an overall decision expected in early 2015.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared red wolves an endangered species in 1967 and consequently declared red wolves extinct in the wild in 1980. Some 200 red wolves are held in captive breeding facilities across the United States.

source

#Wolf shooter turns down deal

Rathdrum man opts for jury trial

Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2015

DAVID COLE

 

COEUR d'ALENE - The man who shot a wolf on Rathdrum Mountain turned down a plea deal offered by Kootenai County prosecutors that would have had him pay a $200 fine in exchange for a guilty plea.
He has opted instead for a jury trial.

"I said, 'Nope,'" Forrest Mize said shortly after his arraignment Tuesday morning. Prosecutor Barry McHugh confirmed the offer was made. 

 

Mize is representing himself on the misdemeanor charge of possessing a wolf without a tag. He doesn't plan to hire an attorney at this stage.

"It's going to be really hard to find a jury in North Idaho that finds me guilty for shooting a wolf to save my stinking dogs," he said.

Mize, 53, shot the wolf Dec. 30 while he was out hiking in some fresh snow with his three dogs, all Labs, named Maggie, Jenny and Katie.

He was carrying a gun - a Kimber .22-caliber Hornet - with him for protection when he spotted the wolf, which he said looked like it was about to pounce on his pets. The dogs were 100 yards in front of him.

When he shot the wolf in the side through its heart, his three dogs were all close enough to be visible within the picture of his gun's scope, he said.

He bought a wolf hunting tag later that day for $11.50 at a Rathdrum pharmacy. He is not a trophy hunter, he said, but wanted to keep the pelt.

According to Mize, two Idaho Department of Fish and Game officers showed up at his house a week after the shooting.

The officers, he said, were suspicious that he had purchased a wolf tag for 2014 on the next to the last day of the year, leaving him only one day to get a wolf.

At that point, he said, he admitted to having shot the wolf before buying the tag.

"I did the right thing, I just did it in the wrong order," he said. "I'm not going to buy a tag (in advance), because I don't hunt for wolves."

He didn't know there was a wolf near his home on the mountain.

Additionally, he said, he figured the officers would have some "understanding" for his perceived need to shoot the wolf in defense of his dogs.

Fish and Game declined a records request from The Press for any incident report that might have been created detailing the agency's investigation findings.

Fish and Game confiscated the wolf's pelt, which was already at a taxidermist, after finding Mize had killed the animal prior to purchasing a tag.

source

#Wolf of the Day

  Grey wolf by Ronnie Macdonald       

#Wolf Murder Rages In Canada Under Poor Guise

Ronnie MacDonald / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

By Marc Bekoff

January 28, 2015

The Canadian government plans to kill wolves once again to try to save woodland caribou. An earlier murder escapade in Alberta didn't work (please see "Killing 890 Wolves to Learn About Them: Something's Wrong") and there's no reason to assume this one will. Shooters even use previously collared "Judas" wolves to lead the killers to more wolves. Details about this murder escapade can be found in an essay called "Stop the Brutal Slaughter of Wolves in Alberta and B.C." by Chris Genovali, Executive Director of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

In his excellent essay, Mr. Genovali writes:

"This unscientific and unethical wolf cull is a consequence of oil and gas development, and industrial logging, which have endangered woodland caribou. The Alberta government and resource industries have transformed the caribou's boreal habitat into a landscape that can no longer provide the food, cover, and security these animals need to survive. Rather than address the real problem, i.e. the destruction of life sustaining caribou habitat, Alberta has chosen to scapegoat wolves, many of which are now using an extensive, industry-generated network of new roads and corridors to reach dwindling numbers of caribou."

Raincoast senior scientist Paul Paquet notes, "Governments and the industries most accountable for the demise of Canada's natural environment have perversely and consistently diverted responsibility and accountability to others, including grey wolves."

Of course, there are also supporters of this premeditated slaughter including John Bergenske of Kootenay-based conservation group Wildsight (see also). And, "the Peace Rod and Gun Club and others have announced a contest with prizes that include $1,000 for the largest wolf killed and $150 for the smallest, with a maximum of three dead wolves per contestant." However, Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild, says the hunt is illegal.

When people ask me how this murder can happen and be casually and heartlessly defended as if it clearly okay to wantonly kill wolves, I simply say, as I have before, that some people simply like to kill other animals for fun and will defend their murderous ways however it suits them.

I find this slaughter "in the name of conservation" or "in the name of anything" to be indefensible scientifically and also ethically. It really is morally repugnant, and I hope people will respond to the petitions to stop this murder. Cruelty can't stand the spotlight.

For a video of how Budweiser misrepresents wolves please click here.

source 

 

MN #wolf advocacy organization Howling For Wolves is holding Wolf Day

Minnesota wolf advocacy organization Howling For Wolves is holding Wolf Day at the Capitol next Thursday, February 5th from 10am-3pm.

If you live in Saint-Paul we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to meet face-to-face with your legislators and explain the importance and value of wolves to our ecosystems.

When: Thursday, February 5th, 2015 (10:00 AM - 3:00 PM)
Where: Cedar Street Armory, 600 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN

Mark your calendar and plan now to join Howling for Wolves at the Capitol!
9:30 AM Registration, Cedar Street Armory
10:00 AM Howling at the Capitol: Wolf Day 2015 kickoff, Cedar Street Armory
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM Meetings with legislators, State Capitol and State Office Building


http://www.howlingforwolves.org/events

NEW Petition! PLEASE RT - Tell Budweiser: Don't Demonize #Wolves to Sell Beer

Tell Budweiser: Don't Demonize Wolves to Sell Beer

• author: Center for Biological Diversity
• target: Anheuser-Busch CEO, Thomas W. Santel
• signatures: 4,105

4,105

10,000

we've got 4,105 signatures, help us get to 10,000

Purposefully demonizing an animal that is part of America's natural heritage is no way to sell beer.

But that hasn't stopped Budweiser from crafting a commercial for this year's Superbowl that intentionally drums up anti-wolf sentiment to try and capitalize on our culture's outsized fear of wolf attacks.

The ad pits a cute puppy against a snarling, evil-looking wolf. In the ad the puppy is saved from the vicious wolf by the arrival of a team of Clydesdale horses.

Here's a reality check: 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters in the United States each year while another 1.2 million dogs are hit and killed by cars on America's roads. By comparison, wolves are a virtually non-existent threat to our furry canine friends, only in very rare instances attacking dogs if they feel threatened or perceive them as competitors. The real threat to both dogs and wolves, as these numbers show and as Budweiser's cynical attempt to boost sales indicates, is people.

Take action — tell Budweiser to pull its wolf-hating ad, demonizing an endangered species is no way to sell beer.

Click this link to sign the petition!!! 

Groups Petition to Reclassify Gray #Wolves to Threatened Status Under Endangered Species Act

For Immediate Release, January 27, 2015 Contacts:  Kaitlin Sanderson, (301) 721-6463 or ksanderson@humanesociety.org Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121 or bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org           Groups Petition to Reclassify Gray Wolves to Threatened Status Under Endangered Species Act Proposal Presents Reasonable Alternative to Congressional Delisting, Path to National Recovery WASHINGTON— Animal protection and conservation organizations petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to reclassify gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act as threatened throughout the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf, which remains listed as endangered. If adopted the proposal would continue federal oversight and funding of wolf recovery efforts and encourage development of a national recovery plan for the species, but would also give the Fish and Wildlife Service regulatory flexibility to permit state and local wildlife managers to address specific wolf conflicts. Gray wolves are currently protected as endangered throughout their range in the lower 48 states, except in Minnesota, where they are listed as threatened, and Montana, Idaho, eastern Oregon and Washington, where they have no Endangered Species Act protections. Some members of Congress are advocating for legislation to remove all protections for wolves under federal law by delisting the animal under the Endangered Species Act. Today’s petition proposes an alternative path to finalizing wolf recovery based on the best available science, rather than politics and fear, and would help to find a balanced middle ground on a controversial issue that has been battled out in the courts and in states with diverse views among stakeholders on wolf conservation. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said: "Several states have badly failed in their management of wolves, and their brand of reckless trapping, trophy hunting, and even hound hunting just has not been supported by the courts or by the American people.  We do, however, understand the fears that some ranchers have about wolves, and we believe that maintaining federal protections while allowing more active management of human-wolf conflicts achieves the right balance for all key stakeholders and is consistent with the law." Wolf populations are still recovering from decades of persecution. Government-sponsored bounty programs resulted in mass extermination of wolves at the beginning of the last century, and the species was nearly eliminated from the landscape of the lower 48 states. Wolf numbers have increased substantially where the Endangered Species Act has been implemented, but recovery is still not complete. The species only occupies as little as 5 percent of its historic range, and human-caused mortality continues to constitute the majority of documented wolf deaths. “A congressional end run around science and the Endangered Species Act will create more controversy and put wolves and the law itself in jeopardy,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The better path is to downlist wolves to threatened, replace the failed piecemeal efforts of the past with a new science-based national recovery strategy, and bring communities together to determine how wolves will be returned to and managed in places where they once lived, like the Adirondacks, southern Rocky Mountains, Cascades and Sierra Nevada.” The Fish and Wildlife Service’s piecemeal efforts to delist gray wolves in the northern Rockies and western Great Lakes have been roundly criticized by scientists and repeatedly rejected by multiple federal courts. In addition to denouncing the Service’s fragmented approach to wolf recovery, courts have recognized that several states have recklessly attempted to quickly and dramatically reduce wolf numbers through unnecessary and cruel hunting and trapping programs. The public does not support recreational and commercial killing of wolves, as evidenced by the recent decision by Michigan voters in the November 2014 election to reject sport hunting of wolves. “Complex conservation problems require sophisticated solutions,” said Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA. “The history of wolf protection in America is riddled with vitriolic conflict and shortsightedness and it is time for a coordinated, forward-thinking approach that removes the most barbaric treatment of this iconic species and focuses on the long-term viability of wolf populations throughout the country.” The threatened listing proposed by the petition would promote continued recovery of the species at a national level so that it is not left perpetually at the doorstep of extinction. A threatened listing would also permit the Fish and Wildlife Service some regulatory flexibility to work with state and local wildlife managers to appropriately address wolf conflicts, including depredation of livestock. Groups filing the petition include national organizations and those based in wolf range states: Born Free USA Center for Biological Diversity Detroit Audubon Society Detroit Zoological Society The Fund for Animals Friends of Animals and Their Environment Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf Help Our Wolves Live Howling for Wolves The Humane Society of the United States Justice for Wolves Midwest Environmental Advocates Minnesota Humane Society Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection National Wolfwatcher Coalition Northwoods Alliance Predator Defense Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Wildlife Public Trust and Coexistence Wildwoods (Minnesota) Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated most effective by our peers. For 60 years, we have celebrated the protection of all animals and confronted all forms of cruelty. We are the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year, and we prevent cruelty to millions more through our advocacy campaigns. Read more about our 60 years of transformational change for animals, and visit us online at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to Wayne Pacelle’s blog, A Humane Nation. Follow The HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter for the latest animal welfare news.  The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 800,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org

---

Why Environmentalists Want Fewer Protections for Gray #Wolves

In a move to reestablish nationwide safeguards for the predator, conservationists are willing to accept trade-offs.

 

(Photo: Mark Newman/Getty Images)

January 28, 2015 By Taylor Hill

Taylor Hill is TakePart's associate environment and wildlife editor.

In a bid to ensure the survival of the gray wolf in the United States, 22 environmental groups are asking the federal government to give the predator fewer protections.

Huh?

The species is listed as endangered in the continental U.S., but wolf-unfriendly states such as Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have succeeded in removing protections for the animal and gaining approval to hunt them.

In those three states alone, hunters have already exterminated more than a third of the 1,600 resident wolves. Before things get worse, the Humane Society of the United States—along with 21 other conservation organizations—have made an unusual move. They have filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to downgrade the status of wolves from endangered to threatened. It’s a bid to reestablish protections—albeit fewer ones—for the wolf in the Lower 48 in exchange for more flexibility in how the species is preserved.

“Several states have badly failed in their management of wolves, and their brand of reckless trapping, trophy hunting, and even hound hunting just has not been supported by the courts or by the American people,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, said in a statement. “We do, however, understand the fears that some ranchers have about wolves, and we believe that maintaining federal protections while allowing more active management of human-wolf conflicts achieves the right balance for all key stakeholders and is consistent with the law 

 

The move follows a recent decision by a federal court to reinstate endangered status to wolves in the Great Lakes region. That prompted U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich., to draft a bill that would remove all protections for wolves in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

“Anti-wolf politicians are beating the drums for Congress to intervene and delist wolves entirely, subverting the core principles of the Endangered Species Act,” Pacelle told The Huffington Post. “Our plan respects the purpose and intent of the Endangered Species Act but gives a nod to the folks who want more active control options for wolves, especially ranchers, while not ceding control of wolf management decisions to state agencies that have consistently demonstrated an overreaching, reckless and even cruel hand in dealing with wolves in their states.”

By 1978, only two populations remained in the Lower 48. But thanks to a reintroduction program, wolves now number around 6,000.

source

#Wolf of the Day

  Wolves in the Snow by Mark Dumont

Reader's view: #Wolves are an essential part of America’s wildlife

By Irene Sette from New Milford, N.J. on Jan 28, 2015

I understand the anguish ranchers face when they lose livestock (“Wolf ruling could affect Minnesota livestock,” Jan. 21). However, nearly 98 percent of all livestock losses are from birth defects, illness, injuries, and natural disasters, according to WildEarth Guardians and others.

Wolves range in a fraction of their original territories. They were brought to near extinction by man’s lust to spill the blood of a rival predator and collect trophies.

In states where wolves have vanished, ranchers suffer the same losses, proving the slaughter of wolves is unjustifiable.

Man uses helicopters, barbaric traps, snares, bait with poison or hooks and denning, inflicting long suffering for the amusement of imposing torture. The murdering of pregnant females and pups is sadistic.

Trapping is inhumane. Often, innocent creatures and pets suffer and die in traps.

Wolves kill for survival and without distinguishing between livestock and wild animals. It’s the responsibility of ranchers to implement deterrents like fencing, dogs, lighting and flags to avoid conflicts.

Ranchers shouldn’t graze on known wolf lands or on public lands where wolves are supposed to live free from man. Carcasses must be removed to avoid attraction.

Minnesota’s hunting goal of 1,600 wolves was unrealistic.

Keeping wolves in a small area undermines their recovery. Wolves are territorial and should determine their own suitable territory. With 86,943 square miles, Minnesota has room for more wolves and their full recovery.

Wolves are intelligent. They’ll learn to avoid livestock as they avoid humans. Given a chance, they’ll establish their territory, protect it and deter other predators.

The majority of taxpayers want wolves to fully recover, believing in the Endangered Species Act, knowing all creatures are precious and must be protected.

Wolves are an essential part of America’s wildlife. We must use science and common sense to adjust to them and not destroy what we choose not to understand.

Irene Sette
New Milford, N.J.

source 

#TWEETSTORM is coming @Your @Congressmen #KeepWolvesListed: Thursday January 29, 2015 #storm all day 6a-6p

January 28, 2015
By Rachel Tilseth, the founder of Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin



Thursday January 29, 2015 #TWEETSTORM Event- original tweet (this will be my Tweet) @SenatorBaldwin @RepRonKind don’t sponsor legislation to delist wolves Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan #KeepWolvesListed



Big money, big hunt clubs are on the move to pressure congress to delist wolves nationwide and they don’t want that subject to judicial review. And this will allow states to manage wolves (we all know what that means).

Let’s make it very clear to Washington D.C. We want to keep the dirty politics out of the Endangered Species Act. Our rare and endangered wildlife are not a bargaining chip for big money! #KeepWolvesListed join the #TWEETSTORM @ your US senator and @ your US House of Representative

When:
January 29, 2015 send your tweet once anytime during the day.

Get involved! Join the storm! Follow the instructions below:
Who is my US House of Representatives, find out who they are here:http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Who is my US senator, find out who they are here: https://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup

Use the following tweet on the day of the storm.
Use it only once during the day. You do not need to re tweet it.
Do not RT (re tweet).

In the @ part you must put your US senator and your US House of Representatives.
Here is my example: @SenatorBaldwin (she is my US senator) and @RepRonKind (he is my US House of Representatives)

Use this official tweet:
@(add Twitter name of your US senator here) @(add Twitter name of your US House of Representatives here) don’t sponsor any legislation to delist wolves nationwide, GreatLakes #KeepWolvesListed
Here’s what I will tweet on the day of the tweetstorm using the original tweet:
@SenatorBaldwin @RepRonKind don’t sponsor any legislation to delist wolves nationwide, GreatLakes #KeepWolvesListed
(mine is 115 characters which leaves plenty of wiggle room in case your US reps have more characters in their name)
A review:
*Find out who your US reps are
*Follow them on Twitter
*Do the @ both US reps first then,
*Use the official tweet (don’t alter it) my tweet example: @SenatorBaldwin @RepRonKind don’t sponsor any legislation to delist wolves nationwide, GreatLakes #KeepWolvesListed
*Do not RT (re tweet) Only tweet this one time during the day of the tweetstorm
Follow Britt if you need help the day of the tweetstorm


And prior to this Tweetsorm share this blog of instructions with as many friends as you want.

Directions on how to use Twitter:

How to sign up for Twitter:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990-signing-up-with-twitter
How to tweet:
http://m.wikihow.com/Use-Twitter
What’s a #(hashtag) the day of the tweetstorm the hashtag will be #KeepWolvesListed
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hashtag
How do I follow my congressman on Twitter:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/14022-finding-people-on-twitter
Make sure you are using your congressmens official Twitter account
@tammybaldwin is not her official Twitter account


@RepRonKind is his official Twitter account.

#TWEETSTORM is coming January 29, 2015 @congress #KeepWolvesListed

Follow us Wolves of Douglas Co @rachelwt72

Why this #TWEETSTORM @congress: 

The following is just one news article about big hunt clubs pressuring congress to delist wolves nationwide and to stop it from any judicial review …read the following quote from an article confirming new legislation that would delist wolves and big hunt club:

Benishek To Propose New Wolf Hunting Bill Written By: kreport|January 12, 2015
“Legislation to negate a federal judge’s ruling that prevents wolf hunting in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota is expected to be introduced in the U.S. House this month.”
“The measure will be co=sponsored by Congressman Dan Benishek, Reid Ribble of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.”
“Benishek says it will allow the states to again manage the wolf population including hunting and trapping.”
“The legislation would allow the western Great Lakes states to do their own management of wolves.” http://www.keweenawreport.com/news/benishek-to-propose-new-wolf-hunting-bill/
And from a big hunting organization:
“On Tuesday morning, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation sent a resolution to the media, basically saying that the court decision expecting wolves to be restored to their original range in the eastern U.S. before they can be delisted is bonkers.”
“They note that in 2011, to address similar situations involving state management of wolves in Idaho and Montana, Congress passed a law directing the Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue its rule delisting wolves and prohibited a judicial review of that rule.”
“The federation has now called for Congress to do the same for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.”
“Maybe that would end the cycle of federal court cases involving Wisconsin wolves.” Above cited From this article…http://www.leadertelegram.com/features/getting_out/article_789630b4-914e-11e4-9bb4-ef30cbd3a36a.html?mode=jqm


[please note: If you are not on Twitter call your US senator and US House of Representatives on 01/20/15 to tell them: not to sponsor any legislation to delist wolves nationwide or in the Great Lakes. Keep wolves listed]

source

NEW Petition: Don't Let Feds Use "Poison Pills" to Kill Mexican Gray #Wolves

• author: Center for Biological Diversity
• target: USFWS Director, Dan Ashe
• signatures needed:  20,000
• signatures so far: 10,849

Overview:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just issued a new rule for managing Mexican gray wolves. At a glance, the rule seems to offer some hope for the most endangered canine in the United States by allowing these wolves to roam a wider area.

But the rule is riddled with "poison-pill" provisions that cap the Mexican gray wolf population at 325, a number too low for recovery. Other provisions block the wolves' access to suitable habitat and make it easier for ranchers and government agents to kill these rare animals.

The Mexican gray wolf is one of the most endangered mammals in North America. At last count a year ago, only 83 Mexican wolves survived in the Southwest, including a mere five breeding pairs.

We can't let them disappear.

Take action today—tell the Service to revise the rule to protect Mexican gray wolves from disappearing forever.

Click on this link to make your voice count on this important petition! 

#Wolf of the Day

  Mexican Gray Wolf by Don Burkett   

Wildlife Groups Push To Relist Gray #Wolves As Threatened

Photo: Don Burkett (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Hunting Groups, Livestock Owners Say Wolf Population Needs A Balance

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

By Chuck Quirmbach

Groups in Wisconsin that support wolves have signed on to a petition that asks the federal government to relist the gray wolf as a threatened species. But many hunters want another crack at the wolves.

A federal judge ruled last month that gray wolves in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan again merit Endangered Species Act protection, blocking Wisconsin hunters and trappers planning on killing more wolves next fall.

But the ruling also halted livestock owners from being able to get their own permits to kill wolves that are attacking cattle. Wildlife groups have said they want to compromise, and have asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to place the gray wolf on a less restrictive threatened species list.
Rachel Tilseth of Wolves of Douglas County, Wisconsin said there'd be no wolf hunt, but perhaps some help for ranchers and farmers.

“The states would work with Fish and Wildlife Services closely to solve any problems concerning depredation with livestock, so this is like the best solution for wolves because it opens the door to more communication,” said Tilseth.

A Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said the agency will review the petition for threatened species status, as the request would also apply to most other gray wolves in the lower 48 states.

Meanwhile, several Wisconsin farm and hunting groups are asking U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble to help a national push to have Congress completely delist the gray wolf again and limit judicial review.
A letter to the Green Bay Republican argued that, with the state-approved hunt of gray wolves suspended, there is no mechanism to keep the Wisconsin wolf population in check.

source

#Wolf of the Day

  Lupo grigio - Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) by Rocco Cinefra  

Oregon's next phase of wolf recovery & current #wolf news

... after at least seven packs breed in 2014: Changes for livestock producers

Jan. 27, 2015

SALEM, Ore.—Oregon is moving to Phase II of its wolf recovery plan after wildlife biologists documented seven breeding pairs of wolves in Oregon in 2014. 

Of nine known wolf packs, only the Imnaha Pack is not a breeding pair. The Umatilla River pack still needs to be surveyed. 

A breeding pair is a pair of adult wolves which produce at least two pups that survive to the end of each year. Six of Oregon’s 2014 breeding pairs are in eastern Oregon.

While surveys are not completed on all of Oregon’s wolves, confirmation of at least four breeding pairs for the third consecutive year in eastern Oregon moves the eastern part of the state to Phase 2 of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.  “This is an important step for Oregon. Wolves have now met one of the initial milestones envisioned by the public and the Commission,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator.  “In the past seven years, Oregon has gone from no known wolves, to resident and reproducing wolves, and now to meeting our conservation objective for the eastern part of the state.”

In addition to breeding pairs, the department documented four new pairs of wolves in 2014, including confirmation of a second wolf in the Keno Unit last week.

Changes for livestock producers east of Hwys 395-78-95

Most known wolf activity, including eight of the nine known wolf packs, is east of Hwys 395-78-95. This is the area of the state where wolves are also delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act.

Wolf-livestock conflict in this area is now managed under Phase 2 rules of the Oregon Wolf  Plan. Non-lethal measures to prevent wolf-livestock conflict are still emphasized in Phase 2 but livestock producers now have more flexibility to protect their livestock. Specifically, producers in the easternmost portion of the state are allowed to take (shoot) a wolf caught chasing livestock under certain circumstances. See this handout for more information, or see the rule online. Livestock producers are also encouraged to visit the Wolf-Livestock page and sign up for automatic Wolf-Livestock section email updates to get the latest information on wolves in their area.

West of Hwys 395-78-95, wolves remain listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates all take and harassment of wolves where wolves are federally listed. The only known wolves in this area are the Rogue Pack (OR7) and two new wolves recently confirmed in the Keno Unit.

Next steps: Annual report, potential delisting of wolves from Oregon ESA

ODFW  biologists are now working to finalize 2014 wolf population counts. Population surveys are nearly complete and the number of wolves may be updated through February as biologists continue to collect information. The 2014 population will be reported in March when ODFW publishes its annual wolf report.

The transition to Phase 2 also marks the initiation of the state delisting process in Oregon as outlined in the Wolf Plan. ODFW will begin conducting a full status review and will present the results of that review to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in April 2015.  Delisting from the Oregon List of Endangered Species is a public process and the Commission could make their decision as early as June 2015. “The Wolf Plan is working and the wolf population in Oregon expanding as the original crafters of the Plan thought it would,” said Brett Brownscombe, ODFW interim deputy director.  “We should embrace this wildlife success as wolves’ return to the Oregon landscape and ensure management approaches are also in place to address the challenges that come with wolves.”

For more information on wolves in Oregon, visit www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves

source


January 13, 2015, New wolf activity in southwest Cascades

ODFW has documented new wolf activity in the southwest Keno Unit (in the southwest Cascades on a mixture of public and private lands).

Evidence of at least one wolf has been collected twice over the last month. This area is in a part of the state where wolves are protected by both the state and federal Endangered Species Act.

Repeated sign of a wolf requires that the agency designate an Area of Known Wolf Activity (AKWA), and ODFW will complete that next week.

The area this new wolf is using lies within the already established AKWA for the Rogue Pack (OR7), but data on OR7 and the Rogue Pack shows no use of this area recently. The Rogue Pack AKWA will soon be adjusted to reflect its current use area.

Little is known of this new wolf (e.g., sex, age, origin, other wolves) and efforts to gather additional data will be made by both ODFW and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

source

Part 2: Groups Petition to Reclassify Gray #Wolves to Threatened Status under Endangered Species Act

January 27, 2015

Proposal presents a reasonable alternative to congressional delisting and a path to national recovery

Animal protection and conservation organizations petitioned  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act as threatened throughout the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf which remains listed as endangered. If adopted, the proposal would continue federal oversight and funding of wolf recovery efforts and encourage development of a national recovery plan for the species, but would also give the Fish and Wildlife Service regulatory flexibility to permit state and local wildlife managers to address specific wolf conflicts.

Gray wolves are currently protected as endangered throughout their range in the lower 48 states, except in Minnesota where they are listed as threatened and in Montana, Idaho and eastern Oregon and Washington where they have no Endangered Species Act protections. Some members of Congress are advocating for legislation to remove all protections for wolves under federal law by delisting the animal under the Endangered Species Act. The petition proposes an alternative path to finalizing wolf recovery based on the best available science, rather than politics and fear, and would help to find a balanced middle ground on a controversial issue that has been battled out in the courts and in states with diverse views among stakeholders on wolf conservation.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said: “Several states have badly failed in their management of wolves, and their brand of reckless trapping, trophy hunting, and even hound hunting just has not been supported by the courts or by the American people. We do, however, understand the fears that some ranchers have about wolves, and we believe that maintaining federal protections while allowing more active management of human-wolf conflicts achieves the right balance for all key stakeholders and is consistent with the law.”

Wolf populations are still recovering from decades of persecution—government sponsored bounty programs resulted in mass extermination of wolves at the beginning of the last century, and the species was nearly eliminated from the landscape of the lower 48 states. Wolf number have increased substantially where the Endangered Species Act has been implemented, but recovery is still not complete, as the species only occupies as little as 5 percent of its historic range, and human-caused mortality continues to constitute the majority of documented wolf deaths. 

Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said: “A Congressional end run around science and the Endangered Species Act will create more controversy and put wolves and the law itself in jeopardy. The better path is to downlist wolves to threatened, replace the failed piecemeal efforts of the past with a new science-based national recovery strategy,and bring communities together to determine how wolves will be returned to and managed in places where they once lived, like the Adirondacks, southern Rocky Mountains, Cascades and Sierra Nevada.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s piecemeal efforts to delist gray wolves in the northern Rockies and western Great Lakes have been roundly criticized by scientists and repeatedly rejected by multiple federal courts. In addition to denouncing the Service’s fragmented approach to wolf recovery, courts have recognized that several states have recklessly attempted to quickly and dramatically reduce wolf numbers through unnecessary and cruel hunting and trapping programs. The public does not support recreational and commercial killing of wolves, as evidenced by the recent decision by Michigan voters in the November 2014 election to reject sport hunting of wolves. Wolves are inedible, and only killed for their heads or fur.

Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, said: “Complex conservation problems require sophisticated solutions. The history of wolf protection in America is riddled with vitriolic conflict and shortsightedness and it is time for a coordinated, forward-thinking approach that removes the most barbaric treatment of this iconic species and focuses on the long-term viability of wolf populations throughout the country.”

The threatened listing proposed by the petition would promote continued recovery of the species at a national level so that it is not left perpetually at the doorstep of extinction. A threatened listing would also permit the Fish and Wildlife Service some regulatory flexibility to work with state and local wildlife managers to appropriately address wolf conflicts, including depredation of livestock.
Groups filing the petition include national organizations and those based in wolf range states:

• Born Free USA
• Center for Biological Diversity
• Detroit Audubon
• Detroit Zoological Society
• The Fund for Animals
• Friends of Animals and Their Environment
• Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf
• Help Our Wolves Live
• Howling for Wolves
• The Humane Society of the United States
• Justice for Wolves
• Midwest Environmental Advocates
• Minnesota Humane Society
• Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection
• National Wolfwatcher Coalition
• Northwoods Alliance
• Predator Defense
• Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• Wildlife Public Trust and Coexistence
• Wildwoods (Minnesota)
• Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies
• Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin

 source
 

Groups Petition to Reclassify Gray #Wolves to Threatened Status under Endangered Species Act

Proposal presents a reasonable alternative to congressional delisting and a path to national recovery

By Rachel Tilseth, the founder of Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin
on January 27, 2015

Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin signed onto this proposal. WODCW believes this threatened status will give non-lethal opportunities to address concerns regarding wolves with livestock producers and maintain the health of wolves. WODCW believes wolves should remain wild and un-harassed from trophy hunts.

View full press release from The Humane Society of the U.S. Here: http://m.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2015/01/esa-threatened-gray-wolves-012715.html

Quote from HSUS’s press release:

“Animal protection and conservation organizations petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act as threatened throughout the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf which remains listed as endangered. If adopted, the proposal would continue federal oversight and funding of wolf recovery efforts and encourage development of a national recovery plan for the species, but would also give the Fish and Wildlife Service regulatory flexibility to permit state and local wildlife managers to address specific wolf conflicts.”

History of WI’s wolf status from a WI DNR Wolf Progress reports:

“This report covers activities conducted from 1 July 2011 through 30 June 2012, and summary of data collected in 2011 on wolf conservation in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin DNR reclassified wolves from endangered to threatened in 1999, delisted to protected wild animals on 1 August 2004, and designated a game species on 2 April 2012. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federally downlisted wolves to threatened from 1 April 2003 to 31 January 2005 relisted thereafter, delisted from 12 March 2007 to 29 September 2008, relisted thereafter, delisted on 3 May 2009 to 1 July 2009, relisted thereafter, and delisted wolves again on 27 January 2012.. The 1999 Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan and 2007 Wolf Plan Addendum determined wolf management in the state, and this report follows the outline of those plans to describe wolf management activities. Act 169 signed by the Governor on 2 April 2012 designated a wolf hunting and trapping season, and this report summarizes efforts toward developing the public harvest.”

 From: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Wildlifehabitat/wolf/documents/ERReport143.pdf

source

Celebrating 20 Years of #Wolves in #Yellowstone (video) by #Defenders

#Wolf of the Day

Hudson Bay wolf by joke kok