Wyoming gray wolves may lose endangered species protection
Many of those responsible for the anti-wolf policies in Wyoming today basically wish for the return of the days when virtually no wolves occupied the northern Rockies landscape. (U.S. FWS)
The Associated Press reports that the federal government will abandon its protections for Wyoming wolves by August 31—if not sooner—leaving the wolf’s fate in the hands of the “Cowboy State.”
This has wolf supporters worried.
The state plans to immediately allow wolves to be killed at any time by most any means in about 85 percent of the state, no license required … and they can kill as many wolves as they want. The other 15 percent of the state won’t be much friendlier. There, hunters will need a license to kill wolves, unless they plan to kill wolves on the pretense of protecting property. Again, such killing is unlimited.
January catch of Forest Service hunter T.B. Bledsaw, Kaibab National Forest, circa 1914.
The Obama Administration is finalizing a plan that throws most of Wyoming back to the days when wolf massacres nearly wiped out wolves in the lower-48 states. Don’t let history be repeated.
Take action today!
(
Arizona Historical Society)
These conditions are almost identical to those under which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refused to transfer wolf management to the state five years ago. Wolf supporters are asking, what has changed? There are no good answers.
Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine was quoted in the same AP story, saying handing authority over the wolves to the state of Wyoming will draw a legal challenge. That’s because the Endangered Species Act, which currently protects the wolves, only allows a “delisting” if the certain conditions are met, including a biologically recovered population of animals and the existence of adequate state protections to assure those animals don’t fall back down the population curve that endangered them in the first place. In Wyoming, these conditions won’t be met.
Under Wyoming law, wolves could once again spiral towards extinction. After shooting, poisoning or trapping wolves to eliminate them from 85 percent of the state, Wyoming law would allow the remaining wolves to be killed if they found “harassing” livestock or pets. Some in Wyoming have openly discussed staking pet dogs outside to lure wolves in so they can be killed.
Many of those responsible for the anti-wolf policies in Wyoming today basically wish for the return of the days when virtually no wolves occupied the northern Rockies landscape, having been exterminated by the West’s earliest settlers. (Take Action: Tell the White House to stand up for wolf protections and oppose any plan that allows politics to decide the fate of an imperiled species.)
Regardless, federal law is clear that wildlife like wolves, once protected under the Endangered Species Act, cannot be sent back to oblivion at the whim of a state. The law requires federal wildlife managers to assure that adequate state measures are in place to protect species before eliminating their ESA safety net. Earthjustice expects to be part of the effort to make sure this law is upheld.
(Explore an interactive timeline of the northern Rocky gray wolves, beginning in the 1930s when their numbers were decimated after years of persecution, through their successful reintroduction in the 1990s, to current day's first legal wolf hunts in the northern Rockies in nearly a century.)
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Please see livingwithwolves.org or in fact the Shaun Ellis DVD where in Poland he protects a farmer's flock with recorded wolf howls [as noted above].
Any rancher using public grazing land should have a shut mouth about wolves. An what in H*** are they doing raising non-native cattle in the West? Go with Bison which thrive on the short new grass and can handle some wolves and have a shallow layer of fat as winter insulation.
Any human using wolf poison on a gut pile should get cruel and unusual treatment. Any hunter or so-called sportman should take pride only after a successful hunt with just a self-made weapon, and self-made transport. Wyoming presumably has a conflict of interest [and short-term thought] by profiting from hunter licenses. I'm out of my field but trying to provoke thought and justice.
We Europeans stole this continent from the native Americans [Mongolian immigrants of 13,000 years' residence]. They quite apparently destroyed the Pleistocene megafauna [mastodon, sabertooth, dire wolf, cave lion, megatherium, short-faced bear, mammoth, who knows what].
Another idea is that an evident and contemporary meteor managed a *Western* Hemispheric extinction spasm : contrary to global wind patterns that would have first carried meteoritic debris through the No. or So. hemisphere. [I heard of no European or Siberian exinctions.]
But we brave Americans are pathetic if we do not save the remnant populations of "keystone" wildlife, the last large bear [grizzly] and the last small canid [gray wolf] or the Florida panther or California condor, black-footed ferret, the prairie, redwoods, fungi of our tiny rainforests, etc.
Why Reintroduce these poor wolves that have come to trust us horrible predeters in the first place to be shot by a few morons who only shoot for their own pleasure. The greedy ranchers are the main culprits
NO SHIT ! I still think the Feds should be tossed to the wolves 1st and then the animal rights activists should be able to hunt the hunters
Be realistic about wolves ? Farmers and Ranchers Keep Food on the table..Leather Goods on The Market (and) can not afford a wolf stocking program that will debilitate their industry.....'that said , there are still places for wolves'..a good predator keeps the outdoors healthy..the right to protect oneself and ones property should be uninalienable! The WOLF is a big game animal and of course is regulated with: open--and-- closed seasons . liscense--and--permits , sanctuaries--and--preserves ,
Great post! Cound not have said better.
Shaun Ellis - look p his page if you want to know EVERYTHING about wolves....A farmer has a problem with a pack of wolves, so Mr. Ellis recorded his pack howling,,,took it to the farmer with speakers and a timer...when the pack heard the other recorded wolves they departed and never came back. They will not cross another pack's territory..it worked..it's the answer for farmers/ranchers. look up Shaun Ellis - he was on the History Channel for a long time. We must protect them and the cruelty and pups being left to fend on their own after the slaughter.. Stop Now The Hunting Of Wolves..Nature has a way of balance.. we are in their territory in most cases..
I just called the Govn. Matt Mead of Wyoming
Phone: (307)777-7434 and I was told that the information we are getting from the
media, etc is wrong. They are only allowing licensed killings. I'm not saying I agree
with this, I don't. I think it's sick. I guess what I'm wondering is what are we not hearing.
Why have the wolves become such a problem?
Anyone know any facts regarding this issue?
Whats WRONG about what everyone is saying Angela? So, they are only "allowing" licensed killings - that makes it Ssssoooo much better!!! Lets get this straight - we all knew they were issuing licenses - so the State makes money from all the licenses they are giving out - maybe we should have how many the State is "allowing"!! So, they kill all the wolves, make money on the licenses, and another pack is slaughtered. Thats the story Angela - I'm sure there were hundreds, or more, licenses issued - so the State is making it legal to do this .... no matter how you look at it, its still a slaughter!! The people also get "tags" like they do in deer hunting for more than one - does that answer a few questions for you Angela! While you had them on the phone (I only got an answering machine) maybe you should have asked these questions. And humans are always looking for something else to kill - its been the wolves for many yrs now, even though the tax payers money has been used to reintroduce them BACK into the environments where they originally lived. Now, they want to "delist" them. Its all about MONEY Angela - GREED . One hand greases another in the government - no matter if its a State or Federal. Its the "good old boys" mentality. Yahoo ....
The wolves are not the problem. The problem is the ranchers.
Linda you are so uninformed, please get hunting regulations book and READ IT. I'm a hunter and a tax payer and pay a lot of money for my licenses and tags. Please read the hunting regualtions book and see all the great things the states are doing to preserve wildlife for your sake and our childrens sake. Signed, Good old boy
Mick ~ I have hunters in my family, and if you believe everything you read in a hunting regulations book, I'm happy for you. I frankly, do not. I know all the good that supposedly will happen when you buy your license, tags, etc. I guess I'm just "jaded" when it comes to any State or Federally run dept. So, thats a "personal problem" . The topic here is the total killing of a species, little bits (and States) at a time. I would hope my young ones will inherit a better world - WITH the wolves in it. Thats all I'm saying ..... you sound like a decent hunter who knows, and follows the rules. You HAVE to know, alot do not. These are the men that gives hunting a bad name.
So, we are a little off the subject- in THIS case, I still think pockets are getting greased , sorry
You must not understand the severity of getting caught by a game warden breaking the law. They take your guns, your truck, your license, and usually put a fine bigger than your house on your shoulders. It is no joke, and you should imagine what wolves do. They may look pretty but they just hunt and kill other animals all day. Sometimes for fun when they have already had their fill.
Joey, great points and so true, The risk for shooting wolves illegaly is VERT STEEP,so the so called thrill is risky if you get caught.
Linda, sounds like you don't trust anything. Myself, I don't trust our goverment (corrupt)Police Dept (corrupt) Religious organization so there is good and evil in many cases. I think we have more to worry about in this country than wolves
But that's not representative of hunters as a whole. As I've written and will keep writing: True environmentalists welcome hunters to our ranks. sesliserbest
Absolutely agree!
You are completely out of your minds taking the protection of any wild live away. You are cruel and crazy. How about starting to hunt humans? They are an animal also and they are the cruelest and most destructive animal on this planet. Keep our wildlife protected. Show that you have a heart and a consions.
I agree with your comments, my brother is a hunter and I once commented to him that I would love to see a wolf with a shot gun hunting him down. Wolves are God's creatures they have the right to live. We humans are the animals and do not respect life.
But that's not representative of hunters as a whole. As I've written and will keep writing: True environmentalists welcome hunters to our ranks. sesliserbest
RIGHT ON WE MUST HUNT HUMANS THIS EARTH HAS 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND IS OVER POPULATED ANIMALS ON THIS PLANET HAVE NO CHANCE ON EARTH AGAINST HUMANS HUMANS ARE CRUEL ANIMALS.
No wolf, no problem. Murderers say this about humans too. No man. No problem. Barbarism runs deep in the veins of selfish cowards.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY REPULSIVE!!!!! WE ARE THE MOST DISGUSTING SPECIES ON THIS PLANET!!!! WE DESTROY AND EXPLOIT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING FOR OUR OWN GREED AND SELF SATISFACTION!!!!! its appauling how we have driven and drive so many creatures to extinction which is all tied to wealth!!!! whether its furs,delicacys,shark fin soup,bone and cartilage for impotence,etc,etc, it all leads back to money!!!! these animals where here way before us BUT WE CONTINUE TO KILL THEM AND TAKE THEIR HABITAT AND IN THIS CASE THEY ARE CLAIMING WOLVES ARE KILLING THEIR LIVE STOCK. the problem is they [ranchers] have imbelished the numbers which was proven by fish and game, plus the fact that they are encroaching on their[wolves] land!!!! AND WHY IS THIS EVEN BECOMING AN ISSUE??? MONEY!!!! LARGE CONTIBUTIONS [from ranchers] TO POLITICIANS IS WHATS GOING TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!!! we continue to see everyday and in the pres. election MONEY NOT THE PEOPLE IS THE DECIDING FACTOR!!!! NO MATTER HOW IT EFFECTS THE PEOPLE, THE BIG CONTRIBUTORS COME FIRST!!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE NEED CAMPAIGN REFORM AND TERM LIMITS!!!!
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is the Obama administration's voice in this one. I had a bad feeling about Salazar when Obama appointed him secretary. I looked at his environmental voting record as Colorado senator. Not good. He's a rancher, who probably hates wolves. He wears a cowboy hat.
This is yet another disappointment from the Obama regime. Obama is only marginally better than Romney, I imagine, environmentally speaking. I'm voting Green.
I have always voted Green since I was able to vote.
I worry, not only for Fellow Critters, but also OUR OWN CHILDREN.
Think about it.
Rise above all this SENSELESS SLAUGHTER.
It is a SHAME Our Planet needs politics to reverse the harm HUMANS have done to create such havoc.
What superficiality. The guy wears a cowboy hat so he's the enemy.
Do you care for your local environment?
Do you educate your neighbors, children and friends?
What do you know regarding your watershed?
Air quality?
Biodiversity?
Remember, what we touch we have a responsibility to Care.
Again, this issue is not Rocket Science, Trig, Physics ETC.
Very simple.
Work as a Planet.
Good luck :)
I hope you will open your mind and heart.
Well Danielle - I agree with you, but when these "issues" come up we have to speak our mind to the right people, not just cry about it. Stand up , and speak out : call Gov. Matt Mead (307) 777-7434, or fax his office at (307) 632-3909 ! I may not LIVE in Wyoming, but our tax money was spent to place these wolves, and now they are going to "delist" them?! Oh you just have to LOVE politics, and the beef/lobbyists!! I wonder how much it cost for the licenses to kill wolves?
What on Earth do cowboy hats have to do with this issue?
We are discussing the fact another Species will be eradicated.
What a shame.
No, you are not discussing whether another species will be eradicated. You are discussing the fact that Ken Salazar even wears a cowboy hat.
No more Politics.
I learned early in life. FOCUS on those who need our help.
Thank you for your Attention.
I am so happy to hear this.
Green is not popular. I have been working so long to help.
It hurts to see any Species DISREGARDED and thrown away.
Humans are not rulers of this Planet.
Life is symbiotic.
Why can't we find balance. We fought hard to reinstate wolves into the eco system and the land and balance of animals is doing fantastic due to it. I understand that wolves do go after some livestock but can't we find an humane way of dealing with the situation and find balance and harmony. Opening up unsupervised wolf hunts is not the way to go.
Lisa Erwin Dallas Texas
Lisa, who is WE in your first statement? And where does the money come from to reinstate them? The hunting is not unsupervised. First you can"t just go out and hunt anywhere, you must have permission (on private land ) and only on certain public land. If the game wardens stop you without the proper documents the fines are VERY STEEP. Hunters pay these fees to keep your eco system in balance.
Dear Mick ~ I agree with you, its the same in Pennsylvania, but if a warden is trained to look the other way, and Wyoming is a pretty big State, what then? This boils down to licenses and tags issued, and then what type of hunter you really are. The hunters that most of us are referring to, are NOT the stand up hunters that follow the rules. And, I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The money to reinstate the wolves comes from you and me - you know, the tax payers. It starts at the Federal level, and filters down to the State level. YOUR tax dollars - now, the State makes more money issueing the licences. Its one big greedy circle, with whatever animal they can make look "guilty" at the time. Its a wonder the bears haven't figured into this equasion more!
The fight has just begun. We need to unite and stand up against the ranchers, law makers, anti-environmentalists, fish-and-game, trophy hunters and killers, and stand up for preservation of nature, natural resources, healthy ecosystems, co-existence, endangered species, clean air and healthy climate. How hard is it?
Its like living at home, do you let your children pollute, kill, gripe, complain, coerce, gamble, lobby, trash, and gloat? Or do live to teach them about what is right, take care of your brother/neighbor/dog/cat/yard or anything else. Its like those who live to exploit the environment put on a mask, such that they use dirty tactics and lies to cover teh tracks of their own personal agenda. Its selfish, deceiving and insults human kind. It infiltrates the highest of government levels, all the way to the poorest of households.
Responsibility is all we are asking for. Have some responsibility, not for yourself, but all of us.
To take up the slack of all the anti-environmentalist complainers out there its going to take the ones who care to pour their money into conservation societies. Im going to give a small percentage of my income to fight this issue!
http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/index.html
I believe when voices join we can make a difference.
The Gray Wolf achieves the same communication by “howling” or “singing.”
If you can, PLEASE help.
The Planet does not need another Species hunted to the brink of extinction.
Canis Lupus. The Gray Wolf (sometimes called the Timber Wolf).
Let us hope the word is spreading World Wide to save the Planet’s Endangered Species.
I have been helping with Big Cats in Africa and India through education.
I will continue to work for the Gray Wolf through the same education.
Another GREAT site for Wolf information.
http://www.wolf.org/wolves/news/media_releases.asp
Please help! I was so lucky to work for a short time with these beautiful, social members of our Planet.
This is the "Little Big Zoo" in which I did volunteer work.
http://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/timber-wolf.html
They LOVE their animal friends. I helped during feeding time. The prep area was always very clean. I could not feed the Big Cats nor the Wolves, but was gifted to work with staff to feed the Raptors.
The Wolves are so beautiful. We all wished they could live in the wild. All creatures deserve the dignity of living a full and happy life. SIGH. I worked hard for Big Cats in Africa and India. I will do the same for Our Wolf friends.
Again, sorry for mis-spelling. I have to run :)
This is the email I just sent to the Governor of Wyoming.
"I understand hunting for food. I grew up in the Midwest. My Dad hunts and utilizes the meat for consumption. Hunting merely for the sport is useless, cruel and horrific. I do not understand why Humans try to rid themselves of a Species in which We encroached on Their territory. RECONSIDER THIS DECISION. Many, many people are outraged. As a Travel Agent and an Environmentalist (very close to my Master’s Degree), I will NEVER visit your State, nor any State which promotes the destruction of a species for the pure pleasure of the kill. Thank you for your attention :) "
The smile is something my Grandmother taught me. Be firm, but polite.
I will email this office as much as I can. I have posted on many Travel Blogs and the feeling is almost unanimous. Do not let this slaughter begin!! Visit Travel Websites. National Geographic has an interst in this situation, as well. Next email is going to be sent to Hospitality and Tourism. They had a lovely Governor's meeting to promote the State. I am going to contact as many friends in Travel as I can. Many of whom are NOT from the US!
What is this world coming to! Protect the wolves! The law clearly states:
Federal law is clear that wildlife like wolves, once protected under the Endangered Species Act, cannot be sent back to oblivion at the whim of a state. The law requires federal wildlife managers to assure that adequate state measures are in place to protect species before eliminating their ESA safety net. Earthjustice expects to be part of the effort to make sure this law is upheld.
Now isn't this interesting? http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42466.pdf Gray Wolves are listed in the Table of Contents on Page 10. I found it on Page 13. They sure made it hard to find! See below for the verbiage . In quotes. Funding restrictions for Gray Wolves in Wyoming. Also, regional listed and delisted species can be found on this site. Under contacts you will find a list of Regional Field Offices. If we are going to make a difference, call as many times as you can. I have made myself a nuisance :) I have contacted a few Universities hoping the students will reach out, as well. http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/lists/e_th_pr.html
"Administrative Provisions
In addition to the regular appropriations provisions, H.R. 6091 contained three administrative
provisions affecting FWS. One provision (Section 117) affects gray wolves; another (Section
423) concerns three captive-bred exotic species; and the last (Section 438) affects hunting,
fishing, and recreational shooting.
Gray Wolves in Wyoming
On October 5, 2011, FWS issued a proposed rule to remove gray wolves (Canis lupus) in
Wyoming from the list of species that are threatened or endangered under ESA. Wolves would
continue to be protected from taking in two national parks and a national wildlife refuge in the
northwestern part of the state.28 The remainder of the state would be divided into zones of
regulated hunting of wolves as a game species and unregulated take. The rule would end the
wolf’s protection as either a Distinct Population Segment or as an Experimental Population under
ESA. The rule is contingent upon the Wyoming legislature’s passing a wolf management plan that
meets certain criteria specified in the proposed rule; the rule would not be finalized until the
legislature’s approval of the plan.29 To date, that approval has not occurred. The rule makes
certain assumptions about the management of wolves on federal lands. The Wyoming
management plan is being reviewed by FWS.
The House committee included Section 117, which provides that “[b]efore the 60-day period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall issue a final rule
pertaining to the proposed rule” cited above. The effect of the section, in the absence of an
accepted wolf management plan and the required approval by the Wyoming legislature, could
mean that wolf management in the state stops short of recovery goals."
I want to know how these "hunters" would feel if the tables were turned. I hope the Wolf bites back!! Good luck all!!
Sorry for any mis-spelling. It is Early and I have a long ride for some fieldwork for my degree.
Apparently Wyoming didn't get that email!! I think the President should give the governor a call! Or, if any of YOU want to speak your mind - call the Governor yourself, I did. I'll keep repeating his phone and fax number until he's sick of hearing from all of us. Phone Matt Mead at (307 777-7434 or fax at (307) 632-3909 . I hope so many people call that they can't conduct any phone or fax business ..... you can do it people! ")
Sounds like we have too many cowboys in Wyoming. LET'S ARM THE WOLVES!!!
as a guardian of wolves and other wildlife with 'Defenders of Wildlife' and being part of Earthjustice's fight to save the wolves, it is apparent that the mentality of killing for the sake of killing-still remains prevalent and a barrier that we must break down! There are humanitarian ways to keep wolves away from livestock-there are preventative ways to guard livestock-and humane ways-but the lust for blood is too strong for these cowboys-lets rein them in!
Please detail the humanitarian, "preventative," and humane ways of separating wolves and livestock. Be specific. Thanks.
A 13 Year old Young Man in Kenya found a solution for the slaughter of Big Cats in order to save the Family Livestock.
Take some advice from this incredibly intelligent Young Man.
It is not rocket science. The solution is common sense. You must have the lack for the kill thrill.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/05/18/lion-lights-invention...
Cute idea with no application to wolves and American livestock.
Cute?
No. Brilliant ! RISE ABOVE THIS SLAUGHTER.
It took an incredibly intelligent Young Man to find a solution.
There is no verification that the "solution" works with lions, and it ought to be obvious to you that it cannot work with wolves. THINK.
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