Wolf Rivals

Wolf News :: OR farmer requests non-lethal action vs wolves [2007-07-18]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: OR farmer requests non-lethal action vs wolves [2007-07-18]
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:46 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Wolves kill seven sheep in Oregon Gulch
Sheep owner requests non-lethal action

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Rather than try to remove the gray wolves that killed seven domestic sheep northwest of Ketchum last week, an official with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has elected to pursue non-lethal methods to keep the wolves away.

The decision to pursue non-lethal methods was made after the owner of the sheep requested the wolves not be killed, Fish and Game Large Carnivore Manager Steve Nadeau said Tuesday.

"The livestock producer wanted to work with us to explore all options to keep his stock and the wolves alive," Nadeau said.

Nadeau said he has agreed to that plan.

The sheep-killing incident occurred on two separate days�July 10 and 12�in a remote portion of the upper Oregon Gulch area. The sheep band was being grazed on a Sawtooth National Forest grazing allotment that covers the area.

The wolves responsible for killing the sheep are from the newly documented Phantom Hill wolf pack, which officers from Fish and Game's Magic Valley Region determined in June has established a den in the upper Wood River Valley. The pack's alpha female gave birth to three wolf pups earlier this spring.

Nadeau said whenever a livestock-killing incident occurs in which wolves or other predators are involved, various lethal and non-lethal methods are considered.

Before the incident last week, one wolf in the Phantom Hill pack had already been fitted with a radio collar so the pack's movements could be tracked, he said. Following up on the sheep-killing incident, Fish and Game officers were able to place another radio collar on the pack's alpha male on Saturday, July 14.

So the movements of the wolf pack can be better monitored, radio transceivers have been given to one of the sheepherders looking after the remaining band as well as a volunteer with the Fish and Game, Nadeau said. He said the transceivers will allow the sheepherder to know if the wolves are coming too close to the sheep.

The agency has also issued non-lethal rubber bullets to the livestock producer to use to scare the wolves away if they return to harass the sheep band.

"It's never an easy thing to keep wolves and sheep alive once they have found each other," Nadeau said. "But we will do everything we can to keep the conflict minimized."

The non-lethal control methods were chosen after the livestock producer met with representatives from Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services and the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife.

"We are hoping to keep the sheep and wolves alive long enough that once the sheep move off the range the conflict will be resolved," Nadeau said.

At a public hearing in Boise tomorrow, the public will have the opportunity to comment on a proposal to revise the federal rule governing when wolves may be shot. The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, at the Boise Centre on the Grove convention center. The public hearing will be preceded by an open house at 6 p.m. at which information on wolf recovery and related issues will be provided.

The proposed changes to the federal 10(j) rule would expand the situations in which wolves can be killed for depredations and to achieve wildlife management objectives. The existing rule, which allows wolves attacking livestock and herding and guarding animals to be killed under certain circumstances, was published in the Federal Register in 2005 and applies to areas south of U.S. Interstate 90 in Idaho and Montana.

Under the proposed changes�which the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service�the rule would further allow the killing of wolves in areas where ungulate populations are not meeting the state's management objectives. The rule change would also allow the shooting of wolves that attack dogs on public land.

Another possibility under the proposed revision would give the states the ability to designate which agents take part in wolf control actions.

Express staff writer Jody Zarkos contributed to this story.

Copyright � 2007 Express Publishing Inc.

http://www.mtexpress.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Wolves Of Yellowstone Spur Love And Hate [2007-07-17]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Wolves Of Yellowstone Spur Love And Hate [2007-07-17]
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:38 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Wolves Of Yellowstone Spur Love And Hate
Tourists Adore Them, But Not All Area Residents Want Them Around

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, July 17, 2007

(CBS) On any given morning in Yellowstone National Park, you can find packs of tourists watching for packs of wolves, CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith reports.

What do they feel when looking at these wolves?

"My spirit just feels such a resonance with what I'm seeing," said wolf watcher Nancy Waring.

Wolf watchers bring more than high-powered scopes: They bring money to area businesses � about $35 million each year.

Seventy years ago, aggressive hunting and trapping had all but wiped out the wolves in Yellowstone. But the federal government decided that as predators, wolves were a key link in the park's food chain.

So starting in 1995, they brought the wolves back to Yellowstone. They released 41 in the park, housed in pens. Officials were hoping the wolves would have pups and eventually they would end up with about 100.

Now, a decade later, the pens are overgrown and there are 300 wolves in the Yellowstone area ... more than 1,300 in the three surrounding states.

There are so many wolves now, Washington is considering taking wolves in the Yellowstone area off the endangered species list, which means they'd be fair game for hunters.

But not all the area residents see the beauty of these creatures.

Rancher James Felton said he lost upwards of $40,000 last month when a wolf attacked one of his calves on his land near Yellowstone.

"I shouldn't have wolves on my ranch, chewing on my livestock. I didn't want 'em here in the first place. No other rancher did! Why are we taking the brunt?" he asked.

Smith also discussed creative solutions to the wolf problem -- ways that might control the population without killing the wolves. To see that report from Smith, click here.

Since 1995, wolves have killed more than 1,000 sheep and cattle in the Yellowstone area. Under current law, ranchers can shoot a wolf if they can prove their livestock was attacked. So far, more than 260 wolves have been killed, including one by Felton.

When asked, in his opinion, how many wolves should be in his area, Felton replied, "Zero."

Conservationists warn that taking wolves off the endangered list will once again turn predators into prey.

"They could very well end up on the endangered species list again, and we don't want to see that happen," Janelle Holden of Keystone Conservation said.

Early next year, the government will decide whether that's a real threat � or just crying wolf.

� MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.cbsnews.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: New rule would make it easier to kill wolves [2007-07-18]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: New rule would make it easier to kill wolves [2007-07-18]
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:32 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

New rule would make it easier to kill wolves

10:58 AM MDT on Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Associated Press

CODY, Wyo. -- Ranchers in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming can kill wolves that are preying on or chasing their livestock.

But federal officials are seeking wider latitude to kill wolves, if they prey on big game species or threaten domestic animals.

Public hearings on the proposal began yesterday in Cody, Wyoming.

State officials and some ranchers welcomed a plan they said could help keep wolf populations in check, more than a decade after they were re-introduced in the region.

But representatives of environmental groups argued for the idea to be dropped. They suggested it was a thinly veiled tactic to let states kill wolves before their federal protection is lifted.

Another pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal would go much farther, allowing public hunting of wolves by stripping them of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

But that idea faces near-certain legal challenge that could delay it for years.

Federal officials say the big game protection proposal would give states at least an interim measure to deal with problem wolves.

Officials say the plan could be put in place by the end of the year.

Additional hearings on the federal proposal are planned for today in Helena, Montana and tomorrow in Boise, Idaho.

http://www.ktvb.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: 19 animals killed in U.P., Wisconsin [2007-06-07]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: 19 animals killed in U.P., Wisconsin [2007-06-07]
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:12 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

19 animals killed in U.P., Wisconsin

MARQUETTE � Nineteen wolves that threatened livestock have been killed through state control measures in Michigan and Wisconsin � including nine in the Upper Peninsula � since the animal was removed from the federal endangered species list in March.

All of the wolves euthanized in Michigan came from two farms in different areas of Ontonagon County, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Michigan Wolf Management Coordinator Brian Roell said seven wolves had to be killed at one farm after several previous attempts to deter the animals from killing livestock failed.

�This farm has been a chronic depredation (problem),� Roell said.

The wolves stalking the farm�s livestock killed a dozen calves before moving on to killing a full-grown cow, Roell said.

All previous attempts to harass the wolves did not keep the predators from killing the cows.

�We even killed wolves there in past years,� Roell said.

Officials decided to try to remove most of the wolf pack, with the exception of lactating females.

Roell said lethal control is the last resort for state officials combating wolves that prey on livestock.

�Our real mission there is to use incremental approaches based on the severety of the incident,� Roell said.

Bright flashing construction lights were working to keep wolves away from livestock on the second farm, until the farm animals began grazing in areas farther out into pastures.

Two wolves were killed on that farm.

In the U.P., excluding Isle Royale, there are at least 509 wolves, according to new statistics released today by the DNR. That figure is up from 434 last year and includes 94 packs and 21 pairs. The average pack size is estimated at 4.9 wolves.

The DNR is using a new sampling technique to save costs and improve accuracy of its census counts. The total of at least 509 wolves is estimated within 36 wolves,plus or minus.

No wolves were found in the Lower Peninsula during the DNR surveys this year.

Decades of bounty hunting previously wiped out wolves from Michigan and Wisconsin. Butthey have migrated back from Minnesota since they were put on the federal endangered species list in the 1970s.

In March, federal officials removed the gray wolf from its endangered lists in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and handed over management of the population to state and tribal governments.

Three animal advocacy groups have sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over that decision, demanding that the agency be prevented from implementing its ��delisting�� plan.

In Wisconsin, problem wolves killed livestock on nine farms in Barron, Bayfield, Douglas, Dunn, Price, Rusk, Sawyer and Shawano counties since March. Ten wolves were captured and euthanized at four of the farms, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said.

The DNR also issued shooting permits to eight landowners with wolf problems but they haven�t shot any animals yet, said Wisconsin Wolf Management Coordinator Adrian Wydeven of the Wisconsin DNR.

��One landowner near Park Falls in Price County did shoot a wolf in the act of attacking a border collie,�� Wydeven said.

Based on aerial tracking of radio-collared wolves, snow surveys and reports from the public, the DNR now estimates that 540 to 577 yearling and adult gray wolves survived the winter, up significantly from the 467 to 504 wolves counted a year ago but down from earlier estimates of up to 600 wolves, Wydeven said.

The wolves roam in 138 packs, the largest being a pack of nine wolves near Park Falls, he said. At least 45 packs have five or more wolves, he said.

Some critics say the Wisconsin DNR�s wolf count is too low and complain the animals are causing problems that have eroded support for their protection.

Nine wolves were killed in Wisconsin during last fall�s deer hunt, almost double the number in previous seasons and a likely reflection of growing frustration among people who don�t like the animals, Wydeven said.

Several wolves were also killed illegally in Michigan during the deer hunting season. Some of those cases resulted in arrests and convictions.

Copyright � 2006� The Mining Journal

http://www.miningjournal.net
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Scientists Backing Protection for Wolves [2007-05-15]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Scientists Backing Protection for Wolves [2007-05-15]
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:38 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Scientists Sign Letter Backing Protection for Wolves

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - May 15, 2007 - More than 230 scientists have signed a letter opposing plans to remove wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho from Endangered Species Act protection.

The scientists say wolves in the three states still face threats because their numbers remain relatively small. They also say the wolf populations in the Yellowstone area, in central Idaho and in northwest Montana don't intermingle.

The letter criticizes plans for maintaining at least 300 wolves and 30 breeding pairs across the three states.

About 13-hundred wolves now roam in the area. The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service says that figure is more than four times the number of wolves needed to consider removing a species from federal protections.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press

http://abclocal.go.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Wolf killed after livestock attack in Montana [2007-05-16]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Wolf killed after livestock attack in Montana [2007-05-16]
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:36 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Wolf killed after livestock attack in Montana
Associated Press - May 16, 2007 12:45 PM ET

Montana wildlife managers say a wolf was killed in response to a pair of recent livestock attacks.

The male wolf was estimated to be three or four years old. It was shot by federal agents from the Department of Agriculture, who work under contract for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Jon Trapp is a wolf specialist with Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He says the wolf was killed about a mile from a ranch where a calf was killed by a wolf on May 9th and another calf was badly injured on May 12th. The ranch is about 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

Trapp says he is working with the owner of the ranch to install non-lethal wolf deterrents, such as hanging flagging from fence lines.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

http://www.localnews8.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: NM County Wants Wolf Removed from the Wild [2007-05-01]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: NM County Wants Wolf Removed from the Wild [2007-05-01]
Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:37 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

NM County Wants Wolf Removed from the Wild

May 1st, 2007 @ 5:59am
by Associated Press

A New Mexico county wants a Mexican gray wolf removed from the wild because it has killed two cows.

Catron County officials say that if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't remove the wolf, the county might take action.

The wolf was released in southwestern New Mexico last week.

Catron County commissioners decided last week to demand the federal agency act.

County officials say they might use an ordinance adopted in February that asserts the right to trap and remove wolves deemed dangerous and accustomed to humans.

Wolf program coordinator John Morgart says people can kill a wolf to defend a human life, but he says it's against the law to harm a wolf just because it's near your property.

The Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing the wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range. Wolves had been hunted to the brink of extinction in the region in the early 1900s.

Copyright 2007 Bonneville International. All rights reserved.

http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=467311
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Wolf killed following livestock attack [2007-05-01]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Wolf killed following livestock attack [2007-05-01]
Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:34 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Wolf killed following livestock attack
By The Gazette Staff

A rancher west of Springdale shot and killed a gray wolf on Monday, about two weeks after wolves fatally injured one of the rancher's cows.

The year-old male wolf was shot under a federal permit issued last week to the rancher, whose name was not released. One of the rancher's heifers had been attacked April 17 and was later put down due to its injuries, said Jon Trapp, a wolf management specialist with the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks.

It was unknown if the wolf shot Monday was involved in the attack. The state's policy is to remove wolves "as close in time and space as possible" to such an attack, Trapp said.

Trapp said the rancher's permit was for one wolf only, although federal rules allow the taking of additional wolves if caught in the act of harassing or injuring livestock.

"If the rancher comes out now and sees a wolf crossing his property he cannot shoot it. If he comes out and sees one chasing livestock he can shoot," Trapp said.

Wolf-rancher conflicts have been on the upswing in recent years as packs expand their territories in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. In 2006, a record 142 wolves were killed by ranchers or federal wildlife agents in response to livestock attacks.

Wolves were reintroduced to the Northern Rockies beginning in 1995. With their overall population now up to an estimated 1,300 animals, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in January proposed removing them from protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Published on Tuesday, May 01, 2007.
Last modified on 5/1/2007 at 12:57 am

Copyright � The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

http://www.billingsgazette.net
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Alaska offering $150 to kill wolves [2007-03-23]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Alaska offering $150 to kill wolves [2007-03-23]
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:34 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Alaska offering $150 to kill wolves
Associated Press � March 23, 2007

ANCHORAGE, Alaska � The state is offering cash for people to kill wolves in an effort to boost a predator control program that has not met expected numbers, officials said.

The incentives include offering 180 volunteer pilots and aerial gunners $150 for turning in legs of freshly killed wolves, Gov. Sarah Palin's office announced.

The state will use the left forelegs of wolves as biological specimens, said Denby Lloyd, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, in a statement. The legs can help biologists determine wolf age and will assist the program in the future, he said.

The program, now in its fourth year and operating in five areas of the state, is designed to increase moose and caribou numbers by reducing the number of predators. Previously, the only reward was a wolf pelt that could sell for $200 to $300, a wildlife official told the Anchorage Daily News.

State biologists want 382 to 664 wolves killed by the time snow melts. As of Tuesday morning, 98 wolves had been killed.

The state estimates there are between 7,000 and 11,000 wolves in Alaska.

Karla Dutton, director of the Alaska office of the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement: "Bounties have no place in modern wildlife management and undoubtedly would lead to the illegal killing of wolves.''

The predator-control season ends April 30.

� 2007 ESPN

http://espn.go.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: We should let wolves be wolves [2007-03-03]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: We should let wolves be wolves [2007-03-03]
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:07 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

We should let wolves be wolves
Kirk C. Robinson

Article Last Updated: 03/03/2007 03:02:28 PM MST

The Fish and Wildlife Service wishes to declare the gray wolf successfully recovered throughout Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and adjacent parts of Washington,Oregon and Utah. Some say "It's about time." Others say "Not so fast."

The Endangered Species Act stipulates that endangered species be restored to "all or a significant portion of their former range" to count as recovered. But what if wolves occupy only 5 percent of the designated recovery area, as they do in this case? What about the Wyoming, Salt River and Bear River mountains?

How dearly people love dogs, yet how violently some of them hate wolves - a fact more revealing about humans than about canids. It suggests a puerile militarism ("You're either with us or against us.") targeted on the wolf as symbol of inhospitable nature.

Sometimes nature must be tamed (a warm fire) or eradicated (smallpox) to make the world habitable to humans. But unbridled enthusiasm for taking on the role of nature's manager spawns willful ignorance of our inescapable dependence on wild nature - a pathological condition aptly described as alienation.

It is exemplified, for example, by denial, in the face of overwhelming evidence, of human-caused global warming and the calamities it will spawn if we do not quickly clean up our act. It is exemplified also by hordes of people romping over the land on ATVs in gleeful abandon, treating nature as little more than a roller coaster with pretty scenery, never mind the consequences to watersheds, wildlife and quiet recreation.

And it is exemplified by so-called sportsmen who demand that wildlife be managed farm-like to provide them with easy, successful hunts - never mind the incremental costs to ecosystem health and the endless need to micromanage.

A more realistic and saner view sees our place in nature as bounded, not by our ingenuity, which inevitably outstrips our foresight and our wisdom, but by moral necessity. Beyond an admittedly fuzzy line there is wild (self-willed) nature, substantially whole. We owe it respect, just as we do our own bodies. And this means that we should try not to screw it up.

Some folks rebel against the imperative for self-restraint. They assert that no part of nature is entirely free from human influence (which may be true), or that human beings are part of nature, too (which is true), and from there fly on the wings of fallacy to the absurd conclusion that to posit wild nature in contradistinction to the human world is to falsify reality - as if, having once inhaled second-hand smoke, you might as well begin smoking five packs a day.

There are sound reasons why we ought to encourage wolf recovery to all parts of wolves' former range still capable of supporting them. One hypothesis worth taking seriously is that it will do more than any other single thing we are capable of doing, at the cheapest possible cost, to mend our ailing ecosystems and watersheds and keep them healthy - something that becomes increasingly urgent with the growing specter of global warming causing catastrophic habitat loss and species extinction.

So far, the truth of this claim is unfolding wondrously in Yellowstone National Park, as wolves (along with cougars) reclaim their rightful place in the scheme of things: healthier watersheds and riparian systems, supporting a richer biota, better capable of withstanding, and to some extent ameliorating, global warming.

Second, large predators roaming the land will do much to inspire appropriate respect for nature in surly humans, at the same time affording those with the requisite aesthetic sensibility opportunities to appreciate the priceless beauty and sublimity of nature in all its majestic otherness.

Humans should worry less about mastering nature and more about mastering themselves. Let there be wolves.

---
* KIRK C. ROBINSON is director of Western Wildlife Conservancy.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5350946
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: shocker: elk not being slaughtered by wolves [2007-02-27]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: shocker: elk not being slaughtered by wolves [2007-02-27]
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:49 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

shocker: elk not being slaughtered by wolves

A Game and Fish officer counts the ungulates. Photo by Mark Gocke

Apparently, elk are getting along just fine despite the presence of wolves in northwest Wyoming. Wildlife managers recently counted 11,790 elk in the Jackson herd, 60 fewer than last year. In addition, the ratio of 25 calves per 100 cows is just about on par with the historical average.

The Jackson herd is Wyoming�s largest and lives in close proximity to a multitude of wolf packs in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and the Teton and Gros Ventre wilderness areas.

Will these latest scientific figures stop state lawmakers and the governor from claiming that wolves are �savaging� wildlife? Probably not. But at least we know claims that the National Elk Refuge has been starving elk are pure fiction.

State legislators and Gov. Dave Freudenthal have been seeking draconian measures, including a state-financed aerial gunning program, to control wolves once the species is taken off the endangered list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has initiated the delisting process but has rejected Wyoming�s management plan because it could put the species back on the brink of extinction.

The survey of the Jackson elk population included only elk counted on or near feed grounds. Wyoming Game and Fish Department estimates there are another 1,000 or so animals in the surrounding areas, bringing the total population to nearly 13,000 � about 2,000 above the objective set by Game and Fish.

Mark Gocke, spokesman for the state agency, said crews counting elk observed five wolf packs in Jackson Hole, including several in the Gros Ventres and one near Moran. Wolf activity also has been observed at the base of the central Teton peaks.

The pro-hunting group Sportsmen for [Killing] Fish and Wildlife claimed last year that managers of the National Elk Refuge intentionally were starving elk. That prompted the group to organize a �Hay Day� rally in which its supporters brought more than 60 tons of donated hay to the refuge in December.

Sportsmen for [Killing] Fish and Wildlife has joined politicians like Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, and Freudenthal in claiming that wolves are �savaging� the state�s wildlife, particularly elk.

They have argued that the state must be allowed to kill wolves to keep them from killing elk, whose populations are propped up artificially high by state-run feed grounds. That way hunters can kill the elk, and the state takes in more money in license fees.

Sadly, the media continues to echo these rants, without any fact-checking to dispel the myth that elk populations are being decimated by wolves.

Here�s an excerpt from an AP story that ran in yesterday�s JH Daily:

Quote:

The state says the existing rule makes it extremely difficult for Wyoming to kill wolves that are killing too many of the state�s wildlife. State officials say wolf depredation by growing packs could soon result in reducing elk hunting opportunities in areas of northwestern Wyoming.

�It�s not just for Wyoming, it�s created a huge problem in Idaho and it�s created a huge problem in Montana,� Freudenthal said of the federal government�s current restrictions on allowing states to kill wolves.

� 2006 JH Underground

http://www.jhunderground.com/?p=240
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Wolf advocates dominate hearing [2007-02-28]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Wolf advocates dominate hearing [2007-02-28]
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:45 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Wolf advocates dominate hearing
By The Associated Press

CHEYENNE - Opponents of removing wolves from the federal endangered species protection in Wyoming far outnumbered supporters of delisting at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public hearing Tuesday.

"The Endangered Species Act has been hugely successful in restoring the gray wolf, and we want it to stay that way," Sierra Club regional spokesman Adam Rissien said at the hearing.

Wolf advocate Emily Swift read an essay she wrote about family vacations in Yellowstone National Park before urging the panel to rethink delisting wolves.

"I believe this country should be thinking about future generations, and I would like my children to be able to appreciate the wolves as I have," Swift said.

The state and federal governments have been litigating over the issue of wolf management since the rejection of the state's first wolf management plan in 2004. The situation has so far prevented removing wolves from federal protections in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Recently the federal government has begun steps to turn over management to the other states and says it's prepared to continue to manage the animals in Wyoming alone if necessary.

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed designation of the permanent wolf management area in Wyoming last fall. The proposal calls for the area to extend from Cody south to Meeteetse, around the western boundary of the Wind River Reservation down to Pinedale, west to the Alpine area and then back north to Yellowstone National Park.

Fremont County resident Darlene Vaughan said she thought she was one of the few people at the meeting who had personal experience with wolves on her property.

"It's time to delist the Rocky Mountain gray wolf from the endangered species list," she said. "It's past time to delist them.

"I am concerned with the amount of private property that is within the line that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife has drawn on our state. I think that people should have their constitutional right to defend their private property, and that is what concerns me the most."

Vaughan's husband, Dave, said he believes the presence of four wolves on his property several years ago resulted in the loss of 20 percent of his herd that year, ultimately driving his ranch out of business.

"How many business owners can afford to lose 20 percent of their income?" Vaughan said.

Ken Hamilton, a representative of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, agreed with Vaughan.

"Private property in the state of Wyoming should not be asked to sacrifice," Hamilton said.

"I represent agricultural people throughout the state of Wyoming. These are the folks that have their livestock torn up by wolves. They aren't compensated for that."

Approximately 40 conservation group members who traveled from Boulder, Colo., and Fort Collins, Colo., to testify at the hearing made up a large percentage of those who spoke against the delisting of wolves.

"The restoration of the gray wolf in the northern Rockies has been an unparalleled success story," Boulder resident and National Resources Defense Council representative Amy Mall said.

"Wolves are vital to the health of the region's ecosystem, and they benefit the region's economy."

Mall added that Wyoming often uses wolf imagery to attract tourists to the state.

"Wolves might be a national treasure, but Wyoming has to live with this issue," Bob Wharf of Wyoming Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife said during a break in testimony. "Once wolves are delisted, it will be solely on our dime."

Several hearing participants wished more residents from the western part of Wyoming had been at the meeting. They said that calving season and treacherous travel conditions probably affected turnout.

Ed Bangs, a gray wolf recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said public comment on the wolf management issue will be accepted until May 9. He said the agency plans to hold a second public hearing in Cody at the end of March.

Copyright � 2007 Associated Press.

Published on Wednesday, February 28, 2007.
Last modified on 2/28/2007 at 12:04 am

Copyright � The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

http://www.billingsgazette.net
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Catron Comm. Wants To "Protect People From Wolves"

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Catron Comm. Wants To "Protect People From Wolves"
Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:25 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Catron Commission Wants To Protect People From Wolves

February 15, 2007
LOCAL GOVERNMENT

By Jim Coates
for Mountain Mail

SOCORRO, New Mexico (STPNS) -- Playing to a packed house, the Catron County Commission set the stage for a showdown with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the Mexican Grey Wolf reintroduction program at its February 7 meeting.

More than 120 people, including a TV crew from Albuquerque, filled the courtroom as the commission listened to public comments about its proposed �Wolf-Human Incident Emergency Protective Measures� ordinance.

The ordinance will allow county personnel to immediately remove �habituated wolves that have caused or have a high probability of causing physical and/or psychological damage to children or other defenseless persons.� The ordinance also dictates procedures for killing �habituated wolves, whether or not they have threatened persons.�

The county ordinance is contrary to federal regulations that govern the Recovery Program and the treatment of problem wolves.

�The county ordinance doesn�t follow federal law,� according to Elizabeth Slown, a public information officer with the regional office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque. �The ordinance does not follow the process we already have to deal with nuisance wolves.�

The first 11 Mexican wolves from captive stock were reintroduced into the Apache National Forest in southeastern Arizona in March 1998. In 2000, the first wolves were released in the Gila National Forest. In January 2007, the Fish and Wildlife Service counted 59 wolves in the forests of New Mexico and Arizona.

Since the inception of the program, the Fish and Wildlife Service has issued removal orders for three wolves that were caught killing livestock. The five-year report issued in December 2005 identified 30 wolf deaths by human causes, including 18 by illegal gunshot and nine by vehicle impact.

Between 1998 and 2003, the agency reported 89 incidents of wolves killing cattle. Twenty two wolves were relocated, according to the 2005 report.

In his opening remarks, commission chairman Ed Wehrheim said the reintroduction program has not properly managed the wolves for the health and safety of Catron County. Using figures from an economic impact study by Alex Thal, county resource management consultant, Wehrheim said there have been more than �1,000 head of cattle lost, either directly or indirectly, to the wolves.� He said the wolves have caused losses to county ranchers of more than $500,000 since the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program began in Catron County seven years ago.

Jess Carey, county wolf interaction investigator, reports 30 potential livestock losses to wolves, including 13 confirmed deaths, since April 2006. He also said there have been three confirmed deaths of pets and two pet injuries by wolves, and four wolf-human interactions.

�There have been no attacks on humans yet, but it is inevitable,� Wehrheim said. He also called the wolf program �wrong and immoral� and put the blame for it on environmentalists. �The Center for Biodiversity is responsible. It�s a radical group.�

When asked what had happened to the original anti-wolf ordinance the county passed early in the program, Wehrheim said, �Federal law supersedes state and county law, but we think this ordinance will hold up.�

Describing the process the county has used to document the perceived errors in the wolf recovery program, he said the current ordinance �has a better chance than the previous one.�

Commissioner Hugh B. McKeen, a Glenwood area rancher, said, �The ordinance is a step over the line. They�ll come after us,� he said in reference to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The commission is hoping to turn the tide of public opinion against the wolves with the ordinance and its surrounding publicity.

�The county knows what it is up against,� Wehrheim said. �We�re winning in the county but losing in the nation.�

Because of �environmentally-friendly judges,� Wehrheim said, �We need to get the word out. We need a picture of a wolf killing a baby elk on a billboard to really get the word out.�

Commission Attorney Ron Shortes agreed. He said, �Except for the media covering this meeting, we are preaching to the choir.�

Several times Shortes encouraged those present to attend the New Mexico Game and Fish meeting March 28 in Las Cruces to speak out against the wolf program.

The commissioners were hailed for their action by all those who spoke during the two and a half hour public comment period at the commission meeting February 7. Residents described wolf-human interactions, told horror tales of wolves preying on livestock, pets and game, and espoused constitutional justifications for the commissioners� action.

Jim Blair, a rancher from west of Beaverhead, said, �The program is a failure. Wolves need to be removed. They are waiting to turn out 300 wolves and extend the boundary� of the recovery program.

�I�m upset we�re having wolves shoved down our throats by environmental groups,� Brian Klumker, an Alma outfitter said. �We need to stand up for ourselves and our livelihood.�

Loren Cushman of Reserve spoke as a father, as Reserve school superintendent, and as a pastor. Because his daughter saw the family�s cat killed by a wolf on their property, he said, �My kids can�t play in the woods now.�

Besides his concern about the safety of children at bus stops, Cushman is also worried about the mental effect on children if they are not able to play after school. �I�m not a big believer in homework. Kids need time to play.�

Invoking �God�s word,� Cushman said, �Animals are here for our pleasure and we are to subdue and have dominion over them. Man is in charge and animals are here for our pleasure.�

The new ordinance would give Fish and Wildlife Service 24 hours to remove a wolf under federal program guidelines before Carey is authorized to kill or remove a threatening or habituated wolf, either by trapping or lethal means. The county ordinance calls for the commissioners to approve an order to remove the wolf before Carey can implement that order if the federal program fails to act.

Don Rains, a new Catron County resident, said of the commission, �It takes guts to do something. But it�s just a little weak-kneed to give the wolf program 24 hours to do something about problem wolves.�

County rancher Don Gatlin said his family has been living in the shadow of wolves for several years.

�Environmentalists say wolves are here so deal with it,� he told the commission. �I�m not going to deal with it any more. I don�t care what the rules are anymore.�

Dan Martinez of Arizona said, �The wolves are violating the 4th amendment of the constitution� which guarantees citizens will be secure in their homes. He also said the wolf recovery program is contrary to the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Carolyn Nelson, a rancher from Alma, asked, �Speaking as a mom, what would it be like if someone had threatened my kid and I couldn�t do anything about it?�

She said three wolves approached her 14-year-old son this fall while he was hunting in the forest.

Joe Nelson said his son didn�t shoot the wolves for fear of prosecution for killing an endangered species.

�The wolves checked him out but he was worried about shooting them,� he said. �It would be hard to prove self defense.�

No federal representatives attended the meeting when the ordinance was considered. Contacted later, Slown said, �No one should ever worry about shooting a wolf when it is endangering a human life.�

Under the program�s regulations killing a wolf in self defense or in defense of another human life is permissible.

�If a wolf is killed due to an immediate fear for human life, that�s fine,� said Slown. �If a wolf is killed for retribution, it is not fine.�

When the commissioners approved the ordinance, they received a standing ovation. The ordinance will go into effect after a public hearing.

In other business the commissioners:

∙ Received recommendations from the County Solid Waste Solutions Committee. Appointed almost two years ago, the committee presented its recommendations for addressing solid waste in the county in a 100 page report.

Mary Rakestraw, committee chairperson, summarized the recommendations for the commissioners. They include forming a Solid Waste Management Authority; accepting that the county needs to ship its solid waste regardless of whether is builds a new land fill in Pie Town; decreasing the number of dumpsters in the county and replacing them with three transfer stations and mobile convenience centers; promoting solid waste management as a service for the health and safety for all residents and charging all residents and property owners equitably; and considering impact fees on land developers to help cover solid waste, as well as other services provided by the county.

[This reporter was an original member of the solid waste committee but has not been active with it for more than six months.]

The next regular meeting of the Catron County Commission will be Wednesday, February 21.

� 2007 Mountain Mail Socorro, New Mexico

http://www.stpns.net
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Feds reject Wyoming's Wolf Kill Plan [2007-02-11]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Feds reject Wyoming's Wolf Kill Plan [2007-02-11]
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:07 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Conservation groups back wolf decision
By The Associated Press

JACKSON - Conservationists applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision against allowing Wyoming to kill wolves to preserve the state's wildlife herds over the next few years.

Franz Camenzind, executive director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, said the federal stance was "absolutely appropriate."

"The question is can the people of Wyoming share their abundant wildlife with a few wolves," he said, "or do they want them just for themselves to shoot and kill. I would hope Wyoming and its people are generous enough to allow native wildlife to live here."

Wyoming had suggested that the federal agency allow the state to kill some wolves to control their killing of other wildlife during likely litigation over the status of wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and state legislative leaders said they were disappointed by the rejection of the state proposal, saying it leaves them no choice but to continue the state's lawsuit against the federal government.

Freudenthal said the federal agency's position would allow the killing of wolves that prey on livestock in the state but not those that prey on other wildlife, such as elk. The state fears that elk herds might be reduced to the point that it will affect the lucrative elk-hunting trade.

The Fish and Wildlife Service last year proposed creation of a permanent wolf management area in northwestern Wyoming as a way to resolve the long-running dispute over wolf management.

The agency last month announced a proposal to remove Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the endangered species list in Wyoming as well as in Montana and Idaho. The federal agency approved wolf management plans in Montana and Idaho, but it rejected Wyoming's management plan in 2004. Wyoming has sued the agency over the rejection.

With no approved management plan in Wyoming, the federal government said it intends to move ahead with delisting wolves in Montana and Idaho.

Copyright � 2007 Associated Press.
Copyright � The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

http://www.billingsgazette.net
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein

Wolf News :: Gray Wolf "No Longer Endangered" [2007-02-08]

Author: Amaroq
Subject: Gray Wolf "No Longer Endangered" [2007-02-08]
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:16 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Gray Wolf No Longer Endangered

By Paul Sisco
Washington, DC
08 February 2007

The gray wolf once roamed from coast to coast and from Alaska to Mexico in North America. It is believed they are second only to humans in adapting to climate extremes. But a century of hunting brought them to near extinction. Now there are more than 5,000 in the United States, not counting a thriving population larger than that in Alaska. After three decades of federal protections, the gray wolf is back. Paul Sisco reports.

The U.S government has taken the gray wolf off the endangered species list.

After a century of shooting, trapping and poisoning by ranchers to protect livestock, wolves were placed under protection in 1974. Steve Norbit, of the National Wildlife Federation, says, "They are not the bad guy. They are not the savior of the wilderness. They are just an animal trying to figure out how to make a living."

Under protection and reintroduced to former habitats, the gray wolf population has come back. Breeding programs at Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere have proved successful. Now, 30 years later, wolf populations in the midwestern United States have recovered enough to end their protected status.

Without federal protections, it is up to individual states to manage populations. That worries environmentalists such as Bill Snade of the Center for Biodiversity. "Already we've seen the state of Idaho propose a $26 permit fee to hunt wolves. That is right out of the gate. I'm sure we'll see other states follow suit."

Alan Ferguson, from Wyoming, understands the problem. "These wolves don't kill first, they take the animal down and then they just go to feeding. You're running the risk of a lot of wolf derbies, and who knows, maybe extinction again. I don't know."

He has lost cattle to wolves, but still fears state management, allowing them to be hunted. Ferguson adds, "I don't think so. The good Lord meant them to be here."

http://www.voanews.com
_________________
"All our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."
~ Albert Einstein