Filed under: Uncategorized — kathleenlash at 5:33 am on Thursday, April 12, 2007
Time is running out for the 1,200 gray wolves of the Northern Rockies.
In just three weeks, the Department of the Interior will decide whether to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list – and immediately put them back into a line of hunter’s fire.
Once the gray wolf comes off the endangered species list, hundreds of their bodies will quickly litter the Rocky Mountains, massacred by sports hunters, farmers and government agents.
You can stop this from happening.
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/wolves_in_peril?rk=Q7LHo_K1pGkRW
If the Department of Interior succeeds in its plan, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming state agencies will take responsibility for “population management,†opening the door for farmers, ranchers and government sharpshooters to kill so-called “problem wolves†– and to take maximum advantage of an established sport hunting quota.
The wolves were originally given protection in 1974 under the federal “Endangered Species Act.†However, by the mid-1990s, down to just 12 animals and faced with extinction, 66 wild gray wolves were brought in from Canada and released in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.
Over the past decade, the wolves have grown in population to an estimated 1,200. They have flourished in the wilds of the Rockies, forming packs, producing litters and roaming an ever-widening area.
In early January, Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett said the gray wolves “are biologically ready to be de-listed†– political-speak for taking them off the endangered species list, removing their protection under federal law.
Once the wolves are removed from the list, the states become responsible for managing the wolf population. Under the proposed changes, each state could allow hunting and control as long as at least 10 wolf packs and 100 animals remain in each state.
Upon hearing the news, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch†Otter (R) issued a statement to the Associated Press in which he emphasized his support for public hunting to kill all but the minimum 100 wolves and 10 wolf packs in his state once the federal protection is lifted. At a rally of hunters at the Idaho state capitol on January 11, Otter went one step further, telling attendees, “I’m going to bid for the first ticket to shoot a wolf.â€Â
Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) has gone on record stating “the wolves are causing an unacceptable impact on our elk and moose populations,†while urging legislative action labeling any gray wolf found outside Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks an “unprotected predator†that can be shot without question.
You can stop this from happening.
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/wolves_in_peril?rk=Q7LHo_K1pGkRW
According to a recent article in The Christian Science Monitor,
“…ranchers and environmentalists have been partnering to try new ways of controlling wolves without killing them. With financial help and advice from the national group ‘Defenders of Wildlife,’ two large ranches – one in Idaho and one in Montana – are using range riders and guard dogs together with solar-powered alarms triggered by radio telemetry to protect sheep. Neither ranch lost a single sheep to wolves last summer.â€Â
Federal regulations require 60 days of public comment before the proposed action to de-list can take place. May 9 is D-Day for the gray wolves of the Northern Rockies.
You can save the gray wolves by taking a moment to register your opposition to the proposal by sending an e-mail to the Department of the Interior. The e-mail address and wording can be found at
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/wolves_in_peril?rk=Q7LHo_K1pGkRW
