The Lands Council sent this new release to us today:
Help Protect The Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced its 2nd attempt at delisting the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains.
The first attempt was quickly reversed in July by a federal judge, but not before state management programs led to the killing of over 100 wolves.
The geographical area at issue with this proposal includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Utah .
A wolf pack (2 adults and 6 pups) was discovered near Twisp, Washington in July 2008. Although their territory is outside the area now proposed for delisting, the delisting could potentially isolate them from all protected populations in the U.S.
Please join The Lands Council in commenting against this second attempt at delisting the gray wolf, and in favor of the continued protection of the northern Rocky Mountain population of grey wolves by maintaining their federal listing until they truly are recovered!
You have until November 28, 2008 to submit comments regarding the USFWS proposal.
Comments can be submitted online here.
Always remember that personalizing your message will make it more effective, please include:
Where you live
Why you care about the wolves
Any personal, educational, or professional experience that informs your opinion
Points to make in your comments:
Rather than repackaging a severely flawed plan that has already been rejected by a federal judge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must take a fresh look at the management of wolves in this region.
The proposal allows as many as 1,000 wolves to be killed as soon as they lose the protections of the Endangered Species Act — slashing the population by as much as two thirds. Such drastic reductions in wolf numbers would be a serious obstacle preventing wolves from establishing a sustainable and connected wolf population in the region, and would not maintain wolves above minimum levels necessary to ensure their survival.
The region’s population of 1,500 wolves still falls short of the numbers that independent scientists have determined to be necessary to secure the health of the species in the Northern Rockies. Maintaining wolves at such low levels endangers their long-term genetic variability and therefore the likelihood of the population surviving.
The current proposal is the product of a flawed process and will likely result in the same types of policy conflicts and legal battles that have plagued wolf management in the past.
The USFWS should work with wildlife biologists to revise the plan and collaborate with wildlife conservationists, ranchers, tourism officials, hunters and other interested individuals to develop new science-based state wolf management plans that are more informed, inclusive and balanced.
Thank you!!!
Visit our website for more information on protecting the Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf.
