Mexican Gray Wolf

[Coues&Bass]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday, that it will consider giving stronger Federal protection to the Mexican Gray Wolf by classifying it as an endangered subspecies in its own right.

At this time, the Mexican Gray Wolf is classified as endangered but only as a member of the greater gray wolf species, which has other populations around the United States.

A re-classification would insulate the Mexican Gray Wolf from any decisions made about other populations of gray wolves in the United States.

Fish and Wildlife said it’s experimental re-introduction of the Mexican wolf into

Eastern Arizona and Southwestern New Mexico is not working that well.

In part, because people who live in the area continue to shoot and kill the re-introduced wolves and members of their packs.

Fish and Wildlife says that if the subspecies is listed separately as endangered, that would prompt the service to write a new recovery plan for the Mexican Gray Wolf,

said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, which has petitioned the service to re-classify the wolf. That’s because the service would be obligated to write a new recovery plan for the subspecies, and the plan could lead to changes in the rules of governing that wolf population.

 

MySouthernAZ

[hawkeye]

Only in Arizona would the Game and Fish Dept. spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in elk and antelope re-population and management and then throw it all away by getting involved with the tree hugging wolf lovers. If you don't think the AZGFD has become nothing but a political tool for the tree huggers this is a prime example. Almost everyone employed by them are either non hunters or from Seattle or California. I used to support the AZGFD but not anymore. It makes me sick to think that my money is going to an effort to destroy the elk and deer populations in eastern Arizona.

[hawkeye]

As the wolf war continues, so does the decline in the elk, moose, and deer herds of the Great American West. We continue to support and promote the delisting of wolves through SFW’s (Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife) new affiliate organization called “Big Game Forever” . This organization allows people to become educated and show their support in this cause by simply signing the online petition and/or giving a donation. I hope that you will take time to visit the website and learn about the importance of delisting wolves. With an organization as credible as SFW in the driver’s seat, we can all climb aboard the bandwagon and assist in overcoming this political speed bump on our way to conserving America’s big game.

 

Be sure to read the Big Game Forever press release below.

 

 

 

 

 

BIG GAME FOREVER LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REMOVE WOLVES FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

 

As a judge in Montana considers whether to permit Montana and Idaho to continue hunts to manage mushrooming wolf populations that have decimated big game herds, Defenders of Wildlife has sought to triple the number of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming and the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned Interior Secretary Salazar and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide for expansion of wolf populations across the entire United States.

 

In response to these actions and the strong grassroots desire of sportsmen, outfitters, ranchers, and many others all across the US to insure that wolves are de-listed from the Endangered Species List and managed by all states where they are found, Big Game Forever, a political action arm of nationally-respected organization Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, has drafted legislation to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List. Big Game Forever is now working with a growing number of Congressmen and Senators to have the bill introduced early in 2011. The bill will allow needed wolf management measures to stop the decline of some of the West’s and upper Midwest’s most important herds of elk, moose and deer and help rebuild those herds.

 

“The decision to remove wolves, one of North America’s most abundant and successful predators, from the endangered species list by both the Bush and Obama administrations will not be respected by animal rights and a handful of environmental groups, even though excessive predation on big game has caused at least $100 million damage to the economies of states where wolves are found,” says Ryan Benson, National Director for Big Game Forever.

 

“Wolves are being exploited in an attempt to remove the rights of sportsmen to have access to and use of renewable wildlife resources. Notwithstanding the experimental nature of wolf reintroductions and repeated declarations that wolf populations have expanded far beyond recovery objectives, these groups continue to make millions of dollars suing the federal government on technicalities within the Endangered Species Act. It has become clear that there will be no end to the litigation despite the unprecedented damage to wildlife, surplus killing of livestock, and attacks on pets and guard dogs in the West and Upper Midwest. Ultimately those most affected by the ongoing litigation continue to be Sportsmen and wildlife, including the very wolves the anti-sporting groups proclaim to protect,” Benson says.

 

The federal government is currently spending $3.7 million dollars yearly to remove problem wolves that kill domestic livestock in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This is money that should be used for wildlife conservation, including restoration of elk, moose, wild sheep and deer that have been decimated by rapidly-expanding wolf populations in many areas, Big Game Forever asserts.

 

The proposed legislation will provide assurances of agreed upon wolf population numbers in states where experimental reintroductions have reached sustainable populations spelled out in original enabling mandates. “State wildlife managers can either manage for abundance or scarcity,” explains Benson. “In the last 10 years, sportsmen have contributed $20 Billion in federal wildlife funding in an attempt to restore healthy big game populations and waterfowl populations. In addition to federal funding, State wildlife agencies, which are largely if not exclusively funded by sportsmen’s dollars, spend hundreds of millions annually in the West to restore and protect habitat, and manage wildlife populations.”

 

“Sportsmen have worked tirelessly and put their money where their mouth is in an effort to restore healthy wildlife herds to the West,” says Don Peay founder of “Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife”. “Decades-long recovery efforts by states and sportsmen’s groups are being erased in herd after herd. We will not stand by and watch our efforts wasted by an anti-management agenda that has proved to be a failure for elk, moose and even the wolves they proclaim to protect.”

 

Congressional intervention provides a mechanism to ensure that states can fulfill their mandate to manage all wildlife populations for the use of its citizens. Benson explains, “Wolves are here to stay. The same state agencies that successfully manage balanced numbers of mountain lions, bears and other large predators are well-positioned to maintain balanced numbers of gray wolves while protecting abundant prey populations.”

 

To document the groundswell of support for wolf de-listing, Big game Forever has launched an online petition at biggameforever.org that has already drawn thousands of signers. Some of the early supporters of the petition include entertainer Jeff Foxworthy, former NBA all-star player Karl Malone, Hall of Fame baseball player Wade Boggs, President of Hoyt Archery Randy Walk, Randy and Coni Brooks of Barnes Bullets, and David Allen, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.[/size]

[.270]

heck, if you accidently kill one you go to prison. they have game wardens and wolf lovers literally living with them. how much more protection do they need? i guess they can close the woods to everyone except wolf people. i'm sure that's next. Lark.

[DesertBull]

The judge ruled that either all wolves on the ESL or none are. Wolf hunts are off for now.

 

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A federal judge has ordered endangered species protections reinstated for the gray wolf in Montana and Idaho.

 

The federal government last year removed protections for wolves in those two states but not in Wyoming. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy says in his ruling Thursday the government's decision was a political solution and does not comply with the federal Endangered Species Act.

 

Molloy says the entire Rocky Mountain wolf population must be either listed or removed as an endangered species, but the protections can't be separated by state.

[BeardownAZ]

Great....more wasted taxpayer dollars on a program that isn't working and wont. Not to mention nobody in the effected areas support it. So yes, closing off the forest is next to protect them . It just gets more ridiculous by the minute.