This wolf was shot near Salmon Idaho

[Dustin07]

PETA's kill rate is far higher than us as hunters. Last year their kill rate was 97%. A whole 97%!

I don't know what that means. 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 News from Montana today....



http://missoulian.com/news/local/art...cc4c03286.html


http://missoulian.com/news/state-and...cc4c03286.html
__________________

[Dustin07]

your links no good.

[Dustin07]

maybe this and this will work

[Dustin07]

call me dense, but this quote seems really short sighted and ignorant.

"This isn't about wolves and wildlife," said Jerry Black, a retired airline pilot. "This is a mobilization of hostility. You see all these kids with these anti-wolf signs. How do you think they're going to learn to really respect wildlife?"

[Elkaholic daWg]

  Sorry about the links...


http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_d75f1638-789e-11df-8593-001cc4c03286.html

Dustin..
 What do you suppose the chances of Mr Black being a Montana native are?  I'd say NOT GOOD!

[bearpaw]

Here's the text from the link:
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_d75f1638-789e-11df-8593-001cc4c03286.html

100 protest wolves outside federal court hearing

The similarities in the crowd of people gathered on a sidewalk outside Tuesday's federal hearing on wolves were striking.

Anti-wolf signs. Arch rhetoric. Camo shirts.

But once folks in the crowd of about 100 started talking, it was the differences rather than the similarities that proved striking.

"It's very true that we aren't all coming from the same place here," said Casey Richardson, vice president of the Montana chapter of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. "It's like most discussions. You have people out on the fringes and you have people closer to the middle. This group, where we come together is a concern about how wolves are managed in Montana. Where we differ is how that management ought to take place."

Richardson and members of his organization understand that wolves in part of the Montana landscape are good.

"We get that, and we're in support of that," he said. "What we want is some balance so that our populations of elk and deer remain stable. We don't want to see those herds decimated just so wolves can prosper, because in the end, that's bad for wolves, as well."

And then there are folks like Toby Bridges, who runs a website called Lobo Watch, which is decidedly anti-wolf.

"I agree that we are going to have some wolves, but I can tell you that if we have more and more wolves, people are going to start doing something about them," said Bridges. "People are going to take things into their own hands and solve the problem."

Tuesday's hearing inside the Russell Smith Courthouse drew a host of lawyers to argue the merits of relisting the wolf under the Endangered Species Act. That possibility was a galvanizing prospect for protesters gathered outside.

"We're in agreement out here that this is an area where the state of Montana should be managing its own wildlife," said state Sen. Joe Balyeat (R-Bozeman). "The federal government has proven themselves an unworthy partner in management."

While nearly everyone on the downtown Missoula sidewalk favored more aggressive wolf management and hunting, wolves did have a few advocates.

"This isn't about wolves and wildlife," said Jerry Black, a retired airline pilot. "This is a mobilization of hostility. You see all these kids with these anti-wolf signs. How do you think they're going to learn to really respect wildlife?"

Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or by e-mail at mmoore@missoulian.com.

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Here's the text to the other story....


Seeking Balance
    Seeking Balance
    Crowd gathers prior to Missoula court hearing on federal delisting of wolves

A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday on whether gray wolves in Montana and Idaho should be protected once more under the Endangered Species Act, a case that both sides say could affect how the wildlife protection law is applied in the future.

Defenders of Wildlife, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and other wildlife advocates sued the federal government after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service named wolves a distinct population segment and removed them from the endangered species list in April 2009.

The Fish and Wildlife Service turned over wolf management to Montana and Idaho wildlife officials but left federal endangered species protections in place for wolves in Wyoming, where state law is considered hostile to the animals' survival.

The plaintiffs say the government should not be able to split the level of protection between the states, particularly when the wolves in all three states are considered part of the same distinct population segment, attorney Douglas Honnald said Monday.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says it can designate endangered species protections to just that portion of the species' range where it is endangered - and wolves outside Wyoming don't face the same threat as those inside state lines.

"There's no doubt the wolf population is recovered in the northern Rocky Mountains," said Ed Bangs, the Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery project leader.

Wildlife advocates say if the wolves are considered endangered in one significant portion of their range the whole species should be considered endangered - it's a scientific and genetic determination, not a political one.

Both sides say the decision could shape whether the government can use political considerations, such as state laws and boundaries, in choosing how and where a species can be listed under the act.

The plaintiffs also are challenging what the Fish and Wildlife Service determined as an adequate wolf population to consider the species recovered and whether the states have strong enough laws to protect the wolves from dropping back down to dangerously low population levels.

Each side is asking Molloy to grant a summary judgment, which could end the court case before it goes to trial. Molloy is expected to rule later this year.

Gray wolves were listed as endangered in 1974, but following a reintroduction program in the mid-1990s, there are now more than 1,700 wolves in the Northern Rockies

The Fish and Wildlife Service has told each state to keep its minimum wolf population at 150 wolves with 15 breeding pairs or the wolves could go back under federal protection.

At the end of 2009, there were at least 843 wolves in Idaho, 524 in Montana and 320 in Wyoming, with more in parts of Oregon and Washington state.

That's too many for some. The population boom has meant livestock losses for ranchers and competition for hunters for big game, such as elk.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission chairman Bob Ream said last month that the commission supports the idea that it's time to decrease the wolf population - the question is how much and how fast.

Montana and Idaho each held wolf hunts last year, Montana's ending with 73 wolves killed and Idaho with 185 killed. Both states are considering expanding their quotas and the tactics allowed for this year's hunt.

 

[Tony 270WSM]

PETA's kill rate is far higher than us as hunters. Last year their kill rate was 97%. A whole 97%!

I don't know what that means. 

PETA killed 97% of the animals they took in last year, according to their own records. Animals they were supposed to find homes for, but didn't.

[Dustin07]

PETA's kill rate is far higher than us as hunters. Last year their kill rate was 97%. A whole 97%!

I don't know what that means. 

PETA killed 97% of the animals they took in last year, according to their own records. Animals they were supposed to find homes for, but didn't.

LOL

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Todays story....



http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_42b40808-7895-11df-8ae3-001cc4c03286.html

[Elkaholic daWg]

 And today from the enemy........

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Save America's Wolves

Future of Wolves
at Stake
Young Idaho Wolf (www.defenders.org)

A judge could rule at any time on the future of wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies...but win or lose, our work for wolves will continue.

Help Defenders ensure a lasting future for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies with a monthly gift of as little as $5 a month (17 cents per day!).

Make a monthly gift for wolves


Dear George,

Thanks to the support of caring people like you, I was at the courthouse in Missoula, Montana yesterday fighting for wolves.

It’s been a long and hard battle -- and the judge could rule at any time on whether to restore vital federal protections for still-recovering wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and northern Rockies region.

Inside the courtroom, each side had 90 minutes to present their case to the judge. Our lead attorney was the first to take the stage, addressing key questions from the judge.

There was even a bit of drama in the courtroom: One of the lawyers fighting for wolves fainted during her arguments to the judge! She's fine -- it just goes to show how hard she's been working to help save these wolves.

Outside the courtroom, anti-wolf protesters made their presence felt with signs saying “Kill Wolves” and labeling Defenders as “terrorists.”

This court battle is pivotal to the future of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and northern Rockies and a ruling could come at any time. But win or lose, our work to ensure a lasting future for wolves in the West will not end at the courtroom doors.

Please consider becoming a Wildlife Guardian with a small monthly gift to help save the lives of wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies and other wildlife and their homes.

Anti-wolf vigilantes are preparing to take matters into their own hands. A post on one extremist website instructs visitors on how to poison wolves with commonly available products.1 And strychnine-laced sausages -- possibly left for wolves by forest trails -- have already poisoned several dogs in Idaho.2

This charged atmosphere makes Defenders’ work all the more important. We’re not only fighting in court, but we’re also busy on the ground, working to save the lives of the wolves you and I have fought so hard to protect.

Defenders is collaborating with ranchers and livestock producers to reduce conflicts with wolves. We’re countering the anti-wolf lies and extreme rhetoric in the media. We’re mobilizing tens of thousands of activists from across the country. And we’re working to bring lawless wolf poachers to justice.

A lasting future for wolves in the West won’t be made with just one court decision. It will take years of ongoing hard work and determination. Will you help with a monthly gift?

Sincerely,

Mike Senatore
Vice President, Conservation Law
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Please become a Wildlife Guardian online today or call 1-877-682-9401 to help provide the vital support we’ll need in the days ahead to save the lives of wolves and other wildlife.

Notes:
1 http://www.keci.com/Anti-wolf-website-angers-conservationists/7465687
2 http://www.krem.com/news/local/Dog-dies-after-eating-sausage-on-trail-92560964.html
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