http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/yellowstone_is_dying.htm"When wolf recovery was proposed in 1988, Congress appropriated monies to study the proposed experiment. Congress instructed those who made the request to introduce wolves that: hunting should not be hurt, the local economy should not be hurt, and the Grizzly Bear should not be impacted. With these marching orders from Congress, a team of 15 Ph. D's who specialized in Predator/Prey biology came back and published "Wolves for Yellowstone? A Report to Congress and the Department of Interior Vol. 1" in 1991." They said the 250 square miles in and around Yellowstone could hold 78-100 wolves at full capacity if it was done over a 10-20 year period"
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WOLF DELISTING IS ABOUT STOPPING THE ASSAULT ON THE RIGHTS OF STATES TO MANAGE WILDLIFE
Recent news that 50% of Yellowstone’s wolf population is suffering from the often fatal parasitic disease Sarcoptic Mange raises the question whether further delays in wolf management is good for America’s wolf populations. While wolves in Yellowstone’s are appropriately left unmanaged, their plight is a cautionary tale of unintended consequences. Ironically, the assault on the rights of state’s to manage their game populations under the guise of stopping any management of America’s wolf populations runs contrary to cautions of Dr. David Mech, one of the world’s foremost wolf biologists and head of the IUCN wolf study group, “If we have learned anything…it is that the best way to ensure continued wolf survival is, ironically enough, not to protect wolves completely.” He continues, “If we carefully regulate wolf populations instead of overprotecting them, we can prevent…backlash that could once again lead to persecution.” The bi-partisan effort in Congress to return wolf populations to state wildlife management is not only necessary, it is supported by wildlife management professionals across North America and a well-developed wolf recovery record.
Here are the facts:
(1) Wolf Populations are Recovered: Western and Midwestern populations of wolves in the United States have been biologically recovered for years, now exceeding 3-10 times recovery objectives according to US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). High wolf densities and disappearing prey populations have made current wolf populations levels unsustainable in many areas.
(2) Wolves will Remain Protected: The Bush and Obama administration have attempted to delist both the Western and Midwestern populations of Gray Wolves. State wildlife protections are designed to protect wolves the same way they protect other large predator species like mountain lions and black bears.
(3) The Right of States to Manage: The ESA is not a replacement for state wildlife management. States employ thousands of wildlife management experts and spend hundreds of millions annually to protect balanced wildlife populations.
(4) Abusive Litigation and Money: An endless cycle of litigation by a coalition of animal rights and environmental groups has, and will continue, to keep delisting decisions tied up in courts for years using delay tactics and legal technicalities. These cases are often used as a platform to advocate purposefully misleading, inflammatory, and pseudoscientific propaganda. These plaintiffs receive millions in federal dollars to fund their litigation while also using the manufactured “wolf crisis” as a way to raise money rather than pursuing wise wildlife management policies.
(5) Unmanaged Wolves Damaging to Wildlife: Unmanaged wolves cause high levels of damage to other wildlife populations and pose a risk to sensitive at-risk species such as Shiras Moose and Bighorn sheep. Some of the West’s most important wilderness herds have been decimated by wolves, including the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd, Jackson Shiras Moose Herd, and Selway Elk Herd have experienced 70-90% reductions.
(6) Economic Damage from Unmanaged Wolves: USFWS estimates that wolves have killed as many as 35,000 head of domestic livestock in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming alone. Wolf predation causes over $100 million in annual economic impact, costs that are largely borne by family ranchers and fragile rural economies.
(7) Federal Wolf Control: The federal government has killed 1,256 problem wolves, spending $3.7 million a year in just in the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This had had little impact on the explosive growth of wolf populations or protectrd affected wildlife populations.
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Worldwide Wolf Populations Abundant: Wolf populations are not only resilient, but also abundant worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of wolves are distributed across North America, Europe, Asia, Russia, India, and the Middle East.
Efforts by members of Congress to fulfill the promises of the ESA is the best way to stop exploitation of wolves, protect the credibility of the ESA and stop the assault on the right of states to manage their game populations. Governor Freudenthal (D) Wyoming, has stated about Congressional wolf delisting, “It’s not an attempt to exempt them [from the ESA],” he said. “It’s to recognize that the population is recovered, and to proceed to recognize that and to try to eliminate the continued litigation that makes it impossible for either the federal government or the states to manage wolf populations.” Wolf delisting provides assurances to those who are most impacted by the challenges associated with unmanaged wolf populations, that their investment in wolf recovery will no longer be ignored. Wolf recovery under the ESA will not be a success until wolves are returned to state wildlife management.
Visit BigGameForever.org and add your name to the thousands who have already signed the petition to stop the assault on the rights of states to manage their game populations and in support of wolf delisting.
MR. RYAN D. BENSON, J.D. is the senior legal and political advisor for Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and Big Game Forever
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- BIG GAME FOREVER
Monday, December 20, 2010
Contact:
Ryan Benson
1-801-870-5307
http://biggameforever.org
