Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 05:41:49 PM
Rather than starting a new topic for every piece of wolf news that I receive almost on a daily basis, it will be easier to start a topic in which I post wolf headlines and wolf news on a continuing basis. If you tag this topic you will see it in your "Show new replies to your posts" every time I add a new Gray Wolf News story.
Two wolf relisting lawsuits and RMEF's letter on Yellowstone wolves
email December 4, 2012
Attached are two lawsuits that have been filed over wolf delisting in Wyoming. Both suits are attempting to put ALL wolves in the northern Rockies under full ESA protection. The first suit (2012 Wolf lawsuit) was filed in a DC court, while the second was filed in Denver.
I have been told that the USFWS has asked the DC court to transfer the first case to a WY court. Please note that this is everyone’s problem, not just Wyoming’s. All states and other effected parties need to intervene in both cases.
- [Dr.] Charles Kay
2012 Wolf Law Suit
(119 Kb 43 page pdf file)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxTUA0p0wVj5UUN5NDc4N2F1b2M (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxTUA0p0wVj5UUN5NDc4N2F1b2M)
Complaint_as_Filed-1
(267 Kb 50 page pdf file)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxTUA0p0wVj5NFlWOXVLWXE3Mk0 (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxTUA0p0wVj5NFlWOXVLWXE3Mk0)
David Allen Issues Letter on Yellowstone Park Wolves
Link:
http://tinyurl.com/dyyem73 (http://tinyurl.com/dyyem73)
Monday, December 3, 2012
Robert Ream, Chairman
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission
Helena, MT
Dear Mr. Ream,
We understand that Defenders of Wildlife and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) are currently running a campaign against Montana FWP for allowing hunting and trapping of wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). As you know, these hunts are legal, necessary and scientifically sustainable. There is absolutely no science or rationale to support these groups belief that a special "no hunt" zone should be created outside of YNP. Further, we are not aware of any science or rationale to support the attempts of Defenders, GYC and other groups to create a distinction between "Yellowstone wolves" and wolves that exist within the tri-state region of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
The attempt to establish a “buffer zone” for YNP wolves is in direct contrast to the original goal for the wolf reintroduction in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM). Never at any time was it planned that "Yellowstone wolves" would be granted amnesty from management once outside of YNP. This is a time when Defenders, GYC and others should be celebrating a successful recovery of the wolf population. However, it seems that there is no such satisfaction. Will there ever be? A substantial number of wolves throughout the three states have come from YNP. Are they to be given special protection status as well? Additionally, hundreds of animals including elk, deer, bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions and others are fitted with radio collars for scientific purposes and roam the wilds in and around YNP, but they are not excluded from hunting seasons outside the park. When harvested, the collars are returned to the management agency and the data is utilized. We urge all hunters to return collars to wildlife agencies.
During the recent lawsuits over delisting wolves in the NRM, Defenders, GYC and others strongly proclaimed that borders between states did not matter when considering wolf populations and wolf management. They claimed this so they could keep Montana, Idaho and Wyoming all tied together in the lawsuit. We were all told "an imaginary or arbitrary border or line had no distinction when considering wolf populations.” Now, all of sudden, the YNP border is relevant and any wolf close to it but outside of the park should be protected. It is obvious that Defenders, GYC and others simply wish to continue to protest state-based management of wolves, thus keeping a "wolf controversy alive" for the express purpose of soliciting for more donations.
The reality is Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are each required to manage wolves within a specific set of mandates. If those mandates are not adhered to, then the states run the risk of losing management control and having their wolf population placed back on the Endangered Species List. As it stands today, wolf numbers continue to be well above objective and in need of reduction. Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are not close to risking the greater wolf population of the NRM being relisted under the ESA, and that should be the common goal for all of us.
Those who protest the harvesting of the Yellowstone area wolves seem to gloss over the fact that the primary reason wolves are leaving Yellowstone is for prey. The substantial reduction of the northern Yellowstone elk herd requires these wolves to travel farther for prey. We sincerely wish that those who claim to "defend wildlife" felt some empathy for the thousands of elk that have been lost from the northern Yellowstone elk herd, not to mention the related economic losses. We continue to hear the cry for different science from these special interest groups. We submit that the real science is at work now through state-based management and these groups need to get on board and support it. We have wasted enough taxpayer time and money chasing special interest ideology.
We urge you not to alter or reduce the ability to continue the legal and ethical management, including hunting and trapping, of wolves surrounding the Yellowstone National Park border. Further, we urge our members to communicate their position on this important issue with you.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
David Allen
President/CEO
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Post by: JODakota on December 04, 2012, 05:44:32 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 05:59:17 PM
By Bob Allen December 4, 2012 - IPR
The Michigan legislature is moving closer to allow a hunting season for gray wolves. There are around 700 wolves in the Upper Peninsula.
If the legislature makes the wolf a game species, then wildlife officials will still have to justify that a hunt is necessary. And that it won’t harm wolf recovery.
Must Meet State Goal
Under state law, there can’t be a recreational wolf hunt for any old reason. Wildlife officials would have to show that a hunt is warranted. And that it would meet the goal of reducing wolf-human conflicts.
“We’ve never had a wolf hunt in Michigan. We don’t know this is exactly what will happen if we do the following steps,” says Adam Bump, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bo4sdqj (http://tinyurl.com/bo4sdqj)
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 06:00:42 PM
December 4, 2012 posted at Wolf Crossing
ALBUQUERQUE – A U.S. District Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit alleging the director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the chairman of the State Game Commission violated the federal Endangered Species Act by allowing trapping in the recovery area of the Mexican gray wolf.
U.S. Magistrate Lorenzo Garcia ruled that the environmental activist organization WildEarth Guardians failed to present facts showing the defendants’ actions directly or indirectly caused trappings or taking of wolves. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Department Director Jim Lane, who was named in the lawsuit with State Game Commission Chairman Jim McClintic, hailed the decision as a sportsmen’s victory for “real conservationists,” state authority over wildlife management, and the integrity of the Endangered Species Act.
“We fought aggressively to defeat this frivolous lawsuit,” Lane said. “We are happy with the outcome. It’s unfortunate we had to spend hunters’, anglers’ and trappers’ dollars to win it rather than leveraging those same dollars toward on-the-ground conservation of New Mexico’s wildlife.”
Continued:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=663 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=663)
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 06:04:48 PM
Email December 3, 2012
19 year old Devin Jones of Lewiston, ID took advantage of an elk that had been harvested earlier by another party member that attracted a wolf pack. He was successful at taking 2 Lobo’s with his great grandpa’s old 100 year old 30-30!
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 04, 2012, 06:07:05 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 06:07:58 PM
Neil LaRubbio Dec 03, 2012 High Country News
By the time you read this blog, I will be on my second day of hunting gray wolves in Montana. An old friend of mine in Livingston introduced me to some ranchers in Paradise Valley to write a story of their hunt. We will be trudging through a wilderness of snow on horseback, hoping to “get lucky”, you might say. Luck, I’ve found, is at least 50 percent of hunting anyway -- for wolves, it’s probably closer to 80 percent.
That’s not to say wolf hunters this year have been unsuccessful. Looking through wildlife agency websites for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, hunters have recorded fairly significant kill numbers. All this occurs as wolf reintroduction, “the greatest success of the Endangered Species Act”, enters a new era -- one I'm hoping to explore in my story on the topic. The survival of America’s gray wolves now rests in the hands of state wildlife agencies and sportsmen, who have supplanted environmentalists as their diligent guardians.
Some statistics to date:
Hunters in Montana have harvested 84 wolves as of Thursday afternoon, out of a population of at least 650 statewide. Different this year compared to the last is that there is no statewide wolf harvest limit. In 2011, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks set a harvest quota of 220 wolves, but even though hunters had a 46-day extension, they only killed 166 wolves by the end of the season in mid-February. Another difference: This 2012 season allows trapping in Montana for the first time since wolves were delisted. From December 15 through February 28, trappers will be able to snatch three pelts apiece.
Idaho doesn’t have a state bag limit either, and their season starts earlier and ends later. Last year, with a population estimated around 746 wolves, hunters and trappers killed a combined 349. Trappers are typically more successful than hunters, but there are fewer of them, as Jason Husseman, regional wildlife biologist for Idaho Department of Fish and Game told me. Roughly 1,000 trappers took the state's mandatory trapper license course this year, compared with over 100,000 hunters that head out into the woods, many of them looking for wolves. So while trapping may be an easier way to kill a wolf, there just aren’t as many people doing it … so far.
Wyoming is the state environmental groups worried about the most during the height of the wolf de-listing wars, and was the last state to get approval for a wolf hunt. Wolf advocates worried the state would kill off their population with lax regulations. Depending on how you look at it, they may have had reason to fret. The state designated wolves “predatory animals” except for within four management units, plus Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. As predatory animals, wolves can be killed, year-round, without a license. On the other hand, some say the majority of Wyoming’s wolf population is located in the management units, which all have quotas, and the rest of the state isn’t inhabited by wolves. It’s tough to gauge who’s right at this point. So far 37 wolves have been harvested in the management units; the total quota for the units is 52. Outside the units, 19 wolves have been killed to date.
If you’re hankering to kill a wolf and you live outside one of these states, I'd recommend taking your gun to Idaho. They only charge non-residents $31.75 for a wolf tag. Montana's fee is $350 (compared to $19 for locals) and Wyoming charges $180 (residents pay just $18). Either way, you’re going to have a tough time. Wolves aren’t easy to spot. I’m sure I’m finding that out by now.
Source:
http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/gone-hunting-wolves (http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/gone-hunting-wolves)
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 06:11:22 PM
By Sean Kirkby Monday, December 3, 2012 The Badger Herald
Wildlife officials have closed half of the state’s wolf hunting zones after hunters and trappers surpassed 100 wolf kills, which could mean Wisconsin’s inaugural organized wolf hunt season may end soon.
According to a statement, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources closed a wolf hunt zone Sunday in the northwest part of the state, bordering Lake Superior. The DNR has also closed two of the other six wolf hunt zones in the state.
As of Friday, hunters and trappers had killed 101 wolves of the 116 wolf quota, with 57 percent of wolves taken by trappers, according to DNR data. The season continues through the end of February or until hunters and trappers reach the limit.
Continued:
http://badgerherald.com/news/2012/12/03/wolf_hunt_may_soon_c.php (http://badgerherald.com/news/2012/12/03/wolf_hunt_may_soon_c.php)
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 06:12:30 PM
December 03, 2012 Duluth News Tribune by Cathy Miller
What’s going on? A killing frenzy? This wolf hunt is beyond disgusting and opened a door exposing abuse of power by politicians.
Wolves were removed from the endangered-species list in January and already are being trapped and shot. A four-month season is ongoing in Wisconsin, day and night, with trapping, electronic calling devices and bait. Possibly dogs, too, if the Dane County judge approves it Dec. 20.
Why? The bill authorizing the hunt reportedly was co-written by the Bear Hunter Association, Hunters’ Rights Group and Safari International. Gov. Scott Walker was elected with support from these groups. This seems like payback.
Continued:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/251509/group/Opinion/ (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/251509/group/Opinion/)
Post by: denali on December 04, 2012, 08:56:45 PM
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Wolves are still active in northeast Washington even after state wildlife managers killed seven of the predators earlier this year.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported wolf tracks observed Nov. 10 in the Wedge Pack area. The area is in northern Stevens County and is bordered by Canada and the Columbia and Kettle rivers.
Steve Pozzanghera, regional director of the department in Spokane, said data indicate two wolves are in the area, although where they’re coming from is unknown.
“We’ve had questions of ‘Does that mean these are remaining members of the Wedge pack that were not killed?’ and ‘Does that mean these are new dispersers into the area?’” Pozzanghera said. “The short answer is we don’t know.”
Len McIrvin, owner of the Diamond M Ranch in Laurier, Wash., where the Wedge pack attacked livestock last summer, said he saw fresh wolf tracks shortly after the state sharpshooter killed the pack members. He has continued to lose calves, he said, although no kills could be documented as wolf-caused in the rough country.
“The ones we found through the summer, I think was just kind of the Lord willing we found them,” he said, noting he’s observed mothers return with their udders drying up, indicating the loss of a calves.
McIrvin estimated he’s lost 40 calves, or 20 percent of the cattle in the area. He’s in the process of finishing fall roundup, and will soon have an exact total.
“It’s an opportunity for us to try again, and do better,” said Mitch Friedman, executive director of Conservation Northwest. “I don’t know that life often allows for quick re-dos of failures, and here we get a chance to do that.”
There’s half a year before ranchers can turn out calves onto public lands, Friedman said, and the tools are already available to help them, requiring earnest effort. Those options include turning out larger calves later, complete removal of carcasses as quickly as possible, wire and flagery at calving areas and range riders.
“Not every guy with a hat and horse is a range rider,” he said. “A range rider is trained and stays with that herd, keeps them bunched up 24-7.” Cow weights were above-average and not a single calf was lost in the Smackout Pack range rider pilot program this summer, Friedman said.
He expects his group to turn to the state Legislature next as it focuses on the Wedge pack killing and what policies should be for grazing on public land.
Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, has also heard reports of wolf sightings east of Enumclaw, Wash.
Field wants to ensure the department has tools to protect the ungulate population so that wolves don’t turn to livestock for their prey.
He expects Sen. Kevin Ranker, a Democrat from Orcas Island, Wash., and chair of the state senate’s Energy, Natural Resources and Marine Waters committee, will hold a fact-finding hearing and update in January. Ranker has expressed concern over killing the Wedge pack wolves.
Field said the biggest challenge is funding for the state’s wolf management plan.
“This cannot be something that’s funded out of the wildlife account off the backs of hundreds of sportsmen,” he said. “The entire population needs to share in the economic burden that species management and recovery brings.”
The department hopes to communicate with any rancher moving onto an allotment where wolves are present that tools are available such as range riders and use of radio collars to monitor wolf locations.
Turning out cattle in early June, at the same time there is a wild food source in the form of ungulates like deer, elk and moose reduces pressure on livestock, Pozzanghera said.
The agency has cost-share opportunities for operators, Pozzanghera said.
McIrvin said his ranch is using range riders and he and department workers have been working to provide an increased human presence.
Wolves preyed on cattle on his private property and state and federal lands he leases.
“I have never heard anything that would be helpful to stop losses other than what they did, take out the pack,” McIrvin said. “I don’t know what the next step would be until we go broke.”
Post by: Ridgeratt on December 04, 2012, 09:03:04 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2012, 10:41:09 PM
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:14:42 -0600
This wolf was shot Sunday in northern MN by a person that works with a friend of somebody named Chuck.
Post by: NWBREW on December 05, 2012, 01:54:23 AM
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 09:52:06 PM
by Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review Dec. 4, 2012
Wolf hunting has arrived in Washington.
Although gray wolves are still listed by the state as an endangered species, the Colville Confederated Tribes have opened a wolf hunting season for tribal members on a portion of their reservation, according to the 2012 Tribal Member South Half Gray Wolf Regulations posted on the tribe's website.
Tribal officials aren't answering calls from the media, but Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman magazine has put together a detailed report on this milestone in wolf management.
The Tribal Council approved a season that opened last week on the south half of the 1.4 million-acre reservation in Okanogan and Ferry Counties where at least two and possibly three packs roam.
Continued w/links to more info:
http://tinyurl.com/agp9lcx (http://tinyurl.com/agp9lcx)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 09:53:06 PM
06 November 2011 NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press
AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. (AP) – The Colville Indian Tribes are worried that the state's proposed wolf management plan may hurt subsistence hunting by its members.
The tribes told members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday that a plan to restore at least five breeding pairs of wolves in Eastern Washington has the potential to reduce herds of elk, deer and moose on its reservation.
Tribal members harvest up to 1,000 deer, 400 elk and 50 moose each year, and worry a large increase in the number of wolves will increase competition for the animals.
“We have 60 percent unemployment on our reservation,” Joe Peone of the Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department told the commission. “To be able to rely on subsistence hunting is critical.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/by3buhk (http://tinyurl.com/by3buhk)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 09:55:50 PM
By Ron Richter on Thu 12/06/2012 Sheridan Media
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department issued a media release stating that hunters should be alerted that Gray Wolf Hunt Area 2, the Sunlight Management Unit northwest of Cody, closed December 6th at 9:10 a.m. The area closed because the mortality quota of eight wolves was reached.
more: http://www.sheridanmedia.com/news/gray-wolf-hunter-area-2-closes61260 (http://www.sheridanmedia.com/news/gray-wolf-hunter-area-2-closes61260)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 09:57:59 PM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 07, 2012
PORTLAND, Oregon — The Oregon-born wolf looking for a mate in the wilds of Northern California has moved to lower ground as winter approaches.
California Department of Fish and Game program manager Karen Kovacs told The Oregonian (http://bit.ly/XA8mPt (http://bit.ly/XA8mPt)) that winter storms lashing the high country south of Lassen Peak have forced deer to lower elevations, and the wolf known as OR-7 has followed.
His satellite-tracking collar has shown him in oak-chaparral woodlands east of Red Bluff, California Kovacs said this is his first foray into that kind of habitat.
The wolf gained celebrity after leaving its home ground in northeastern Oregon more than a year ago and journeying hundreds of miles across eastern Oregon, down the Cascade Range to Northern California in search of a mate. Shortly after he left, the state put a death sentence on two members of his pack for killing cattle, but that has been held up by a lawsuit brought by conservation groups.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b7kkzrm (http://tinyurl.com/b7kkzrm)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 09:59:01 PM
December 4, 2012 posted at Wolf Crossing
ALBUQUERQUE – A U.S. District Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit alleging the director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the chairman of the State Game Commission violated the federal Endangered Species Act by allowing trapping in the recovery area of the Mexican gray wolf.
U.S. Magistrate Lorenzo Garcia ruled that the environmental activist organization WildEarth Guardians failed to present facts showing the defendants’ actions directly or indirectly caused trappings or taking of wolves. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Department Director Jim Lane, who was named in the lawsuit with State Game Commission Chairman Jim McClintic, hailed the decision as a sportsmen’s victory for “real conservationists,” state authority over wildlife management, and the integrity of the Endangered Species Act.
“We fought aggressively to defeat this frivolous lawsuit,” Lane said. “We are happy with the outcome. It’s unfortunate we had to spend hunters’, anglers’ and trappers’ dollars to win it rather than leveraging those same dollars toward on-the-ground conservation of New Mexico’s wildlife.”
Continued:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=663 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=663)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 10:00:16 PM
December 7, 2012 by Toby Bridges - Lobo Watch
Big game hunters in the western one-third of Montana just finished what may have been the absolute worst hunting season of their lives. During the late 1950s and 1960s, some of the better hunting districts in the Bitterroot, Sapphire, Garnet, Cabinet, Mission, Absaroka, Pioneer, Madison and other mountain ranges up and down the Rocky Mountains of Western Montana commonly saw hunter success rates of 30- to 50-percent. Often the percentage of elk, deer, moose and other big game hunters taking home game for the table even exceeded those success rates. Well, things have certainly changed, and not for the better. Depending on the specific geographical area, 2012 hunter success rates were more like 6- to 10-percent.
Why such a nose dive in the wild game harvest? That's the easy question to answer - there's no game to be hunted! The difficult question to answer is, why did Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks allow big game populations to crash by as much as 80-percent - without taking the necessary actions to stop the loss?
It's not because the agency lacks the professional wildlife managers and biologists to tackle and reverse such a downward trend in game numbers. The problem lies with a drastic change in the political agendas of those who direct, steer and literally dictate the direction that wildlife management now takes in this state. Unfortunately, it does not favor the sportsmen who have financially supported FWP since it was founded way back in 1901, originally as the Montana Fish and Game Department.
This wildlife agency is directly controlled by the Governor's office. Limited to two terms in office, current Governor Brian Schweitzer vacates that office next month, to be replaced by fellow Democrat Steve Bullock - who is currently serving as Montana's Attorney General. While an ever growing number of this state's sportsmen are proud to see Schweitzer leave office, they also now fear that they can expect the same agenda driven leadership from Bullock.
Continued:
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfPolitics8/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfPolitics8/go)
Post by: bearpaw on December 10, 2012, 10:02:44 PM
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press December 07, 2012
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Environmental groups on Friday filed a third federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recent move to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.
The Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The groups say Wyoming's management plan classifying wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state is inadequate. They want the court to reinstate federal protections.
Two other similar lawsuits filed by environmental groups are pending, one in the same federal court in Washington and another in federal court in Denver.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has said state management is adequate to maintain set minimum wolf populations. He wants all three lawsuits moved to Wyoming.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ac6yvyx (http://tinyurl.com/ac6yvyx)
Post by: Bean Counter on December 10, 2012, 10:14:20 PM
Too Many Predators... Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks... And Radical Environmental/Political Agendas Destroy Montana's Wildlife Resources
December 7, 2012 by Toby Bridges - Lobo Watch
Did I miss something? I thought in one of the earlier news posts it said that Montana charges $350 to non residents for a wolf tag. Now they're complaining about wolf numbers (?). Shouldn't they sell the tag for like $5 if they want to bring the wolf numbers down?
Post by: KFhunter on December 10, 2012, 10:16:06 PM
Post by: Kola16 on December 10, 2012, 10:20:25 PM
they need a bounty
We need a bounty....wait, wait, wait....$5 for every WA wolf...I will pay :chuckle:
Post by: fair-chase on December 10, 2012, 10:21:38 PM
they need a bounty
Bounty + Arial Gunning + Poisoning = Problem solved.
Post by: Bean Counter on December 10, 2012, 10:23:34 PM
Maybe they figure that there are.now more wolves than ungulates and are trying to recoup lost revenue. :dunno:
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:21:50 AM
Sunday, 09 Dec 2012 Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin wildlife officials have proposed new regulations governing when wolf hunters can train their dogs as they grapple with a lawsuit alleging their current wolf hunt policies will create bloody wolf-on-dog brawls.
It's unclear what impact the new rules will have in court, though. Department of Natural Resources officials don't expect to implement them for another year and a half, after they've studied data from the state's first two wolf seasons.
"All of these items are related," DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp wrote in a memo to the DNR's board. "This timeline will allow for the valuable experience from two hunting and trapping seasons and adequate opportunity for engaging the public and stakeholder groups on wolf management direction."
State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year establishing an annual wolf season from Oct. 15 to the end of February or whenever hunters reach a DNR-imposed kill quota. The bill allows hunters to trap wolves as well as hunt at night and hunt with up to six dogs after the gun deer season ends.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/a8zmuu7 (http://tinyurl.com/a8zmuu7)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:23:43 AM
December 7, 2012 By Jacob Crim MPR News
As the hunting season for deer and elk is drawing down across the country, the hunt for wolves in three states continues. While the population of wolves in Idaho has been effectively managed over the first two and a half hunting seasons, arguments remain as to whether hunting seasons should continue.
This argument may seem like old news to those in the Northwest, but the same controversy remains fresh in another part of the country. Minnesota and Wisconsin, in the midst of their first sanctioned wolf hunt in decades, face the same outrage from environmentalists and animal-rights activists. Contradicting the message of such protests, Idaho's successful management of its wolf hunts is a perfect illustration as to why they should continue.
The reintroduction of wolves to the lower 48 states, while opposed by many, was the ethical choice. Human activity had eradicated the species from nearly every state but Minnesota by the mid-1900s, making it our responsibility to bring them back.
While it may seem counterproductive to spend millions of dollars reintroducing a species only to end up hunting it, in this situation it is actually the ethical decision. From a utilitarian standpoint (the greatest good for the greatest number), having sanctioned wolf hunts is ethically acceptable. By keeping wolf numbers at a manageable level, the state will protect ranchers, wildlife and the wolves themselves.
Continued:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/07/crim/ (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/07/crim/)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:25:19 AM
by Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times December 7, 2012
After eight months of deliberation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation decided earlier this month to open a hunt on wolves living within the boundaries of its reservation, John Sirois, chairman of the Colville Business Council said in a telephone interview Friday.
The tribe made the decision after surveying its membership, and discerning through the work of its biologists that the wolves on its reservation are denting the local population of deer and elk, which tribal members hunt for subsistence. The tribe elected to allow a wolf hunt in order protect the tribe's food supply, Sirois said.
"Wolves are starting to have an impact," Sirois said. "We decided it was much better to manage the population so we can keep the numbers down a little bit. We would rather do that than what the state Fish and Wildlife did and take a whole pack. We didn't want a helicopter coming through."
Sirois was referring to the decision by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in September to kill an entire pack of wolves in the northeastern part of the state, called the Wedge pack, after a rancher complained of cattle killed by the pack.
Continued: http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n (http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:26:25 AM
By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press December 09, 2012
BILLINGS, Montana — The shooting of collared gray wolves from Yellowstone National Park is prompting Montana wildlife commissioners to consider new restrictions against killing the predators in areas near the park.
Wolf trapping in Montana kicks off Dec. 15. It's the state's first such trapping season since the animals lost their federal protections last year after almost four decades on the endangered species list.
But hunting already is under way for the predators in Montana and neighboring Idaho and Wyoming, and at least seven of Yellowstone's roughly 88 wolves have been shot in recent weeks while travelling outside the park.
That includes five wolves fitted with tracking collars for scientific research, said Dan Stahler, a biologist with the park's wolf program. The most recent to be shot, the collared alpha female from the well-known Lamar Canyon pack, was killed last week in Wyoming.
Continued: http://tinyurl.com/aewo7gm (http://tinyurl.com/aewo7gm)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:32:31 AM
Bureaucratic Limbo Threatens 58 Wolves Left in Arizona, New Mexico
Monday, 10 December 2012 ENews Park Forest
SILVER CITY, N.M.--(ENEWSPF)--December 10 - The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today over the agency’s rejection of a 2009 scientific petition from the Center that sought classification of the Mexican gray wolf as an endangered subspecies or population of gray wolves. Mexican wolves are currently protected as endangered along with all other wolves in the lower 48 states, with the exception of those in the northern Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region. In filing today’s suit, the Center said specific protection for Mexican wolves is needed to ensure their recovery.
“Mexican wolves are the smallest, most genetically distinct of all gray wolves in North America, uniquely adapted to the dry lands of the Southwest,” said Michael Robinson, the Center’s wolf specialist. “We’re filing our second lawsuit in three weeks on their behalf because these very rare animals are on the razor edge of extinction due to federal mismanagement, persecution and neglect. We don’t want to look back in 10 years and wonder if there was anything else we could have done to save them.”
Both lawsuits aim to help Mexican wolves recover. In November the Center sued the Fish and Wildlife Service to compel it to reform its ongoing wolf-reintroduction program in accordance with recommendations made by its own scientific panel in 2001. More than 10 years ago the agency promised to consider the reforms, and then, in 2007, it renewed this promise to a court; but it has never followed through. In seeking separate recognition of Mexican wolves through today’s lawsuit, the Center hopes to force the agency to implement the reforms and complete a new recovery plan, in the works since as far back as 1995.
“Fish and Wildlife has consistently failed to take action to ensure the survival and recovery of the Southwest’s one-of-a-kind wolves,” said Robinson. “The government’s stubborn refusal to follow the best science on wolf recovery is pushing the last Mexican gray wolves we have left way too close to the cliff of extinction.”
more: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/12/10-3 (http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/12/10-3)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:33:28 AM
http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n (http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n)
December 9, 2012
"When wolves begin to have a negative effect on the lives of people in any given area, the people begin to understand that the number of wolves needs to be controlled. People come first."
Will Graves
Author: "Wolves in Russia - Anxiety Through the Ages"
http://wolvesinrussia.com/ (http://wolvesinrussia.com/)
Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 01:43:50 AM
Critter News:
Montana shuts down wolf harvest near Yellowstone
by Associated Press December 10, 2012
BILLINGS, Mont. -- Montana wildlife commissioners have closed some areas outside Yellowstone National Park to wolf hunting and trapping after several collared animals used for scientific research were shot in recent weeks.
The closures were approved Monday on a 4-to-1 vote by Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission. Commissioner Dan Vermillion cast the lone dissenting vote.
Saturday marks the opening day of Montana's first wolf trapping season since the animals lost federal protections last year.
With at least five collared wolves from the park shot this year, commissioners say they want to guard against too many being killed.
But Commission Chairman Bob Ream says Monday's action was not a permanent closure.
Wildlife officials say the statewide wolf harvest is down 18 percent this year
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Post by: bearpaw on December 11, 2012, 02:41:16 AM
It appears that something fishy may be happening in Montana. Many of you are aware that radical activists are trying to close wolf hunting in areas outside of Yellowstone National Park. Not only would this set a terrible and risky precedent, but this would effectively prevent recovery of the hard hit elk and moose populations in the area.
Here is where it gets worse.
It looks like attempts are being made to circumvent the law to make this decision TODAY. The problem is that the item is not on the official Montana FWP Commission Meeting Agenda.
According to press reports some commissioners suggest that restricting wolf harvest will be on today’s agenda, "Montana wildlife commissioner Shane Colton said closing some areas to trapping or setting strict quotas will be on the table during a Monday commission meeting.” In the same article another commissioner indicates he may support the action, “State wildlife commissioner Ron Moody said he would support closing areas to harvest or reducing wolf quotas if that's supported by the evidence." You can read the quotes in the Billings Gazette article at:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/wolf-trapping-near-yellowstone-national-park-faces-scrutiny/article_82a01d64-7e4e-5f17-a8bb-34e7b1193c06.html (http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/wolf-trapping-near-yellowstone-national-park-faces-scrutiny/article_82a01d64-7e4e-5f17-a8bb-34e7b1193c06.html)
Montana law is very clear. No decisions can be made, unless advanced public notice is given that the issue will be considered in the meeting. How can concerned sportsmen and ranchers know to attend the meeting if proper notice is not given? A quick review of Section 2-3-103 of Montana Statute indicates, “…the agency may not take action on any matter discussed unless specific notice of that matter is included on an agenda and public comment has been allowed on that matter…”
Of the four issues on the agenda for today’s Montana FWP commission meeting. None of them relate to restrictions on wolf harvest around Yellowstone National Park. The only agenda item related to wolves is listed as “Information only.” In fact this item is all about how Montana can harvest more wolves and decrease overall wolf numbers. Here it says about this item:
“The 2012 season framework includes a number of changes from 2011, largely intended to increase wolf harvest and decrease wolf abundance in Montana…The review will include data on harvest numbers, geographic distribution of harvest, consideration of depredation removals and overall wolf mortality relative to wolf population model projections. Much of the data will be presented to compare harvests during the 2011 and 2012 hunting seasons.” Emphasis added. http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?coversheet&itemId=2770985 (http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?coversheet&itemId=2770985)
Here is a link to the full agenda: http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=27709806 (http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=27709806)
So is the item on today’s agenda or not? I don’t think anyone knows but the Commissioners in Montana. Knowing that questionable actions have been taken before, Big Game Forever issued an action alert in Montana asking Montana sportsmen and livestock producers to send messages to the commission. Over 650 messages have been sent from Montana. On Friday we sent another request to our national list. This generated over 2,000 additional messages. So thanks to each of you who sent one of the 2,600 messages to Montana FWP commission for being ahead of the curve on this issue.
The meeting is happening now. It is becoming more clear why Montana hunters are so frustrated. Underhanded tactics seem to have become the norm when it comes to the lack of adequate wolf management in the state of Montana. If restricting wolf harvest is considered by Montana FWP Commission in today’s meeting, it will be a clear violation of the spirit if not the letter of Montana law meant to protect its citizens from this very kind of action.
Stay tuned,
--
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/ (http://biggameforever.org/)
Post by: 3nails on December 11, 2012, 05:27:27 AM
they need a bountyMy dad, Mont. ST Senator Hinkle, tried to get one in some sort of reimbursment plan but the Dems would have none of it.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 10:56:22 PM
Dogs vulnerable to snares, traps
November 11, 2012 The Spokesman-Review
For the second year, wolves will join furbearers as targets during Idaho’s winter trapping season.
Although trappers must take a course in safe techniques before they can purchase a wolf-trapping license, bird hunters and other people who let their dogs run freely in the wilds of the Idaho Panhandle should familiarize themselves with techniques for releasing a pet from a foothold trap or neck snare.
The wolf-trapping season is set for Thursday through March 31 in most of the Panhandle zone. The exception is that wolf trapping is prohibited in Hunting Units 2 and 3, which generally includes the region from Priest River and the west shore of Lake Pend Oreille south to the Coeur d’Alene area.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aqm54ll (http://tinyurl.com/aqm54ll)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 10:57:32 PM
by Brett French January 15, 2012 Yellowstone
Typically content to stay in Yellowstone National Park’s remote Pelican Valley where they specialize in killing bison, Mollie’s wolf pack has migrated more than 20 miles to the Lamar Valley this winter, probably in search of food, and killing other park wolves along the way.
The wolves have explored the region as far back as 2000, and the pack’s founders hailed from the Lamar Valley, said Doug Smith, the park’s wolf biologist.
What is different is the extent to which they’ve migrated – all the way to the valley’s lower reaches, including Slough Creek – and why they’ve left their interior haven just north of Yellowstone Lake – a lack of snow.
This year’s territory shift also is unusual because the wolves have stayed longer than they typically do. Usually, they only visit the region for a few days. This time, they’ve already been there for three weeks.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ajxk44k (http://tinyurl.com/ajxk44k)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 10:58:34 PM
By: Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald November 11, 2012
Hunters had killed 82 wolves as of Friday morning in Minnesota’s inaugural wolf season, including 37 in the northwest part of the state and 37 in the northeast.
The Department of Natural Resources closed the season in the east-central part of the state on Monday after a hunter registered the eighth wolf, just one short of the zone’s target quota of nine.
Minnesota’s wolf season opened Nov. 3.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ass3gwo (http://tinyurl.com/ass3gwo)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 10:59:29 PM
Nov 11, 2012 Wausau Daily Herald
TOWN OF KING — Maegan Loka knows trapping. She has taught hundreds of kids and adults how to trap and animal and then skin it.
She has hunted and trapped nearly every animal you can imagine in Wisconsin — raccoon, coyote, beaver, otter, muskrat, weasel, fox, fisher, skunk, deer, and yes, wolf.
At age 14, Loka has accomplished what most hunters could only dream of in a lifetime. On Oct. 18, just four days into Wisconsin’s first modern day wolf hunt, she trapped and harvested a wolf.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to harvest this animal,” Loka said Saturday at her parent’s town of King home, east of Tomahawk.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:00:19 PM
Nov. 11, 2012 Hillsdale
Lansing -- A state Senate committee has approved a bill that would designate the gray wolf as a game species in Michigan, a first step toward allowing the predator to be hunted.
The measure cleared the Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes committee on Thursday. It now goes to the full Senate, which is in recess until Nov. 27.
If it’s enacted, state Natural Resources Commission will decide whether to establish wolf hunting seasons.
Wolves have rebounded from near extinction in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where the population is estimated at nearly 700. Wisconsin and Minnesota began allowing wolf hunts this fall.
Supporters of hunting say the wolf population is too big and poses danger to people and other animals. Opponents say wolves are still recovering and it’s too soon for a hunt.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:04:00 PM
By Alfred Joyner November 12, 2012 International Business Times
A pensioner hacked a wolf to death with an axe, after the animal attacked her in Dagestan, Russia. In a remarkable reversal of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
Aishat Maksudova, 56, overcame the wild animal after receiving numerous bites to her right arm, hand and thigh. Lying injured in bed after the attack, she recounted the ordeal.
"I was not even frightened. I stood holding the axe, and the wolf with an open mouth suddenly jumped on me. The wolf clawed into my leg, and I wanted to hit him with the axe," she said.
Aishat, now nicknamed 'Wolfhound' by her friends, had been repairing a calf pen in her village of Novy Biryuzyak when she heard the cries of one of the animals being mauled by the beast. She attempted to scare the wolf away, but the aggressive animal leapt onto hear and began tearing at her limbs.
"When I raised my arm up the wolf was just holding my hand, trying to claw my hand. I wanted to open his mouth and put my fist all the way there, all the way to his throat, but I could not open him. So I just left my hand, and the wolf was just clawing into it, pulling on it, pulling away. And then I took the axe and hit him on his head," she said.
Graphic footage of the dead wolf was taken by local villagers on their mobile phones, with numerous bloody blows to creature's head revealing the force with which she hit the animal. Local men are now preparing a raiding party to eliminate the wolf pack that has been terrorising the local area and killing cattle.
Graphic Image Link:
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/11/12/319969.jpg (http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/11/12/319969.jpg)
Caption: This graphic footage of the slain wolf was taken on a villager's mobile phone [Reuters]
Source of story (Warning, video ads auto play):
http://tinyurl.com/b763z9n (http://tinyurl.com/b763z9n)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:07:38 PM
Email November 11, 2012 from Charles E. Kay, Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology
To all------Dr. Robert Hayes has written a popular book about his 20 years of research on predator -prey relationships in the Yukon. Below are 3 quotes from the book that should interest you.
"There is the popular belief that wolves [only] kill the sick and the weak, but this is a fable.Yukon wolves actually kill mostly healthy moose."-------page 177.
"In the Yukon the combination of wolf and grizzly bear predation holds moose numbers far below what the landscape [habitat] could support."-------page 180.
" Take away these large predators and moose could reach much higher densities."--------page 181.
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Re: Yukon wolf studies
Email November 11, 2012 from Will Graves author of "Wolves in Russia" - http://wolvesinrussia.com/ (http://wolvesinrussia.com/)
My extensive research about the characteristics, habits and behavior of wolves in Czarist Russia, the former USSR and the Russian Federation support Dr. Hayes' conclusions. Will
-- --
Bob Hayes book “Wolves of The Yukon”
http://tinyurl.com/ap3a8xl (http://tinyurl.com/ap3a8xl)
-- --
Book Review – Wolves of the Yukon
http://tinyurl.com/aehvydn (http://tinyurl.com/aehvydn)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:09:00 PM
by Tom Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio November 12, 2012
BEMIDJI, Minn. — Hunters have killed more than 110 wolves since the start of the state's first managed wolf hunting season 10 days ago.
The agency's website shows more than 50 wolves have been killed in the northwest, more than 50 in the northeast, and fewer than 10 were killed in the east central part of the state.
The kill number is higher than DNR wolf experts predicted. One DNR wolf expert predicted about 70 wolves would be killed during the early season that runs concurrently with the deer hunt.
Steve Merchant, acting chief of wildlife for the DNR, said the agency didn't have a lot to go on when predicting how many wolves hunters would kill.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/as6eakl (http://tinyurl.com/as6eakl)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:11:38 PM
wolf that was shot by a bowhunter near Booneville, MO earlier this month.
Is the Missouri Department of Conservation trying to hide the fact that there are wolves in the state...just
as they did mountain lions for years? It seems odd that the wolf that was taken opening weekend of
the Missouri deer season last year was not even addressed by your conservation officer. If I remember
right, MDC tried to cover that one up as well...claiming it was an over sized coyote. But DNA testing
proved otherwise...didn't it.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/nov/03/experts-say-hunters-kill-might-be-a-wolf/ (http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/nov/03/experts-say-hunters-kill-might-be-a-wolf/)
Whether "your" DNA testing proves this is a wolf or not...I can tell you from just the photo...this is a young
wolf...NOT a coyote.
The more state wildlife agencies try to hide the fact that wolves are moving in from wherever...the deeper
they dig the hole that the sportsmen who have funded these agencies will bury them in.
Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH
www.lobowatch.com (http://www.lobowatch.com)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:13:29 PM
Outdoor Hub November 7, 2012 Agnieszka Spieszny
A recently released Montana State University (MSU) study found that the presence of wolves in elk territory reduces elk population, but not only because elk are prime wolf food. The simple presence of wolves alters elk behavior in a way that reduces the animals’ propensity to reproduce.
Scott Creel, professor of Conservation Biology and Ecology at MSU and co-author David Christianson presented the findings of their study in a seminar held at the school last Thursday. The study was also presented to the Society of Conservation Biology last week.
The men noted a marked change in elk population dynamics in regions of Montana and Wyoming where wolf recovery was underway compared to wolf-less regions .
The seminar brief writes, “we examined changes in population size and calf recruitment, and tested for relationships with all of the variables that have been hypothesized to affect elk dynamics. These include changes in density, winter snow accumulation, growing season conditions, human harvest, predation by bears, direct predation by wolves, and the ‘risk effects’ of wolf presence. Some of these variables were strongly correlated with recent changes in elk dynamics, while others were not.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/atgfgvo (http://tinyurl.com/atgfgvo)
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See also:
Greater Yellowstone elk suffer worse nutrition and lower birth rates due to wolves
July 15, 2009 By Tracy Ellig, MSU News Service
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7324 (http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7324)
-- --
See also:
Elk, wolf researchers probe wildlife battlefield
April 19, 2006 By Evelyn Boswell, MSU News Service
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3646 (http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3646)
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See also:
Bull elk oblivious to danger at dinner time
July 28, 2004 By Evelyn Boswell, MSU News Service
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=1833 (http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=1833)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:16:10 PM
The Flathead Beacon 11-12-12
A total of 55 wolves have been harvested so far this year as trappers prepare for the start of the state’s first season this week.
Montana’s wolf trapping season begins Dec. 15. Prospective trappers were required to take an educational wolf trapping course, and according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, more than 600 people registered in Northwest Montana’s Region 1.
Hunters have harvested a total of 55 wolves statewide since the season opened in September. In the Wolf Management Unit 130, south and east of Kalispell, six wolves have been harvested. In Unit 101, west and north of Kalispell, three have been harvested.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/auesb6a (http://tinyurl.com/auesb6a)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:17:01 PM
Associated Press Nov. 12, 2012
CHEYENNE— Hunters have killed at least 33 wolves in northwest Wyoming since the start of the state's first wolf hunt six weeks ago.
As of Monday, three hunt areas had been closed to further wolf hunting after hunters reached their local kill limits. Nine other hunt areas remained open.
The statewide limit for this year's hunt is 52 wolves. The trophy hunting season ends Dec. 31. That means licensed hunters have until the end of the year to kill 19 more wolves.
The federal government removed wolves from endangered species protection in Wyoming in August. This is Wyoming's first trophy hunt since wolves were reintroduced to the Yellowstone ecosystem in the mid-1990s.
The trophy hunting season began Oct. 1.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:22:19 PM
BEN NEARY Associated Press November 13, 2012
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A coalition of environmental groups is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency's decision to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.
Groups including the Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The groups claim the federal wildlife agency violated the Endangered Species Act by approving the state of Wyoming's wolf management plan.
Wyoming took over wolf management on Oct. 1 after promising to maintain at least 10 breeding pairs of wolves and at least 100 wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park.
Wyoming classifies wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in more than 80 percent of state. The state also allows regulated hunting of wolves as trophy game in a zone outside Yellowstone National Park.
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Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/bhxadce (http://tinyurl.com/bhxadce)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:23:12 PM
By Rebecca Williams Michigan Radio Nov. 13, 2012
We reported last week that Michigan lawmakers are considering legislation to make gray wolves a game species (State Representative Matt Huuki (R-Atlantic Mine) introduced HB 5834. Senator Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) introduced a similar bill (SB 1350) in the state Senate). These bills would make it possible to have a hunting and trapping season for wolves.
SB 1350 cleared a Senate committee late last week. It now moves to the full Senate.
But a number of tribes in Michigan are opposed to a wolf hunt and that could hold the process up.
I talked with reporter Bob Allen from Interlochen Public Radio - he's been following this story as it develops. You can listen to our conversation above, or read the transcript below.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b9jdyny (http://tinyurl.com/b9jdyny)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:23:58 PM
by Toby Bridges - Lobo Watch November 13, 2012
The LOBO WATCH website, which was launched in 2008, has been received differently by the two distinctly opposite sides of the wolf issue - which have been labeled "anti-wolf" and "pro-wolf". On one side of that fence, you'll find the sportsmen of this country who pretty much footed the bill for early wildlife conservation efforts that brought big game populations back from the brink of being lost forever. On that same side, you'll also find rural residents, farmers and ranchers, many of whom work the land to produce livestock and crops for feeding this country - and much of the world. On the "pro-wolf" side of the fence are mostly those who oppose hunting, and those who want to eliminate large scale free market ranching and farming.
... First, it should be pointed out that most of those who have been deemed "anti-wolf" are far from being totally against wolves. What many are against is simply allowing large predator populations to continue to grow and expand their range - destroying harvestable wildlife resources that took nearly a hundred years to restore to record levels. While wolves have made the single largest impact on elk, moose and deer populations in the Northern Rockies, and to big game herds in the Upper Midwest, other large predators including mountain lions, black bears and grizzly bears also add greatly to the depredation of the game that millions of American families rely on for food. The sportsmen of this country, along with those who derive their living and partially their sustenance from the land really don't hate the wolf. What they hate are radical environmental and animal rights groups, which have never helped finance true wildlife conservation in this country - those who now feel the bounty of game rebuilt since the early 1900s should be thrown to the wolves and other predators.
Those who call themselves "pro-wolf" are far from that as well. Hiding behind names like the "Defenders of Wildlife" or the "Center for Biological Diversity", these so-called "Non Profit Organizations" are also far from being nonprofit. They are anything but. Each of these groups, and there are several dozen of them, manage to beg or con hundreds of thousands of donors out of millions of dollars every year.
In 2009, the Defenders of Wildlife had a total income of just over $32-million - very little of which was actually spent on "Defending Wildlife". Much of that money was spent on fundraising to keep the cash flow very much in their favor. This organization was also a member of the environmental "Dirty Fakers Dozen" (13 environmental groups) which kept wolf management tied up in court, allowing fast growing numbers of the predators to destroy the elk herds in the Northern Rockies. Their No. 1 money maker was suing the U.S. Government, and between 2003 and 2008 the Defenders of Wildlife and other similar groups filed more than 1,500 such lawsuits, and through an extremely raped federal program known as the Equal Access to Justice Act these groups carted off an estimated $4.7-billion U.S. taxpayer dollars - in restitution and for reimbursement of extremely padded legal expenses.
It's not about being "pro-wolf", or saving wildlife - it's about money.
Continued:
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfWar8/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfWar8/go)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:25:42 PM
Wyoming wildlife officials said that a female wolf known to researchers as 832F, the oft-photographed alpha female of the Lamar Canyon Pack in Yellowstone National Park, was shot and killed by a hunter outside the park on Thursday.
New York Times; December 10, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/9wsp3ws (http://tinyurl.com/9wsp3ws)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:26:22 PM
At the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission meeting today, commissioners will consider putting new restrictions on trapping around Yellowstone National Park, after seven of the park's 88 wolves were killed outside the park during hunting seasons in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Ravalli Republic; December 10, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bn89qwg (http://tinyurl.com/bn89qwg)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:27:24 PM
On Monday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission voted to end the state's wolf hunting and trapping season in areas east and west of Gardiner north of Yellowstone National Park.
Flathead Beacon; December 11, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/ctchtec (http://tinyurl.com/ctchtec)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:28:00 PM
By Kari Eakins KOWB1290 December 11, 2012
“Stop Shooting Wolves, You Maniacs.”
That’s the message and title of an article published on Popular Science’s website on Monday afternoon.
http://tinyurl.com/bnhfhse (http://tinyurl.com/bnhfhse)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:28:52 PM
Tuesday, 11 Dec 2012 Deanna Sauceda (KRQE)
ALBUQUERQUE - Environmentalists have filed another lawsuit as they push for reforms of the federal government's troubled effort to reintroduce Mexican gray wolves in the American southwest.
The latest lawsuit centers on a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to reject a petition that sought the classification of Mexican wolves as an endangered subspecies.
The Center for Biological Diversity says specific protection is needed for wolves living in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:29:40 PM
12/11/2012 Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A fourth wolf-hunting zone is closing in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says hunting and trapping of wolves in Zone 5 covering parts of central Wisconsin will be closing at 9 a.m. Wednesday. With that closing, only Zone 3 and Zone 6 remain open to wolf hunting.
The DNR says it expects Zone 6 to close soon as it is one wolf away from meeting its quota.
The DNR encourages hunters to check daily for updates.
The quota in Zone 5 was 23 wolves. The 23rd wolf was harvested on Monday, which triggered the closing process. The goal was to harvest 116 wolves during the state's inaugural hunt this year which began Oct. 15 and will close Feb. 28 or when harvest goals are reached.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:31:00 PM
After an employee with Casper-based Wyoming Wildlife Services posted photos on his Facebook page of ensnared coyotes and other predators being harassed by dogs, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture and the agency that oversees Wildlife Services, launched an investigation.
Casper Star-Tribune; December 7, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bcc4off (http://tinyurl.com/bcc4off)
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Wyoming county's trappers have killed hundreds of coyotes this year
Coyotes take a bite out of Wyoming's sheep industry, with an estimated 10,900 sheep reportedly killed by coyotes last year. In fiscal year 2012, Natrona County's three hired trappers have struck back, killing 1,568 coyotes.
Casper Star-Tribune; December 11, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bpu5d54 (http://tinyurl.com/bpu5d54)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:31:58 PM
By MacLeod Hageman Dec 11, 2012 KULR8
BILLINGS - The gray wolf hunting season closed in select areas.
It was shut down north of Yellowstone National Park in the Gardiner area, because several collared wolves have been shot during the 2012 season. Those kills affect FWP's tracking and research, but spokesperson, Bob Gibson, said it's not illegal to shoot a collared wolf. "If somebody sees a wolf and if there are in an area where that season is open they are perfectly legal to shoot that wolf, trap that wolf or take that wolf," Gibson said.
Gibson said the gray wolf hunting season generally runs from October through February. He said hunting or trapping gray wolves in restricted areas is a misdemeanor offense.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:32:44 PM
By Elizabeth Shogren December 12, 2012 - WFIT
The most popular wolf in Yellowstone National Park was shot by a hunter last week, a big blow to scientists and many wildlife enthusiasts who loved following her story.
"She was very recognizable, and she was unique and everybody knew her," says biologist Douglas Smith.
The animal known as 832F had a beautiful gray coat and was the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack. Smith has followed this wolf for years but only got to put a tracking collar on her in February.
"I tried to catch her for several years prior to doing it, and she was so smart we couldn't. We do it with a helicopter, we dart them, we fly in on them. And she used the landscape to her advantage," Smith says. "I watched her. And every other wolf is running, she's watching, figuring out the next move to get away from us."
Smith says that's an extraordinary wolf.
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http://www.wfit.org/post/scientists-mourn-popular-wolf-shot-hunter (http://www.wfit.org/post/scientists-mourn-popular-wolf-shot-hunter)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:40:20 PM
By Ralph Maughan On December 12, 2012 The Wildlife News
Montana and Wyoming hunts ruin Park’s study of how many elk wolves eat, wolf movements, pack territories
http://tinyurl.com/b7capgc (http://tinyurl.com/b7capgc)
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Teton collared wolves killed
Rash of killings of wandering park wolves spark calls for hunt buffer zones.
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyo. December 12, 2012
Hunters have killed two radio-collared wolves that roamed Grand Teton National Park, localizing a debate about the legal killing of “park” wolves used for research.
Details about the animals are few because a state statute prevents the park from releasing wolf-specific information, Grand Teton spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said. A look at harvests in hunt areas bordering the park shows that it’s likely many more Grand Teton wolves have been killed. Wyoming Game and Fish Department harvest data shows 13 wolves reported killed in hunt areas bordering the park.
For wildlife managers, the portion of those that were park wolves is inconsequential and biologically insignificant. Because wolves range great distances, the loss of those that use the parks is unavoidable.
The deaths of well-known wolves and sound wolf management are different issues, said Mike Jimenez, wolf management and science coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9341&pid=news (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9341&pid=news)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:41:09 PM
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 Price County Daily
MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has closed Wolf Harvest Zone 5 to hunting and trapping of gray wolves effective 9 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012.
Wolf Harvest Zone 5 is the fourth zone to be closed this season. The harvest of wolves currently remains open in two other zones. The department will continue to closely monitor the harvest in the remaining zones and does expect zone 6 to close soon. Wolf hunters and trappers should check daily for additional zone closures.
“The harvest trend in Zone 5 has been steady prior to the deer season, but has slowed down since then. Now with the quota achieved we will close the zone to any additional harvest,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR Lands Division Administrator. “This is Wisconsin’s inaugural season. We are learning much about hunter and trapper success rates that will help us draft permanent rules that continue to move the wolf population down toward goals set in our state wolf management plan.”
“We will be considering harvest trends as we approach quotas in other zones as well. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the wolf population by 116 animals, distributed across the landscape,” said Thiede.
The state wolf harvest quota for Zone 5 was set at 23 wolves and the closure process was initiated when the 23rd wolf was harvested on Dec. 10, 2012. Wolf hunters and trappers are advised that they can continue to pursue wolves in zones 3 and 6, but are urged to watch zone 6 closely because the zone is within one wolf of its quota.
When additional zones are closed, the Wisconsin DNR will announce such closures by news releases, notification on the Wisconsin DNR web site, and on the wolf call-in number, 1-855-299-9653. It is the hunter’s and trapper’s responsibility to check for and know about zone closures. DNR encourages hunters and trappers to check the website or the call-in number daily.
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:45:15 PM
Thursday, December 13, 2012 email
Riverton hunter took this wolf a couple of weeks ago. Check out the size of this thing, no wonder the North West Wyoming moose population is half of what it used to be.
He called in this wolf with his predator caller while hunting by himself. In the last photo the pelts hanging on the wall are a swift fox, red fox, coyote, Canadian wolf, and the Wyoming wolf.
[Note: There are more photos which can be forwarded on request.]
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:46:34 PM
by Rich Landers Dec. 10, 2012 Spokesman-Review
After seven of Yellowstone National Park's roughly 88 wolves had been legally shot in recent weeks while traveling outside the park — including five wolves that had been radio-collared for research — Montana wildlife commissioners voted today to close some areas outside the park to wolf hunting and trapping.
The closures were approved on a 4-to-1 vote by Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the Associated Press reports.
The most recent to be shot, the collared alpha female from the park's well-known Lamar Canyon pack, was killed last week in Wyoming. The pack is often viewed by park visitors.
Also shot in recent weeks were four collared wolves originally from the park but now living outside it. Three more shot in the vicinity of the park had unknown origins, park officials said.
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http://tinyurl.com/bwjy7e9 (http://tinyurl.com/bwjy7e9)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:47:25 PM
by Rich Landers Dec. 12, 2012 Spokesman-Review
A gray wolf has been killed on the Spokane Indian Reservation by a tribal member who was trapping other species, according to B.J. Kieffer, the tribe's Natural Resources Department director.
“The incidental take occurred (Dec. 10) within the boundaries of the reservation, and within the jurisdiction of the Spokane Tribe,” he said in a media release.
Washington Fish and Wildlife Department officials say the wolf is likely a member of the Huckleberry Pack, noting that its range overlaps a portion of the reservation.
Wolves are protected by state endangered species rules outside of the reservation.
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http://tinyurl.com/bqyf7an (http://tinyurl.com/bqyf7an)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:48:17 PM
by Rich Landers Dec. 10, 2012 Spokesman-Review
ENDANGERED SPECIES — No wolves have been killed yet in the first regulated wolf hunting season within the borders of Washington, the Colville Confederated Tribes report.
Although gray wolves are still protected by state endangered species regulations, the tribe opened a season two weeks ago to tribal members, with an overall quota of nine wolves in three sections of the 1.4 million acre reservation.
“Wolves are starting to have an impact,” a tribal spokesman told the Seattle Times in this report.
http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n (http://tinyurl.com/b7r8f2n)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:49:20 PM
Thursday, December 13, 2012 (WTAQ)
MADISON, WI - As of this morning, only nine grey wolves could still be taken in Wisconsin’s inaugural hunting season.
The DNR said 107 of the 116 available animals have been either shot-or-trapped.
Zone 6, which covers the lower three-fourths of Wisconsin will be closed to wolf hunting starting at 5 p.m.
That leaves Zone-Three as the only one of the original six still open. That covers a relatively small territory in northwest Wisconsin – in parts of Burnett, Washburn, Rusk, Chippewa, Taylor, Sawyer, and Price counties.
Hunters have been much more successful than anyone expected in Wisconsin’s first wolf season.
Some experts did not think the quota would be reached by the time the season was originally scheduled to end on February 28th.
Instead, the season will be history once the final nine animals in the state’s quota are taken.
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Michigan House approves bill allowing gray wolves to be hunted
December 13, 2012 Associated Press
LANSING (AP) -- The Michigan House has taken a step toward allowing once-endangered gray wolves to be hunted.
A bill designating wolves as a game species was approved Thursday on a vote of 66-43. The Senate approved the measure in November and will consider a minor House amendment before sending the bill to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature.
Wolves were removed from the endangered list earlier this year after rebounding from near-extinction in the upper Great Lakes region. About 700 are believed to live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Supporters of the bill say it's time to allow hunters and trappers to thin the population. They say wolves are killing livestock and venturing too close to towns. The Humane Society of the United States has said it may sue to restore federal protections.
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Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:50:31 PM
December 11, 2012 The Blaze
A wolf frequently seen in and around Yellowstone National Park that goes by many names — 832F by researchers, “rock star” by wildlife enthusiasts, “famous” by others — was killed last week, according to the New York Times. Although shot legally during hunting season, many are upset, and the Humane Society of the United States has even filed a lawsuit against the decision that allows wolf hunting in Wyoming.
The alpha female wolf, which for the purpose of this story will be referred to as 832 F, was tagged by researchers with a GPS collar to track movements. According to the Times, Yellowstone wolf program project director Daniel Stahler said this wolf rarely left the park. 832F is one of eight with the collars to be killed this season, since wolves became legal for hunters in the state after being removed from the endangered species list last year.
Some say the wolf population in the area isn’t yet large enough to allow hunting. On the other hand, ranchers would argue thinning the pack protects livestock and other big game in the park.
On Friday, the humane society and The Fund for Animals filed a lawsuit in an effort to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove the wolves from the endangered species list.
Continued (scroll down) with links and comments:
http://tinyurl.com/amavbx9 (http://tinyurl.com/amavbx9)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:51:23 PM
Friday, December 14, 2012 Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. –– Montana wildlife commissioners closed down the state’s gray wolf season in some areas north of Yellowstone National Park on Monday, in response to a spate of recent shootings of animals that had been collared for scientific research.
The move shuts down hunting and trapping in areas to the east and west of the town of Gardiner, just days before trapping season was set to begin.
But wildlife commissioners did not yield to pressure from wildlife advocates to create a permanent and more extensive buffer around the park.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission chairman Bob Ream said commissioners were addressing only “the particular and unique situation” of collared wolves being shot.
“It seems to be kind of a compromise,” Ream said. “Is it political? Yeah, wolves are political.”
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http://tinyurl.com/dx7ap48 (http://tinyurl.com/dx7ap48)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:52:29 PM
Dec. 14, 2012 by Erin Madison Great Falls Tribune
Montana’s first wolf trapping season begins Saturday, and more than 2,400 people statewide have been certified to participate.
Montana held its first wolf hunting season in 2009. In the two wolf seasons since, hunters were unable to meet the harvest quota. The Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission voted to allow trapping during the 2012-2013 season, and this year there is no statewide quota.
“We are clearly aiming to reduce the wolf population in Montana,” said Ken McDonald, FWP’s wildlife bureau chief in Helena, earlier this year.
In order to trap wolves, hunters are required to complete a six-hour class, covering some of the gear, procedures and ethics of trapping.
“There was tremendous demand for the classes,” said George Pauley, wildlife management section supervisor for FWP.
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http://tinyurl.com/c4kmbp5 (http://tinyurl.com/c4kmbp5)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:53:40 PM
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 12/14/2012
The state's natural resources department is closing a fifth wolf hunting zone later today after the area reached its quota of total number of killings allowed in the new wolf hunting season. DNR Lands Division Administrator Kurt Thiede says Wolf Harvest Zone 6 will no longer be open for hunting and trapping of gray wolves effective 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
The harvest of wolves currently remains open only in Zone 3. Thiede says the department will continue to closely monitor the harvest in that zone.
"The harvest trend in Zone 6 has been slow during the initial wolf season. But harvest picked up during the deer season, with half the quota harvested during that time, " Thiede said.
The state wolf harvest quota for Zone 6 was set at 18 wolves and the closure process was initiated when the 18th wolf was harvested on Wednesday.
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Wolf bill approved by state legislature
December 14, 2012 The Mining Journal and The Associated Press
MARQUETTE - Legislation reclassifying gray wolves as a game species is on its way to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's desk.
The measure, which could one day lead to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission allowing a wolf hunt in Michigan, won final state Legislature approval early today. Senate Bill 1350 was introduced by state Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, in October. A similar measure was introduced in the House by Rep. Matt Huuki, R-Atlantic Mine.
The legislation passed today designates wolves as game species, authorizes establishment of the first open season for wolf and allows the NRC to issue orders establishing wolf hunting seasons in the state. The NRC would also dictate methods of take, bag limits and other provisions of wolf hunting or trapping seasons.
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http://tinyurl.com/crqgfnc (http://tinyurl.com/crqgfnc)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:54:59 PM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 15, 2012
BILLINGS, Montana — Trappers can harvest gray wolves in Montana starting Saturday, as the state's first wolf trapping season gets underway since the animals lost federal protection last year.
State officials say about 2,400 people are eligible to participate after taking a required wolf certification class.
Montana had about 653 wolves at the end of last year. State wildlife officials are trying to drive down that number through aggressive hunting and trapping seasons.
Some areas north of Yellowstone National Park were closed in advance of trapping over concerns that too many collared wolves had been shot by hunters.
Statewide, at least 92 wolves have been killed so far this season.
Wolf trapping and hunting continues in Montana through the end of February.
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Residents asked to report any wolf sightings
By MARK SPENCLEY dec. 15, 2012 Cheboygan News
For the next several months, wolves and a potential wolf hunt will be hot-button issues, but right now the snow on the ground also provides a valuable tool for biologists studying the area wolf population.
Wolves are polarizing. Some see them as rightful shareholders in northern Michigan’s wild kingdom while others see them as unwelcome invaders. Regardless of opinion, the more information scientists have on the wolf population the better.
In order to gather as much valuable information as possible, Department of Natural Resources biologists are heavily reliant on area residents participating in the process, according to Jennifer Kleitch, DNR biologist who works on area wolf research.
“We really want people to let us know if they think they’ve found wolf sign,” she said.
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http://www.cheboygannews.com/article/20121215/NEWS/121219592 (http://www.cheboygannews.com/article/20121215/NEWS/121219592)
Post by: bearpaw on December 23, 2012, 11:58:00 PM
Montana Joins Idaho In Wolf Trapping
by George Prentice on Sun, Dec 16, 2012 Boise Weekly
Montana joined Idaho Saturday as the Big Sky State launched its 2012-2013 wolf trapping season. Idaho's trapping season began Nov. 15.
This morning's Missoulian reports that Montana trappers weren't allowed to place any traps before Dec. 18, so they didn't expect a rush of activity this weekend.
To date, Montana hunters have killed 93 wolves in a rifle season that continues through Feb. 28. Montana officials said they would forgo a quota this season after seeing 166 kills during the 2011-2012 hunting season.
On Dec. 10, Montana officials ordered hunters to silence their guns in some areas north of Yellowstone National Park, in the wake of the killings of eight wolves fitted with GPS collars, that were found just outside the Yellowstone park limits.
Idaho Fish and Game reports that rifle hunters have killed 116 wolves this season while trappers have taken another seven. The Idaho hunting season runs through March 31 in most parts of Idaho, except the remote area west of Montana's Bitterroot Mountains, where hunters can remain active until June 30.
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Wolf trapping season begins; protest held in Missoula
Dec 16, 2012 By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
Montana’s 2012 wolf hunt shifted to a new gear on Saturday as trapping became a legal way to take the predators.
However, state Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials don’t expect a rush of activity over the weekend. Trappers could not place traps before Saturday, and may leave them unchecked for up to 48 hours. They must report any kills within 24 hours.
Experienced trapper Mike Day of Missoula said he didn’t expect much success at all from the state’s new trapping program. Between the unhelpful weather and the difficult rules, he doubted the wolves had much to fear.
“We’re going to have a bunch of dingbats running around with great big traps not knowing what they’re doing,” Day said on Friday. “It’s designed to fail.”
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http://tinyurl.com/cjknttv (http://tinyurl.com/cjknttv)
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Enviros Worry About Arizona's Control Of Wolves
By Associated Press Sun December 16, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmentalists pushing for the release of more Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico say they're worried federal regulators are allowing Arizona to control the process and severely limit releases.
The Phoenix-based director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter says the Fish and Wildlife Service has made it clear it wants state wildlife agencies to take the lead. Sandy Bahr tells the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/SzuFne (http://bit.ly/SzuFne) ) that's led to no releases at all in the past four years.
Arizona is now proposing to release between one and three captive wolves next year to replace three lobos illegally shot between November 2011 and July 2012 in Arizona.
The first wolves were released in 1998 with an expected population of 100 by 2006. Instead there's about 60.
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Wis. Judge to Revisit Wolf Hunt Case This Week
12/16/2012 Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A Madison judge is scheduled this week to revisit a lawsuit challenging the use of dogs in the state's wolf hunt.
A group of humane societies filed suit in August alleging the state Department of Natural Resources failed to enact any meaningful restrictions on how hunters can use dogs to track wolves, setting the stage for bloody wolf-dog fights in the woods.
Dane County Circuit Judge Peter C. Anderson has temporarily barred wolf hunters from using dogs while he considers the case. He is scheduled to hand down an oral ruling on Thursday afternoon.
Hunters haven't had much trouble killing wolves without dogs. Hunters have reached DNR-imposed kill limits in all but one wolf management zone.
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Predictions of rampant wolf poaching fizzle
Illegal wolf-kills remain same despite state's inaugural hunt
by Patrick Durkin Dec 15, 2012 Green Bay Press Gazette
Many folks predicted Wisconsin’s inaugural wolf season this year would trigger a poaching boom and put gray wolves back on the federal government’s endangered species list.
Even more predicted Northwoods hunters would kill record numbers of wolves accidentally during November’s nine-day gun-deer season. Why? Because it’s legal for the first time since 1986 to shoot coyotes in the northern third of Wisconsin during deer season. From 1987 through 2011, coyote hunting was forbidden in the Northwoods during deer season to prevent mistaken-identity wolf shootings.
Both predictions fizzled. The Department of Natural Resources reported seven illegal wolf-kills statewide during the 2012 gun-deer season, the same number reported during the 2011 season. That’s two fewer than in 2006 and one fewer than in 2009.
Further, most hunters apparently can tell wolves from coyotes. The Northwoods’ illegal wolf kill during deer season was three, the same as in 2011. In fact, the DNR recorded 25 wolf poachings statewide for all of 2011, but 17 so far in 2012, said Bill Vander Zouwen, the agency’s wildlife management section chief.
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Wolf-coyote confusion can happen anywhere in state
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel Dec. 15, 2012
As the gray wolf has increased its population and range in Wisconsin, a new reality has become clear: A wolf can be seen anywhere in the state.
The animals' propensity for long-distance travel earned the phrase "wolves eat with their feet."
As wolves disperse and look for new territories, they have been documented in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
For Wisconsin hunters in 2012-'13, that bears repeating, especially if you hold a small-game license and are targeting coyotes.
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http://tinyurl.com/bnx8ecv (http://tinyurl.com/bnx8ecv)
Post by: bearpaw on December 24, 2012, 12:00:31 AM
Did MT break law in closing wolf season?
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 16, 2012
Questions have arisen about whether the Montana Wildlife Commission violated public participation laws when it recently voted to close wolf hunting seasons adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The commission took action on this item which had been listed as an "informational" item on its agenda.
For details, click on the link below.
Helena Independent Record
http://tinyurl.com/cj5loms (http://tinyurl.com/cj5loms)
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Wyoming hunters take 58 wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 16, 2012
With two weeks remaining in the wolf hunting season, hunters have harvested 39 wolves in Wyoming's trophy game area, and an additional 19 wolves in the predator zone, according to information provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 at 3 p.m.
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Third wolf lawsuit filed
by press release December 16, 2012
The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for Animals filed a lawsuit in federal court on Dec. 7, 2012 challenging the decision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove wolves in Wyoming from the federal list of endangered species.
"The agency's decision to strip Wyoming wolves of federal protection is biologically reckless and contrary to the requirements of the Endangered Species Act," said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at The HSUS. "Wyoming's regressive wolf management plan is reminiscent of a time when bounties paid by state and federal governments triggered mass killings that nearly exterminated wolves from the lower 48 states."
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http://tinyurl.com/cuo649e (http://tinyurl.com/cuo649e)
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Environmental groups concerned about plans to release just a few Mexican wolves in Arizona
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 16, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Environmentalists pushing for the release of more Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico are worried federal regulators are allowing Arizona to control the process and severely limit releases.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made it clear it wants state wildlife agencies to take the lead, said Sandy Bahr, the Phoenix-based director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter. Bahr tells the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/SzuFne (http://bit.ly/SzuFne) ) for a story in Sunday's editions that has led to no releases at all in the past four years.
Arizona is now proposing to release between one and three captive wolves next year to replace three lobos illegally shot between November 2011 and July 2012 in Arizona. Only wolves killed in Arizona since the start of 2011 would be eligible for replacement. At least 12 wolves were killed illegally in New Mexico from the start of 2009 through 2011.
The proposal follows an Arizona Game and Fish Commission policy that says the agency will only support replacing wolves killed illegally or that have died from "natural events," such as vehicle collisions or lightning strikes.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d9p649y (http://tinyurl.com/d9p649y)
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Conservation group maintains wolf hunt contest is illegal
Energeticcity.ca December 17, 2012
A local contest offering prizes for hunters who kill the biggest wolves is back in the spotlight as a conservation group says the provincial government is breaking the law by not intervening. Despite being told by B.C. Gaming that the contest is legal, lawyers from West Coast Environmental Law, on behalf of Pacific Wild, are maintaining it is against the law.
Now in its third year, the contest is designed to encourage hunters to help reduce the number of wolves in the area, which has become a province-wide problem. Pacific Wild's Ian McAllister says, "British Columbians should be furious that our government continues to allow wolves to be killed for money, prizes and other illegal lottery schemes when it is clearly against the law to hold a contest of this nature."
West Coast Environmental Law calls the contest a "lottery scheme", saying it should require a licence from the province to be legal, and could "undermine responsible management of wildlife". Previously, Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources Operations, has been quoted as saying it does not break any provincial wildlife regulations, and provincial gaming officials have said it does not need a permit as it is skill-based.
In a previous interview with Moose FM/energeticcity.ca, an organizer of the contest explains that it came in part at request of the Peace Region agricultural community who were having livestock killed and rural residents losing pets, as well as wildlife on the decline because of the predators. The province has also come up with a wolf strategy to try and reduce some of their numbers, and has considered lifting bag limits in certain areas. The most wolves that have ever been brought in to the contest in one year is 13.
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Calm urged after wolf attack claimed
Global Times 2012-12-18 By Sun Xiaobo
Reports of wolf attacks on their sheep by some herders in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region following record-breaking snowfalls have led experts and netizens to urge a cautious approach to deal with the pack animals which are under State protection.
The Xinhua News Agency reported that a pack of starving wolves attacked herders' sheep in the region's Xilingol League.
Qian Shujun, a herder from the Abag Banner, said he lost five sheep in an attack and several others were wounded. "So far the loss has exceeded 5,000 yuan ($801.5) and it will be 10,000 yuan if the wounded die."
An official with Abag bureau of agriculture and husbandry told the Global Times that wolf attacks are supposed to be reported to the bureau. "We haven't received any reports of wolf attacks."
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http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/750698.shtml (http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/750698.shtml)
Post by: bearpaw on December 24, 2012, 12:02:49 AM
Wolf attacks Alaska trapper driving snowmobile on creek; rabies treatment given as precaution
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 18, 2012
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — An Alaska trapper fought off a wolf that lunged and bit into his arm as he drove his snowmobile down a frozen creek.
Lance Grangaard, 30, of Tok suffered a 3-inch wound to his arm and will be treated for rabies as a precaution after the attack Thursday about 30 miles from Taylor Highway in eastern interior Alaska.
Grangaard told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://bit.ly/V2Ok9u (http://bit.ly/V2Ok9u)) in a story Monday that he was "putting along" on his snowmobile when he saw the wolf out of the corner of his eye.
"I turned in time to stick my arm up," Grangaard said. "A single black wolf grabbed my arm and started jerking on me ... I made a big jump and managed to get on its back."
Man and the wolf slammed down on the ice.
"He let out a yelp and bucked me off," Grangaard said. "He ran off 15 or 20 feet and he turned around. I screamed at him and raised my arms and he took off."
The wolf's canine teeth ripped through Grangaard's parka sleeve and three layers of clothing.
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http://tinyurl.com/cgvg3un (http://tinyurl.com/cgvg3un)
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Montana wildlife commission's closure of wolf hunt areas questioned
The decision made Monday by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission to close wolf hunts in areas bordering Yellowstone National Park may have violated state law in that the item on the agenda was identified as informational and not an action item.
Helena Independent Record; December 14, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/br9fcn2 (http://tinyurl.com/br9fcn2)
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Scientist mourns loss of alpha female wolf in Yellowstone pack
Doug Smith, the biologist who radio-collared wolf 832F, the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack in Yellowstone National Park, was saddened to learn that the wolf had been killed by a hunter, but acknowledged that wolf hunting is essential to maintaining tolerance for the predators.
NPR.org; December 12, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/d99yg8b (http://tinyurl.com/d99yg8b)
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Hunters kill two wolves collared for research in Wyoming national park
Thirteen wolves have been killed in hunting areas that border Grand Teton National Park, including two radio-collared wolves, and while wildlife managers said they're not concerned about the loss of wolves that roam the park, they are concerned about the emotions the killing of radio-collared wolves may evoke.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; December 12, 2012
http://jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9341 (http://jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9341)
Post by: bearpaw on December 24, 2012, 12:04:47 AM
Wolf attacks trapper on snowmachine near Tok
by Tim Mowry/News-Miner Fairbanks Daily News Miner Dec 17, 2012
FAIRBANKS — A wolf attacked a Tok trapper on his snowmachine last week about 30 miles off the Taylor Highway, biting through the man’s parka and three layers of clothing to put a 3-inch gash on his arm.
Lance Grangaard, 30, said he was “putting along” on his Ski-Doo Tundra on Thursday afternoon, coming down a frozen creek, when he saw the wolf out of the corner of his eye.
“I turned in time to stick my arm up,” said Grangaard, who was trapping with his father, Danny, in a remote area off the Taylor Highway known as Ketchumstuk. “A single black wolf grabbed my arm and started jerking on me.”
Afraid the wolf was going to pull him off his machine and maul him, Grangaard went into attack mode himself.
Continued w/photo and list of wolf attacks:
http://tinyurl.com/chhyyjw (http://tinyurl.com/chhyyjw)
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Wolf hunts cause friction in Montana
December 17, 2012 Brooks Hays - GIMBY
Wolf hunting is attracting scattered protests in Montana, where the animals have recently lost federal endangered species protections.
Footloose Montana, an anti-trapping group, organized a small street demonstration in Missoula over the weekend, as Helena’s Independent Record reported.
“Myself, I’m a strong supporter of fair-chase hunting and bow-hunting,” Footloose Montana's director Filip Panusz told the Record. “But trapping is not fair chase. It’s not a clean kill. The animal suffers, maybe for days. You don’t know your target, so you could catch all kinds of other, non-target species. And you’re using bait, which is an unfair advantage that’s not allowed in any other kind of hunting.”
But hunters argue that trapping, done properly, is humane. "When the trap is sized appropriately for the animal, it's nothing more than a set of handcuffs," Jim Muscat told Bozeman TV station KBZK. "I've caught myself and it startles me. But it doesn't crush my bones or cut my skin or anything like that."
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Silencing The Wolf
'Culture war' killing ends storied life of alpha female
18 December 2012, EarthJustice
She never had a real name. Scientists called her 832F. To her fans, she was known simply as ’06 after the year that she was born. But for anyone who had ever seen the large, sleek gray wolf roaming the Yellowstone plains, she was the epitome of all things free and wild.
Last week, ’06 was killed by an unknown hunter just outside of the park. She was still wearing her radio collar.
The death of ’06 is a stark reminder of the culture war in the Northern Rockies between those who recognize the gray wolf’s right to exist and role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem, and those who view the creature as a threat to livestock and public safety that must be mercilessly exterminated.
For scientists and conservationists working to restore the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies after a century-long absence, the loss of ’06 was a huge blow. She was the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack—Yellowstone’s most famous wolf pack. Visitors described how the strong and agile she-wolf was able to singlehandedly take down large elk to feed her litter. One observer recalled watching ’06 outsmart 16 invading wolves from a rival pack, luring them away from a den of vulnerable pups. The Lamar Canyon pack now faces the real possibility of disbanding if another leader does not fill the void.
Continued:
http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-december/silencing-the-wolf (http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-december/silencing-the-wolf)
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Environmentalists criticize Arizona's control of wolves
12/17/2012 Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Environmentalists pushing for the release of more Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico are worried federal regulators are allowing Arizona to control the process and severely limit releases.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made it clear it wants state wildlife agencies to take the lead, said Sandy Bahr, the Phoenix-based director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter. Bahr tells the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/SzuFne (http://bit.ly/SzuFne) ) for a story in Sunday's editions that has led to no releases at all in the past four years.
Arizona is now proposing to release between one and three captive wolves next year to replace three lobos illegally shot between November 2011 and July 2012 in Arizona. Only wolves killed in Arizona since the start of 2011 would be eligible for replacement. At least 12 wolves were killed illegally in New Mexico from the start of 2009 through 2011.
The proposal follows an Arizona Game and Fish Commission policy that says the agency will only support replacing wolves killed illegally or that have died from "natural events," such as vehicle collisions or lightning strikes.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/crobh7y (http://tinyurl.com/crobh7y)
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Gray wolf strays back into Tehama County
By JULIE ZEEB - Tehama County Daily News Dec 18, 2012
One of California's most famous recent visitors strolled back onto the radar Monday in northern Tehama County after several days of no satellite reading.
OR-7, the gray wolf that left Oregon and became the first and only wolf to have been sighted in California since 1924, first visited Tehama County for a few days in July.
His last known whereabouts prior to showing up in Tehama County Monday was Plumas County where all of his satellite readings appeared, amongst several no days of no reading, according to the California Department of Fish and Game blog: californiagraywolf.wordpress.com.
Since leaving his pack, the Oregon native has traveled back and forth across the California-Oregon border at least four times, roaming more than 2,500 air miles since leaving his Oregon pack with 1,500 of those in California.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c44cz6b (http://tinyurl.com/c44cz6b)
Post by: bearpaw on December 24, 2012, 12:06:45 AM
Mato Woksape Fasts for Wolves at Idaho State Capitol
by Andrew Crisp on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 Boise Weekly
Sitting on the steps of the State Capitol today, Mato Woksape of Corvallis, Ore., is midway through his third day of prayer fasting in opposition to the hunting and trapping of gray wolves in the U.S., including Idaho.
"I’m performing the Sun Dance prayer, which was performed for the buffalo," said Woksape.
Woksape began his vigil at sunrise on Tuesday, Dec. 18. He plans to go without food until sunset, Friday, Dec. 21, drinking only water when he "feels ill." He believes the decision to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list in the Northern U.S., and the subsequent hunting of those animals, is to protect mining and gas-drilling operations.
"We've identified three factors for why they're killing the wolf," he said. "The tar sand in Alberta, wells permeated by chemicals from natural gas extraction, and the third threat of mining in Minnesota and Michigan."
Asked if wolf tags had anything to do with the loss of farm animals, Woksape said he didn't believe wolves were the cause of many of those deaths.
"I don't see it as a ranching issue," said Woksape.
Representing anti-wolf-hunt groups like Howling for Justice, Howl Across America and the Northwest Wolf Alliance, Woksape said he speaks with tribes across the U.S. to protect their land against wolf hunting and trapping.
Source with photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cmz8gym (http://tinyurl.com/cmz8gym)
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USFS, Montana trappers work together to keep wolf traps away from ski trails
After cross-country skiers expressed concerns that their dogs might encounter wolf traps along some trails in the Bitterroot National Forest near Montana's Lake Como, the forest supervisor signed an order requiring traps be set 150 feet away from all trails, and the Montana Trappers Association said it was urging trappers to not set traps near high-use recreation areas.
Missoulian; December 21, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/ch866sm (http://tinyurl.com/ch866sm)
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Wolf hunt approved for tribal members
The Star December 21, 2012
Colville Tribal members are able to hunt gray wolves in designated areas through Feb. 28, or until the quota of nine wolves is met.
Business Council Chairman John Sirois said recently the decision has been a long time coming and has been controversial.
The tribes’ reason for the wolf hunt is that the predator is denting the local population of both deer and elk herds, Sirois said.
The tribes elected to allow a wolf hunt in order to protect the tribes’ food supply. Many tribal members and families rely on deer or elk for their winter meat, Sirois pointed out.
“Wolves are starting to have an impact,” Sirois stated. “We decided it was much better to manage the population so we can keep the numbers down a little bit. We would rather do that than what the state Fish and Wildlife did and take a whole pack out.”
continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cl6jwkl (http://tinyurl.com/cl6jwkl)
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New Coalition Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of Gray Wolf's Thrilling Return to California
December 21, 2012 NRDC by Damon Nagami
One year ago, a gray wolf from Oregon’s Imnaha pack, OR7, crossed over the state’s southern border and became the first wolf to roam California in more than eighty years. Earlier this fall, I blogged about environmental groups’ efforts to secure additional protections for this important endangered species, and a critical first step the California Department of Fish and Game is taking toward that goal.
Today, the news for OR7 and gray wolves in California gets even better. More than two dozen organizations working in the Pacific Northwest and California, including NRDC, have announced the formation of the Pacific Wolf Coalition, an alliance committed to recovering wolves across the region. The coalition’s press release can be found here. Our group will work toward the restoration of populations of wolves across their historic habitats in numbers that will allow them to re-establish their critical role in nature and ensure their long-term survival.
We are thrilled to be working with these other prominent wildlife protection groups to make sure OR7 and his eventual pack mates thrive in California and roam our state freely as they did decades ago.
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Post by: bearpaw on December 24, 2012, 01:04:39 AM
Idaho hunters kill fewer wolves so far this season
by Associated Press December 22, 2012
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say hunters have killed 116 wolves this hunting season through Dec. 15, about the halfway point of the 2012-2013 wolf hunting season.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that's down from 162 wolves killed by hunters at this time last year.
Jay Crenshaw of Fish and Game says it's not possible to draw many conclusions from year to year on harvest rates because Idaho hunters haven't been pursuing wolves long enough for biologists to establish trends.
So far this wolf trapping season, which started Nov. 15, hunters have taken 10 wolves.
Last season, hunters killed 255 wolves and trappers took another 124.
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Wisconsin wolf hunting, trapping season to end Sunday
Associated Press December 22, 2012
MADISON — Wisconsin's inaugural wolf season is set to close Sunday afternoon, as hunters and trappers are on the verge of reaching the statewide quota.
Five of the six wolf-harvest zones were already closed. The last one shuts down Sunday at 5 p.m.
The state Department of Natural Resources reported that hunters and trappers in Zone 3 are within one wolf of the quota. DNR spokesman Kurt Thiede said the agency will close the zone to avoid overharvest.
The wolf harvest quota for Zone 3 was 18 wolves. The 17th wolf was harvested Friday.
The overall goal was to harvest 116 wolves during this year's hunt, which began Oct. 15. It was set to close Feb. 28 or when harvest goals were reached.
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Sponsors defend Fort St. John wolf hunt contest
Energeticcity.ca Dec 21, 2012
In response to questions and comments that have arisen over the past month, the North Peace Rod and Gun Club is defending the local wolf hunt contest it sponsors. "This contest does not jeopardize the sustainability of wolf populations," it says in a written statement. "The objective is to reduce their numbers and predation impacts on domestic and wild animals in our region."
The club states that by reducing wolf populations by hunting, it intends to "reduce both agricultural and wildlife losses".
"Residents in the Peace Region are routinely seeing packs of 15-25 wolves up here," it writes. "Wolves are effective and opportunistic predators that have had serious impacts on livestock, on the abundance of wildlife,and on domestic pets near urbanized areas."
It maintains that the distribution and abundance of wolves in the region is growing, partially due to increasing development in the area.
"It appears wolves are benefiting from large scale landscape alterations that have modified wildlife habitat in some areas. These changes can reduce cover for wildlife and at the same time increase access for wolves due to roads, seismic lines, and other linear developments. This gives the wolves an unnatural advantage," it argues.
The contest, which is running in its third year, is currently under scrutiny by Pacific Wild, a conservation group that has hired lawyers to try and prove the contest is illegal. It believes the contest is a "lottery scheme", saying it should require a licence from the province to be legal.
The Rod and Gun Club maintains that it operates within rules of provincial legislation and regulations for hunting and gaming, and all contestants must have a valid hunting licence. They must also stick to the three bag limit currently in place. Previously, Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources Operations, has been quoted as saying it does not break any provincial wildlife regulations, and provincial gaming officials have said it does not need a permit as it is skill-based.
There are prizes for the both the largest and smallest wolves, as well as a "hidden" category to encourage hunters to bring in all they've caught for an accurate number. The most ever brought in in one year is 13.
Source (note: the website had a "stack overflow" - so posting the whole story.)
http://tinyurl.com/ca3w54y (http://tinyurl.com/ca3w54y)
Post by: CementFinisher on December 24, 2012, 02:29:10 AM
Post by: bearpaw on December 26, 2012, 07:02:50 AM
Colville Tribe begins wolf hunt
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 22, 2012
Colville Tribal members are now able to hunt wolves in their reservation in Washington state, with a quota of nine wolves.
The tribe authorized the wolf hunt because wolves are believed to be having a negative impact on deer and elk herds, which are important in providing winter meat for tribal members.
To learn more, click on the link below.
The Star
http://tinyurl.com/cl6jwkl (http://tinyurl.com/cl6jwkl)
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Wolf restoration in Pacific West?
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 22, 2012
The confirmation of a single wolf in California has provided inspiration for wolf advocates to form a 25-organization alliance committed to recovering wolves in the Pacific states.
Here's the announcement from the Center for Biological Diversity:
SACRAMENTO, Calif.: "Twenty-five wildlife conservation, education and protection organizations in California, Oregon and Washington today announced the formation of an alliance committed to recovering wolves across the region. The Pacific Wolf Coalition envisions populations of wolves restored across their historic habitats in numbers that will allow them to re-establish their critical role in nature and ensure their long-term survival. The announcement of the Pacific Wolf Coalition coincides with the one-year anniversary of the first wolf, OR-7, in California in nearly 90 years.
Wolves are making a comeback in the Pacific West. Here, as elsewhere in the lower 48, wolves were driven to regional extinction decades ago. The Pacific Wolf Coalition's mission is to ensure wolf recovery in the West. "The Pacific Wolf Coalition formed to unify efforts to restore wolf populations here in our region and to demonstrate that wolves and people can coexist," said Josh Laughlin with Cascadia Wildlands. "Working together we can give wolves a fighting chance to naturally return to their native lands in the western states."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c38bz3c (http://tinyurl.com/c38bz3c)
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The Economist: The Call of the Wild
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 22, 2012
The Economist reports on wolf recovery in America and Europe, and human attitudes about wolves over time.
Click on the link below to read this feature.
The Economist
http://tinyurl.com/cfvfx2o (http://tinyurl.com/cfvfx2o)
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Impasse for wolf conservation in France?
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 22, 2012
The Guardian reports on the conflict involving wolf conservation and livestock production in France, where wolves were re-established in 1992. A wolf population of 250 adults is believed responsible for killing 5,000 sheep last year, and the conflict over wolf management continues.
To learn more, click on the link below.
The Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/a9yk5gw (http://tinyurl.com/a9yk5gw)
Increasing the number of dogs, protective fences and shepherds makes no difference. Nor do the warning shots sanctioned by local government decrees (133 this year alone) to keep predators at a safe distance. Even selective culls (11 animals shot in 2012) have no effect. The wolf, which reappeared in France uninvited in 1992, seems determined to stay.
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Italian Wolves Prefer Pork to Venison
Dec. 20, 2012 - Science Daily
Some European wolves have a distinct preference for wild boar over other prey, according to new research.
Scientists from Durham University, UK, in collaboration with the University of Sassari in Italy, found that the diet of wolves was consistently dominated by the consumption of wild boar which accounted for about two thirds of total prey biomass, with roe deer accounting for around a third.
The study analysed the remains of prey items in almost 2000 samples of wolf dung over a nine year period and revealed that an increase in roe deer in the wolf diet only occurred in years when boar densities were very low. In years of high roe deer densities, the wolves still preferred to catch wild boar.
The results are published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Continued:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121220143740.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121220143740.htm)
Post by: bearpaw on December 26, 2012, 07:07:55 AM
Federal judge merges lawsuits challenging Wyoming's wolf management plan
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press December 25, 2012
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has merged two lawsuits filed by separate coalitions of groups challenging the federal government's recent transfer of wolf management authority to the state of Wyoming.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson consolidated the lawsuits Friday. The lead group in one lawsuit is the Defenders of Wildlife, while the lead in the other is the Humane Society of the United States.
A third similar lawsuit filed by another coalition is pending in federal court in Denver.
All the groups generally argue Wyoming's management plan, which allows wolves to be shot on sight in most of the state, is insufficient to protect the animals.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, however, said last week in an interview with The Associated Press that he regards the state's takeover of wolf management from the federal government in October as one of the state's major accomplishments of the year. He credited U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar with working with the state to turn over wolf management.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cp89x76 (http://tinyurl.com/cp89x76)
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Editorial: Gray wolf hunt poses no threat to species' recovery
Dec. 24, 2012 Battle Creek Enquirer
A wolf hunting season in Michigan would pose little threat to the species, and would likely enhance its recovery. Wolf advocates, while understandably suspicious, would do well to drop their opposition and focus their energy on preserving wolf habitat.
Lawmakers threw Michigan into an emotional debate already roiling in states to our west when it passed a bill on Dec. 14 designating the wolf as a game species.
The legislation, awaiting Gov. Rick Snyder’s likely signature, authorizes the Natural Resources Commission to create a wolf hunting season and establishes an advisory board to examine wolf management options.
Hunters are unlikely to see a season soon, and even then the season will have very limited quota and a license lottery, but that has done little to blunt the emotions of its opponents.
The Republican-controlled Legislature didn’t help matters when it passed the bill in a lame-duck session with several controversial measures in rapid-fire fashion over the futile objections of Democrats.
Its timing couldn’t have been worse, either, coming days after Yellowstone National Park’s best-known wolf was shot and killed by a hunter after wandering outside the park’s boundaries.
Continued (2 pages):
http://tinyurl.com/dxzqrc3 (http://tinyurl.com/dxzqrc3)
Post by: bearpaw on December 26, 2012, 08:04:52 PM
Idaho Wolf Hunt Count Low
By Benito Baeza Dec. 24, 2012 KLIX 1310
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say hunters have killed 116 wolves this hunting season through Dec. 15, about the halfway point of the 2012-2013 wolf hunting season. The Lewiston Tribune reports that’s down from 162 wolves killed by hunters at this time last year.
Jay Crenshaw of Fish and Game says it’s not possible to draw many conclusions from year to year on harvest rates because Idaho hunters haven’t been pursuing wolves long enough for biologists to establish trends. So far this wolf trapping season, which started Nov. 15, hunters have taken 10 wolves. Last season, hunters killed 255 wolves and trappers took another 124.
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Mountain lion, coyote, bobcat caught in wolf traps first week of inaugural season
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 26, 2012
HAMILTON, Montana — Montana wildlife officials say two mountain lions, a coyote and a bobcat were captured in wolf traps in the first week of the state's inaugural trapping season.
Another mountain lion was caught in a furbearer trap.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife management section supervisor George Pauley says that is to be expected even though trappers are taught how to prevent capturing other animals.
Pauley says trappers are required to report when they capture animals other than wolves and must release them. In the case of a trapped mountain lion, the trapper is encouraged to contact FWP for help.
The Ravalli Republic reports (http://bit.ly/V4v91 (http://bit.ly/V4v91) ) seven wolves have been trapped statewide as of Sunday. A total of 102 have been killed in this year's hunting and trapping season.
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Wolf hunting in Wis. closes for season
by Dan Kraker, Minnesota Public Radio December 24, 2012
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Wisconsin closed the last of its six wolf hunting zones on Sunday evening after reaching its target quota.
The hunt had been scheduled to continue through the end of February. But in a statement, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says officials will analyze hunter and trapper success rates to help draft permanent rules for the long-term management of the state's wolf population.
Wisconsin officials have said they want to reduce the state's wolf population from around 850 to 350.
Minnesota's late season for wolf hunting and trapping, meanwhile, remains open in the northwest corner of the state. The east central and northeast zones have already closed.
So far in Minnesota, hunters and trappers have killed 326 wolves. The target harvest is 400, out of an estimated statewide population of around 3,000.
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Wolf hunting: 'Every day I feel this weight, this heaviness'
By Ron Meador 12/25/12 Minn Post
Collette Adkins Giese, of Blaine, prepared the lawsuit that the Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves brought to stop Minnesota’s new trapping and hunting seasons on wolves. Their request for an injunction was turned down by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Oct. 10, and by the Minnesota Supreme Court on Oct. 26. Wolf hunting began Nov. 3. She describes how she got into her work and her reaction to this year's defeats:
All my life I’ve known I wanted wildlife protection to be part of my work. I just wasn’t sure how.
Before I went to law school I got a master’s in wildlife conservation. My undergraduate was biology and environmental studies, and while I was going to law school I was also working on a PhD in conservation biology – I’m all-but-dissertation on that.
Most of my career focus has been on reptiles and amphibians. I’m sort of grandfathered in on wolves because of my long experience, but my actual job title at CBD is “herpetofauna staff attorney” and I spend most of my time working on habitat protection and recovery plans for amphibians and reptiles.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c52xtxj (http://tinyurl.com/c52xtxj)
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Environmentalists to sue over proposed capture of wayward wolves
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 26, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Environmentalists are filing another lawsuit over the federal government's handling of endangered Mexican gray wolves, this one seeking to stop a policy that calls for the capture of any wolves that cross the border into New Mexico and Arizona.
The Center for Biological Diversity Wednesday filed a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a recent decision that the group says gives the agency authority to catch any wayward wolves and put them into a captive-breeding program, return them to where they came from or relocate them into a designated Mexican wolf recovery area.
The group says Mexico recently released nine Mexican gray wolves near the U.S. border in the Sierra Madre, and wolves from the northern Rocky Mountains could make their way south at any time.
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Southern Ontario man fined $1,000 for unlawful wolf hunt
Hunting Wolves requires a licence in Ontario
Net Newsledger December 26, 2012
DRYDEN – A southern Ontario man has been fined $1,000 for unlawfully hunting wolf. Neil Whitmore of Rockwood pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for hunting wolf without a licence. The wolf he harvested was seized and forfeited to the Crown.
Court was told that on October 18, 2012, while on routine patrol, conservation officers contacted Whitmore at his hunting party camp on the side of Segise Road, north of Kenora. A wolf that Whitmore had shot dead in the area earlier that day was lying in the bush behind his hunt camp. Whitmore told officers that he did not have the required game hunting seal to affix to the wolf, but was waiting for another member of his hunting party to come and affix his seal to Whitmore’s wolf.
Party hunting of wolves is not permitted in Ontario. Whitmore’s rifle was seized by the officers and will be returned once his fine is paid.
Justice of the Peace Daisy Hoppe heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden, on December 18, 2012.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the 2012-2013 Hunting Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, from licence issuers and at ontario.ca/hunting
Post by: ICEMAN on December 26, 2012, 08:14:49 PM
Party hunting of wolves is not permitted in Ontario. Whitmore’s rifle was seized by the officers and will be returned once his fine is paid.
Wow, lenient.... pay the fine, get your rifle back after illegally taking a wolf? How big is the fine? :dunno:
Post by: bearpaw on December 26, 2012, 08:20:09 PM
Party hunting of wolves is not permitted in Ontario. Whitmore’s rifle was seized by the officers and will be returned once his fine is paid.
Wow, lenient.... pay the fine, get your rifle back after illegally taking a wolf? How big is the fine? :dunno:
Did you miss the headline? :chuckle:
Post by: ICEMAN on December 26, 2012, 08:22:46 PM
Ok, not so lenient.... :chuckle:
Post by: bearpaw on December 28, 2012, 05:20:33 AM
Hunters take 64 wolves in Wyoming
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 26, 2012
Hunters harvested 41 wolves in Wyoming trophy game hunt this year, with the season set to close Dec. 31. In addition to the wolves harvested in the trophy game areas, an additional 23 wolves were taken in Wyoming's predator zone.
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Wyo. Game and Fish closes hunt area after local quota met, hunters take 40 since October
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 27, 2012
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A wolf hunt area northwest of Cody is closed now that hunters have killed the local limit of four wolves.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department closed Hunt Area One on Wednesday.
Wyoming's first wolf hunting season since the federal government reintroduced wolves to the Yellowstone ecosystem in the 1990s is almost over. The season is scheduled to end Monday.
The statewide limit for the hunt season is 52 wolves. As of Wednesday, hunters had killed 40 wolves since the season began in October.
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Two of three wolf lawsuits merged
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! December 26, 2012
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has merged two of the three lawsuits filed over the removal of federal protection for wolves in Wyoming.
Each lawsuit was filed by a coalition of groups, with Defenders of Wildlife and the Humane Society of the United States taking the lead.
A third lawsuit was filed in federal court in Colorado.
See link below for more info:
http://tinyurl.com/cp89x76 (http://tinyurl.com/cp89x76)
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Group will sue feds over wolf trapping
Let imperiled animals roam, center says
By Brandon Loomis The Republic Thu Dec 27, 2012
An environmental group has notified federal authorities that it will sue to block them from trapping wolves that wander into Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico or the northern Rocky Mountains.
On Wednesday, the Center for Biological Diversity announced its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a 2011 rule it adopted allowing agents to trap and relocate wolves wandering north of Interstate 40 or south of Interstate 10. Those areas are outside the agency’s Mexican gray wolf recovery zone — a 4.4 million-acre swath centered in Arizona’s Apache National Forest and New Mexico’s Gila National Forest, where reintroduced wolves are considered experimental under the Endangered Species Act.
Outside the recovery zone, wolves enjoy fuller protection as an endangered species. The group asserts that this means they should be allowed to roam “perfectly good wolf habitat” regardless of where they originated.
“Despite that full protection, the Fish and Wildlife Service surreptitiously granted itself a permit to remove wolves from those areas,” said Michael Robinson, conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. The group is challenging the rule in part because it was made without public involvement.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ck2pen3 (http://tinyurl.com/ck2pen3)
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Who says hunting wolves in Wisconsin is easy? Not me
by Patrick Durkin December 27, 2012 State Journal
MEDFORD -– A dogwood branch bent backward against my truck’s windshield as I rolled slowly down a two-track in the Chequamegon National Forest and then sprung loose, slapping my cheek through the open window.
Served me right, I guess. I saw at a glance those weren’t wolf tracks in the 4-inch snow nearby, but I leaned out anyway for a closer look and never saw the slap coming.
Call that branch-slap a reality check. Just because I had been lucky enough to draw a wolf tag for Wisconsin’s first regulated wolf season, there was no guarantee my luck would hold once I started hunting and setting traps for them.
Then again, maybe my hopes were inflated by all the tavern talk about underestimated wolf numbers, wolf tracks outnumbering deer tracks, and wolves replacing whitetails on every trail-camera photo from the Northwoods.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/dxhdynw (http://tinyurl.com/dxhdynw)
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Not crying wolf
Thursday, December 27, 2012 By Lisa McCormack Stowe Today
Wolf sighting raises question: are they back?
Have wolves returned to Vermont after being extinct here for more than a century?
A state wildlife biologist says it’s possible, though unlikely.
Meanwhile, a Stowe woman is certain she spotted a wolf last month. And, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife recently received a report of a possible wolf sighting here.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c37chpn (http://tinyurl.com/c37chpn)
Post by: bearpaw on December 29, 2012, 07:34:48 PM
Alone or in packs, wolves make news
Lost pup, confirmed packs and sheep deaths topped wildlife news
Friday, December 28, 2012 By KATHERINE WUTZ Idaho Mountain Express
Three wolf packs were confirmed living in the Wood River Valley this year, one of which may contain the remnants of the famed Phantom Hill wolf pack.
Remote cameras set by field crew members of the Wood River Wolf Project captured images of three separate and well-established packs throughout the county.
Project manager Suzanne Stone said in August that the remote cameras allowed the project to not only confirm that there were packs in the county, but that two of those packs were breeding.
The first pack found was the Warm Springs Pack, confirmed in June when crews began hunting for a pack that lost a pup on Warm Springs Road northwest of Ketchum. Campers had picked up the pup on Memorial Day weekend, and crews began to hunt for the pup’s family.
The pack has at least two adults and several pups.
The second pack is the Little Wood Pack, which has been living in the southern Pioneer Mountains near Carey. Idaho Wildlife Services killed two members of the pack after recorded sheep depredations, but the pack still contained two to three adults in August.
The third pack, known as the Pioneer Pack, was the last pack located. This pack encountered Gooding rancher John Faulkner’s sheep in the Lake Creek drainage north of Ketchum on July 3 and killed four sheep.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145477 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145477)
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1st wolf hunting season nearly over in Wyoming; future uncertain as lawsuits are pending
By CHRISTINE PETERSON - Casper Star-Tribune December 29, 2012
CASPER, Wyoming — He spends most of his fall outside in the mountains, so finding a wolf was not a matter of if, but when.
Like most hunters, Joe Hargrave bought a wolf tag to put in his pocket just in case; he wasn't wolf hunting, specifically. Hargrave had been elk hunting in early October when he saw wolves lying in a meadow several miles away. It took three hours to sneak up on the pack of seven. Waiting in the trees, he chose one and shot.
On Oct. 5, just four days after the season opened, Hargrave, a Dubois taxidermist and outfitter, became one of Wyoming's first hunters to legally kill a wolf since 1974.
"It was pretty neat to be able to hunt them because they're a magnificent animal," Hargrave said. "I like to see them in the wild just like elk, moose and everything else. It is nice to be able to have the opportunity to hunt them."
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Wyoming’s first wolf hunt soon to close
By Ralph Maughan On December 29, 2012 The Wildlife News
Hunt will probably end below quota; but many more wolves killed in state’s wolves-are-just-vermin-zone-
Wyoming first wolf hunt ends Dec. 31. 2012. Wyoming opted for a much less ambitious/less-destructive-to-wolves hunt compared to neighboring Idaho and Montana. Unlike its neighbors, Wyoming has a wolf maximum kill quota and a relatively short hunt. However, Wyoming also has (probably) far fewer wolves than Montana or Idaho.
As of Dec. 28, 41 wolves had been killed in the hunt. That is eleven short of the quota of 52. The state also has sub-quotas by means of quotas for wolf hunt areas. Most of the hunt areas are already closed. At the end of last year (2011), it was estimated there were 328 wolves in Wyoming. However, hunting in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks is not allowed. Neither is hunting allowed on the large Wind River Indian Reservation unless the tribes set a hunt, and they didn’t. In principle that left about 200 wolves subject to the hunt in NW Wyoming where most of the wolves live. As a result the loss of 41 or so wolves will probably not reduce the wolf population after pups are born next April.
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Assessing the wolf hunt
December 28, 2012 By Rick Schuh, WHBY
Wisconsin’s first wolf hunting season ended more than two months early, after hunters reached the 116 wolf harvest cap last the weekend. The hunt, which began October 15th, and was scheduled to run through February. Adrian Wydeven, a mammalian ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources and a wolf expert, said he thought hunting wolves would be more of a challenge, but the hunters and trappers did their homework on how to scout and track the animals. “I guess we had higher rates than some people had expected, that they were finding wolves more readily thought would be the case,” he said. “Hunters and trappers seem to be learning how to hunt and trap wolves.”
Wydeven said between now and next season, DNR staffers will look at ways to improve the wolf hunting season. That includes coming up with rules that would allow the use of dogs A judge banned hunting dogs this year, because of a lack of regulations. “The proposal the department is making is from the end of December, through the wolf hunting and trapping season, and then through the end of March,” he said. “People could potentially use hounds, if the courts allow the DNR to allow the use of hounds, and if the public supports that.”
The DNR is collecting tissue and teeth samples from wolves that were killed during this year’s season, in order to learn more about the state’s wolves. “We’ll do DNA assessment, which we’ll use in future population assessments,” Wydeven said. In addition, the agency will be sending surveys to hunters and trappers who participated in the inaugural season.
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Snyder signs bill allowing wolf hunts in Michigan
by Kathleen Gray Detroit Free Press Dec 28, 2012
Gray wolves have made such a comeback in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that they’re on the verge of being hunted once again.
Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill late Friday that designates the wolves as a game animal and authorizes the Natural Resources Commission to set a hunting season for the animals.
Gray wolves were put on the endangered species list in 1973 when the population in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula had dwindled to six on the isolated Isle Royale. With the designation, the population had grown to nearly 700 by 2011.
The wolves were removed from the endangered species list in January, but only the Department of Natural Resources is allowed to manage the wolf population, which has begun to encroach upon U.P. towns.
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Post by: ribka on December 29, 2012, 07:40:00 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 29, 2012, 07:47:02 PM
Post by: denali on January 02, 2013, 06:15:54 PM
full story:
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/judge-blocks-wolf-season-closure-near-yellowstone/article_7ad60c84-3900-572c-9be8-20fdc7810153.html#ixzz2GsILLanI (http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/judge-blocks-wolf-season-closure-near-yellowstone/article_7ad60c84-3900-572c-9be8-20fdc7810153.html#ixzz2GsILLanI)
Post by: bearpaw on January 02, 2013, 08:28:20 PM
Wolf declared a game species
Hunting season may be established
December 30, 2012 John Pepin - The Mining Journal
MARQUETTE - Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill late Friday reclassifying gray wolves as a game species and authorizing the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to establish a hunting season for the once endangered species in Michigan.
"Wolves have made a dramatic recovery in Michigan with a current population around 700 animals, with almost all of that population residing in the central and western Upper Peninsula," said state Sen. Tom Casperson, who introduced the Senate bill Snyder signed. "Wolves need to be managed along with other species, and management strategies should include the option of a game season."
The NRC, the seven-member appointed rulemaking body for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, is now able to issue orders establishing wolf hunting seasons in the state. The NRC would also dictate methods of take, bag limits and other provisions of wolf hunting or trapping seasons.
Post by: bearpaw on January 02, 2013, 08:32:00 PM
Controlling critters led 2012 outdoors efforts
Public land, wildlife managers had hands full with predators, appeals, tragedies
By Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review December 30, 2012
The spotlight was on predators in 2012, and so were the nets, traps and crosshairs in many cases throughout the Inland Northwest.
The Spokane Tribe sparked one debate on predator management by proposing a bounty on walleye. Tribal members were asked to help reduce numbers of the non-native fish in Lake Roosevelt by targeting the walleye in their Spokane Arm spawning areas.
“It’s a food pyramid thing,” explained Brian Crossley, the tribe’s fish program manager. “The prey base always has to be higher density than the predator base. Right now, the pyramid is upside down.”
The walleye problem has not been resolved, but Washington state fisheries managers joined with the Kalispel Tribe for a more aggressive effort to draw the line on northern pike invading the Pend Oreille River. Using gillnets, tribal crews hit a goal of removing about 5,700 northern pike – 87 percent of the pike estimated to be in the Box Canyon Reservoir area.
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Wyoming's wolf hunting season ends Monday; Hunters have killed 43 as of Friday afternoon
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 31, 2012
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Wyoming's wolf hunting season ends Monday.
Hunters are allowed to kill a total of 52 wolves. Hunters had taken 43 by Friday afternoon, the latest update available from the state.
It's Wyoming's first wolf hunting season since the federal government reintroduced wolves to the Yellowstone ecosystem in the 1990s.
Besides those taken during hunting season, 25 wolves have been killed around Wyoming this year because they were considered predators.
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Wolf saga continues
by Gib Mathers December 31, 2012 Powell Tribune
Wyoming got its shot at wolf hunting this fall. Meanwhile, three lawsuits now are aiming to end hunting in Wyoming and return the canines to the Endangered Species List, at least in Wyoming.
Essentially, the lawsuits argue that Wyoming’s predator zone, covering roughly 85 percent of the state, will not allow wolves to connect genetically with other wolves and thus expand the population outside of Yellowstone National Park.
Over the last couple of years, Gov. Matt Mead worked with U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to get wolves delisted in Wyoming. As agreed upon by Mead and the federal government, Wyoming is managing for a minimum of at least 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Wolf hunting began Oct. 1, 2012 in Wyoming. Wolf hunting in Wyoming’s trophy management area ends today (Monday).
As of Dec. 27, 42 wolves had been killed out of the 52 wolf quota in the trophy area.
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Park County sees most wolf harvest
Monday, December 31, 2012 By MARK HEINZ - Cody Enterprise
With Wyoming’s first licensed wolf hunting season drawing to a close, the latest available reports indicate more than half the wolves harvested were taken in or near Park County.
As of the latest Game and Fish harvest reports Dec. 28, 41 wolves had been shot in Wyoming’s 12 trophy game hunt areas. That was short of the state’s total quota of 52 wolves.
But hunters had taken 22 of the 23 wolves allowed in the four trophy game hunting areas in or near the county – hunt areas 1-4, according to G&F.
The season closed Dec. 31.
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Minnesota's Wolf Hunting Update
by slangseth on Monday, December 31st, 2012 KWOA
Minnesota’s late season wolf hunting and trapping season has proven to be successful for hunters and trappers with 205 wolves harvested out of target quota of 253. The only zone that remains open until January 31 is the northwestern zone--138 wolves have been harvested out of a target quota of 187 in that region.
In the early season hunt, 147 wolves were harvested out of a target quota of 200, which brings the total number of harvested wolves to 352.
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OR-7's first year was quiet - but that won't last
December 30, 2012 Record Searchlight
OR-7 is the wolf that didn't howl.
But that won't last.
When the first known gray wolf in nearly a century wandered into California a year ago Friday, the arrival was greeted with awe by wildlife lovers and fierce blowback from the far north state's ranch country.
In the year since, though, even as the wolf has restlessly roamed through the Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada, it's been easy to wonder what the fuss was all about.
The wolf's plainly eaten enough prey to stay alive, but it hasn't devastated the large game that both hunters and wolves prize. Nor, says the state Department of Fish and Game, is there evidence that it has attacked cattle, despite the natural worries of livestock owners. And the big, bad wolf certainly hasn't snatched children away in the night as they warmed their hands by campfires.
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La Migra - for wolves
Lawsuit to challenge USFWS on ‘recovery permit’ for wolves released in Mexico
December 31, 2012 by Bob Berwyn Summit County Voice
FRISCO — While the U.S. and Mexico are supposed to be cooperating on a recovery program for endangered Mexican gray wolves, things could get sticky in the desert Southwest, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claims authority to capture any wolves that are released in Mexico and cross the border.
Captured wolves would be placed into the captive-breeding program, returned to where they came from, or relocated into the Mexican wolf recovery area, but wildlife conservation advocates say the federal government failed to follow its own regulations in giving itself a “recovery permit.”
“It’s fantastic that Mexico’s working to restore wolves to its northern wilds,” said Michael Robinson, wolf recovery specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “And of course, these wolves in northern Mexico don’t recognize political boundaries. If they’re able to set up a home range that crosses the border, it would be tragic and wrong for Fish and Wildlife officials to then capture them and snatch them out of that home.”
To prevent that, the Center for Biological Diversity last week said it will file a lawsuit aimed at preventing the federal agency from exercising that recovery option.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 02, 2013, 08:34:41 PM
Wolf attacks dog at 5 Wing Goose Bay
January 1, 2013 The Labradorian [Canada]
Early this morning, Military Police in 5 Wing Goose Bay were alerted to the presence of a wolf on the base.
The wolf attacked a dog and a local MP officer killed the wolf with one shot. The dog survived the attack but its current condition is unknown.
Wildlife officials later arrived and took away the wolf’s carcass.
Post by: bearpaw on January 02, 2013, 08:37:10 PM
Hunters kill 43 wolves, 9 short of quota, during Wyoming's 1st hunting season
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 02, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Hunters didn't take all the wolves they were allowed to during Wyoming's wolf hunting season.
They killed 43 wolves before the season ended Monday, nine short of the state's quota for the animals.
It was Wyoming's first wolf hunting season since the federal government reintroduced wolves to the Yellowstone ecosystem in the 1990s.
Besides those taken during hunting season, 26 wolves were killed around Wyoming in 2012 because they were considered predators.
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2 wolves spotted chasing deer through Polson yard
By Vince Devlin the Missoulian Jan 2, 2013
POLSON — Authorities say a Polson woman who reported seeing what she believed to be two wolves in her yard inside the city limits Friday was probably correct.
The woman said the wolves, one black and one gray, were chasing 23 deer through her yard.
Polson Assistant Police Chief Clinton J. Cottle said the animals were spied on the east side of Polson, in the Hillcrest area.
Two days later, Cottle said, police received a report of a partially consumed mule deer carcass in the same area.
A Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal wildlife biologist who responded to the report measured and photographed the tracks in the yard.
CSKT officials said the spacing between the two sets of tracks, size of the tracks and the gait of the tracks were consistent with wolf tracks.
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Close to hitting gray wolf target
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 by Dave Dickey - Aitkin Age [Minnesota]
As of Wednesday, Dec. 26, hunters and trappers had registered a total of 344 gray wolves towards the target of 400. This total includes the 147 taken during the early firearms season.
The east central and northeast zones are closed as they have reached their targets. This leaves 56 that could still be taken in the northwest zone by the time the season would end on Jan. 31. My understanding is that the majority have been taken by trapping during the late season. All nine in the east central zone were taken by trappers.
We’ve had more winter to date than at this time last year but the deer herd should be in good shape going into the winter. A late start to winter bodes well for deer to give them a good start to get through winter.
With more snow on the ground now compared to last winter, it will be interesting to see how the expanding wild turkey population does. Hopefully they can adapt to the kinds of foods available to them this far north.
Post by: skywalker253 on January 04, 2013, 05:11:43 PM
Either way I am hooked and will read everything cougarpaw posts.
Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2013, 01:13:10 PM
Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2013, 01:14:20 PM
Montana judge's ruling allows wolf hunting, trapping to resume near Yellowstone National Park
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press January 02, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Wolf hunting and trapping can resume near Yellowstone National Park after a Montana judge on Wednesday blocked the state from shutting down the practice over concerns that too many animals used in research were being killed.
The restraining order from Judge Nels Swandal allows hunting and trapping to resume in areas east and west of the town of Gardiner in Park County.
State officials closed the gray wolf season in those areas on Dec. 10. That came after several wolves collared for scientific research were killed, drawing complaints from wildlife advocates.
The move prompted a lawsuit from sporting groups and a state lawmaker from Park County, Rep. Alan Redfield, who said the public was not given enough chance to weigh in on the closures.
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Federal officials confirm 4 Mexican wolves found dead in 2012, less than previous year
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN - Associated Press January 03, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Fewer Mexican gray wolves were found dead in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona this past year, and federal officials say efforts aimed at reducing conflicts with livestock seem to be helping.
Officials confirmed that three of the four wolves found dead in 2012 were illegally shot.
In the most recent case, the carcass of a female member of Arizona's Hawks Nest pack was found in December. The cause of death is under investigation.
Eight wolves were found dead in 2011. Three were shot, two were hit by vehicles, and three died of natural causes.
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Gray wolf takes to California but is unlikely to find a mate here
The young male from Oregon has remained in the Golden State since spring and covered about 3,000 miles. He's also shown exceptional homing abilities.
By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times January 1, 2013
Like many out-of-state visitors, the lone gray wolf that trotted across the border from Oregon has taken a liking to California.
He went back and forth between the two states a handful of times after his initial crossing into Siskiyou County on Dec. 28, 2011. But since spring, the young male has remained in the Golden State, loping across forests and scrublands, up and down mountains and across rural highways in California's sparsely populated northeast.
The first wild wolf documented in California in nearly 90 years, he has roamed as far south as Tehama County — about halfway between the border and Sacramento — searching for other wolves, and a mate.
"I guess he's being the Lewis and Clark of wolves in California," said wolf advocate Amaroq Weiss.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2013, 01:16:35 PM
Wisconsin judge allows wolf hunting with dogs but blocks training
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 04, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — A Madison judge has ruled people can hunt wolves with dogs but blocked them from training dogs to go after the animals.
A group of humane societies filed a lawsuit earlier this year alleging the Department of Natural Resources failed to place any real restrictions on how wolf hunters can use dogs. Anderson temporarily banned the use of dogs while he weighed the case.
Anderson ruled Friday the DNR had an obligation to tweak a pre-existing rule that allows people to train dogs on wild animals to address problems that would arise between dogs and wolves. He found the rule is invalid and can't be used to support training on wolves.
But he said the DNR had no duty to impose restrictions on actually hunting wolves with dogs.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2013, 08:40:06 PM
Wyoming wolf hunt season closes
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 4, 2013
Hunters harvested 43 wolves of the quota of 52 during the 2012 wolf hunting season in the trophy game areas of western Wyoming, in addition to the 26 wolves killed in the predator zone. The hunting season is now closed in the trophy game areas.
Idaho hunters took 131 wolves in the 2012 hunting season, in addition to the 26 wolves trapped in that state. The trapping season remains open through March in some parts of that state.
Montana hunters have taken 102 wolves in the archery/general season, in addition to the 30 wolves taken in the trapping season. Both hunting and trapping seasons for wolves remain open in areas of that state.
Wolf hunting seasons are now closed in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hunters harvested 395 wolves in Minnesota, and 117 in Wisconsin.
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Judge orders Montana to reopen wolf season
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks January 4, 2013
A district court judge Wednesday reopened wolf hunting and trapping seasons in two areas north of Yellowstone National Park. The areas were closed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission on Dec. 10 in response to concern that hunters were taking wolves with collars that supplied scientific information to YNP researchers.
The areas ordered to reopen are within Wolf Management Unit 390 near Gardiner. District Judge Nels Swandal's order suggested that FWP failed to offer sufficient public notice about the closure and set a hearing for Jan. 14. The suit challenging the FWP Commission's decision was brought by several sporting groups and a state representative from Park County.
In July, however, when the wolf hunting and trapping seasons were adopted, in response to public comment the FWP Commission additionally directed FWP to conduct a review of the overall harvest prior to the Dec. 15 opening of the wolf trapping season to determine if season adjustments would be needed. At the time, FWP noted in press releases and on its website that the FWP Commission can close the wolf season at anytime. Montana's wolf hunting regulations also identifies FWP Commission authority to close the wolf season.
Montana's wolf hunting and trapping seasons are open through Feb. 28. So far, hunters have taken 102 wolves and trappers have reported taking 30 wolves. The recovery of the wolf in the northern Rockies remains one of the fastest endangered species comebacks on record. In the mid 1990s, to hasten the overall pace of wolf recovery, 66 wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.
The minimum Montana wolf population estimates at the end of 2011 include 653 wolves, in 130 verified packs, and 39 breeding pairs. The minimum wolf count is the number of wolves actually counted by FWP wolf specialists, and likely is 10 to 30 percent fewer than the actual wolf population.
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Wolves in Polson, Montana
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 4, 2013
A pair of wolves appears to have taken up residence within the city limits of Polson, Montana, preying on deer herds there. Residents have reported spotting the wolves in their yards.
For more, click on the link below.
Lake County Leader
http://tinyurl.com/ah76sql (http://tinyurl.com/ah76sql)
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Post by: bearpaw on January 06, 2013, 03:54:13 PM
Russian hunters to reduce wolf population
Jan. 6, 2013 UPI
MOSCOW, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Special brigades of hunters have been formed to reduce the wolf population in Yakutia, Russia, to combat the increased attacks on livestock, officials said.
Local authorities have declared a state of emergency in the northeastern republic of Yakutia, where gray wolves killed more than 16,000 domestic reindeer and 300 horses in 2012.
The damage caused by wolves costs the region approximately $5 million annually, RIA Novosti reported Sunday.
The gray wolf population in Yakutia is approximately 4,000, three times the target level. Local authorities said they plan to reduce the number down to 500.
Post by: flatbkman on January 08, 2013, 01:37:49 PM
1-8-2013
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) -- Two wolves have been spotted at an 890-square-mile nuclear facility in eastern Idaho that is off limits to hunters and trappers.
Workers spotted the wolves Saturday outside the fence of the Advanced Test Reactor Complex, Idaho National Laboratory spokeswoman Carisa Shultz said.
She said the wolves don't concern officials at the complex, though employees are more used to seeing deer, rabbits and occasionally elk at the restricted site.
Tom Keegan, wildlife manager for the Salmon Region of Idaho Fish and Game, said it's possible the wolves came from the Lemhi Mountains north of the facility.
It's unlikely the wolves will set up a home range in the high desert area where the lab is built, added Jeff Gould, chief of wildlife for Idaho Fish and Game.
"This time of year there are a lot of wolves that disperse from their home ranges and look for new ones," Gould told the Post Register ( http://bit.ly/V9j65r (http://bit.ly/V9j65r) ) in a story Tuesday. "They are probably passing through."
The sighting doesn't signal an increase in the wolf population or increased danger to humans, livestock or the elk herd living on lab land, said Gregg Losinksi, a regional Fish and Game spokesman.
"Wolves moving through the site is an everyday occurrence," Losinski said. "The amount of territory a wolf can cover is huge."
The federal nuclear research facility about 50 miles from Idaho Falls was established in 1949.
"The elk herd has certainly learned the INL is a safe place," said Losinski. "And if they can learn it, then I'm certain a wolf could, too."
Lab officials have reminded workers to be alert when they are outside the fence, and that wolves typically run in packs so if one is spotted there could be more.
Post by: HORSEPOWER on January 08, 2013, 08:48:05 PM
WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ (http://wdfw.wa.gov/)
January 7, 2013
Contact: Dave Ware, (360) 902-2509
Meetings scheduled to discuss gray wolf recovery, management
OLYMPIA - The recovery and management of gray wolves in Washington and other western states will be the topic of three public meetings this month hosted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
A panel of experts will discuss ongoing efforts to recover Washington's gray wolf population, the latest information from population surveys in Washington and gray wolf management strategies used in other states.
"Wolves are a high-profile species that attract considerable public interest from people who often have opposing views," said Dave Ware, WDFW game manager. "This is a great opportunity for people interested in gray wolves to hear from experts about the recovery of the species throughout the West."
Keynote speakers include Mike Jimenez, Rocky Mountain wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Wyoming; Carter Niemeyer, retired wolf specialist with the USFWS and the U.S Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services; and Donny Martorello, WDFW carnivore section manager.
Lorna Smith, executive director of Western Wildlife Outreach, an independent wild carnivore education organization based in the state of Washington, will moderate the meetings.
Each meeting will include an opportunity for the public to submit questions to the presenters about wolf recovery and management.
The public meetings are scheduled for:
Jan. 16 - Center Place Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 17 - Office Building #2, at 14th Ave. and Jefferson St., Olympia, 2:30-5 p.m.
Jan. 18 - Magnuson Park's Garden Room, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, 6-8 p.m.
Virtually absent from Washington for more than 70 years, gray wolves have dispersed into the eastern portion of the state and the North Cascades from adjacent populations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia.
WDFW has confirmed the presence of eight wolf packs in Washington. There is also evidence of unconfirmed packs near Kettle Falls in northeastern Washington, in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and in the North Cascades, as well as transient wolves.
Gray wolves are currently listed as endangered under state law throughout Washington, and under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state.
Washington's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan establishes a goal of 15 breeding pairs of wolves distributed among three regions of the state for three years - or 18 pairs in one year - before the state can delist gray wolves as an endangered species.
More information on wolves is available at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/. (http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/.)
Quentin Summers
EDGE Contractor
Post by: bearpaw on January 10, 2013, 05:36:05 AM
Wolves run just outside fence of nuclear reactor at Idaho National Laboratory
by Rocky Barker on Mon, 01/07/2013 - Idaho Statesman
Wolves recently were spotted outside the north fence of the Advanced Test Reactor Complex deep in the heart of the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory in the Arco desert.
The wolves were spotted near the complex where the 250 megawatt nuclear test reactor is housed. Their presence was reported in an internal INL newsletter that cautioned workers that do field work, walk or job outside the fence.
It shouldn't be any surprise since the INL is winter range for a variety of big game animals and has resident populations of antelope, deer, elk and moose. I remember 27 years ago when operators were preparing to melt down the Loss of Coolant Test Reactor, a moose walked in the open front door of the reactor.
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Mexican gray wolf may be released soon in Arizona forest to replace pack's dead alpha male
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 07, 2013
PHOENIX — An adult male Mexican gray wolf may be released soon in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in east-central Arizona.
Arizona Game and Fish Department officials say the wolf is scheduled for a mid-January release adjacent to the Bluestem pack. It will replace the pack's alpha male found dead in July and determined to be illegally killed.
The release is contingent upon the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project's interagency field team's survey work to ensure no other male wolf has paired with the Bluestem pack's alpha female.
The Mexican gray wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976 after it was nearly wiped out by government trapping and poisoning designed to help cattle ranchers.
The federal government began a reintroduction effort in 1998 in Arizona and New Mexico.
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$30K settlement in mauling of California miniature horse by wolf-dog hybrids
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 07, 2013
RIVERSIDE, California — The owner of two wolf-dog hybrids that got loose and mauled a Southern California miniature horse has paid a $30,000 settlement.
Lake Mathews rancher Chris Herron, whose tiny horse Bojangles was killed two years ago, says he hopes the deal with the wolf-dog owner will encourage others to do a better job of keeping their animals penned up.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/TPKeED (http://bit.ly/TPKeED)) says Herron sued Cesar Siordia for $65,000, which included $25,000 in punitive damages and $25,000 in lawyer fees. Trial was scheduled for March.
But the case was dismissed in November when both sides settled for $30,000.
Ranch workers saw Siordia's wolf-dogs eating Bojangles.
A ranch hand shot and killed one of the dogs and the other was euthanized.
Siordia was cited for violating the county leash law.
Post by: bearpaw on January 10, 2013, 05:43:54 AM
Meetings scheduled to discuss gray wolf recovery, management
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
January 07, 2013
Contact: Dave Ware, (360) 902-2509
OLYMPIA – The recovery and management of gray wolves in Washington and other western states will be the topic of three public meetings this month hosted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
A panel of experts will discuss ongoing efforts to recover Washington’s gray wolf population, the latest information from population surveys in Washington and gray wolf management strategies used in other states.
“Wolves are a high-profile species that attract considerable public interest from people who often have opposing views,” said Dave Ware, WDFW game manager. “This is a great opportunity for people interested in gray wolves to hear from experts about the recovery of the species throughout the West.”
Keynote speakers include Mike Jimenez, Rocky Mountain wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Wyoming; Carter Niemeyer, retired wolf specialist with the USFWS and the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services; and Donny Martorello, WDFW carnivore section manager.
Lorna Smith, executive director of Western Wildlife Outreach, an independent wild carnivore education organization based in the state of Washington, will moderate the meetings.
Continued with schedule:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/release-print/jan0713a/ (http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/release-print/jan0713a/)
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Russia declares emergency over wolf attacks
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 7, 2013
The Siberian Republic of Yakutia has declared a state of emergency due to attacks on livestock by wolves. A program to reduce the wolf population by 3,000 is now being undertaken.
For more, click on the links below.
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
http://tinyurl.com/aur73y5 (http://tinyurl.com/aur73y5)
Russian Times
http://rt.com/news/siberia-emergency-wolf-hunt-446/ (http://rt.com/news/siberia-emergency-wolf-hunt-446/)
BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20932461 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20932461)
Post by: bearpaw on January 10, 2013, 05:47:36 AM
Washington to hold wolf management public meetings
by Rich Landers Jan. 8, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Washington wildlife managers are putting together a road show of experts to help the public understand the options for managing the expanding number of gray wolves spreading into the state.
The recovery and management of gray wolves in Washington and other western states will be the topic of three public meetings this month hosted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The only Eastern Washington meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the Center Place Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Pl. in Spokane Valley.
The agency says a panel of experts will discuss efforts to recover Washington’s gray wolf population, the latest information from population surveys in Washington and gray wolf management strategies used in other states.
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http://tinyurl.com/ah5fw5v (http://tinyurl.com/ah5fw5v)
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Cattlemen say wolf management based on emotion, not science
by Rich Landers Jan. 8, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association says Washington has crafted much of its wolf management policy based on social pressure, not on data.
In a media release, the association said the answers or lack of answers to public records requests indicate the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lacks the information to properly manage the predator.
“Over the last several months, we have submitted a number of formal requests to WDFW regarding specific data related to the wolf,” said SCCA President Scott Nieslen. “The responses we received show that WDFW has no information on the number of prey animals available for the wolves, they have limited information about the wolf population and have no ability to predict how wolves will affect local communities.”
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http://tinyurl.com/ad66xhv (http://tinyurl.com/ad66xhv)
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Wyoming game officials investigating illegal wolf kills near Grand Teton
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 Yellowstone Gate
Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials are seeking information about the illegal killing of two gray wolves in the Gros Ventre area near Jackson, Wyo., east of Grand Teton National Park.
Two wolves shot in separate incidents in December were both poached—killed in a way that doesn’t comply with the state’s wildlife and hunting laws—officials said in a statement released Tuesday.
North Jackson game warden Bill Long said a wolf was found shot dead in the Gros Ventre area in early December. A second wolf, which had also been shot, was found on Dec. 21, several miles from the first wolf carcass.
“These illegal killings of wolves are plain and simple poaching, with total disregard for the state’s efforts to properly and adequately manage wolf populations in order to maintain recovery goals,” Long said.
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http://tinyurl.com/9w99hw7 (http://tinyurl.com/9w99hw7)
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Legal Efforts Underway to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves
Public News Service - NM January 7, 2013
SILVER CITY, N.M. - Efforts to restore wolves to the wild continue to face obstacles. Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) granted itself a "recovery permit" to live-capture endangered wolves that enter New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico or the Rocky Mountains. As a result, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the federal agency.
Michael Robinson is a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. He says wolves don't carry maps, and live-capture is dangerous. It can disrupt breeding pairs and leave pups without their parents, he explains, and in some cases, pups have disappeared and been presumed dead because their parents have been live-captured. But that's not all, he adds.
"There's been 18 instances in which wolves have been accidentally killed as a consequence of capture, as well as instances where they've lost legs that have had to be amputated due to trap injuries."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) says the permit is not a kill permit, but a "take" permit. It empowers agencies working with the Service to legally handle a member of an endangered species. FWS spokesman Tom Buckley says the permit ensures that if an animal is killed, those with permits are protected under the law. FWS has until late February to respond to the notice to sue.
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http://tinyurl.com/agqz2ay (http://tinyurl.com/agqz2ay)
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Dog euthanized after wolf attack at Labrador base
The Canadian Press January 3, 2013
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. – A golden retriever attacked by a wolf at a military base in Labrador has been euthanized because of its injuries.
Capt. Dave Bowen, a spokesman at 5 Wing Goose Bay, says the attack happened early Monday morning outside a home on the base.
Military police, who responded to the call, say they saw blood in the snow and a dog huddled underneath the home’s deck.
An officer says the wolf was about the same size of the dog, weighing about 22 kilograms.
Bowen says the officer coaxed the dog out from the deck and decided to euthanize the wolf, which is being tested for rabies.
There have been six wolf sightings in recent months around the base, but it’s the first time one has been spotted on the base.
Post by: bearpaw on January 10, 2013, 04:08:47 PM
Federal judge transfers wolf lawsuit from to Wyoming from Colorado
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 10, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups challenging the federal government's decision to transfer wolf management to the state of Wyoming should be heard in the state, a federal judge has ruled.
Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane of Colorado issued an order Wednesday granting a joint request from the federal government and the state of Wyoming to move the case from federal court in Colorado to federal court in Wyoming.
The eight environmental groups filed suit in November claiming that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the federal Endangered Species Act when it ended federal protections for wolves in Wyoming last fall.
The groups maintain Wyoming's management plan classifying wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state is inadequate.
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Montana wildlife agency asks lawmakers to expand wolf hunting and trapping
By MATT VOLZ - Associated Press January 10, 2013
HELENA, Montana — State wildlife officials planned to ask lawmakers Thursday to make it easier to hunt and trap wolves in Montana, while a Bozeman legislator wants to cap the state's population of the predators at 250.
The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee was to take up both proposals as the wolf debate takes the spotlight in the first week of the 2013 legislative session.
Ranchers and hunters have called for an expansion of hunting and more liberal rules after 166 wolves were killed out of the 220-animal quota set for 2011, the state's second-ever wolf hunt. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials responded by making the 2012 season longer, eliminating most quotas and allowing trapping for the first time.
The agency is now asking for additional measures in House Bill 73 that can only be accomplished by changing state law. The proposal would let hunters and trappers buy multiple tags and use electronic wolf calls, reduce the price of a non-resident tag from $350 to $50 and eliminate the requirement that hunters wear fluorescent orange outside of elk and deer season.
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http://tinyurl.com/bdsgcob (http://tinyurl.com/bdsgcob)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 07:18:10 AM
Wolf lawsuit moved to Wyoming
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 11, 2013
A federal judge has issued an order moving a lawsuit challenging the removal of federal protections for wolves in Wyoming from his court in Colorado to Wyoming. The request for change of venue was filed by both federal and state officials. Wolf advocate and environmental groups filed the lawsuit in federal court in Colorado last fall.
Click on the link below for more information.
Associated Press article
http://tinyurl.com/d8o65ah (http://tinyurl.com/d8o65ah)
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Bounty offered in cases of two poached wolves
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyoming January 11, 2013
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the prosecution of those responsible for poaching two gray wolves in the Gros Ventre drainage.
No tips have come in on the two cases, the only wolf poachings that have been reported in Wyoming this year. They are being investigated by North Jackson game warden Bill Long.
The wolves were discovered before Dec. 21 and within “several miles” of each other, but it’s not known if the incidents are related, Long said. Up to $5,000 is available in each case.
“If the public is aware of anything or heard of anything, please let us know,” Long said. “This is wanton destruction.”
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http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9433&pid=news (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9433&pid=news)
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Wolf meetings slated, but none local
January 10, 2013 By Scott Sandsberry - Yakima Herald-Republic
Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife open meetings focusing on the recovery and management of gray wolves in Washington and other western states are scheduled for next week, but none of them will be held in Central Washington.
The meetings, which will feature a panel of experts discussing efforts to recover and manage Washington’s gray wolf population, are set for next Wednesday at Spokane Valley’s Center Place Regional Event Center, Thursday (Jan. 17) in Olympia and Friday (Jan. 18) in Seattle.
Panelists will include Mike Jimenez, who coordinates wolf recovery efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the Rocky Mountain region; Carter Niemeyer, a retired wolf specialist with the service; and Donny Martorello, carnivore manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The moderator will be Lorna Smith, executive director of Western Wildlife Outreach.
Go here for more on the meetings, including a full schedule and locations.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/jan0713a/ (http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/jan0713a/)
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Court: NPS right to deny wolf reintroduction
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 11, 2013
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has ruled that the National Park Service was right in its rejection of the idea of reintroducing wolves to Rocky Mountain National Park in order to reduce the elk population.
Click on the link below to learn more.
Denver Post
http://tinyurl.com/ctzp8up (http://tinyurl.com/ctzp8up)
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Michigan may hold a wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula this fall
By Steve Carmody January 10, 2013 Michigan Radio
Gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula are a step closer to being hunted this fall.
For many years, the Gray Wolf was on the endangered species list. Now, there are an estimated 687 wolves in the Upper Peninsula. That’s far more than is needed for the wolves to have a viable population, according to state wildlife biologists.
“When you look at 687, it’s probably not the appropriate number to look at in context of ‘Do we need public harvest to resolve conflicts?’” says Adam Bump, a specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
By ‘conflicts’, Bump is referring to attacks by wolves on livestock animals in the U.P. Those attacks have risen as the gray wolf population has grown.
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http://tinyurl.com/d22fcng (http://tinyurl.com/d22fcng)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 07:20:20 AM
Wildlife officials plan first Mexican gray wolf release in four years
January 12, 2013 Yuma Sun
PHOENIX – For the first time in four years, a Mexican gray wolf will be released into the forest of eastern Arizona to expand the population and genetic strength of the endangered species.
The adult male will be released into the Apache National Forest after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's regional office approved replacing a pack's alpha male that was killed illegally last summer.
At last count, there were 58 Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico as part of a recovery program launched in 1998.
“When the release occurs, the male will hopefully connect with the alpha female who has not mated with another male yet and form a breeding pair in the wild, which is the ultimate goal of this process,” said Tom Buckley, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
... While the environmental groups want even more wolves released, Buckley noted that captivity-bred wolves, known as naive wolves, don't always have the personality to succeed in the wild.
“If they are not aggressive enough to hunt or if they become too habituated with people, they may not survive in the wild,” he said.
Full story:
http://www.yumasun.com/news/wolves-84500-release-wildlife.html (http://www.yumasun.com/news/wolves-84500-release-wildlife.html)
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Wolf shot in New Brunswick was wild, tests confirm
First confirmed wolf killed in the province since 1876 will be displayed
CBC News Jan 9, 2013
A wolf shot in New Brunswick last year was a wild animal, not one that escaped from captivity, tests have confirmed.
The animal, the first confirmed wolf killing in the province in more than a century, will be mounted for public display at the New Brunswick Museum.
It will be part of a new exhibit on the history of wolves in the province, said Don McAlpine, the head of zoology at the museum.
The wolf, a large young male mix of two breeds — Grey and Eastern Canadian — was healthy and looking for a new territory on the Acadian Peninsula, said McAlpine.
... "It had a few tape worms in it as well that indicate it had been feeding in the wild for a while, so it was in good shape."
Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/a86t2ws (http://tinyurl.com/a86t2ws)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 07:23:33 AM
Wyoming Game and Fish investigates after 2 gray wolves illegally killed near Jackson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 13, 2013
RIVERTON, Wyoming — Wildlife officials are investigating after two gray wolves were illegally killed in the Gros Ventre area near Jackson.
The Riverton Ranger reports (http://bit.ly/SucUG1 (http://bit.ly/SucUG1) ) one wolf was found shot to death in early December, and the second, which also was shot, was found Dec. 21 a few miles from the first wolf carcass.
Bill Long, a warden with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, says the killings are "plain and simple poaching" and "such self-centered actions hurt all of us in the long run."
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Two brothers, one stand, two wolves
Two brothers talk about each shooting wolves from the same stand within 24 hours of each other toward end of season on property near Skime, Minn.
By Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald January 13, 2013
Buzz Marvin and Scott Marvin have had the good fortune to hunt all over the world, but few hunting experiences, they say, can rival the gray wolves they shot last month on their hunting land near Skime in northwest Minnesota.
The storyline, in its barest form, reads like this: Two brothers, one stand, two wolves — within a period of less than 24 hours.
“We’ve taken a lot of trophies, but I think this is right at the top,” said Buzz Marvin, 67, who moved from his hometown of Warroad, Minn., to Fargo about 10 years ago. “You can go north of the border and hunt wolves, but this is something that’s in your own backyard.
“For Scott, it’s his home state; for me, where I used to live.”
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http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/253818/ (http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/253818/)
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Wolf season considered success despite lawsuits filed by opponents
Grand Forks Herald January 13, 2013
Officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources say they’re pleased with the state’s first-ever managed wolf season, although a lawsuit filed by opponents of the season remains in the courts.
Minnesota’s inaugural wolf season ended Jan. 3, when the late hunting and trapping seasons closed.
DNR officials closed the season early because the harvest was nearing the overall target of 400. The final tally during the two seasons was 413, the DNR said. Hunters and trappers had until 5 p.m. Jan. 4 to register wolves taken the last day of season.
Had the harvest target not been reached, the late season could have remained open until Jan. 31.
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http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/253817/ (http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/253817/)
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Inaugural wolf season will provide bounty of info
Jan 12, 2013 Patrick Durkin - Green Bay Press Gazette
Our understanding of gray wolves will advance far more from Wisconsin’s recent hunting season than from the 117 candles that animal rights activists planned to light Friday to honor wolves killed during the hunt.
Activists have every right to ring bells and burn candles outside the Department of Natural Resources offices in Madison. They also can believe wolves exist on a higher spiritual plane than other Wisconsin wildlife, or even stand superior to humans.
But wolves don’t benefit from pubic displays of pretension. In contrast, biologists, researchers and volunteers conduct the real work of wolf management in near anonymity from university campuses and DNR offices around Wisconsin.
This work includes not only tracking surveys to assess wolf numbers, but compiling and analyzing data from the 2012 season. These studies are supported in part by the $294,320 generated through applications and license sales from our first wolf season.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 07:28:13 AM
Yellowstone-area wolf harvests in court Monday; hunting and trapping backers oppose closure
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press January 14, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Montana officials were due in state court Monday to ask a judge to reinstate a temporary ban against the hunting and trapping of gray wolves near Yellowstone National Park.
At issue are two areas north of Yellowstone near the town of Gardiner totaling about 60 square miles.
Montana wildlife commissioners closed the wolf season in those areas in December over worries that too many wolves that wandered out of the park were being shot by hunters in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
That included at least five wolves that had been collared for research by park scientists.
Hunting and trapping supporters sued over the closure of wolf season, saying not enough public input had been allowed. State District Judge Nels Swandal earlier this month issued a restraining order that re-opened the wolf harvest.
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Managing, recovering wolves in Washington the subject of 3 public meetings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 14, 2013
OLYMPIA, Washington — State officials have scheduled three public meetings this week to talk about gray wolves in Washington.
A panel of experts will discuss ongoing efforts to recover and manage the state's population. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday in Spokane Valley, Thursday in Olympia, and Friday in Seattle.
Gray wolves were eliminated as a breeding species in Washington by the 1930s have since migrated to Washington from Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia. There are eight confirmed wolf packs in the state.
Last year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife eliminated a wolf pack that had been attacking livestock in the state's northeast corner.
The animals are protected as an endangered species throughout Washington. They are federally listed as endangered only in the western two-thirds of the state.
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Federal appeals court sides with Colorado national park on elk, wolves
A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the Rocky Mountain National Park's decision to use sharpshooters to reduce elk populations in the Colorado park was the correct one, disappointing WildEarth Guardians, which had challenged the decision because the group believed introducing wolves into the park would have been a better way to keep elk numbers down.
Denver Post; January 10, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ctzp8up (http://tinyurl.com/ctzp8up)
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Wis. DNR board to decide on taking wolf-dog rules to Conservation Congress hearings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 14, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — The Department of Natural Resources wants to ask outdoor lovers what they think of new wolf-dog hunting rules.
DNR officials are set to ask the agency's board on Jan. 23 to include the rules on the Conservation Congress' spring hearings questionnaire.
The draft rules would allow hunters to train dogs on wolves during daylight hours during wolf season and the month of March. Dogs also would have to be tattooed or wear a collar with its owner's name and address. Hearing attendees would get a chance to express support on a number of different provisions in the rules.
The agency hopes to take the rules to public hearings later this year and implement them in 2014.
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Opponents of wolf killing launch referendum drive to overturn Michigan's new hunting law
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 14, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — A group opposed to killing wolves says it will circulate petitions to force a referendum on a new Michigan law allowing hunting of the once-protected predators.
Organizers of the group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected said Monday that it will seek to gather 225,000 signatures by late march to qualify for the November 2014 ballot.
The group is a coalition of animal welfare, conservation and Native American organizations.
The Legislature last month voted to classify gray wolves as a game species, and state officials are proceeding with plans for hunting them. Michigan has about 700 wolves.
The federal government in 2011 said wolves had recovered enough to be removed from the endangered species list. Since then, hunting has begun in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 05:53:02 PM
Letter to Share:
Wolf Stats Letter
January 13, 2012
Sadly, it takes a lot for me to sit down and write a letter, but I feel I must.
I read Gretchen Smith’s letter in the winter 2011 issue of Range that characterized wolf impacts for last year in total at 75 head of cattle, and that this loss was compensated for through the reimbursement program. I also read in Western Ag Reporter of Carter Niemeyer’s position that adverse affects of wolf harassment are minimal on livestock & wildlife.
If these points were true I think we stockmen, sportsman, and people like us who simply enjoy all wildlife and not just predators would be overjoyed.
Here has been my experience over the last 15 years:
The record snowfall year of ’96 – ’97 severely impacted wildlife, especially deer herds, here in northwest Montana. But by 2000 on our Plum Creek Timber grazing allotments, deer and moose numbers were strong. Elk herds seemed stable with a good percentage of calves to the rest of the herd.
From 2002 to 2005 we saw a negative change in wildlife numbers. Deer, elk, and moose numbers were dramatically declining. The only wildlife numbers on the increase were wolves.
During this time, wolf depredation and harassment incidents against our cattle increased seemingly, coinciding with the decrease in wildlife. New packs began to squeeze into our area, one in 2008 started hitting our cattle in September. Another new pack in 2011 targeted our livestock within 10 days of our June 1 turnout date & stayed active until we left in mid October. So where there were two packs in our area between 2000 & 2005, they having a very negative effect on wildlife, now we have four packs.
We’ve been very active with government trappers, state wolf biologists, we’ve called our state legislators, and we’ve spent a lot of time & expense running trap-lines for the Feds to collar individual wolves in each pack to monitor & help with removal. This year between the state, Feds, & the ranch under state authority, we killed 8 wolves. We know through trail camera photos, that between just two of the four packs, they had a total of 14 pups.
At our home place 2 years ago, we tried deterrents like flaggery & hot fence. Within two nights 2 wolves went through the flaggery & hot fence and hit our yearlings again. They did not kill any that night but went across the fence & killed one of the neighbor’s cows.
One reads of hiring range riders to show a greater presence to deter wolf depredations. We have a cattle & guest ranch and spent on average 5 out of every seven days with our cattle; a luxury most stockmen cannot afford. I do believe our presence on our allotments helped in the early years.
As per the low number of confirmed kills compared to the total death loss, I think one experience of ours might be enlightening. We had a 500+ lb. calf killed, we thought by wolves, in October 2010 in the middle of a hay meadow within 300 yards of a neighbor’s house. It was covered up with a blue tarp following government protocol for examination by the government representative the next day. He determined that it was not a wolf kill. The evening of the examination wolves came in, pulled the calf carcass out from under the tarp, and consumed the rest of it.
The wolf behavior that has the greatest impact that I’ve not heard talked of is the harassment of the livestock & wildlife that the wolves do not kill. I’ve seen wolves terrorize cattle & elk to where they move in a cluster like a flock of birds on the wing. The wolves might be in them for a short period of time but the effects may last for weeks before the cattle or elk relax & disperse. With that stress, calves gain less weight, cows do not breed, and some abort their calves. I’ve seen these same effects on the elk in our area with as few as one calf remaining in twenty cows by August 1. The elk, like our cows, are running in large groups in mid summer; this I’ve not seen in years past.
The only comparable experience of mine was in the late seventies with grizzly bears hitting cattle in northwest Wyoming, southeast of Cooke City, Montana where I lost 35 calves out of 200 pairs in one remote wilderness Forest Service allotment. Only 2 calves were lost out of the remaining 700 pairs in the other Forest Service allotments. These harassed cattle also moved in large groups, and were very difficult to keep in the high country. They traveled constantly, always ill at ease.
Those are my observations, here are my statistics:
Year Cattle numbers Weaning Weights (Steers) Open Cows (unbred) Death Loss
2000 To 2004 at least 300 pairs of calves + 4% less than .5 %
2005 300 + pairs 715 lbs. 7% 2 calves
2006 same 747 lbs. 8% 3 calves
2007 same 720 lbs. 13% 5 calves
2008 same 668 lbs. 18% 7 calves
2009 same 637 lbs. 23% 11 calves
2010 same 624 lbs. 29% 12 calves 2 cows
2011 198 pairs 585 lbs. 26% 20 calves
2011 40 yearling replacement Heifers 42% 2 yearlings
2011 50 dry cows 4% 0
June 1 of 2011 we put 40 yearling replacement heifers in about 400 acres of mixed timber & grass to finish bulling. Those heifers were in excellent shape coming in. Two were killed by wolves. By July 1st, I turned them out with the older cows for relief. 16 came in unbred, most of these were determined by the vet to having aborted their calves; of the 22 bred, 6 were determined to be late calvers. 5% death loss, 42% open in this group of cattle.
In 2011 most of the first calf heifers (2 year olds) with calves by their side, came in open. Most of them were determined by the vet to never having cycled.
Out of the 198 pairs turned out in 2011, 10% of the calves died, 8 were confirmed kills by wolves. 1% of the cows died - no confirmed kills. 26 % of the cows came in open. Out of 50 older dry cows turned out in 2011, no death loss, 4% were open.
If you take the calf death loss with the open cow percentage, true loss comes to 1 in 3 calves in the 12 month period from June 1, 2010 to June 1, 2011, and another 1 in 3 calf loss from June 1, 2011 till now.
Stockmen experience some death loss and infertility in the best of circumstances. Our norm was 4% - 5% unbred cows with a low death loss under 1% before wolves were a factor. Now our negative cattle trends mirror the negative wildlife trends in our area. In my experience these negative wildlife and cattle trends directly relate to the increase in wolf numbers, the increase in wolf encounters with cattle & wildlife, and the increase in wolf depredations.
The Fish, Wildlife, & Parks of Montana just reported a poor game harvest, fewer animals available, fewer hunters afield, a lower hunter success ratio for the hunting season just ended, and for the first time unsold big game tags. I know personally of non-resident hunters that used to hunt on the ranch with great success in the early 2000’s, now go to other states. This grazing season for me was the worst on record even though it was a banner grass year. The wolf population though is doing quite well.
Randy Bock, Manager
McGinnis Meadows Ranch
Libby, Montana
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Idaho wildlife managers mulling paid trappers to manage, reduce wolf population
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 15, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho wildlife officials are considering paying private trappers to kill wolves roaming in specific hunting zones where wolves have had a significant impact on elk populations.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is mulling several different ideas for using fewer than a dozen proven trappers as way to more affordably and effectively manage and reduce wolf numbers in three northern hunting zones.
"There are certain individuals who have built up some pretty good skills," Jeff Gould, a wildlife bureau manager for the agency, told the Idaho Statesman (http://bit.ly/RUFuiu (http://bit.ly/RUFuiu)).
The agency is looking for ways to reduce Idaho's wolf population, estimated at more than 500 at the end of the season last year. Hunters and trappers have had some success statewide killing wolves, but Gould says the agency wants to minimize wolf impacts in the Lolo, Selway and St. Joe hunting zones.
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Lion hunter says wolves killed 3 dogs in Ninemile
January 15, 2013 By PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic
STEVENSVILLE MT – Drew Zeiler thought he had done everything right before he let his three mountain lion dogs go on a set of fresh tracks Sunday afternoon.
The 20-year-old Stevensville man had been hunting with others in the Ninemile drainage north of Missoula since Sept. 3.
In all that time, they had not seen any sign of wolves in the area.
This day wasn’t any different.
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Florence-area man fends off wolf that attacked dog
November 22, 2012 By PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic
FLORENCE MT – Don Burgess loves a good outdoor adventure story.
The former hunting editor of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Bugle magazine never imagined one of his best would happen right in his backyard.
It’s been about a week and a half now since Burgess was awakened from a deep sleep at about 5 a.m. to the sound of an obvious struggle right outside his bedroom.
Burgess lives about 100 feet from One Horse Creek, just about one mile west of the only stoplight in Florence.
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Court takes up Yellowstone-area wolf harvests; hunting and trapping backers oppose closure
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press January 15, 2013
LIVINGSTON, Montana — Whether gray wolf hunting and trapping should continue outside the gates of Yellowstone National Park is in the hands of a state judge, after Montana wildlife officials pressed Monday to reinstate a temporary ban.
At issue in the lawsuit before District Judge Brenda Gilbert is the killing of wolves within two areas north of Yellowstone that total about 60 square miles. But the case has quickly emerged as the latest flashpoint in the bitter, decades-long fight over wolves in the Northern Rockies.
After several collared wolves that wandered out of the park were killed in recent months, wildlife advocates want a buffer zone around Yellowstone to keep the park's wolves safe from hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
But backers of those states' legal harvests say the relatively small buffer area now on the table is merely the front end of a tactic to erode the public's legal ability to legally kill wolves.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bobs8o9 (http://tinyurl.com/bobs8o9)
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Pro-wolf groups unite, calling management a ‘killing spree’
by Rich Landers Jan. 14, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The lone gray wolf roaming California is on good behavior, eating deer, and getting a lot of good press for his species.
If the wolf were ever to find a mate and produce pups, it would have more mouths to feed, and that would be the start of the issues for management.
But pro-wolf groups in the Pacific Northwest are turning their backs on reasonable needs for managing — that often means killing — wolves.
The San Francisco news story below is one-sided, reporting the numbers of wolves killed in Idaho and Montana without pointing out that despite the management, wolf numbers increased and are still considered far above the levels set for recovery in the plans drawn up for their reintroduction to the Northern Rockies.
Groups in Pacific Northwest press for laws to protect wolves
http://tinyurl.com/d7ujt6b (http://tinyurl.com/d7ujt6b)
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Legal Efforts Underway to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves
Public News Service – NM - January 2013
SILVER CITY, N.M. – Efforts to restore wolves to the wild continue to face obstacles. Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) granted itself a “recovery permit” to live-capture endangered wolves that enter New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico or the Rocky Mountains. As a result, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the federal agency.
Michael Robinson is a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. He says wolves don’t carry maps, and live-capture is dangerous. It can disrupt breeding pairs and leave pups without their parents, he explains, and in some cases, pups have disappeared and been presumed dead because their parents have been live-captured. But that’s not all, he adds.
“There’s been 18 instances in which wolves have been accidentally killed as a consequence of capture, as well as instances where they’ve lost legs that have had to be amputated due to trap injuries.”
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http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=672 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=672)
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FWS send select counties and tribes new wolf plan.
Denying legal access to public.
January 10, 2013 Wolf Crossing
We have recently learned that the science sub group, of the disbanded 2011 Mexican Wolf Recovery Team has launched Potential expansion of the Mexican wolf recovery program which is being drafted and evaluated by the science group for the Mexican Wolf Recovery Team that no longer is in place. They have not revealed their proposal to the rest of the recovery team or the public. However, one or two select counties and tribes have now received draft EA’s and supposedly, Draft full blown plans for Mexican wolf expansion into other areas of AZ NM Texas and Mexico. It is a major concern of agriculture industries in these areas that the most recent Mexican wolf managers are operating the program in almost total secrecy in order to ensure public input is not included in the process. If you would like information on this plan please email admin@wolfcrossing.org
(Comments are solicited from those few local governments entities that received it, are due Feb 1, 2013.)
It appears that there was no scoping process and no federal register notice. No Public Input Whatsoever has been solicited. We are not sure this process is legal and will sure find out if there is something to be done about it.
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See also:
Documents for New and Improved but not legally dispersed Mexican wolf proposed plan.
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=680 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=680)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 05:54:50 PM
Mexican gray wolf doing well after release in Arizona forest to replace pack's dead alpha male
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 16, 2013
PHOENIX — Authorities say a male Mexican gray wolf recently released in east-central Arizona's Apache Sitgreaves National Forest is doing well.
Arizona Game and Fish Department officials say the 4-year-old wolf is replacing the Bluestem pack's alpha male found dead last July and determined to be illegally killed.
The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project's interagency field team did survey work before last week's release to ensure no other male wolf had paired with the Bluestem pack's alpha female.
The release was timed to coincide with normal early-season breeding activities.
The Mexican gray wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976 after it was nearly wiped out by government trapping and poisoning designed to help cattle ranchers.
The federal government began a reintroduction effort in 1998 in Arizona and New Mexico.
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Oregon wolves multiply to more than 50
By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian on January 16, 2013
Oregon officially is now home to 53 gray wolves, up from 29 a year ago.
"There definitely could be more out there than what we see and are aware of," said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy. "All our counts are based on hard evidence," such as tracks, sightings and remote camera footage.
The 53 wolves are in seven packs in the state's northeastern corner and consist of at least five breeding pairs, she said. A goal of the state's wolf plan is to have four breeding pairs of gray wolves for three consecutive years east of the Cascade Range.
A pack is defined as at least four wolves that travel together in winter. A breeding pair is two adult wolves that produce at least two pups that survive through Dec. 31 of the year of their birth.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ae3mkzs (http://tinyurl.com/ae3mkzs)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 05:57:49 PM
Letter to Share:
An Emergency Situation
By Will Graves - Author of "Wolves in Russia" http://wolvesinrussia.com/ (http://wolvesinrussia.com/) January 14, 2013
Early this January an emergency situation has been declared in the republic by the Sakha leader Yegor Borisov due to an overpopulation of wolves. He has had his fill of wolves. The wolves are prowling at the edge of villages frightening the people. There are an estimated 3,500 wolves in the republic, and Mr. Borisov said the ideal number of wolves should be 500. In 2012 the wolves killed 16,111 reindeer and 313 horses. The estimated value of one reindeer is about $328.00 which adds up to an approximate loss of $5,000,000 dollars to reindeer herders. Although 750 wolves had been recently culled, the damage done in 2012 compared to damage in 2011 went up by a 4.3 %. To reduce the predation by wolves in any given area, it usually takes a culling of from 80 to 90% of the wolves for about 8 to 10 years. Reducing the population by 10 to 50% one year will have negligible effect.
(Observations by Will Graves, author of "Wolves in Russia.")
Mr. Borisov will initiate a culling program on the 15th of January 2013, the goal of which is to reduce the wolf population from 3,500 to 500. As an incentive for hunters and herders to cull wolves, he has placed a bounty of $629 or $680 per each wolf pelt. The difference in the amount of the bounty is because of fluctuations in the currency exchange rates. Additionally, the first three hunters who cull the most wolves will receive awards mounting to more than $3000 each.
(Source. "Russian Region Declares State of Emergency Due to Wolf Attacks," Internet Radio Free Europe, January 11, 2013. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-yakutia-wolf-attacks/24816564.html (http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-yakutia-wolf-attacks/24816564.html)
"Wolves at the Door in Siberia", Internet article by Andrew Kramer, January 10, 2013.)
http://www.smh.com.au/world/wolves-at-the-door-in-siberia-20130109-2cgm3.html (http://www.smh.com.au/world/wolves-at-the-door-in-siberia-20130109-2cgm3.html)
Vladimir Krever, the Russian World Wildlife Federation's Head of the State Committee Biodiversity Program, said, "When wolves start attacking deer and livestock they have to be killed and the population controlled. This is the right policy." He made this statement when talking about Khakassia, a republic located about 1,000 miles southwest of Sakha (Yakutiya). He added, "Even if they were able to kill 3,000 wolves the population would recover quickly..."
(Source. "Second Russian Republic Declares Open Season on Wolves," Internet Outdoor Hub Reporters, January 11, 2013.)
http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/second-russian-republic-declares-open-season-on-wolves/ (http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/second-russian-republic-declares-open-season-on-wolves/)
In addition to heavy predation on reindeer, the wolves carry and spread around parasites and diseases. The parasite Echinococcus granulosus is particularly damaging and threatening, including being a threat to humans. A resident of the city of Yakutsk send me a notice that the Yakutian (Sakha) Scientific Research Institute of Agricultural Science sent out to residents of Yakutiya in 2010. The notice warned people about the threat of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. On 3 March 2010 I sent a cover letter and a translation of that report to the Montana Environmental Quality Control Committee.
In 1962 it was reported that E. g. occurred widely in wolves in the Soviet Union.
(Source."Cystic Echinococcosis in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic", Robert L. Rausch, 2003, page 877, by Petrov and Delianova 1962.)
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1526&context=parasitologyfacpubs (http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1526&context=parasitologyfacpubs)
Three of four wolves examined in the Novosibusk Oblast were found by Lukashenko in 1975 to be infected with E. multilocularis, and the fourth with E. g. (Ibed, page 876.)
In my opinion, the bottom line is that wolf numbers need to be controlled.
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More Info:
Echinococcus
The genus Echinococcus includes six species of cyclophyllid tapeworms to date, of the family Taeniidae. Infection with Echinococcus results in hydatid disease, also known as echinococcosis.
Echinococcus is triploblastic, i.e. it has 3 layers- outermost ectoderm, middle mesoderm and inner endoderm. Anus is absent; and no digestive system. Body is covered by tegument and the worm is divided into scolex, short neck and 3-6 proglottids. Body is ribbon-like.
In humans, this causes a disease called echinococcosis. There are 3 types of echinococcosis i.e. cystic echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus, alveolar echinococcosis caused by E. multilocularis and polycystic echinococcosis caused by E. vogeli and/or E. oligarthrus.[1] Incubation period is usually long and can be up to 50 years. Cystic echinococcosis is mostly found in South and Central America, Africa, the Middle East, China, Italy, Spain, Greece, Russia and the West of the United States (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico and California).
Echinococcosis is a zoonosis; humans are dead-end hosts. The definitive hosts are carnivorous predators - dogs, wolves, foxes, lions. The adult tapeworm lives in their small intestine and delivers eggs that are excreted with the stool. The intermediate hosts are infected by ingesting eggs. Sheep, goat, cattle, camel, pig, wild herbivores and rodents are the usual intermediate hosts, but humans can also be infected.
Continued:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinococcus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinococcus)
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Human Echinococcosis Mortality in the United States, 1990–2007
January 17, 2013 by Tom Remington
Abstract
Background
Despite the endemic nature of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis infection in regions of the United States (US), there is a lack of data on echinococcosis-related mortality. To measure echinococcosis-associated mortality in the US and assess possible racial/ethnic disparities, we reviewed national-death certificate data for an 18-year period.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Echinococcosis-associated deaths from 1990 through 2007 were identified from multiple-cause-coded death records and were combined with US census data to calculate mortality rates. A total of 41 echinococcosis-associated deaths occurred over the 18-year study period. Mortality rates were highest in males, Native Americans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and persons 75 years of age and older. Almost a quarter of fatal echinococcosis-related cases occurred in residents of California. Foreign-born persons accounted for the majority of echinococcosis-related deaths; however, both of the fatalities in Native Americans and almost half of the deaths in whites were among US-born individuals.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bhy23qn (http://tinyurl.com/bhy23qn)
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Y'stone wolves down 25%
Loss of collared wolves complicates tracking and research, internal park correspondence shows.
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyo. January 16, 2013
Natural deaths, run-ins with humans and hunting have combined to cut Yellowstone National Park’s wolf populations by about a quarter.
The latest count shows 15 wolves that ventured into Yellowstone over the past year were legally killed in Idaho, Montana or Wyoming hunts.
Eight to 11 of those animals spent the majority of the last year in the park and would likely have been counted toward official 2012 year-end population tallies.
At least six and as many as nine wolves from packs that sometimes roam into Grand Teton National Park had been killed through Nov. 7, reports show.
Continued:
http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9452&pid=news (http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9452&pid=news)
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Montana FWP schedules conference call to discuss wolf trapping Jan. 29
On Jan. 29, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will meet via conference call to revisit the commission's decision to close two areas north of Yellowstone National Park to trapping, a decision that was challenged and is currently awaiting a ruling from a Montana state judge.
Billings Gazette; January 16, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bd9vyqo (http://tinyurl.com/bd9vyqo)
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Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:03:05 PM
Using wolves to kill wolves?
Proposed rule would expand baiting
By KATHERINE WUTZ January 17th, 2013 Idaho Mountain Express
Idaho trappers could soon be able to use wolf carcasses and roadkill to bait traps for gray wolves, if a rule currently in the Senate Resources and Environment Committee is not rejected.
The pending rule, titled "Use of Bait and Trapping for Taking Big Game Animals," would allow the use of legally salvaged roadkill and the use of gray wolf carcasses for baiting gray wolf traps. Previously, no game animals, birds or fish could be used for bait; the new rules allow for use of accidentally killed game animals, such as elk killed by motorists. Gray wolf carcasses, whether accidentally or intentionally killed, could be used for bait as long as the skin has been removed. Fish and Game rules require the skin of a killed wolf to be taken to a regional office, marked and reported.
Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for conservation group Defenders of Wildlife, said that the use of wolf carcasses for trap baiting would be effective only due to the social nature of the animal. "It's exploiting the wolves' sense of family bonding," she said.
The pending rule is up for consideration by the Senate Resources and Environment Committee at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18.
See full story here:
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145751 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145751)
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6 wolves killed in Wood River region
174 killed by hunters, trappers in state
January 18, 2013 By KATHERINE WUTZ January 17th, 2013
Six wolves have been killed so far this season in the area surrounding the Wood River Valley—a significant drop from last year.
Randy Smith, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Magic Valley regional wildlife manager, said hunters last year had killed 22 wolves in the Southern Mountains Zone by this time. The reasons for the drop are not clear, he said.
“It’s certainly been a lower harvest than we anticipated,” he said. “It could be a combination of reasons. Wolves are just getting smarter and harder to hunt now that we’ve had a few hunting seasons.”
Smith said four of the six wolves were killed in Game Unit 43, which surrounds the South Fork of the Boise River near Featherville. Two were killed in the Wood River Valley—one in Game Unit 49 near the East Fork of the Big Wood River and one in Game Unit 48 out Lake Creek north of Ketchum.
Continued:
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145755 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145755)
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Washington’s wolf population pegged at 51-101 animals
by Rich Landers Jan. 18, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Readers of reports on Wednesday's gray wolf management presentation by a panel of experts in Spokane have noticed a discrepancy in the reporting of the number of wolves estimated to be in Washington going into 2013.
The range is 51-101, according to Donny Martorello, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department carnivore manager.
In her report, Jessica Robinson of Northwest Public Radio chose to publish the “minimum” estimate of 51 wolves that Washington Fish and Wildlife Department field staffers have actually counted.
My report on Wednesday's presentations noted the agency estimates there are “up to 100” wolves in the state, zeroing in on the maximum number of 101 wolves in Washington based modeling techniques that compensate for the fact that human eyes never see all the game in the field.
State biologists say wolves are coming and going from state boundaries all the time, so a specific number isn't possible.
One thing's for sure: Wolves are mating now, and the number of wolves in Washington will increase this spring.
Source w/links:
http://tinyurl.com/abh69eg (http://tinyurl.com/abh69eg)
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Pro-wolf folks seek support to grow Utah population
by Stephen Dark - City Weekly January 17, 2013
Concerned supporters of wolves in the western United States are urging Utahns to contact President Obama and ask for expansion of the gray wolf on the endangered species list, rather than delisting the wolf, as is currently expected in March this year.
Wolf advocates fear that in March, Obama's administration will announce the removal of gray wolves from the protection currently afforded them by the endangered list in states such as Utah and Colorado. They were taken off the list in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in 2011, resulting in wolves being hunted and trapped by the hundreds, say pro-wolf advocates.
Kirk Robinson of the Western Wildlife Conservancy noted in an October 2012 article for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance's website that wolves were delisted within the Northern Rockies part of Utah. "In 2010, the Utah legislature passed SB36, ordering the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to 'prevent the establishment' of a pack of wolves" within that area.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b2ghopk (http://tinyurl.com/b2ghopk)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:05:50 PM
Judge keeps wolf season going outside Yellowstone as House approves looser restrictions
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press January 18, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — A Montana judge issued an injunction Friday allowing wolf trapping and hunting to continue outside Yellowstone National Park, as lawmakers in Helena advanced a measure to loosen restrictions on killing wolves statewide.
Combined, the two actions pave the way for a further ratcheting up of Montana's efforts to curb gray wolf numbers less than two years after they came off the endangered species list.
Friday's decision from state District Judge Brenda Gilbert came after state wildlife commissioners attempted to close two areas totaling 60 square miles to hunting and trapping out of concerns too many Yellowstone wolves were being killed.
Gilbert agreed with sporting groups that sued the state over the matter, resulting in a temporary restraining order earlier this month. Plaintiffs in the case said not enough public notice was given prior to the December approval of the closure by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bxn5mvn (http://tinyurl.com/bxn5mvn)
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Tough decisions loom for wolves
Rich Landers January 17, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
How Washington will handle the gray wolves that are moving into the state and expanding at a rapid rate is a work in progress.
But while the methods are debatable, two things are not, state and federal wolf experts said in Spokane on Wednesday:
Wolves must be managed, and some wolves will be killed in the process.
If you’re on the extremes, wanting all wolves killed or wanting all wolves protected, get over it.
It will take a collective effort and money to make wolf recovery work.
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http://tinyurl.com/bdvrtdn (http://tinyurl.com/bdvrtdn)
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Wash. Wildlife Officials Report ‘Unprecedented’ Wolf Numbers
Jan. 17, 2013 - Northwest News Network by Jessica Robinson
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - Washington wildlife managers are working to avoid the kind of escalation in wolf conflicts that led the state to kill an entire wolf pack last fall. Officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife told a crowd in Spokane Valley Wednesday they’re trying to keep livestock losses down, even as Washington’s wolf population grows.
Most of the state’s wolves congregate in eastern Washington. Last September a cattle ranch near the Canadian border lost so many animals, the state flew in a sniper to take out the problematic Wedge Pack.
Even so, Washington’s carnivore manager Donny Martorello reports that preliminary figures show the state wolf population grew from 27 to 51 just in the last year.
“This is unprecedented population growth,” he says. “You don’t see this in elk herds, you don’t see this in orcas, you don’t see this in bald eagles. This kind of growth is phenomenal in the wildlife population.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bcwzta3 (http://tinyurl.com/bcwzta3)
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Challenge could delay Michigan wolf hunt
Group gets OK to collect signatures to get issue on '14 ballot
By Jim Lynch The Detroit News January 18, 2013
A referendum challenge to Michigan's new law on gray wolves could delay the creation of a hunting season for the animals by a year and a half.
Late last month, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law Public Act 520 giving Michigan's Natural Resources Commission the power to decide if there should be a wolf hunting season. This week, a coalition of conservation and animal welfare groups announced it would begin collecting signatures to challenge the law via a referendum.
Michigan's Board of Canvassers approved the group's petition form, clearing the way for members of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected to begin collecting the 161,305 signatures necessary to put the issue on the ballot.
Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's office, said if enough valid signatures are collected and turned in by the March 27 deadline, the issue will not be decided until the next general election in November 2014. "The board ruled today (Thursday) that the petition form complies with state law, so that can't be challenged later on," he said.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bcd3vve (http://tinyurl.com/bcd3vve)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:09:28 PM
Montana judge allows wolf season to continue
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online January 20, 2013
A Montana judge has issued an injunction allowing wolf harvest to continue outside Yellowstone National Park's borders in Montana. Although Montana wildlife officials had attempted to close the season, the way the state went about doing so was deemed not in compliance with law.
For more, click on the link below.
Associated Press article
http://tinyurl.com/adjoh9n (http://tinyurl.com/adjoh9n)
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WG&F collars wolves in nine packs
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online January 20, 2013
Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials recently net-gunned wolves in western Wyoming, installing radio collars on 14 wolves in nine packs outside the federal parks in the region.
For more, click on the link below.
KULR8.com
http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Wyoming-Wolf-Trapping-187541421.html (http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Wyoming-Wolf-Trapping-187541421.html)
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Washington has 'unprecedented' wolf numbers
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online January 20, 2013
Washington wildlife officials say eastern Washington's wolf numbers are rising, and state officials are working to reduce the risks of conflicts with livestock production in that region of the state.
For more, click on the link below.
OPB
http://tinyurl.com/avzac7r (http://tinyurl.com/avzac7r)
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Wolves: An Oregon legacy: Part 3 of 6
By Katy Nesbitt - The (La Grande) Observer January 21, 2013
The last Oregon gray wolf was killed on the Umpqua National Forest for a bounty in 1946, until a female wolf from Idaho made her way to the Middle Fork of the John Day River in 1999.
In those intervening 53 years. American attitudes changed about natural resources, the environment, and wildlife. In 1973 the federal Endangered Species Act was passed.
At the time, a few gray wolves were known to reside in northern states along the Canadian border.
In the early 1980s wolves dispersing from Canada were recolonizing in northwestern Montana. By 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with a team of stakeholders, completed a recovery plan.
That same year, the Oregon Endangered Species Act was passed, including protection of wolves, a species that had been officially absent for 40 years.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b2smysn (http://tinyurl.com/b2smysn)
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Wolves: An Oregon legacy: Part 2 of 6
http://tinyurl.com/bzk47nx (http://tinyurl.com/bzk47nx)
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Wolves: An Oregon legacy
http://tinyurl.com/a87kpev (http://tinyurl.com/a87kpev)
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Luna County forms wolf committee to explore management plan
By Matt Robinson Las Cruces Sun-News 01/21/2013
A committee formed by Luna County to address a wolf management plan proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to meet Tuesday. The committee will meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at the Office of the State Engineer in Deming, 301 S. Tin St. The committee has been formed by Luna County to reply to the Southwestern Mexican Gray Wolf Management Plan.
The plan, as described by the federal agency, is not to release or reintroduce wolves into areas of New Mexico, Arizona and Western Texas, but to manage the wolves that "naturally disperse into, or recolonize" those areas.
During the regular Jan. meeting, Luna County commissioners expressed hesitance to accepting the idea that wolves could be allowed in to Luna County. One commissioner commented as though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed plan is to release wolves into areas outlined in the plan.
"To release any more gray wolves in any area would be non-productive," Commissioner Joe "Oleo" Milo said. "I don't see any value to release [wolves] anymore. They were extinct and to try and bring them back, to me, doesn't sound right."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bhhhqqy (http://tinyurl.com/bhhhqqy)
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'One day, wolves may attack humans'
(China Daily) January 21, 2013
The greatest fear of Bayishi Hule, the herdsman from Mazongshan, is that one day the wolves might attack people if their packs keep growing. "The wolves often come in a pack of six or seven and can kill dozens or even 100 mountain goats at a time," he said.
"They don't eat all of them. They just bite through their throats and leave them bleeding to death like it is a game to them," he said.
Wolves are a protected species in China. Anyone who wants to hunt them must obtain permits from forestry administrations, or they will face criminal charges. As private citizens are forbidden from owning guns in China, herdsmen can only count on police or other armed forces to control the predators' numbers.
In 2010, the Gansu government began to compensate herdsmen who lost their livestock to wolves.
Continued:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8100123.html (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8100123.html)
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Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:14:28 PM
Wolf trapping: Legal, not easy
By Caleb Soptelean Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Shoshone News Press
Idaho is in the midst of its second wolf trapping season.
There were 43 wolves trapped last year in the Idaho Panhandle, said Wildlife Educator Phil Cooper of the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game. Through Tuesday, there have been 10 trapped this season.
The season runs from Nov. 15 through March 31.
Idaho is one of only three states that allow wolf trapping, Cooper said. The others are Alaska and Montana. This is the first year for Montana, while Alaska has allowed it for many years, according to Cooper.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/baruyhb (http://tinyurl.com/baruyhb)
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Kretz introduces wolf relocation bill
By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Monday, January 21, 2013
An Eastern Washington lawmaker has followed through on his promise to introduce legislation to relocate wolf packs to Western Washington.
Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, introduced House Bill 1258 on Jan. 21. The bill was referred to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Last week Kretz told the Capital Press he considered the bill an "honesty test" for wolf supporters who don't live in the same area as the animals.
According to the bill, the state is "enjoying" an expanding gray wolf population.
"Unfortunately, however, this bounty has been geographically limited to areas in eastern Washington and the entire citizenship has not been fully able to enjoy the reestablishment of this majestic species," according to the bill.
Continued:
http://www.capitalpress.com/content/mw-Kretz-wolf-bill-012113 (http://www.capitalpress.com/content/mw-Kretz-wolf-bill-012113)
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Group challenges newly-signed wolf hunting law
by NBC25 Newsroom 01.21.2013
SAGINAW -- It got the governor's signature last month, but the bill that made the Michigan gray wolf a game species and allows wolf hunts is now being contested.
The Keep Michigan Wolves Protected group kicked off its campaign in Saginaw tonight.
The group says it wants to protect gray wolves from being hunted.
The bill Gov. Snyder signed cleared the way for the state's natural resources commission to allow a wolf hunt as early as this year.
Wolves are no longer on the endangered species list in Michigan.
“The idea is to veto the language and take it back to where we were before, where wolves are a protected species and not hunted,” Jill Fritz, the group’s director, said.
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected needs to get 200,000 signatures by late March to put a referendum on the ballot in the November 2014 general election.
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Legal Efforts Are Underway to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 By Renee Blake New Mexico News Connection Cibola Beacon
Efforts to restore wolves to the wild continue to face obstacles.
Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) granted itself a "recovery permit" to live-capture endangered wolves that enter New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico or the Rocky Mountains.
As a result, the Center for Biological Diversity has filed a notice of intent to sue the federal agency.
Michael Robinson is a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. He said wolves don't carry maps, and live-capture is dangerous. It can disrupt breeding pairs and leave pups without their parents, he explained, and in some cases, pups have disappeared and been presumed dead because their parents have been live-captured.
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http://tinyurl.com/bc9lmxw (http://tinyurl.com/bc9lmxw)
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Alaska Board of Game takes steps toward wolf control on Gravina Island
By SCOTT BOWLEN - Ketchikan Daily News January 22, 2013
KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Alaska's Board of Game took a step toward a potential wolf control program on Gravina Island recently when it directed the state to prepare an "operational plan" for the board to consider in March.
Meeting earlier this month in Sitka, the board accepted the feasibility studies completed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regarding the potential for wolf control programs on Gravina Island and in limited areas near Petersburg to help boost deer populations.
"We believe that this is a project that the department could accomplish and be successful," Board Chair Ted Spraker said Monday.
The next step is for Fish and Game to prepare operational plans for both areas.
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Beware the wolves of Chiantishire: Tuscany politicians warn of attacks on humans as predator levels bounce back
Attacks in areas popular with British holidaymakers including Sienna, Lucca and the Val d'Orcia
Wolves have been known to savage shepherds protecting their flock
By Hannah Roberts 22 January 2013 Daily Mail
Its idyllic landscape of rolling fields and poplar-lined hills have proved irresistible to the great, the good and the very rich.
But in recent months the gentle vistas of Tuscany have become home to a savage predator - packs of marauding wolves which are growing increasingly brazen.
Politicians in Chianti-country have warned that attacks are now reaching 'crisis levels' and have called on the government to take action. There are growing fears that the wolves could attack humans.
Antonio Gambetta Vianna, a local councillor, has called for a task force to be sent in to tackle the packs.
'The last three attacks have occurred in broad daylight and near homes and farming buildings,' he said. 'This shows that the wolves no longer afraid of anything.'
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http://tinyurl.com/at8bt5f (http://tinyurl.com/at8bt5f)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:20:15 PM
Wolf kills hunting hound in Komensky
by Cassandra Colson January 23, 2013 Jackson County Chronicle [Wisconsin]
A hunting hound was killed by a wolf in the town of Komensky late last month, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources now is urging hunters to be more vigilant about the safety of their dogs.
A wolf from the Nochi Hani Pack in eastern Jackson County killed a 5-year-old Plott hound that was chasing coyotes on Dec. 30, 2012. The event prompted the DNR to implement a caution area, which warns hunters to be more careful in the region.
“What we do know is when a wolf attacks a hound like this ... there’s a high probability they’ll attack another hound again in the next year or two,” said DNR wildlife ecologist Adrian Wydeven.
“We create these areas to warn hunters ... that they may want to avoid the area or be that much more cautious that there’s no fresh wolf tracks in the area.”
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Public will have chance to weigh-in on gray wolf hunt, DNR says
By Cory Olsen January 23, 2013 M Live
LANSING, MI -- The Michigan Natural Resources Commission met January 10 to talk about a number of things, as they do each month, but the hot topic of the night was a proposed gray wolf hunt.
The Michigan Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder approved a new law at the end of last year designating the gray wolf as a game animal, putting the option of a hunt up to the Natural Resources Commission.
Opponents and proponents have been vocal about their reasons to save or hunt the gray wolf and now national organizations are stepping into the ring.
DNR Bear and Furbearer Specialist Adam Bump made his presentation to the commission, documenting the history of the gray wolf in Michigan and outlined some potential changes to the current wolf management plan.
Bump noted in his presentation that there are chronic conflicts with the gray wolf despite lethal and nonlethal techniques in Ironwood/Gogebic County and that depredation and dog incidents in certain areas have been challenging to resolve with current employable techniques.
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Wolf attacks on the rise in tourist spots of Tuscany
By Roshina Jowaheer, Jan 23, 2013 AOL News
Politicians in Tuscany have warned that attacks by wolves are reaching 'crisis levels' and have called on the Italian government to take action.
According to the Daily Mail, there are growing fears that the animals could attack humans and local councillor of Chianti, Antonio Gambetta Vianna, has called for a task force to tackle the packs.
'The last three attacks have occurred in broad daylight and near homes and farming buildings,' he said.
'This shows that the wolves are no longer afraid of anything.'
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http://tinyurl.com/a7tjesw (http://tinyurl.com/a7tjesw)
Post by: bearpaw on January 24, 2013, 06:22:31 PM
Senate committee passes wolf bait rule
House committee must also pass new rule
By KATHERINE WUTZ Idaho Mountain Express Wednesday, January 23, 2013
A rule that would allow trappers to use wolf carcasses and salvaged roadkill as wolf trap bait passed a Senate committee with little discussion Friday.
Under Idaho code, the Legislature can reject agency rules deemed contrary to the laws under which they were implemented.
The pending Fish and Game rule, which combined and clarified rules regarding bear baiting and wolf trapping, was heard in the Senate Resources and Environment Committee.
The rule allows trappers in certain game management units determined by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to use legally salvaged big game animals to bait wolf traps. Previously, and in other game management units, wolf traps could be baited but not with parts from game birds, fish or big game animals such as elk. Wolves could be trapped near the carcasses of big game animals, but only animals that had died naturally.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145806 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145806)
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Trapping rule is dishonorable
Letters Idaho Mountain Express Wednesday, January 23, 2013
There is nothing at all humane about trapping—the animals suffer horribly and the fact that it is not only legal but also is now a part of the Idaho Constitution is reprehensible. Every hunter I’ve spoken to about trapping considers it cruel and unsportsmanlike.
Now Fish and Game is proposing baiting these traps. I fail to see any honor at all in their actions.
Lara McLean
Ketchum
Post by: bearpaw on January 29, 2013, 08:17:53 AM
Letter to Share:
Please do not close the Wolf hunt near the Park
January 25, 2013
To MT FWP Commission
It is crucial that you do not allow the extreme environmental groups to convince you to close the wolf hunt in areas around Yellowstone Park. If anything the hunt should be expanded and broadened in this area.
For years the Northern Yellowstone elk herd was managed by allowing late elk hunts down the Gallatin Canyon and near Gardner MT. Why is controlling the wolf and allowing this hunt to continue any different? The elk lived in the park and migrated in and out – yet they were hunted and no environmental groups seemed to care – why is the wolf sacred?
The northern Yellowstone elk herd had a management goal to keep the herd between 12,000 and 9,500 animals when the wolves were introduced to the park. The current elk population in the park is now around 4,000 animals with an average age of 9 years old vs 4 before wolves. There are almost no elk left down the Gallatin Canyon or down the Yellowstone Valley in areas that border the park. Any sane person would recognize the current low elk population as a major concern. The ONLY reason the elk population in the park and in the areas around the park is so low is due to the wolves. Sure Grizzlies, Mountain Lions, coyotes and weather are factors but they do not have anything near the devastating impact on elk population as does the wolf. Moose are basically extinct in the park due to wolves – not due to fires of 1988 or global warming – ( factors that should increase moose population if anything)
With these facts in mind there is absolutely NO reason to close the wolf hunt around Yellowstone. Saying you are trying to avoid collared wolves being killed is ridiculous! Having these animals killed should be considered as information to be included in the research. The only reason to stop the wolf hunt in these areas is to bow to an extreme special interest group and to deny reality.
Please take into account the need to control the wolf population for the benefit of the deer, elk, moose and other wildlife. Let their population be managed. Do not fall into the trap of trying to appease these extreme environmental groups with their limited agenda. Again, if these environmentalists were really concerned about the whole eco-system they would be gravely concerned about the loss of elk, deer and moose and would recognize the urgency to get the wolf population under control. They would not be blind to the devastating effects of uncontrolled wolf populations if they truly and objectively looked at the facts.
I cannot emphasize enough how much the hunters and citizens of Montana want to get the wolf population under control. You are supposed to represent these people – not the special interest groups that are never going to be happy with any wolf control. Please allow hunting to continue around Yellowstone Park
Thanks
Ron Andriolo
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Oregon-collared wolf killed in Idaho
by Associated Press January 25, 2013
ENTERPRISE, Ore. -- An Oregon wolf known to biologists as OR-16 has been killed by a hunter in Idaho.
It's the second gray wolf equipped with a tracking collar to be shot after leaving Oregon, where they cannot be hunted, or shot for attacking livestock.
Oregon wildlife officials say OR-16 was a member of the Walla Walla pack in northeastern Oregon and crossed the Snake River into Idaho last month. He was shot near Lowman, Idaho, on Saturday.
The East Oregonian reported that as of Wednesday, 958 wolves have been killed in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as part of hunts aimed at reducing wolf numbers.
Last year, a wolf known as OR-9 crossed into Idaho and was illegally shot by a hunter who was issued a warning.
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Ranchers decry plan for wolf protection: County backs opposition to federal proposal
The Raton Range By Todd Wildermuth, Fri, Jan 25, 2013
Several area ranchers expressed their opposition to a federal plan that would offer protection to wolves that may migrate into northern New Mexico in growing numbers in the future. The Colfax County commission promised the county would share the ranchers’ strong concerns with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and take any other steps it can to keep predatory wolves from negatively impacting the local livestock industry.
The unanimous anti-wolf sentiment expressed at Tuesday’s commission meeting came during a public hearing for commissioners to listen to citizens’ input regarding the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed Southwestern Gray Wolf Management Plan. The plan contains detailed, multiple-layered standards and procedures by which a gray wolf could be deemed a “problem” wolf for attacking livestock or pets or coming too close to humans, and how that wolf would be dealt with.
The proposed plan “gives the wolves more protection than our farmers and ranchers,” said Marietta Shell, a former Colfax County commissioner. “These are predators I do not believe can be managed.”
Shell called for the county to continue to take a stand against anything that could allow the wolf population in the region to grow.
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Carbs were key in wolves' evolution into dogs
Comparing the DNA of dogs and wolves shows that dogs' ability to easily digest carbohydrates, originally from starch in scraps left behind by humans, helped enable their domestication, a study finds.
January 23, 2013|By Rosie Mestel, Los Angeles Times
Long ago, some brazen wolves started hanging around human settlements, jump-starting events that ultimately led to today's domesticated dogs. Now geneticists say they have identified one of the key changes that turned wolves into the tame, tail-wagging creatures well-suited to living by our sides — the ability to digest carbohydrates with ease.
The report, published online Wednesday by the journal Nature, found signs that dogs can break down starch into sugar, and then transport those sugars from the gut into the bloodstream, more efficiently than can wolves. Comparing dog and wolf DNA, the authors pinpointed several changes in starch and sugar-processing genes that would have made early dogs better able to digest the scraps they scavenged from dumps in early farming villages, helping them to thrive as they gave up the independent life of the pack to entwine their lives with ours.
"That food was obviously the same kind of food that we were eating," most likely a mix of roots, porridge and possibly bread along with bones containing meat and marrow, said study leader Erik Axelsson, an evolutionary geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden.
No one knows for sure when or where the first dogs came to be, but most evolutionary biologists agree that the wolf probably made the first move and that the draw was the food humans discarded. Only much later did people intensively mate dogs of different shapes and temperaments to create today's hundreds of breeds and varieties, from the hulking and noble to the tiny and yapping.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 29, 2013, 08:23:49 AM
Letter to Share:
Montana House of Representatives votes 96-3 in support of HB 73, Wolf Harvest Bill
Please attend Monday's FWP Commission Hearing on Wolf Harvest Closures
January 25, 2013
There are two important developments on wolf management and wildlife recovery efforts in Montana.
(1) HB 73-Montana Wolf Harvest Bill
Yesterday, HB 73 passed the Montana House of Representatives with a 96-3 vote. It now goes to the Montana Senate for consideration. For the status of the bill, or to see how your legislative representative voted, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/ajfvz77 (http://tinyurl.com/ajfvz77)
(2) Premature Wolf harvest Closures in Park County
Please attend the FWP Commission Meeting next Monday January 29th, 2010. The FWP Commissioners have indicated that Monday’s meeting will “short circuit” Big Game Forever’s lawsuit. From the agenda it is clear that the only item that will be heard at Monday’s meeting is a “reconsideration” of the wolf harvest closures.
The Address for Monday’s Meeting is:
FWP Headquarters
1420 East Sixth Avenue
Helena, MT
Please attend and voice your support for keeping the wolf hunting and trapping season open! Only 15 people testified at the December 10, 2012 FWP Commission Meeting. Most of the 15 were there to ask the Commission to close wolf harvest in areas of Park County. We need many, many people to attend and ask the commission to keep the wolf harvest open. Let’s fill the room with folks who are concerned about the recovery of elk, moose and deer in Park County!
One additional note:
Judge Gilbert’s injunction ruling made very clear that FWP Commission would need to hold a hearing in Park County before she would consider lifting the injunction. Judge Gilbert’s injunction blocked the closure of wolf harvest in areas North of Yellowstone National Park. We do not see any notice of a public hearing scheduled in Park County. Big Game Forever and our co-plaintiffs have sent a letter to the FWP Commission reminding them of this obligation. To date we have not received a response to our letter. A copy of our letter to the FWP Commission is attached.
Plaintiff's Letter to FWP Commission
http://tinyurl.com/b6sjrvh (http://tinyurl.com/b6sjrvh)
We remain concerned about the failure of the FWP Commission to follow the law in relation to these wolf harvest closures. More importantly, we are concerned about the recovery of wildlife populations in Park County and across the state of Montana.
Please forward this email to your friends and neighbors!
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/ (http://biggameforever.org/)
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CANCELLED FWP CONFERENCE CALL MEETING
January 25, 2013
The attached news release is self explanatory.
Well done one and all, especially Jim Brown and others involved with the lawsuit, MTSFW is proud to have participated in this effort.
Elk, deer, moose, and other wildlife are the real winners here, livestock and ranchers will also rest a little easier having this accomplished.
Keith Kubista
President Montana Sportsmen For Fish and Wildlife
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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
January 25, 2013
Contact: Ron Aasheim: 406-444-4038; raasheim@mt.gov
FWP TO KEEP HUNTING AND TRAPPING OPEN NEAR GARDINER
State wildlife officials today canceled a Jan. 29 conference call to reconsider a recent court-challenged decision to close the wolf hunting and trapping seasons in two areas north of Yellowstone National Park.
The areas were closed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission on Dec. 10, in response to concern about the harvest of wolves with collars that supply scientific information to YNP researchers. The seasons, however, were reopened by the district court in Livingston in response to a lawsuit brought by several sporting groups and a state representative from Park County.
FWP officials said today that the best course of action is to fully follow the judge's Jan. 18 order that prohibits FWP from enforcing the wolf hunting and trapping closure.
"The judge clearly stated that FWP would have to return to the court to apply for an order to dissolve the injunction and have proof that requisite public notice was given. We have simply run out of time,” said Ron Aasheim, FWP’s spokesman in Helena.
Aasheim noted that wolf hunting and trapping season is set to end in 34 days, on Feb. 28, and that obtaining a hearing and court action prior to the end of the wolf hunting season would be unlikely.
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Predator zone eliminates wolves
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyoming Date: January 25, 2013
Wyoming officials wanted wolves removed from much of the state, and their hands-off management method has worked as designed.
Wolves can be killed in a “predator zone,” which covers 85 percent of the state, by almost any method, at any time, in any number and without a license. The anything-goes rules have had the desired effect: Wyoming Game and Fish Department harvest reports show that 31 of the canines have been killed in the predator zone since October. That’s more than the 20 to 30 animals department biologists estimated roamed the zone last year.
“It appears the predator zone is reducing wolf numbers there significantly,” said Mark Bruscino, Game and Fish’s large carnivore supervisor. “That’s what the management strategy was designed to do.”
Wyoming’s latest wolf management plan regulates wolf hunting in a trophy game area that encompasses about 15 percent of northwest Wyoming, including most of Jackson Hole. A portion of the trophy game area south of Highway 22 and Wilson is a flexible zone that rotates between being a free-fire zone and regulated hunting area.
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http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9483&pid=news (http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9483&pid=news)
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Groups skeptical of Kretz wolf relocation bill
by Rich Landers Jan. 23, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Wolf supporters and even some cattleman's groups say an Eastern Washington lawmaker's bill aimed at moving wolves to the west side of the state is damaging their efforts to relocate wolves to the southern Cascade Mountains, according to a story in the Capital Press.
http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/mw-kretz-bill-update-012313 (http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/mw-kretz-bill-update-012313)
Post by: bearpaw on January 29, 2013, 08:25:32 AM
Tracking a wolf?
Snowmobilers follow trail of paw prints in area forest
By Michael H. O’Donnell Idaho State Journal Saturday, January 26, 2013
SODA SPRINGS — With a long stride and big pad prints, the trail of a large canine led a trio of snowmobilers on a 13-mile quest to catch a glimpse of what they suspected was a lone wolf last Friday. Instead they were left with a line of paw prints disappearing into the snow ahead.
Paul Gritton, a photographer and correspondent for the Idaho State Journal, was joined by two members of Southeast Idaho law enforcement for an outing near Slug Creek about 12 miles east of Soda Springs when they first came across the tracks. It was in an area known as Big Basin in the Caribou National Forest.
“We left the warming hut and went about three-quarters of a mile when I spotted large canine tracks,” Gritton said. “I knew it was unlikely it was a dog.”
Gritton said the paw prints were large as was the stride of the animal. In addition, the animal did not stray from side to side by remained on a pretty steady course to the southwest, using a path packed by weeks of snowmobile activity. And the trail was fresh.
“There was hoar frost that morning and the tracks were on top of that,” Gritton said.
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Post by: bearpaw on January 29, 2013, 08:29:00 AM
OR-16 killed in Idaho
January 25, 2013 Life With Wolves
Various sources have confirmed that an Oregon wolf known to biologists as OR-16 was killed Saturday near Lowman, Idaho. The wolf was fitted with a tracking collar by state biologists after being accidentally trapped last November. The 85-pound yearling male was in good health and later found to be a member of the Walla Walla Pack.
In December, OR-16 crossed the border into Idaho. He became the second Oregon wolf to be killed as part of that state’s recreational hunt. As of Wednesday, 958 wolves have been killed in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as part of recreational hunting and trapping season aimed at dramatically reducing the population of the recently endangered species. Wyoming’s wolf plan allows an unlimited number of wolves to be killed by any means in the majority of the state.
Last February, OR-9 crossed the Snake River and was shot by a hunter.
The news was first reported on the Oregon Wolves Facebook page.
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Oregon’s wolf count for 2012
January 25, 2013 Life With Wolves
Oregon’s minimum wolf count for 2012 is 53 wolves, including seven packs and at least five breeding pairs. (A pack is four wolves that travel together in winter. A breeding pair is two adult wolves that produce at least two pups that survive through Dec. 31 of the year of their birth.)
More information.
http://dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/population.asp (http://dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/population.asp)
The Oregon wolf population is determined each winter and is based on wolves that staff has verified through direct evidence (sightings, tracks, remote camera footage). The actual number of wolves in Oregon is likely greater than this minimum estimate, and the 2012 estimate may change as ODFW gains additional information over the winter.
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Montana won't seek to curb Yellowstone-area wolf hunts, officials cite judge's ruling
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press January 28, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Montana wildlife officials said Monday that they were abandoning their efforts to shut down gray wolf hunting and trapping just outside the gates of Yellowstone National Park, citing a recent court ruling that threatened to drag out the issue until the season was almost over.
Hunting and trapping were briefly suspended last month on about 60 square miles north of Yellowstone over concerns that too many wolves wandering out of the park were dying. That included the shooting of several wolves collared for scientific research and management purposes.
But after a judge issued an injunction saying not enough notice was given before the closures were enacted, wildlife officials said they would no longer seek to reinstate the closure. A Tuesday meeting in which commissioners had planned to take action on the issue was cancelled.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission Chairman Bob Ream said agency personnel decided it would take several weeks at a minimum to get an order from state District Judge Brenda Gilbert dissolving her injunction. Montana's wolf season ends on Feb. 28.
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http://tinyurl.com/anawwxx (http://tinyurl.com/anawwxx)
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Montana’s Famous White Wolf
on January 28, 2013 by Tom Remington
Below is a brief biography of the legendary white wolf of Montana that was killed in 1930. This story I’ve republished was written by Elva Wineman in May of that year.
Some have optioned to use this as an example to show that the wolves that naturally inhabited this region of Montana was a different subspecies of wolf than what was (re)introduced in the Greater Yellowstone area beginning in the mid-1990s. Some are basing their claim due to size, as this Famous White Wolf, considered to be as big as wolves get in that state, weighed 85 pounds. It should be cautioned however that the size of a wolf, as I understand it, is more determined by available prey than mere species. (I don’t pretend to be a taxonomic specialist, nor have I played one on TV.)
In reading through multiple accounts by Teddy Roosevelt, a man who loved to hound hunt wolves in Montana, Roosevelt referred to the really big wolves that were found beyond certain geographical boundaries. There are also accounts collected and explained in information available through the Smithsonian.
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http://tomremington.com/2013/01/28/montanas-famous-white-wolf/ (http://tomremington.com/2013/01/28/montanas-famous-white-wolf/)
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 05:39:06 AM
Wolves kill cow and fetus at Three Lakes Country on Private Land in Wallowa County, Ore
January 29, 2013 posted at Life With Wolves
Wallowa County, ORE — According to an official report from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW), a livestock producer found the carcass of an adult cow in a grassland pasture on the morning of 1/28/13. At the time of discovery wolves were observed at the scene of the carcass and were suspected in killing the cow. ODFW was asked to investigate the remains.
ODFW finding: Confirmed wolf
Evidence of wolf presence in the area: Upon discovery, the livestock producer reported observing wolves at the site of the carcass. GPS collar data confirmed the report and shows that OR4 (Imnaha pack) was at the site and in the area of the carcass from 11 p.m. the evening prior to 8 a.m. the morning of discovery.
In addition, the very high number of tracks found at the scene suggests the pack was present.
Summary of evidence: The estimated time of death of the cow was early the morning of 1/28/13. A clear struggle scene was observed in the snow which showed multiple wolf tracks and large amounts of blood scattered over a large area of the carcass. Though partially consumed, ample carcass remained for investigation.
The cow had suffered multiple bites in the typical wolf attack areas – behind the front shoulders, in front of the front shoulders and brisket area, groin and anterior portion of hind legs, and rump/udder area. Bites clearly showed heavy internal hemorrhage indicating pre-mortem attack.
The fetus of the cow had been removed and mostly consumed – similar to past confirmed depredations of adult cows by the Imnaha Pack.
All evidence (wolves present at scene, bite marks and locations, struggle scene with multiple wolf tracks, and internal hemorrhage) indicates wolf attack.
Source:
http://www.lifewithwolves.org/home/?p=12649 (http://www.lifewithwolves.org/home/?p=12649)
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 05:41:35 AM
Montana FWP cancels conference call on wolf hunt near Yellowstone
After a state district court judge overruled the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission's decision to end wolf hunts in some zones near Yellowstone National Park, the commission scheduled a conference call for Jan. 29 to discuss reinstating the ban. But on Monday, the commission decided that the process would take too long, given that the wolf hunting season ends within a month, and the conference call and further action was canceled.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; January 29, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/au7ra8f (http://tinyurl.com/au7ra8f)
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With wolves on the way, Oregon needed a plan
by Katy Nesbitt, The Observer January 30, 2013
The last Oregon gray wolf was killed on the Umpqua National Forest for a bounty in 1946, until a female wolf from Idaho made her way to the Middle Fork of the John Day River in 1999.
In those intervening 53 years, American attitudes changed about natural resources, the environment and wildlife. In 1973 the federal Endangered Species Act was passed.
At the time, a few gray wolves were known to reside in northern states along the Canadian border.
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Test confirms wolf killed in Kansas last month
The Associated Press Jan 30, 2013
WAKEENEY - A state parks official says tests have confirmed that an animal killed by hunters in Trego County in December was a wolf.
DNA testing conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed the animal was a western Great Lakes wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf.
Ron Kaufman, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, says officials haven't determined if the wolf was wild or had been in captivity.
The Hays Daily News reported Monday the last confirmed killing of a gray wolf in Kansas was during the winter of 1938-39.
The animal's body has been turned over to the federal wildlife agency. Gray wolves are a protected species outside extreme northern United States.
The hunters have not been identified.
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DNR officials urge both sides in debate to back off
Wolf hunt
January 30, 2013 By JOHN PEPIN - The Mining Journal
MARQUETTE - Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials said Tuesday a ballot referendum opposing a wolf hunt is "premature and ill-advised," urging proponents and opponents to allow the state's wolf management plan to work.
"There are those on one side that say we need to have recreational hunting and we need it everywhere and we need it right now," said DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason. "Then on the other side, we have people who say, 'Oh we can't possibly hunt wolves.'"
In January 2012, gray wolves were taken off the federal endangered species list, allowing Michigan to manage wolves via its wolf management plan. That document was created over several months, with input from a wide array of representatives, including animal welfare groups, hunters and trappers and Native American tribes.
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http://tinyurl.com/bgbbpan (http://tinyurl.com/bgbbpan)
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 05:43:23 AM
Pregnant cow killed: 'All evidence indicates wolf attack'
By KVAL News Jan 29, 2013
Warning: Some of the details of the investigation may be too graphic for some readers
WALLOWA, Ore. - An Oregon wolf pack killed a pregnant cow in a private pasture on Monday morning, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed.
The rancher found the cow dead and saw wolves near the carcass. ODFW responded to investigate to determine whether the wolves killed the cow or were scavenging the carcass.
The evidence led state biologists to confirm that wolves had killed the cow.
Biologists said GPS tracking collar data showed that wolf OR-4, the alpha male of the Imnaha pack, was in the area from 11 p.m. Sunday until 8 a.m. Monday.
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Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Once Again Object of Concern
By Sara Montoya January 30, 2013 KUNM
Grant county commissioners, and the Forest Service are meeting to open up restricted roads in the Gila National Forest, and it has environmentalists worried.
The Center of Biological Diversity claims the proposed measure will critically endanger Gila's native wildlife, and plan to rally at the meeting.
They and other environmentalists argue opening up the forest will further endanger animals needing protection, including Mexican gray wolves. The Mexican gray wolf has been the subject of concern for some time.
Michael Robinson, Conservation Advocate for the Center of Biological Diversity, says increasingly harsh living conditions contribute to the wolves’ dwindling numbers.
“The primary threat is the very low population number and the continuing persecution of these animals. The numbers were just 58 wolves and only six breeding pairs in the wild last year, fourteen years after reintroduction began.”
A representative for the Forest Service, Art Telles says that the proposal for increased road access is one of many options, and denied that the process is any more than in the thinking stages.
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Plans in works for gray wolves in California
By RICH GREENE redbluffdailynews.com 01/31/2013
There's been no evidence California's first gray wolf since 1924 OR-7 has killed any livestock, attacked a human or otherwise overstepped his welcome since he began visiting the state in December 2011, but that hasn't stopped the California Department of Fish and Wildlife from creating a plan in case he does.
Northern Region Wildlife Program Manager Karen Kovacs gave an informational update Tuesday on OR- 7, now known as Journey, to the Tehama County Board of Supervisors focusing on the department's efforts to coordinate the wants of conservation, agriculture and sportsmen groups.
In July the board formally opposed a petition that would list the gray wolf under the California Endangered Species Act and publicly stated it doesn't want the animal reintroduced in Tehama County.
Gray wolves are listed under the federal act, but the state designation would add an extra level of protection.
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http://tinyurl.com/bctkwx3 (http://tinyurl.com/bctkwx3)
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 05:46:44 AM
Wyoming wolf harvest continues
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! January 31, 2013
Wolf hunters in Wyoming have harvested six of the animals in the month of January in the predator zone of the state. The wolf hunting season in the trophy game areas of the state ended Dec. 31, 2012, with 42 animals taken as part of the trophy hunt, and an additional 26 wolves killed in the predator zone.
Even though Wyoming's wolf harvest is generally viewed as conservative, it's part of the new hunting programs enacted for wolves in the Northern Rockies in the last two years, and is enough to cause Defenders of Wildlife to attempt to use it as a continued fundraising tool, as evidenced by the email shown in the photo to the right (click on it for larger view).
"Make no mistake – there is a war on wolves and these magnificent and misunderstood top predators need our help," says the email seeking donations. Defenders calls the harvest of wolves "reckless killing."
Attempts to raise money continue.
Source w/DoW link:
http://tinyurl.com/bem8dkj (http://tinyurl.com/bem8dkj)
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Environmentalists lobby Calif. wildlife officials to stop coyote hunt in loan wolf territory
By TRACIE CONE - Associated Press February 01, 2013
FRESNO, California — A once obscure coyote hunting contest in far Northern California has become anything but thanks to a loan, roaming gray wolf.
Dozens of environmental groups are lobbying the state to call the hunt off, saying hunters could mistake the wolf for a coyote.
The gray wolf, named OR-7, is believed to be the first of the predators to roam within the state's boundaries since 1924.
The hunt is sponsored by a hunting club and outfitter supply store in the town of Adin near the Oregon border. The team that kills the most coyotes between February 8 and 10 will win a silver belt buckle.
Organizers say they're trying to rid the Big Valley cattle ranching community of coyotes — a predator that can harm livestock.
State wildlife officials say the hunt is legal.
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 05:49:02 AM
After legislative defeat, Michigan wolf advocates pushing for statewide vote on proposed hunt
By JOHN FLESHER - AP February 02, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Animal welfare activists and Indian tribes are gathering petition signatures seeking a statewide referendum on whether to allow wolf hunting in Michigan.
The Legislature in December of 2012 designated the wolf as a game animal, a first step toward establishing a hunting season. The final decision will be made by the Natural Resources Commission, which is expecting a recommendation from state wildlife biologists in the spring of 2013. Opposition groups say it's too early to start hunting Michigan wolves, which were removed from the federal endangered species list only a year ago. The Legislature in December designated the wolf as a game animal, a first step toward establishing a hunting season. The final decision will be made by the Natural Resources Commission, which is expecting a recommendation from state wildlife biologists this spring.
Opposition groups say it's too early to start hunting Michigan wolves, which were removed from the federal endangered species list only a year ago. They say state officials seem more interested in pleasing hunters than making a decision based on science.
Sporting groups contend the proposed referendum is being pushed by extremist groups from out of state.
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Man’s best friend defends Montana herd
February 2, 2013 - Cowboy Byte
Livestock near Wisdom, Mont. have protection on the ranch in the form of smaller four-legged animals.
Dogs at Ruby Ranch protect cattle from wolves outside the perimeter of the ranch. Ranch owner Heidi Hirschy says she’s lost 17 cows to wolf attacks between April 2009 and April 2010.
The six guard dogs protecting the ranch in the Big Hole Valley are not aggressive, but instead are bred to be neutralizers according to 5/R Stock Dogs Herdsman Marvin Dunster. According to KBZK.com, Dunster breeds five types of dogs to fit producer’s needs. He says his dogs are bred for intellect, not aggression against wolves.
Hirschy has lost only one animal since bringing the dogs onto her ranch and is considers adding a few more dogs to help cover the property.
Montana State University and Utah University are researching the guard dog model as are other state wildlife organizations.
States with heavy wolf populations have allowed farmers to trap and hunt wolves attacking livestock and have also operated programs reimbursing producers for lost cattle.
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See also:
Using dogs to help protect livestock from predators
Article by Cat and Jim Urbigkit May 19, 2010
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2010/05/Usingdogstohelpprote.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2010/05/Usingdogstohelpprote.htm)
Post by: bearpaw on February 03, 2013, 06:20:02 PM
‘Wolf’ killed found to be dog
Fish and Game: No ill intent on hunter’s part
Friday, February 1, 2013 By KATHERINE WUTZ The Idaho Mountain Express
A DNA test conducted on a canine killed near Elk Creek in the Clearwater region of Northern Idaho in November determined that the animal was a dog, not a wolf as previously thought.
A big game mortality report completed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and given to the Idaho Mountain Express this week lists the animal’s species as a wolf, and further states that the animal was light in color and killed with a rifle.
John Rachael, game manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said Wednesday that the animal was tagged as a wolf and apparently shot accidentally.
“From what I understand from the officers [in that region], it definitely appeared to be a wolf,” he said. “It’s a very unfortunate circumstance, without question. But I don’t think there was any ill intent.”
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145929 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145929)
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Coyote hunters kill wolf in northwest Kan., the first documented wolf in the state since 1905
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 02, 2013
TOPEKA, Kansas — Coyote hunters have killed a wolf in northwest Kansas, the first documented wolf in the state since 1905.
The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/Ts3XMX (http://bit.ly/Ts3XMX) ) reports that the wolf was killed in December. The animal weighed more than 80 pounds, more than twice as much as a large coyote.
A Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism game warden contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents. The federal officials confirmed through tissue testing that the animal was a full-blooded Great Lakes gray wolf.
Officials say there have been several wolves killed in Missouri, most recently in November.
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 04:50:10 PM
North Idaho Wolf Report
February 03, 2013
It is safe to say that last week was busy in the wolf department. "M" had to go to CDA early Monday and just past the Coeur D’ Alene Casino he spotted 4 wolves.
He parked an watched them for a while but he had to get to town for an appointment. When he came back, he brought his middle son with him and they got onto old hiway 95, drove around a while, and spotted the same 4 wolves. But he had to go to work. So his son went home and came back with 2 of his buddies later and spent the rest of the day hunting them. Apparently they had sightings but no luck. So Tuesday they all went back and this time there was more than 4. The guys followed them into the brush and found a very large area of beds and tracks. But they didn’t see one they could take. There are quite a few houses in the vicinity.
So Tuesday evening last week, I took the dogs out at about 7 p.m. We’d been outside about 2 minutes and the wolves in Kelly Creek to the south tuned up. They were close too. Gave me shivers. Just a minute or so later I heard 3 and maybe 4 across the street to the north up on the Dunne Peak road. They were close too. It’s only about 100 feet up the mountain to the road, but the road winds around for a mile or so if you were going to drive to that spot. And they were howling back and forth at each other.
"M" told tribal officials what he’d seen on Monday and Tuesday and they were surprised. They said “they didn’t know wolves were that close to them” . That’s weird because "M" and our local deputy had seen one several times between Plummer and Worley about 2 years ago. The ones that "M" saw last week were much closer to Coeur d’ Alene. So the tribe had its’ wildlife officials and a couple deputies go to a recon mission down there. It’s on the Coeur d’alene reservation and the tribe elders were concerned about the elk and deer population. As they should be.
We have lots of snow up high and on the north facing slopes, the animals are moving down. I’m very wary of taking the dogs out and as long as I am hearing howling, I will only take them out one at a time on a leash. It just creeps me out.
- K
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Bills would rein in wolves
Sen. John Smith January 27, 2013 Opinion The Spokesman-Review
Currently, our state is engaged in a wolf recovery program. This plan has led to wolves being established in areas where they have not existed for nearly a century, if ever. As wolves rapidly multiply they displace other indigenous predator species that have been present for generations. This results in dangerous and higher-than-normal human-predator interactions as lower level predators, such as coyotes and black bears, move to new territory.
I have lived in northeast Washington for 24 years. Three of our region’s eight confirmed wolf packs roam within 15 miles of my ranch, as well as countless other predators. Over the course of generations, local ranchers and farmers have developed a relationship with predators. Bear, coyote and cougar populations have reached and are maintaining sustainable levels, even though locals have the right to use lethal means to protect their property and families. There can be a respectful peace between man and wildlife, including predators, even when humans exercise the right to protect themselves.
Many fear that policies driven by special-interest social pressure from an isolated part of the state threaten our rural families and economy. It can be hard to relate to the devastation challenges that residents in northeastern Washington face as wolves make their home in our backyards.
Imagine if an urban family awoke one night to the terrified cries of their golden retriever shrieking in pain as a roving pack of wild dogs tore it to shreds. Then, local law enforcement informed the family that state law prevented them from responding without authorization from the other side of the state, perhaps delaying response by several days. Imagine the shock as law enforcement further explained that if the family attempted to intervene and protect their pet, they may be charged with a felony. Then perhaps, as the family was dealing with the loss of a family pet, strangers from miles away called to blame them for the incident because they lawfully utilized a public park during the summer to take their pet for a daily walk. This sad illustration is analogous to the unthinkable conditions Washington cattlemen currently face.
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http://tinyurl.com/bjxd4ry (http://tinyurl.com/bjxd4ry)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 05:48:55 PM
Mexican Wolf Back In Captivity After Weeks In Wild
By The Associated Press February 5, 2013
After just three weeks in the wild, federal wildlife managers say a male Mexican gray wolf was captured in New Mexico and removed from the wild after he failed to catch the attention of a breeding female.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the male wolf — dubbed No. 1133 — was intended as a new mate for the Bluestem pack's alpha female. His release in early January was timed to coincide with early-season breeding activities.
The Arizona pack wanted nothing to do with the male wolf, and it ended up wandering into New Mexico.
Officials say the male wolf has since been paired with a wild-born female at a captive breeding center. Future plans call for the pair to be released into the wild.
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 05:52:03 PM
New book unveils secrets of wolves
Jim and Jamie Dutcher uncover the personalities of the pack
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 By KATHERINE WUTZ Idaho Mountain Express
Jim and Jamie Dutcher uncover the personalities of the pack
Jim and Jamie Dutcher are a long way from home this week. Far from the 25-acre enclosure in the Sawtooth Mountains where they spent six years living with the Sawtooth wolf pack and conducting social studies in the 1990s, the pair is in New York City this week promoting their latest book, “The Hidden Life of Wolves,” published by National Geographic and released Tuesday.
“It makes you dizzy,” Jim said with a laugh as Jamie recounted their press schedule this week: the two had interviews with NPR, Morning Joe, The Osgood File, The Washington Post and the BBC before a presentation of the book with the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.
The book, illustrated with photos of the 12-member wolf pack, is a treatise on the history between humans and wolves and the myths that have developed ever since. The history of the Sawtooth pack—a pack created by Jim and Jamie from three different wolf pup litters for the purpose of studying and filming the wolves’ pack structure and social dynamic—makes up the first chapter and sets the tone for the rest of the 215-page book.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145970 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005145970)
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Dr. Mech on Captive Wolf Studies
"Attempting to apply information about the behavior of assemblages of unrelated captive wolves to the familial structure of natural packs has resulted in considerable confusion. Such an approach is analogous to trying to draw inferences about human family dynamics by studying humans in refugee camps. The concept of the alpha wolf as a "top dog" ruling a group of similar-aged compatriots (Schenkel 1947; Rabb et al. 1967; Fox 1971a; Zimen 1975, 1982; Lockwood 1979; van Hooff et al. 1987) is particularly misleading."
Source:
Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs
L. David Mech May 2000
http://www.mnforsustain.org/wolf_mech_dominance_alpha_status.htm (http://www.mnforsustain.org/wolf_mech_dominance_alpha_status.htm)
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Endangered Mexican gray wolf program marks first with latest survey numbers
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN - Associated Press February 06, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Hated by ranchers and revered by environmentalists as a symbol of the American Southwest's wildness, the Mexican gray wolf has struggled over the past 15 years to find a foothold in the forests of Arizona and New Mexico.
But federal wildlife officials announced Wednesday that the predator has made its biggest stride yet. Annual survey results show there are at least 75 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico, the most since the federal government began efforts to return the wolves to their historic range in 1998.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional director Benjamin Tuggle said the increase is "very exciting." He attributed the population boost to management efforts aimed at reducing conflicts between the wolves and ranchers and other rural residents.
The plan for this year, he said, is to keep working on ways for wolves to co-exist and to infuse more genetic diversity into the population. That could mean more releases of captive-bred wolves into the wild.
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http://tinyurl.com/bdz9aew (http://tinyurl.com/bdz9aew)
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Editorial: Science, not spirituality, must govern wolf hunt
February 06, 2013 Park Rapids Enterprise
“The creator gave us the wolf as a guardian. Our brother needs us to speak for him. The wolf, our brother, is not a separate entity. The wolf, our brother, is inside of us.”
So said an elder of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, as part of a meeting in Bemidji of opponents of Minnesota’s wolf hunt. And the wise words command respect.
But it’s a different kind of respect than is offered to the words that shape public policy. Along those lines, Minnesotans are right to let their policy toward wolves be governed by the following words, which the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources displays on its website:
“The DNR’s commitment to a responsible, conservative and science-based management strategy that ensures the long-term survival of wolves in Minnesota recognizes the animal’s legacy and Minnesotans’ collective interest in and concern for this northwoods icon.”
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http://tinyurl.com/9wet2un (http://tinyurl.com/9wet2un)
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Group seeks support for western U.P. wolf hunt
2/6/2013 Daily Globe
IRONWOOD - The Western Upper Peninsula Citizens on Wolf Management are gearing up for a March 12 Department of Natural Resources public meeting at Gogebic Community College.
Dennis Ellos, chairman of the group, said a sample resolution that supports a wolf hunt has been forwarded to local governmental bodies, including county boards, city and township councils. They are being encouraged by the group to adopt the resolution and send it to the MDNR or Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
Local city and town officials are also being encouraged to attend the 6 p.m. March 12 session at GCC, where input on a possible hunt will be received.
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Sweden hunts more wolves 'to help genetic diversity'
Wolves in Europe being targeted again
February 2012 Wildlife Extra
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has authorized the hunting of 16 wolves in what conservationists have described as a surprising U-turn.
According to WWF Sweden "It is a surprising decision that was not included in the management plan for wolves published as recently as last summer.
"This will constitute a complete U-turn compared from what Sweden's Environmental Protection Agency said a few weeks ago when they announced that the hunt would not be allowed. Since no new scientific information has emerged, this U-turn is a mystery, says Håkan Wirtén, Secretary General of WWF.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has announced permission for "selective and targeted hunt of inbred wolves as a step towards reducing inbreeding and having a sustainable, healthy wolf population. A selective and targeted hunt is the only method that can reduce the level of inbreeding in the short term," it said. Wildlife Extra questions how hunting solves an inbreeding problem. If the problem is bad, the wolves won't thrive due to a lack of genetic diversity. There are currently no plans to bring wolves in from Finland or Russia, another way to boost the genetic diversity.
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http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sweden-wolf-hunt013.html (http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sweden-wolf-hunt013.html)
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See also:
Sweden wolf cull divides wilderness opinion
BBC News 6 Feb 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21352209 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21352209)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 05:53:38 PM
Sweden suspends wolf hunt after protests from wildlife activists
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 07, 2013
STOCKHOLM — Sweden has suspended a controversial wolf cull after a legal challenge by animal rights activists.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency had allowed a "targeted" cull of 16 wolves this year in an effort to protect the wolf population from inbreeding.
EPA wildlife coordinator Ruona Burman said Thursday that three animals had been killed before a Stockholm court suspended the hunt this week, pending a decision on an appeal by the nature conservancy and animal rights groups.
Wolf hunting is a highly charged issue in Sweden, pitting activists against land owners whose livestock have been attacked by the country's small but growing wolf population.
Once near extinction, Sweden's wolf population is now growing by an average of 14 percent annually and was estimated at 260-330 animals last year, Burman said.
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Montana bills make changes to regulations on bison, wolf hunts
On Tuesday, the Montana Senate Fish and Game Committee approved HB73, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn, R-Bozeman, that will allow wolf hunters to use electronic calls, reduce the cost of nonresident wolf licenses and allow hunters to buy more than one license. In the state House, Rep. Ted Washburn, R-Bozeman, introduced House Bill 328, which would allow Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists to provide locations of the bison to hunters, as they now do for other game species.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; February 6, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/aqe34zx (http://tinyurl.com/aqe34zx)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 05:57:30 PM
Lawmakers fast-track proposal to expand wolf hunt in hopes of quick implementation
By MATT GOURAS - Associated Press February 07, 2013
HELENA, Montana — A proposal to expand the state's wolf hunt is being fast-tracked through the Legislature and shortly will be sent to the governor's desk for his signature.
The Montana Senate on Thursday suspended its rules so it could take initial and final votes on the same day on the measure that already had overwhelmingly cleared the House. The Senate backed it 45-4.
House Bill 73 lets the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks increase the number of wolves one hunter can take, allows for electronic calls, and removes a requirement to wear hunter orange outside general deer and elk season.
The measure also prohibits the state wildlife agency from banning wolf hunts in areas around national parks. Its swift passage would allow the changes to take effect during the hunting season that's currently under way.
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http://tinyurl.com/aom6bw2s (http://tinyurl.com/aom6bw2s)
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Mexican gray wolf numbers up in AZ, NM, officials say
February 07, 2013 Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE - Hated by ranchers and revered by environmentalists as a symbol of the American Southwest's wildness, the Mexican gray wolf has struggled over the past 15 years to find a foothold in the forests of Arizona and New Mexico.
But federal wildlife officials announced Wednesday that the predator has made its biggest stride yet. Annual survey results show there are at least 75 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico, the most since the federal government began efforts to return the wolves to their historic range in 1998.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional director Benjamin Tuggle attributed the boost in population to management efforts aimed at reducing conflicts between the wolves and ranchers and other rural residents.
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http://tinyurl.com/ben5x2k (http://tinyurl.com/ben5x2k)
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Animal advocates want wolf hunt vote
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 7, 2013
The Humane Society of the United States is leading an effort to have Michigan's wolf hunting to be subject of a statewide vote. Hunting would be put on hold until the outcome of the ballot initiative is known.
Click on the link below for details.
CBS Detroit
http://tinyurl.com/anahszy (http://tinyurl.com/anahszy)
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Wolf mortalities on Canadian highway
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 7, 2013
Two wolves have been hit and killed by vehicles on a highway in a Canadian national park in recent weeks. The Calgary Herald reports that rangers were able to move a third wolf away from the TransCanada Highway after the wolf became entrapped in a fenced section of the highway.
For more, click on the links below.
Calgary Herald
http://tinyurl.com/avsjn5n (http://tinyurl.com/avsjn5n)
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Sweden hunts inbred wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 7, 2013
Swedish wildlife officials have surprised wolf advocates by recently authorizing the "selected and targeted" hunting of 16 inbred wolves for ""as a step towards reducing inbreeding and having a sustainable, healthy wolf population."
Click on the link below for more information.
Wildlife Extra.com
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sweden-wolf-hunt013.html (http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sweden-wolf-hunt013.html)
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Sweden suspends wolf hunt after protests from wildlife activists
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 07, 2013
STOCKHOLM — Sweden has suspended a controversial wolf cull after a legal challenge by animal rights activists.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency had allowed a "targeted" cull of 16 wolves this year in an effort to protect the wolf population from inbreeding.
EPA wildlife coordinator Ruona Burman said Thursday that three animals had been killed before a Stockholm court suspended the hunt this week, pending a decision on an appeal by the nature conservancy and animal rights groups.
Wolf hunting is a highly charged issue in Sweden, pitting activists against land owners whose livestock have been attacked by the country's small but growing wolf population.
Once near extinction, Sweden's wolf population is now growing by an average of 14 percent annually and was estimated at 260-330 animals last year, Burman said.
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France tests new wolf program
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 7, 2013
Officials in France are hoping to teach wolves not to eat livestock. They hope that by capturing and marking wolves, the animals will be so traumatized that they will avoid livestock in the future.
For more, click on the Global Post article linked below.
http://tinyurl.com/b496msr (http://tinyurl.com/b496msr)
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Germans want to hunt wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 7, 2013
German farmers want to wolves to be subject to hunting, citing problems with the animals killing domestic livestock. The wolf population in Germany is estimated to be about 160 animals.
Click on the link below for more info.
DW online
http://tinyurl.com/aeq4u2l (http://tinyurl.com/aeq4u2l)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 06:01:27 PM
North Idaho Wolf Report
Feb 8, 2013
"M" was just telling me that he spoke with a local trapper yesterday. He got a wolf up here and the hair on its back was GONE! And the animal was completely infested by lice that live on wolves. I am going to assume that they live on canines so now won’t let [our dogs] play around in what little brush we have. He said that every wolf he gets trapping, he has to take to CDA fish and game office. If it hadn’t been for that he would have left it.
I know that last year the Wolves in the Potlatch, Harvard area were found with mange, and some could not tolerate the cheatgrass down there. It would get between their toes and they would chew off their feet. I had a dog with cheatgrass in its ear and I had to take him to the vet. That was a major surgery.
Thought you might be interested in this.
- K
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Yellowstone National park biologists struggle to maintain wolf research
By LAURA LUNDQUIST - Bozeman Daily Chronicle February 09, 2013
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming — Yellowstone National Park has lost a record number of wolves to this year's hunting season, and that's left scientists scrambling to keep years of research alive.
So far this year, hunters have killed 12 percent of the park's wolf population, putting hunting well on its way to replacing other wolves as the leading cause of wolf mortality, said YNP wolf biologist Doug Smith.
"This is the first year that wolves were hunted on every side of the park," said Smith. "They've learned to tolerate people in the park, but that gets them in trouble if they leave. Some wandered outside the park, and within six hours, they were dead."
In 2009 and 2010, Montanans could hunt wolves. This winter, Wyoming allowed hunters to shoot wolves on sight after wolves were taken off the Endangered Species List there on Oct. 1.
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Wolf-related measures circling in Legislature
February 8, 2013 Yakima Herald
OLYMPIA [WA] - Gray wolves may be largely an Eastern Washington concern, but lawmakers in Olympia are likely to hear plenty about them in the next couple of months.
After just three weeks in session, eight separate bills dealing with management of gray wolves have been written and sent on to committees.
Some of the measures - like creating a special wolf license plate to help fund measures to prevent conflicts with livestock owners - appear to have bipartisan support.
Others - like the Senate bill aimed at allowing county commissions to declare that wolves are an imminent threat and provide for lethal removal by an agent of the county - are sponsored by just Republicans.
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Minot zoo gets pair of year-old female gray wolves from South Dakota's Black Hills
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 09, 2013
MINOT, North Dakota — Minot's Roosevelt Park Zoo has introduced its new wolves — a pair of year-old female grays that came from a tourist attraction in South Dakota's Black Hills.
The Minot Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/11xoDrs (http://bit.ly/11xoDrs)) that the zoo presented Luna and Denali to the public on Friday. They were obtained last November from Bear Country USA, a drive-through wildlife park in western South Dakota.
Employees of Enbridge Pipelines got to name the wolves. About 75 employees from the Bakken oil patch firm volunteered more than 600 hours to the zoo's rebuilding efforts after the flood.
The zoo's carnivore keeper, Lana Erickson, says she's excited to work with the additions.
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Wolves to be 'educated' not to kill sheep
07 Feb 2013 The Local FR
In a bid to try and crackdown on the number of wolf attacks on farm animals the French government has announced a plan to try and "educate" the wild beasts. The proposal has been greeted with mixed reactions.
Can you teach a wolf not to eat sheep?
The idea is being floated in France, where the return of the wolf has got farmers and environmentalists at each other's throats.
Under a proposed "National Wolf Plan," the government says it will conduct experiments into "educating" the canine carnivore, which is spreading stealthily in remote areas.
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http://tinyurl.com/b2nfon9 (http://tinyurl.com/b2nfon9)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 06:03:23 PM
'One day, wolves may attack humans'
2013-01-21 By Cui Jia (China Daily)
The greatest fear of Bayishi Hule, the herdsman from Mazongshan, is that one day the wolves might attack people if their packs keep growing. "The wolves often come in a pack of six or seven and can kill dozens or even 100 mountain goats at a time," he said.
"They don't eat all of them. They just bite through their throats and leave them bleeding to death like it is a game to them," he said.
Wolves are a protected species in China. Anyone who wants to hunt them must obtain permits from forestry administrations, or they will face criminal charges. As private citizens are forbidden from owning guns in China, herdsmen can only count on police or other armed forces to control the predators' numbers.
In 2010, the Gansu government began to compensate herdsmen who lost their livestock to wolves.
Herdsmen will receive compensation of 20 percent of the market value of their livestock if they are injured by protected species, and 80 percent of the market value if they are killed. If loss of human life is involved in a wolf attack, the victim's family is compensated at 20 times the average annual income of the province's rural population.
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http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-01/21/content_16146463.htm (http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-01/21/content_16146463.htm)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 06:08:18 PM
Montana looks to expanded wolf hunt
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 9, 2013
Montana legislators are fast-tracking a bill that would expand wolf hunting in that state. The bill would prohibit Montana wildlife officials from banning wolf hunting in areas around national parks, and well as increase the number of wolves one hunter can take, and allows for the use of electronic calls.
For more, click on the link below.
Associated Press
http://tinyurl.com/cur8j5m (http://tinyurl.com/cur8j5m)
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Wolf count wrapping up
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyoming February 8, 2013
Wyoming biologists have been hard at work collaring and counting wolves in the five weeks since the state’s first regulated hunt of the canines came to a close.
Despite a highly charged wolf hunt this winter — when some famous research wolves were killed — Wyoming biologists say pack numbers are right where they projected they’d be.
The count, while still rough, is anticipated to exceed the state’s wolf recovery goals by about 70 percent, said Mark Bruscino, Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s large carnivore supervisor.
“It looks like it’s going to be very close to what we predicted and said in the public meetings, which is: 170 wolves and 15 breeding pairs,” Bruscino said. “That’s a minimum known number of wolves.”
Continued:
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9534&pid=news (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9534&pid=news)
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Park County joins wolf litigation
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 9, 2013
Park County Commissioners have joined the Wyoming Wolf Coalition, a group organized to support the State of Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in supporting the federal decision to remove endangered species protection for wolves in Wyoming.
Click on the link below for more information.
Powell Tribune
http://tinyurl.com/atw47h8 (http://tinyurl.com/atw47h8)
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Yellowstone bemoans wolf harvest
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 10, 2013
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Yellowstone National Park officials are scrambling to keep their research projects alive in wake of the loss of some of the collared research wolves leaving the park and being legally harvested by hunters outside the parks.
The article claims that 12 percent of the park's wolf population has been harvested by hunters, and that hunting by humans is now replacing wolves killing other wolves as the leading cause of park wolf mortality.
To read the article, click on the link below.
SF Gate
http://tinyurl.com/bwpg2jz (http://tinyurl.com/bwpg2jz)
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More Mexican gray wolves needed in wild
By Editorial board The Republic Mon Feb 11, 2013
The number of Mexican gray wolves in the wild is increasing, which reflects welcome progress in the effort to reintroduce this endangered species. These magnificent creatures are living and breeding in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.
The successful return of this top predator will benefit the entire ecosystem.
But wolves are far from plentiful, and their survival faces challenges. The success of this program is not assured.
When wolves were reintroduced in 1998, it was expected that the population would exceed 100 by 2006. Recapture, poaching and misguided lethal “management” techniques kept wolf numbers low. Instead, there were only 50 animals in the recovery area at the beginning of 2011. Two successful breeding years brought the number to 75 at the end of 2012.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d3pwntu (http://tinyurl.com/d3pwntu)
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Saw a gray wolf? Tell the DNR
In Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula
Monday, 11 Feb 2013 GAYLORD, Mich. (AP)
The state Department of Natural Resources is trying to determine the presence of gray wolves in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula.
A wolf track survey is expected to start Monday and run through March 8.
Officials are asking that sightings of wolves and their tracks be reported to the DNR's Gaylord Operations Service Center.
Wildlife biologist Jennifer Kleitch says "given the low probability of observing an actual wolf or its tracks in the Lower Peninsula, it's helpful to have as many eyes looking as possible."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cudzahn (http://tinyurl.com/cudzahn)
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Traps catch lion, then ranger in Montana
January 30, 2013 by Tristan Scott Missoulian (Mont.)
WEST GLACIER, Mont. - A mountain lion caught recently in a wolf foothold trap set on the southwestern boundary of Glacier National Park was turned loose by state wildlife officials, but the National Park Service employee who discovered the animal and reported it to game wardens was caught the following day when he sprang a second trap in the same area.
The seasonal employee discovered the trapped mountain lion Jan. 19 along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River just outside of the park boundary, which is defined by the high-water mark on the north side of the river. The park employee was conducting wildlife research and reported the trapped cougar to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials.
Erik Wenum, an FWP wildlife specialist, responded to the scene near Harrison Creek and darted and released the mountain lion. He also issued a trapping violation to the trapper for exceeding the amount of exposed bait permitted as an attractant. According to the state’s wolf trapping regulations, no trap may be set within 30 feet of an exposed carcass or bait that is visible from above, a measure intended to minimize the number of raptors unintentionally caught in the traps.
FWP Warden Capt. Lee Anderson said the park employee returned to the area with a park ranger the following day and, while attempting to show the ranger where the incident had occurred, accidentally sprung another trap, which caught the bottom of his heel. The employee, who was wearing waders, was not injured.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bpsqn28 (http://tinyurl.com/bpsqn28)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 06:11:13 PM
North Idaho Wolf Report
Feb 11, 2013
Two of "M's" students counted a pack of 18 large wolves between the CDA Casino and the Casino golf course in the middle of a field. They were walking in a line.
They also counted a herd of 162 countable elk in the same vicinity.
- K
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Wyoming wolf count results in numbers state projected
Mark Bruscino, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's large carnivore supervisor, said the state's rough count on wolves ended with 170 wolves and 15 breeding pairs, a little higher than the 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs the state promised to maintain when federal protections for the species in the state were lifted.
Jackson Hole Daily; February 8, 2013
http://jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9534 (http://jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9534)
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Yellowstone Association uses park as its classroom
The Yellowstone Association offers educational tours of Yellowstone National Park, and on a recent February expedition, students watched the alpha female of a wolf pack struggle toward the end of her life, and watched coyotes and ravens dine on an elk carcass.
Missoulian; February 11, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ap4hudo (http://tinyurl.com/ap4hudo)
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Hunting on path to be lead cause of wolf mortality in Yellowstone NP
Wolf hunts in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have taken a toll on the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park, with 12 percent of the park's wolf population killed by hunters this year.
Great Falls Tribune; February 11, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ajor3jl (http://tinyurl.com/ajor3jl)
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Washington state lawmaker suggests sending wolves to rival's district in western part of state
By PHUONG LE - Associated Press February 12, 2013
SEATTLE — It's not the first time someone in eastern Washington has suggested relocating gray wolves west of the Cascades Mountains, but one tongue-in-cheek bill introduced this year highlights real divisions over what to do with the endangered predators.
Lamenting that "the entire citizenship of the state has not been fully able to enjoy the re-establishment of this majestic species," a Republican lawmaker suggests moving some of the animals to western Washington.
"OK, all of you who love wolves and advocate them in the state, I want you to be able to share in all the benefits in having a wolf pack," said Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, who represents the northeast corner of the state where many of Washington's eight confirmed packs roam.
"It's a stupid bill, and it's a waste of our resources," said Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bkfq4ey (http://tinyurl.com/bkfq4ey)
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Animal welfare groups sue to stop hunts, restore federal protections for Great Lakes wolves
By STEVE KARNOWSKI - Associated Press February 12, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday to restore federal protections for gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region that were lifted last year.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the District of Columbia against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, said the decision to take wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan off the endangered list threatens the animals' recovery throughout most of their historic range. At one time, the animals roamed nearly all of North America.
The Humane Society of the United States provided a copy of the lawsuit to The Associated Press before its public announcement in the afternoon. The other plaintiffs include Born Free USA, Help Our Wolves Live and Friends of Animals and Their Environment.
Hunters and trappers in Minnesota and Wisconsin killed 530 wolves combined during those states' recently concluded seasons - 413 in Minnesota and 117 in Wisconsin. The Michigan Legislature voted in December to authorize wolf hunting, which could resume as early as this fall if the state's Natural Resources Commission approves.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/amtylqe (http://tinyurl.com/amtylqe)
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Sheep men don't want wolves coming back
By Jerry Lackey San Angelo Standard Times February 12, 2013
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Strong opposition to re-establish the gray wolf recovery territory into West Texas was expressed in a resolution passed by the Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers’ Association members at their winter meeting here Saturday.
The Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment for the Implementation of a Southwestern Gray Wolf Management Plan was released Dec. 17 for review and comment by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The packed assembly of ranchers at Angelo State University Management, Instruction & Research Center north of San Angelo voted unanimously to oppose the plan, not only from Texas but including New Mexico and Arizona.
“Further, be it resolved that the TSGRA does not support wolf recovery within Texas and desires any wolf found within the state be returned to wolf recovery areas or lethally removed if causing damage,” said Joe Will Ross, TSGRA resolutions committee chairman.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bj77p2k (http://tinyurl.com/bj77p2k)
Post by: bearpaw on February 13, 2013, 06:15:30 PM
Idaho research helicopter targets elk, moose, wolves
by Rich Landers Feb 12, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Helicopters are getting ready to fly for a wide-ranging wildlife research effort in Idaho's Clearwater region.
Idaho Fish and Game Department wildlife biologists are gearing up for helicopter surveys and radio collaring elk, moose and wolves in Big Game Management Unit 10. In the next week or two, they are planning to place collars on 20 calves and 15 adult elk; 20 calves and 7 adult moose; and 10-15 wolves.
This effort is part of a continuing research project on causes and consequences of ungulate mortality. Results from this study will be used to make wildlife management decisions related to wolf-ungulate populations in Idaho, said Jen Bruns, IFG spokeswoman in Lewiston.
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2013/feb/12/idaho-research-helicopter-targets-elk-moose-wolves/ (http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2013/feb/12/idaho-research-helicopter-targets-elk-moose-wolves/)
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Research: Wolves in northern Grand Teton National Park have taste for moose during wintertime
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 13, 2013
JACKSON, Wyoming — Research shows wolves in the northern part of Grand Teton National Park have an appetite for moose during the wintertime.
Park and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers documented some 55 moose killed by wolves over the past three winters.
The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports moose numbers have been declining in Jackson Hole for years. The moose population is less than one-fifth the number counted 20 years ago and only about one-fourth of the number that wildlife managers would like to see.
Grand Teton biologist Sarah Dewey says wolves typically prefer to prey on elk rather than moose. Moose are bigger and she says elk are easier for wolves to take down. Other threats to moose in Grand Teton include parasites, wildfires and getting hit by cars.
Link to full story:
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9549 (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9549)
Quote from story:
“Wow, I don’t think anyone can argue that wolf depredation on moose is not additive and that they are not having an effect on moose numbers,” Game and Fish large carnivore biologist Bob Trebelcock wrote in a May email.
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Wallowa County Wolves
This video truly gives us a small glimmer of reality of what some of our ranchers are experiencing due to wolves forced upon them!
Make sure to go to oregonwolfeducation.org/ for more information
15:07 minute video [WARNING - graphic images]:
http://vimeo.com/34089194 (http://vimeo.com/34089194)
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Humane Society, Groups Sue Federal Government over Gray Wolves
02/13/2013 By FOX 47 News
The U.S. Humane Society and other groups are suing the federal government to try to put gray wolves back on the endangered species list.
The groups say hunts threaten their recovery in the Great Lakes states.
Hunters killed 500 wolves in Minnesota and Wisconsin last year.
In December, Michigan lawmakers voted to resume wolf hunting, but the State Department of Natural Resources will have the final say.
It's expected to decide by June.
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'Wolves' spotted in NE Mass. are probably coyotes
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wednesday, February 13, 2013
AMESBURY — Wildlife experts and city officials say reports of wolf sightings in Amesbury are inaccurate, and people are more likely spotting large coyotes and wolf-coyote hybrids.
Mayor Thatcher Kezer says he would be "surprised" if there were actually wolves prowling the city, but he's pretty sure there are plenty of coyotes around — he's heard them himself.
Residents of one neighborhood received an email warning them to be careful walking their dogs because two wolves were seen in the area.
Local and state environmental police say they have received no reports of wolves in town.
Dr. Jonathan Way, an expert on eastern coyotes, tells The Daily News of Newburyport the animals are likely wolf-coyote hybrids, quite common in the region. Wolves are almost unheard of.
Post by: bearpaw on February 15, 2013, 12:23:11 PM
Montana governor signs wolf management bill into law
On Wednesday, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock signed House Bill 73 into law that makes a number of changes to the state's wolf hunting policies.
Missoulian; February 14, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bfwsoxd (http://tinyurl.com/bfwsoxd)
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Wolves from two separate packs in Yellowstone NP form new pack
The alpha male of a wolf pack in Yellowstone National Park that lost his mate to a hunter last year is courting a new mate from a different wolf pack in the park.
Missoulian; February 14, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/b2jpl58 (http://tinyurl.com/b2jpl58)
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Return of gray wolves to Southwest slow going
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN - Associated Press February 14, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Mexican gray wolf No. 1105 was shot dead by wildlife managers after having a tryst — and puppies — with a common ranch dog. No. 1188, an alpha female, was almost executed, then taken away from her pups and pack, for killing cattle. And wolf No. 1133 was returned to captivity after failing to woo his intended mate.
Fifteen years and more than $25 million after the federal government set about trying to return the endangered species to the American Southwest, the program drastically lags those credited with saving their cousins in the Northern Rockies, bald eagles and even the American crocodile.
The reason, critics say, federal wildlife managers are being too heavy-handed with the wild animals, picking and choosing which wolves get to mate, which get a spot at the front of the line for a chance at freedom and which need to be shot or rounded up and returned to captivity for indulging in cattle — easy prey in the rugged mountains of southern New Mexico and Arizona.
"They're going by an old rubric, that there are good wolves and bad wolves," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups critical of wolf management. "The good wolves are the ones that stay out of trouble so to speak and the bad wolves are the ones that prey on livestock."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bzv4apo (http://tinyurl.com/bzv4apo)
Post by: bearpaw on February 15, 2013, 05:15:58 PM
Annual survey shows Wash. wolf population nearly doubled in past year, with 51 wolves, 9 packs
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS - Associated Press February 15, 2013
SPOKANE, Washington — The number of gray wolves in Washington nearly doubled in the past year, according to a new survey released Friday by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The survey found at least 51 wolves in nine packs in Washington state, including five successful breeding pairs. The 2011 study documented just 27 wolves, five wolf packs and three breeding pairs.
Wildlife wolf program director Nate Pamplin said the actual number of wolves is likely much higher, since lone wolves often go uncounted and those that roam Washington but do not den here are not included in the survey. Biologists already suspect there are two additional wolf packs in the state.
Using estimates of the average pack size in other western states, Pamplin said there could easily be as many as 100 wolves in Washington.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ctb3yap (http://tinyurl.com/ctb3yap)
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Yellowstone's Wild Gray Wolves
Tracking once-endangered gray wolves through the park's remote and frozen Lamar Valley.
By Josh Eells - Mar 2013 Men's Journal
A stranger was roaming around. Black-haired, big, and handsome, he'd wandered into town a few days earlier and was looking for some action. Right now he was hanging out near some young females – twins, by the looks of them – and hoping to get to know them a little better. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't to be. Just as he was getting comfortable, their mom and dad showed up.
Two gray wolves, a few hundred yards south, their thick winter fur silhouetted against the snow. They took off toward the interloper at a dead sprint, two blurs racing along the frozen creekbed. The new wolf, sizing up the scene, tucked his tail between his legs and ran away – the lupine equivalent of a teenage boy fleeing his girlfriend's house with his jeans in his hand, her dad standing on the front porch with a shotgun. He raced across a road, an unnatural barrier the wolves normally don't like to cross, and his pursuers gave up the chase. With one eye still on the intruder, they sauntered back to the pack and led a triumphant group howl.
It was shortly after dawn in the Lamar Valley, a snow-covered basin near the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park, not far from the Montana-Wyoming border. I was there with a dozen other wolf enthusiasts for Lamar Valley Wolf Week, a periodic field seminar organized by the Yellowstone Association, the park's nonprofit educational arm. Owing to its preponderance of wildlife and relative accessibility, Lamar Valley is probably the best place in the world to see wolves in the wild – especially during winter, when their prey move to lower elevations and the wolves are easier to spot in the snow. For three days, my classmates and I were going to pursue them in their natural habitat – watching, listening, and, most of all, waiting.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/br7jb6a (http://tinyurl.com/br7jb6a)
Post by: bearpaw on February 17, 2013, 05:43:04 PM
Wolves target ailing moose population
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 13, 2013
The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that wolves inhabiting the northern section of Grand Teton National Park are keying on the local moose population, which is in decline.
To read the details, click on the link below.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9549 (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9549)
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New Montana wolf hunt law in effect
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks February 15, 2013
A wolf management bill that won swift and overwhelming bipartisan support in the Montana Legislature was signed into law today (Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013) by the state's new governor.
Gov. Steve Bullock said the law, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn, will allow hunters to purchase up to three wolf licenses and lowers the price of a nonresident wolf license from $350 to $50. The measure will also fortify state wildlife officials' science-based efforts to manage Montana's recovered and growing wolf population, the Governor said.
"This legislation leaves management of the gray wolf where it belongs, in the hands of scientists, not politicians," Gov. Bullock said.
The legislation was amended by law makers to allow hunting and trapping of wolves near national parks and allows wildlife officials to close such areas after established wolf harvest quotas are met.
Continued:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/02/NewMTwolfhuntlawinef.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/02/NewMTwolfhuntlawinef.htm)
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Public input sought on proposed wolf listing
Friday, Feb 15 2013 By Julie R. Johnson - Corning Observer
The lone male gray wolf known officially as OR7, and unofficially as Journey, was tracked Thursday traveling through eastern Tehama County.
Now a debate on whether to place Journey, and others of his kind if there are any in California, on the state's endangered species list is growing louder.
In October, the California Fish and Wildlife Commission accepted for consideration a petition submitted to list the gray wolf as threatened or endangered.
This would offer more protections to the gray wolf into the state. The protection would fall under the state's Endangered Species Act.
Continued:
http://www.corning-observer.com/news/state-13527-wolf-california.html (http://www.corning-observer.com/news/state-13527-wolf-california.html)
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Lawsuit attempts to put gray wolves back on endangered list
Saturday, February 16, 2013 9:34 am
A new lawsuit aims to halt the wolf hunting seasons in Wisconsin and Minnesota and put the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes area back on the endangered species list.
Some wildlife conservation groups don't like that Minnesota and Wisconsin went ahead with wolf hunting seasons less than a year after the animal came off the federal endangered species list in the western Great Lakes region. A coalition, including the Humane Society of the United States, has sued the Fish and Wildlife Service over its delisting of the gray wolf. Humane Society Wisconsin Director Alyson Bodai said hunting adds to other threats that wolves face.
Bodai said the Endangered Species Act requires that species fully recover their numbers across their traditional range before delisting, and she said wolves have not come back in several other states. Kurt Thiede of the Wisconsin DNR said it's disappointing to see wolf delisting go back to court again. He said if the wildlife groups win, killing of problem wolves would become more difficult, and it would block the state going ahead with its management plan that aims to reduce the wolf population, “so that would take away hunting and trapping to manage the population.”
Thiede said if federal funding dries up, it would be harder for the state to reimburse farmers who lose livestock due to wolves. The Fish and Wildlife Service has 60 days to formally respond to the delisting lawsuit.
Post by: bearpaw on February 17, 2013, 05:44:41 PM
Group rejects Mexican Gray Wolf plan
County urged to seek legal action
By Matt Robinson, Deming Headlight 02/17/2013
A sweeping rejection of a federal government plan for handling Mexican Gray Wolves came along with the recommendation that Luna County possibly seek legal action to minimize the area's involvement in the proposal.
The Luna County Wolf Committee presented its final comments on the Southern Gray Wolf Management Plan for Portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to the Luna County Board of Commissioners during its regular February meeting.
In essence, the federal government's proposed plan was to allow wolves to naturally travel outside of current protected areas into which the wolves have been placed to breed. The plan offers several methods of managing the wolves outside those protected areas, some of which includes Luna County. The methods include trapping the wolf, killing it or leaving it alone.
The Mexican gray wolf remains the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in the world. The 2008 end-of-year summary by the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team counted 52 wolves and 2 breeding pairs left in the wild. These numbers are below the original Reintroduction Project goals of 100 wolves and 18 breeding pairs by 2006.
Continued (scroll down past ads):
http://tinyurl.com/b3c6fnl (http://tinyurl.com/b3c6fnl)
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Court ruling ends Sweden's wolf hunt
Sweden's licensed wolf hunt is effectively over for the season after a court decision on Tuesday left in place a lower court's ruling stopping the hunt.
13 Feb 13 The Local SE
The Supreme Administrative Court (Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen) decided not review a previous decision by the Administrative Court of Appeal (Kammarrätten) that had temporarily halted this season's wolf hunt.
Earlier in the year, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) had authorized the killing of 16 wolves in specific territories between February 1st and February 17th.
According to estimates from last year, there are around 270 wolves in Sweden, spread out in about 30 packs, though those numbers have most certainly risen since then.
The agency had planned a "selective and targeted hunt of inbred wolves as a step towards reducing inbreeding and having a sustainable, healthy wolf population".
Continued:
http://www.thelocal.se/46162/20130213/ (http://www.thelocal.se/46162/20130213/)
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Hindus welcome Sweden’s wolf hunt suspension
February 11, 2013 The Jet
Hindus have welcomed Sweden suspending the wolf hunt.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was “a step in the right direction”.
Sweden needed to maintain natural ecosystem and this step would help in this direction. But farmers should also be adequately compensated whose sheep were killed by these wolves, Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, added.
There are reportedly only over 270 wolves in Sweden.
Post by: bearpaw on February 18, 2013, 03:36:06 PM
Return of gray wolves to Southwest is slow going
By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press 2/17/13
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mexican gray wolf No. 1105 was shot dead by wildlife managers after having a tryst — and puppies — with a common ranch dog. No. 1188, an alpha female, was almost executed, then taken away from her pups and pack, for killing cattle. And wolf No. 1133 was returned to captivity after failing to woo his intended mate.
Fifteen years and more than $25 million after the federal government set about trying to return the endangered species to the American Southwest, the program drastically lags those credited with saving their cousins in the Northern Rockies, bald eagles and even the American crocodile.
The reason, critics say, federal wildlife managers are being too heavy-handed with the wild animals, picking and choosing which wolves get to mate, which get a spot at the front of the line for a chance at freedom and which need to be shot or rounded up and returned to captivity for indulging in cattle — easy prey in the rugged mountains of southern New Mexico and Arizona.
“They’re going by an old rubric, that there are good wolves and bad wolves,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups critical of wolf management. “The good wolves are the ones that stay out of trouble so to speak and the bad wolves are the ones that prey on livestock.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bhy8rrx (http://tinyurl.com/bhy8rrx)
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Proximity is the problem. Mexican wolf encounters with children impacted on the rise.
January 30, 2012 Wolf Crossing
With the onset of the 2012 breeding season sightings, close encounters and home encounters have created a difficult situation for managers of the Mexican wolf program and they are not getting much slack from local governments and citizens.
In December the program issued it’s first lethal control order after a female wolf with a long track record of livestock depredations and human habitation was found circling a private home at regular intervals where small children were exposed to her close presence. The same wolf had birthed a litter of hybrid pups the prior spring and FWS are still on the lookout for the one Mexican wolf hybrid that got away. They haven’t found it presumably it will add to the genetic mix that is the rare Mexican wolf. The remarkable thing about this control action is the fact that despite dozens of human safety encounters since the beginning of the program many of which involved their attraction to children, this was the first time the agency admitted lethal control was warranted for human safety reasons.
Continued:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=585 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=585)
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Human-Habituated Wolves in Idaho
15 Jan 2010 Western Institute for Study of the Environment Commentary
We have reported on the dangers of human-habituated wolves in numerous posts. A sampling:
* Predicting Predator Attacks on Humans by Dr. Valerius Geist [here]
* Yellowstone Staff Remove Human-Habituated Gray Wolf [here]
* The Hailey Wolf Rally [here]
* Report the Truth About Wolves for a Change by Laura Schneberger [here]
* Undue Burden: The real cost of living with wolves [here]
* Wolves Are Targeting Humans As Prey by Dr. Valerius Geist [here]
* Three Wolf Stories [here]
Human-habituated wolves are those which have lost their fear of humans. It is a common phenomenon, in this country and in Europe and Asia. As reported in Wolves in Russia: Anxiety Through the Ages by Will N. Graves [here], wolf behavior follows a general habituation-exploration model.
Continued with working links:
http://tinyurl.com/ydj9j2v (http://tinyurl.com/ydj9j2v)
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Management of habituated wolves in Yellowstone National Park
19 page pdf file:
http://tinyurl.com/24uoh4u (http://tinyurl.com/24uoh4u)
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(Case Study) Wolf Habituation as a Conservation Conundrum
By Diane K. Boyd, Corvallis, Montana
http://www.sinauer.com/groom/article.php?id=24 (http://www.sinauer.com/groom/article.php?id=24)
Post by: bearpaw on February 22, 2013, 04:15:00 PM
Idaho man charged with threatening game officer
February 19, 2013 Associated Press
REXBURG, Idaho -- An eastern Idaho man has been charged with pointing a firearm at a Fish and Game officer and shooting wildlife illegally.
Authorities say Seth Mills of Driggs pointed a shotgun at Idaho Fish and Game officer Lauren Wendt in November during her investigation into illegal hunting activity. Mills was also charged with two wildlife violations, including hunting migratory birds protected under federal law without a license.
The Rexburg Standard Journal reports at least one other eastern Idaho hunter has been charged in a separate poaching case.
James Fullmer of Tetonia is accused of illegally trapping and killing a gray wolf. Investigators say he trapped the wolf out of season and used illegal game parts as bait. He also faces a charge of hunting the species without a license.
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Senate committee advances bill giving state final say over endangered species
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 18, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — A bill giving Idaho more decision-making power over endangered species is headed to the full Senate for a vote.
The Senate Resources and Environment Committee on Monday voted in favor of legislation that would give the state final say on whether an endangered plant or animal is reintroduced into the state. Current law already requires the legislature to approve reintroducing rare species.
Rogerson Republican Sen. Bert Brackett said the measure will help state to manage wildlife.
But Ketchum Democrat Sen. Michelle Stennett questioned whether the bill would have any teeth when matched against federal authority. She says the state could ultimately lose money arguing the question with the federal government in the courts.
Brackett said he thought those questions could instead be resolved through an administrative appeals process.
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Wolves, salmon, elk, guns and more in week’s outdoor news
Rich Lander's blog The Spokesman-Review Feb 18, 2013
Links to several stories ("elk war" had good history):
http://tinyurl.com/atxfp84 (http://tinyurl.com/atxfp84)
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Washington wolf packs detailed
by Rich Landers Feb 19, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Although Idaho won't be releasing its 2012 year-end gray wolf surveys report until March, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department released its federally required report last week, as we reported.
The details are posted on the agency's gray wolf webpage, but Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman Magazine has compiled this easy-to-read rundown of all the known wolf packs in Washington with updated info.
Source with links and map:
http://tinyurl.com/au8jz5y (http://tinyurl.com/au8jz5y)
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Photographer documents wolf roaming in Chelan County
Rich Lander's blog The Spokesman-Review Feb 17, 2013
An outdoorsman who knew how to use a good camera captured sharp images of a tagged gray wolf on Feb. 11 that had wandered into Chelan County.
Craig Monette of Chelan the photos to Washington Fish and Wildlife biologists who were able to read the number on the ear tags and ID the wolf as originating from Kittitas County. He also presented the photos to the Wenatchee World, saying, “I think people should know wolves are out there.”
“They were absolutely incredible photos,” said David Volson, a wildlife biologist for Fish and Wildlife in Wenatchee. Volson said a blowup of the photos allowed him to read the number on the tag in the wolf’s ear and positively identify it as a young female that was caught and tagged last fall in the Teanaway Valley.
Continued w/photo:
http://tinyurl.com/a9h7l8j (http://tinyurl.com/a9h7l8j)
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USFW pulls up Gray Wolf stake in Mohave County
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 By JAYNE HANSON TODAY’S NEWS-HERALD Havasu News
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they’re pulling out of Mohave County when it comes to surveying it for a potential Mexican Gray Wolf Management area.
The USFW recently included the county in a Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment, or PDEA, for proposed implementation of a Southwestern Gray Wolf Management Plan slotted for selected areas of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
According to documents obtained by Today’s News-Herald, USFW has withdrawn its request for counties and tribes within the three management zones in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to respond with comments by April 1.
The purpose for the proposed management plan was to identify management options for wolves that naturally dispersed into those areas from Mexico to the Northern Rocky Mountains.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/a7ejmns (http://tinyurl.com/a7ejmns)
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Luna County group rejects Mexican Gray Wolf plan
By Matt Robinson, Las Cruces Sun-News 02/18/2013
A sweeping rejection of a federal government plan for handling Mexican Gray Wolves came along with the recommendation that Luna County possibly seek legal action to minimize the area's involvement in the proposal.
The Luna County Wolf Committee presented its final comments on the Southern Gray Wolf Management Plan for Portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to the Luna County Board of Commissioners during its regular February meeting.
In essence, the federal government's proposed plan was to allow wolves to naturally travel outside of current protected areas into which the wolves have been placed to breed. The plan offers several methods of managing the wolves outside those protected areas, some of which includes Luna County. The methods include trapping the wolf, killing it or leaving it alone.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bjl78pw (http://tinyurl.com/bjl78pw)
Post by: bearpaw on February 22, 2013, 04:17:44 PM
Wolf sortie
National Elk Refuge managers get a lesson on capturing and collaring the resident pack.
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyo. February 20, 2013
For a gallery of more photographs from this story, click here.
Standing in the middle of the National Elk Refuge, a small band of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees watch the approaching helicopter.
It clatters over the usually silent preserve, then settles onto frozen ground about 50 yards away. It’s normal in all respects, except for something dangling out an open door.
A wolf’s tail.
While the chopper blades still spin, wolf expert Mike Jimenez hops out of the airship, bear-hugs a tranquilized wolf that’s inside and carefully sets it on the ground. A second, third and fourth wolf follow.
Continued w/link to photo gallery:
http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9575&pid=news (http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9575&pid=news)
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Are there wolves in the Lower Peninsula? Michigan DNR wants your help to find out
By Cory Olsen on February 20, 2013 Michigan Live
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- If you're headed up north for a weekend of skiing, hiking or fishing, take special note of any furry creatures you see loping along in packs.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is looking for evidence of wolves in the northern Upper Peninsula.
That doesn't mean that there are wolves in the L.P., but the DNR wants to know, either way.
“Given the low probability of observing an actual wolf or its tracks in the Lower Peninsula,” said DNR wildlife biologist Jennifer Kleitch said there's a low probability of observing a wolf or its tracks in the Lower Peninsula, but they want to be sure, either way.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bfm77k9 (http://tinyurl.com/bfm77k9)
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Animal rights activists work to prevent hunting of wolves
By JOHN TURK 02/20/13 Daily Tribune
Recent efforts in Oakland County and throughout Michigan are aiming at overturning a state legislative decision designating wolves as game animals.
This, on the heels of a recent lawsuit filed to get gray wolves back on a federal endangered species list, appears to be only one of the issues surrounding the animal that was deemed endangered a little more than a year ago.
At any event throughout the county, residents can expect to see petitioners outside with their clipboards, asking for signatures to protect Michigan’s wolves.
Since wolves were designated as a game animal in Michigan (in a December lame duck session in Lansing), almost 300 animal rights activists in Oakland County have signed up to collect signatures in an effort to overturn the legislation.
“Michiganders feel very strongly about protecting wolves,” said Jill Fritz, director of activist group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
Since 2003, wolves have been de-listed as an endangered species and re-listed four times.
Oakland County volunteer coordinator Pam Sordyl said her decision to volunteer came from her feeling that Michigan was going in the wrong direction.
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Feds to reevaluate plan for managing certain Mexican gray wolves in Southwest
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 20, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Federal wildlife officials have decided to withdrawal a preliminary proposal for managing wolves that would roam into the American Southwest from other areas.
Counties and tribal governments in Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas have been reviewing the draft proposal since it was first released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in mid-December. Some had voiced opposition.
The head of the Mexican gray wolf reintroduction effort, Sherry Barrett, says her team decided to withdraw the proposal so it could be reevaluated.
The draft dealt specifically with management of those wolves that might wander into the Mexican gray wolf recovery area from Mexico or the Northern Rockies.
Barrett says the withdrawal of the proposal won't affect the agency's efforts to revamp the decades-old recovery plan for the Mexican wolf. A draft of that plan is expected later this year.
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Post by: bearpaw on February 22, 2013, 04:21:09 PM
High profile group of Minnesota senators seeks 5-year wolf hunting and trapping moratorium
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 21, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — An influential group of Minnesota senators is backing a five-year moratorium on sport hunting and trapping of wolves in Minnesota.
The chief sponsor is Majority Whip Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center. The co-sponsors include Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, Senate President Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, and Sens. David Senjem, R-Rochester, and Terri Bonoff, D-Minnetonka, according to a news release Thursday from Howling for Wolves.
Minnesota wolves were taken off the endangered list last year, and hunting and trapping resumed last fall.
Maureen Hackett, founder of Howling for Wolves, said they're trying to restore a five-year moratorium that used to be in state law for when wolves came off the list. Lawmakers lifted the moratorium when they authorized the hunt last year, citing years of delays caused by court battles over lifting the federal protections.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aga6pny (http://tinyurl.com/aga6pny)
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Debunk: Predators Kill Only Lame, Sick and Weak Prey Species
February 21, 2013 by Tom Remington
I have finally found a written explanation about predator/prey relationships that is easy to sink your teeth into and understand and written by an authority on the subject; Dr. Charles Kay, Wildlife Ecology-Range Management Specialist Utah State University. His article can be found in Muley Crazy Magazine, Jan./Feb. Edition 2013.
Anyone paying any attention to the emotional debates about large predators – wolves and coyotes seem to carry the most irrational emotions – have heard someone, even those supposedly who are authorities, say that wolves/coyotes/large predators are necessary for our ecosystems because they kill only the lame, sick, weak and/or substandard members of the prey species. With the mindless perpetuation of such drivel, we are also told this “sanitary” engineering by predators provides for “healthy” prey species, some even claiming this natural phenomenon limits and reduces certain wildlife diseases because these predators are killing the sick among the prey.
I have always contended that if large predators were intelligent enough to determine the sickly of the species, why aren’t they equally intelligent to pick a good meal rather than one that might taste bad and be full of worms and disease? But I guess maybe that’s another discussion.
What studies that do exist, clearly show that large predators kill their prey/food depending upon several factors, none of which are the result of a predator recognizing they have a sick animal on their hands. Factors include: How easy it is for predators to kill their prey species under normal conditions; the size and killing ability of the predator versus the size and defense capabilities of the prey; how the predator hunts and environmental conditions. Seriously, is this something new? Of course not.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ag4tnds (http://tinyurl.com/ag4tnds)
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Human Hydatid Disease: A Warning to Trappers and Hunters
February 21, 2013 by Tom Remington
HYDATID DISEASE
(Echinococcosis)
By Dave Miller
The disease is the result of an infection caused by tapeworms of the family Taenidae. Of importance, is that the dormancy of this can be up to 50 years. It was previously most common in South & Central America, Middle East, China, and Western North America.
It has now arrived in the Northeast.
This is of equal importance to trappers and hunters alike in Maine and the rest of the Northeast.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bku5bc2 (http://tinyurl.com/bku5bc2)
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See also:
Maine Moose Carry Echinococcus Granulosus Tapeworm
http://tinyurl.com/akhfb8a (http://tinyurl.com/akhfb8a)
Post by: bearpaw on February 22, 2013, 04:23:37 PM
YNP presents wolf hunt info
Legal Wolf harvests near Yellowstone National Park as of 02/14/2013
by Yellowstone National Park/National Park Service February 21, 2013
How are wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem managed?
Within the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, there are roughly 480 wolves occurring in 75 packs, distributed throughout eastern Idaho, southwestern Montana, northern Wyoming, and Yellowstone. Of those, in 2011 approximately 18 packs spend some or all of their time within Yellowstone National Park.
Within the park, no hunting of wolves is allowed. Outside the park, regulated hunting is allowed and managed by the respective states where wolves occur. Because wolves do not recognize political boundaries, and often move between different jurisdictions, the harvest of some wolves that live within the park for most of the year, but at times move outside the park, occurs.
What is happening to wolf numbers in Yellowstone National Park?
Wolf numbers remained stable from 2009 through 2011, following a decline from earlier years. The population has declined approximately 20% in 2012 from recent years. These fluctuations are natural and primarily in response to fewer elk, their primary prey. The number of wolves in the northern portion of Yellowstone decreased from 94 in December 2007 to 34 by December 14, 2012 due to wolves killing each other, food stress, disease, and human-caused mortality inside and outside the park. Park-wide, the number of wolves in Yellowstone declined from 171 in December 2007 to 80 in December 2012 due to the same reasons. There are currently 4 packs of wolves in northern Yellowstone and 5 packs in the rest of the park that use the park for the majority of the year, but occasionally move into surrounding states.
How far will wolf numbers in Yellowstone decrease or increase?
How far numbers decrease or increase will depend primarily on prey populations (which in turn will affect wolf-wolf killing-another mortality factor), as well as other factors like disease, vehicle strikes, and human harvest and culls (e.g., livestock depredation) outside Yellowstone where wolves also spend some of their time. The extent of any decrease or increase cannot be reliably predicted from year-to-year because there is substantial variability in environmental conditions (e.g., prey availability; severe winters) and human interactions (e.g., vehicle strikes; harvest outside the park) which affect wolf reproduction and survival, along with emigration/immigration to and from areas outside the park. It is expected that wolves in Yellowstone will remain at a level determined primarily by prey availability and other environmental conditions.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aup4dqf (http://tinyurl.com/aup4dqf)
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National Elk Refuge learns to capture wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 21, 2013
The Jackson Hole News & Guide has a feature story about employees of the National Elk Refuge getting a lesson in capturing wolves.
To read the article and see the photo gallery, click on the link below.
Jackson Hole News & Guide
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9575 (http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=9575)
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Officials say 2012 female wolf population at Isle Royale park higher than previously thought
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 21, 2013
ISLE ROYALE, Michigan — Isle Royale National Park's gray wolves apparently don't have a gender gap after all.
Scientists reported last year that only nine wolves remained on the Lake Superior island chain — the lowest total in more than 50 years. They said just one was known to be a female, raising doubts about the predator's long-term prospects for survival in the wilderness park.
But Superintendent Phyllis Green said Thursday that genetic analysis of wolf excrement and additional observations suggest that four or five of the animals are females.
Even so, Green says the wolves' situation remains tenuous and experts are studying how climate change may affect them.
Michigan Technological University biologists are conducting their annual winter study at Isle Royale and are expected to release updated wolf and moose numbers next month.
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Post by: villageidiot on February 22, 2013, 09:10:56 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 23, 2013, 03:17:51 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 23, 2013, 03:21:29 PM
Wyoming’s wolf counts wrapping up
Thursday, Feb 21st, 2013 BY Jess McGlothlin Pinedale Roundup
PINEDALE – Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) officers are at the tail end of the annual wolf count. The count has been in process since the first regulated wolf hunt in Wyoming’s recent history ended this fall.
A capturing and collaring effort, the count allows biologists to truly see where wolf numbers lie after the hunt.
http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2866 (http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2866)
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G&F seeks info on N. Fork wolf poaching
Friday, February 22, 2013 Cody Enterprise
Game and Fish is seeking information about the illegal killing of a wolf in the North Fork of the Shoshone River area west of Cody.
Investigator Irah Leonetti said the wolf was found in the Sweetwater drainage on the Shoshone Forest.
“The wolf was illegally shot sometime Feb. 15-19,” Leonetti said. “We are looking for information people might have been in the area."
Wyoming assumed management of gray wolves when they were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species Sept. 30.
Wyoming’s first gray wolf hunting season ran Oct. 1-Dec. 31. The formulas G&F biologists use to establish wolf hunting quotas and seasons take into account all sources of mortality, including the potential of some illegal take.
“We are very happy with Wyoming’s first wolf hunting season,” said Chief Game Warden Brian Nesvik. “The overwhelming majority of wolf hunters were compliant with new wolf hunting laws.”
Nesvik said G&F will investigate and prosecute wolf poaching cases with "the same focus and tenacity we pursue crimes against other game species."
Anyone with information should call Wyoming’s Stop Poaching hotline, (877)-WGFD-TIP, report online at wgfd.wyo.gov, or call Leonetti, 527-7125.
Those with information may remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward.
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Imnaha wolf pack worries Wallowa County ranchers as pups enter adolescence
By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian February 22, 2013
A new generation of exuberant juvenile gray wolves is bursting out of puppyhood in northeastern Oregon this winter, and Wallowa County's ranchers are worried about their livestock as the spring calving season draws near.
Oregon is home to 53 gray wolves, up from just two in 2007 thanks to recovery efforts. Many were born in spring 2012, a year after the Oregon Court of Appeals halted the killing of Oregon wolves by government hunters. Now those pups are close to full-grown, tipping the scales at around 70 pounds.
Ranchers are especially concerned about the Imnaha pack near Joseph, whose numbers hit 15 three years ago. The pack has caused problems for ranchers in the past. It has shrunk to two adults and six pups and was on its best behavior last year. But those pups are reaching maturity.
A year-old gray wolf "is a little ball of energy," said rancher Todd Nash. "He wants to get in trouble all the time."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b42c5oy (http://tinyurl.com/b42c5oy)
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WA State’s wolf population nearly doubled last year, according to annual survey
February 20, 2013 posted at Life With Wolves
OLYMPIA – The number of confirmed gray wolves and wolf packs in the state nearly doubled during the past year, according to an annual survey released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).Based on field reports and aerial monitoring, the 2012 survey confirms the presence of at least 51 wolves in nine wolf packs with a total of five successful breeding pairs. The previous year’s survey documented 27 wolves, five wolf packs and three breeding pairs.
A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves traveling together. A successful breeding pair is defined as an adult male and female with at least two pups that survive until the end of the calendar year.
“The survey shows that our state’s wolf population is growing quickly,” said Nate Pamplin, WDFW wildlife program director. “That growth appears to be the result of both natural reproduction and the continuing in-migration of wolves from Canada and neighboring states.”
Pamplin said the actual number of wolves in Washington state is likely much higher than the number confirmed by the survey, noting that field biologists currently suspect the existence of two additional packs. In addition, lone wolves often go uncounted and those that range into Washington but den in other states are not included in WDFW’s survey, he said.
Continued:
http://www.lifewithwolves.org/home/?p=12654 (http://www.lifewithwolves.org/home/?p=12654)
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Senators seek moratorium on wolf hunting in Minn.
By Associated Press Feb 22, 2013
An influential group of Minnesota senators is backing a five-year moratorium on sport hunting and trapping of wolves in Minnesota.
The chief sponsor is Majority Whip Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center. The co-sponsors include Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, Senate President Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, and Sens. David Senjem, R-Rochester, and Terri Bonoff, D-Minnetonka, according to a news release Thursday from Howling for Wolves.
Minnesota wolves were taken off the endangered list last year, and hunting and trapping resumed last fall.
Maureen Hackett, founder of Howling for Wolves, said they're trying to restore a five-year moratorium that used to be in state law for when wolves came off the list. Lawmakers lifted the moratorium when they authorized the hunt last year, citing years of delays caused by court battles over lifting the federal protections.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/abkcux8 (http://tinyurl.com/abkcux8)
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Minnesota Cattle Group Opposing Wolf Moratorium Bill
WNAX Feb 22, 2013
Minnesota State Senate Democrat leaders are co-sponsoring legislation to place a 5 year moratorium on wolf hunting. The program was begun last year in an effort to control the now over 3,000 wolves in the state.
Minnesota Cattlemen’s President Dar Geiss says his group is opposing the measure. He says the hunt has been an important control tool for a dangerous predator that causes a great deal of economic damage to livestock.
Geiss says it’ll take a concerted educational process to make legislators and the general public understand the need to keep those animals under control.
The Senate measure has just been introduced and there is no companion bill in the Minnesota House.
Post by: villageidiot on February 23, 2013, 09:37:22 PM
This is a quote from the authorities investigating the wolf killed in Wyoming. This is also the statement made by Adolf Hitler concerning the Jews.
If you squeal on a friend you will be rewrded and he will never know you were the one that cut his throat.
Post by: bearpaw on February 25, 2013, 12:00:45 AM
Bill would stop Minnesota wolf hunt for five years
By Sam Cook, Duluth News Tribune February 24, 2013
As reported this past week, legislation was introduced at the state Capitol on Thursday to place a five-year moratorium on Minnesota’s wolf hunting season and call for other options for wolf population control.
The bill seeks to reinstate a five-year waiting period between when the federal government dropped wolves off the endangered species — which happened in 2011 — and a potential hunting season.
That five-year delay was supported by a wolf task force, the Department of Natural Resources and the 2000 Minnesota Legislature, but was erased by the 2012 Legislature.
Under the Senate bill, there could be no wolf hunting until July 1, 2018.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/a3rxhzg (http://tinyurl.com/a3rxhzg)
Post by: villageidiot on February 25, 2013, 09:27:39 PM
Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 02:46:20 AM
Feds agree to $380K attorney fees
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 23, 2013
Federal officials and environmental groups "have engaged in good faith, confidential settlement negotiations" that have resulted in an agreement for the feds to pay the groups $380,000 to settle attorney fees.
The agreement stems from a lawsuit filed by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Humane Society of the United States, etc. back in June 2009 challenging the delisting of wolves. The federal court heard cross motions for summary judgment five months later and eventually ruled that the environmental groups were right in part and wrong in part. The feds appealed the case to the Ninth Circuit where it was dismissed as moot.
Read the PDF for more details.
PDF of Order to Settle Attorneys' Fees (2.44 megs):
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/pdf/attorneyfees.pdf (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/pdf/attorneyfees.pdf)
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Wolf-control bills pass out of Senate committee
Mon, Feb 25, 2013 by Kylee Zabel WNPA Olympia News Bureau
Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee last week approved two bills that would reduce the restraints on landowners and county legislative authorities from lethally removing a wolf posing an immediate threat to livestock and/or domestic animals.
Both bills have been sent to the Rules Committee for floor-vote consideration.
Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5187 would allow livestock-owners, their family members and employees to trap or kill gray wolves without a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) if their livestock or domestic animals were being attacked. The wolf must be an immediate threat to livestock and other animals and if a wolf is killed and is not found to have been an immediate threat, the taking of that wolf would violate DFW rules.
However, conservation groups and some lawmakers are concerned about the effect the legislation could have on present wolf management programs if passed into law.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aazwy9b (http://tinyurl.com/aazwy9b)
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Isle Royale National Park revises wolf totals
Associated Press 02/22/2013
ISLE ROYALE (AP) -- Isle Royale National Park's gray wolves apparently don't have a gender gap after all.
Scientists reported last year that only nine wolves remained on the Lake Superior island chain - the lowest total in more than 50 years. They said just one was known to be a female, raising doubts about the predator's long-term prospects for survival in the wilderness park.
But Superintendent Phyllis Green said Thursday that genetic analysis of wolf excrement and additional observations suggest that four or five of the animals are females.
Even so, Green says the wolves' situation remains tenuous and experts are studying how climate change may affect them.
Michigan Technological University biologists are conducting their annual winter study at Isle Royale and are expected to release updated wolf and moose numbers next month.
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Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 02:48:05 AM
Predator Management Has Not Worked - Now It's Time For Predator Control!
February 26, 2013 by Toby Bridges of Lobo Watch
All the damage that wolves have dealt to the big game herds of Western Montana was not supposed to happen. Anyway, that's what wolf experts were telling the residents of the state back when the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan was accepted and signed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987, or when that agency drafted the 414-page Environmental Impact Statement for that project in 1994. Those who put those official documents together claimed that, on the average, each wolf would account for the annual loss of about 14 wild ungulates - i.e. elk, moose, deer, etc.
We now realize and have known for the past seven or eight years that typically each wolf brings down between 20 and 25 big game animals annually for sustenance. That's something that those experts missed by a significant margin in the "Plan" or the official EIS. What those experts also failed to cover were other losses of game to wolves. It has become very clear that these apex predators do not kill only for what they need to eat. Wolves, especially when they work as a pack, kill just to be killing, perhaps to hone their hunting skills or to better teach the younger members of a pack how to hunt. Those "sport kills", or that "surplus killing" as some wolf researchers like to call it, can equal what it takes to keep wolves fed, and as often as not the wolves eat very little of the game they take for the sheer pleasure of sharpening techniques and tactics for bringing down game that can be three...four...five times larger than the individual wolf.
Then, there's the loss of the not yet born. Wolves relentlessly pursue prey animals, often following a herd for days, or for a week or more before making a move to actually kill. In the Northern Rockies, the lean months are generally February and March, when big game herds begin to find less to eat, and must rely on fat reserves to carry them through until the new grasses begin to sprout, or the tips of browse begin to bud new leaves. By this time of winter, the sick, weak and old which many claim wolves only kill have already been pretty much weeded out. To wear the game down, wolves will keep the animals constantly on the move, running in to inflict injury and to wound. After a few days of such pressure, the injured and the weary from being constantly kept on the move can no longer keep up, and the wolves pick them off one at a time.
Especially vulnerable at this time of year are the pregnant cows and does. Weakened somewhat from less than adequate browse and fat reserves, and heavy with the next generation of the species, they become the easier prey to cut out of a herd, and wolves tend to concentrate on them. Such pressure results in a tremendous strain on pregnant females, and the rate of fetus abortion becomes extremely high. The very low calf to cow ratio elk herds are now experiencing can be largely attributed to this loss of new recruitment - well before spring birthing.
Continued with GRAPHIC photos:
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/Legislation12/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/Legislation12/go)
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Wolf population doubled in Washington over past year
By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times February 25, 2013
Despite the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife shooting of seven wolves last summer because they were killing cattle, the state’s population is burgeoning, a new survey shows.
The number of confirmed gray wolves and wolf packs in the state nearly doubled during the past year, according to the survey, which based on field reports and aerial monitoring in 2012 found at least 51 wolves in nine packs, with five successful breeding pairs.
The previous year’s survey confirmed 27 wolves, nine wolf packs and three breeding pairs.
“We have remarkable growth of wolves in Washington,” said Donny Martorello, carnivore section manager for the Department of Fish & Wildlife, which conducted the survey. “This is what you see when a colonizing population is finding suitable habitat and really taking off.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/akfzjoh (http://tinyurl.com/akfzjoh)
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Group seeks to put question of wolf hunting on Michigan's 2014 ballot
by WMEAC (eringolder) on Monday Feb 25th, 2013
A petition drive is underway to allow voters to choose whether or not a piece of legislation, which could allow hunters to hunt the gray wolf in Michigan, will stand. The group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected needs more than 225,000 signatures to place the referendum on a statewide ballot in 2014. Petitions must be submitted by March 27, and 161,000 signatures are still needed. If enough signatures are collected, the possibility of a gray wolf hunting season will be delayed until the vote in 2014.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill last December that placed the gray wolf on Michigan’s game species list. This action did not sanction a wolf-hunting season, but allows for the possibility of creating one, once more is known about the wolf population in Michigan. In January, a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove Michigan’s wolves from the federal endangered species list took effect, clearing the way for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to establish a hunting season.
Continued:
http://therapidian.org/michigan-and-gray-wolf (http://therapidian.org/michigan-and-gray-wolf)
Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 02:51:04 AM
FWP pleased with initial wolf hunt numbers
By Katherine Mozzone, KTVM Feb 26 2013
BOZEMAN, Mont. - With only days left in the 2012-2013 wolf season, hunters and trappers have already killed more Montana wolves than any previous season.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks adopted a more aggressive wolf policy last summer after hunters failed to kill enough wolves last year.
Folks with FWP say they're pleased with this year's wolf hunt numbers so far.
In total, hunters have harvested 130 wolves while trappers have taken 91.
That's 221 wolves, one more than last year's quota.
Representatives with FWP say they wouldn't have seen close to as many harvests without trapping, which started in mid-December.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/abqd8nx (http://tinyurl.com/abqd8nx)
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State Natural Resources Board holds public hearing on wolf hunting dogs
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 (WTAQ)
MADISON, WI - The state Natural Resources Board heard horror stories Tuesday about what might happen if wolf hunters are allowed to use hunting dogs.
The Board held a public hearing in Madison on permanent rules to limit packs of hunting dogs to 16, ban them at night, and allow the dogs to be trained only from October to March.
Critics have predicted violent skirmishes if the hunting dogs are allowed.
Madison Judge Peter Anderson banned the dogs during the inaugural wolf season from last October through December. The judge lifted his order in mid-January and told the Natural Resources Board to create more exact rules.
Al Lobner of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association said strict rules are quote, “discriminating to those of us who prefer to hunt with hounds.”
continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cg7e7dm (http://tinyurl.com/cg7e7dm)
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Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 02:53:10 AM
Montana hunters, trappers kill at least 223 wolves; next season will have looser restrictions
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press February 28, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — With at least 223 gray wolves killed by Montana hunters and trappers during a season that ends Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right rules in place as the state seeks to reduce the predator's population.
Montana's wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That's on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
Yet because the animals breed prolifically, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Jeff Hagener said he expects at most a modest drop in the population from last year's estimate of about 650 wolves.
About 400-500 animals statewide would maintain a sustainable population, he said, but that's just a rough guideline and not a definitive goal.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cmtgeux (http://tinyurl.com/cmtgeux)
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Montana wolves kill hunting dog
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! February 27, 2013
Montana mountain lion hunters witnessed a pack of wolves kill one of their hunting hounds that had treed a lion east of Hamilton. The Billings Gazette has the story.
Billings Gazette
http://tinyurl.com/csp4fzl (http://tinyurl.com/csp4fzl)
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Hydatid Cyst Transmission and Growth
February 27, 2013 by Tom Remington
Hydatid Cyst Transmission and Growth
February 22, 2013
Author: Clayton H. Dethlefsen
Chairman and Executive Director
Western Predator Control Association
ISSUE: Can Hydatid Cysts cause the development of Hydatid Disease without the Transmission of E.g. Tapeworm Eggs through their expulsion in the fecal discharge of Canines?
DISCUSSION:
Key Point: Transmission from Hydatid Cysts that directly creates a new Cyst happens. The only question is how this happens.
Ungulates with multiple Cyst including humans generally get them when Cyst that they already have burst or seep causing the Protoscolices (Hydatid Sand and/or the Cyst Fluid) to migrate to new location within the body. Mostly these new cysts grow within the same body cavity or the same or immediately adjacent vital organs.
Hydatid Fluid contains tapeworm larva that have heads with connected tails that look much the same as swimming frog pollywogs. This fluid is often referred to as Hydatid Sand, which, if it gets into the circulation or respiratory system, can flow its way to new ungulate body locations. Also, new cyst can form, if the initial Cyst was in the eye, in the eye socket, and if the initial Cyst was in bone marrow, new Cysts (because of the bone’s structure) are habitually confined to the bone’s cavity. Also, Cysts form in the tracheal and bronchial tubes, particularly where the Trachea branches into the Bronchi, or at a subcutaneous location if Sand from a burst or leaking cyst moves to these locations.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c7sxtvg (http://tinyurl.com/c7sxtvg)
Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 02:56:31 AM
Wallowa County gray wolf safe after being trapped; wolf population revised downward
By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian February 28, 2013
JOSEPH -- A young, female gray wolf in northeastern Oregon's Wallowa County has a sore paw and a new radio collar after being caught in a trap.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that the 76-pound Imnaha pack wolf was inadvertently captured Tuesday by a local trapper, who notified the agency. Biologists were able to collar and then safely release the wolf, now identified as OR17, and said she was in good condition.
Under Oregon Furbearer regulations, trappers are required to contact ODFW biologists immediately when a wolf or other endangered animal is trapped.
Separately, biologists reported that genetic evidence from scats collected in January show that gray wolves in the Minam and Upper Minam River packs actually belong to a single pack. Based on the new information, the agency has revised its Oregon wolf census to six known wolf packs, all of which have breeding pairs, and a total of 46 wolves.
That's a downward revision from January, when the agency reported that Oregon's minimum gray wolf count was 53, in seven packs with five breeding pairs. At that time, biologists believed the Upper Minam River pack consisted of 7 wolves and the Minam pack had five wolves.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b856zpz (http://tinyurl.com/b856zpz)
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New Imnaha Pack collar; Minam/Upper Minam River determined to be same pack
March 1, 2013 posted at Life With Wolves
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 ODFW biologists radio-collared a new Imnaha Pack wolf (OR17). The 76-pound young female wolf was captured inadvertently by a local trapper who immediately notified ODFW when he discovered the wolf. ODFW was able to collar and then safely release the wolf in good condition.
Under Oregon Furbearer Regulations, trappers should contact ODFW immediately if a wolf or other endangered animal is trapped. The trapper did exactly what he was supposed to do in this case.
ODFW has recently added another breeding pair to its 2012 population estimate. Recent winter (February) surveys revealed that the Minam pack has two pups. Also, new genetic evidence from scats collected in January indicate that the Minam and Upper Minam River wolves are from the same pack, hereafter referred to as the Minam Pack. Based on this new information, ODFW is revising its earlier estimate of the Oregon wolf population to six known packs (all breeding pairs) and a total of 46 wolves.
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Post by: bearpaw on March 03, 2013, 03:49:41 AM
Pack of wolves kills 10-year-old child in Siberia
01.03.2013 Pravda.Ru
Krasnoyarsk media have reported details of the incident that took place near the village of Essey. A 10-year-old boy was killed by a pack of wolves. Meanwhile, officials with the Central Investigation Department of the Krasnoyarsk region release cautious comments about the incident.
On February 28, 2013, law enforcement agencies received information saying that the body of a 10-year-old boy with signs of violent death had been found on the isthmus of Essey Lake, located in the village of the same name. There were multiple lacerated wounds on the child's body, similar to animal bites.
Either wolf or dog traces were found near the boy's body.
According to preliminary reports, in the evening of February 28, the boy went to see his brother home. The boy's mother, alarmed by his long absence, went out to search for her son and found the child dead.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b2tz4v8 (http://tinyurl.com/b2tz4v8)
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See also:
Report: Dogs, wolves may have killed boy
http://tinyurl.com/b7lushl (http://tinyurl.com/b7lushl)
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Wolf culling starts in Yakutia
by Evgeniya Chaykovskaya 15/01/2013 The Moscow News
On Tuesday, the culling of wolves began in Yakutia in an attempt to regulate the numbers of the predators starting to take a toll on local farms.
http://themoscownews.com/russia/20130115/191136791.html (http://themoscownews.com/russia/20130115/191136791.html)
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Siberian Region Sets Aside $1mln for Wolf Cull
20/02/2013 (RIA Novosti)
YAKUTSK, February 20 – Authorities in the remote north-east Siberian republic of Yakutia said on Wednesday they would allocate 32 million rubles (just over $1mln) for a three-month cull of wolves.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130220/179582921.html (http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130220/179582921.html)
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Old West to new: Court order makes Ore. 'wolf-safe,' forcing ranchers to try new measures
By JEFF BARNARD - AP Environmental Writer March 02, 2013
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — As long as wolves have been making their comeback, biologists and ranchers have had a decidedly Old West option for dealing with those that develop a taste for beef: Shoot to kill. But for the past year, Oregon has been a "wolf-safe" zone, with ranchers turning to more modern, nonlethal ways to protect livestock.
While the number of wolves roaming the state has gone up, livestock kills haven't — and now conservation groups are hoping Oregon can serve as a model for other Western states working to return the predator to the wild.
http://tinyurl.com/aobfbq6 (http://tinyurl.com/aobfbq6)
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Officials: Problem wolves will be removed
March 2, 2013 Yakima Herald
OKANOGAN — State officials assured Okanogan County residents Thursday that some problem wolves that kill livestock will be trapped and euthanized this year.
“The lethal side of management is controversial, but it is a very real part of management,” Dave Ware told a standing-room-only crowd that included many cattle ranchers.
The game division manager added, “We’re trying to be more aggressive, and we’re trying to be more responsive.”
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http://tinyurl.com/amtlf24 (http://tinyurl.com/amtlf24)
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Post by: CementFinisher on March 07, 2013, 06:01:28 AM
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:24:39 PM
Montana, Idaho trappers catching more than just wolves
March 3, 2013 By Perry Backus - Ravalli Republic
In the first year that wolf trapping was allowed in Idaho, trappers captured a total of 123 wolves.
But according to a survey by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Department, those same trappers in 2011-2012 also inadvertently captured 147 other animals, including white-tailed deer, elk, moose, mountain lions, skunks and ravens.
Trappers reported that 69 of those animals died as a result.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife management chief George Pauley said his office is currently gathering similar information about the state’s first wolf trapping season.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cm8w3h9 (http://tinyurl.com/cm8w3h9)
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State’s wolf harvest up 25 percent over last year
February 28, 2013 Associated Press
With at least 223 gray wolves killed by Montana hunters and trappers during a season that ends Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right rules in place as the state seeks to reduce the predator’s population.
Montana’s wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That’s on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cg9qcbh (http://tinyurl.com/cg9qcbh)
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:25:48 PM
225 wolves killed in final Montana hunting, trapping tally
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 04, 2013
HELENA, Montana — Montana officials say the final tally from the state's wolf hunting and trapping seasons is 225 predators.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Monday that hunters killed 128 wolves and trappers another 97 in the season that closed Feb. 28.
That's an increase over 2011 when 166 wolves were killed. Trapping was not allowed.
The three counties with the most wolves killed were killed Lincoln, Park and Missoula counties.
Another 104 wolves were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
FWP officials say they will have a 2012 wolf population report by the end of March. In 2011, the population increased to at least 653 wolves.
They say 18,642 wolf-hunting licenses and 1,500 trapping licenses were purchased for this season.
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Democrat introduces bill to block dogs in Wisconsin wolf hunt
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 04, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — A Democratic state senator is circulating a bill that would prohibit wolf hunters from using dogs.
Sen. Fred Risser of Madison sent an email to his fellow lawmakers on Monday asking for co-sponsors. He notes in the email that humane societies oppose the use of dogs in the wolf hunt.
A group of humane societies filed a lawsuit in August alleging state wildlife officials failed to impose any restrictions on using and training dogs on wolves. A Dane County judge issued a temporary injunction that blocked the use of dogs during the wolf season. In January the judge approved dog use during the hunt but barred training them on wolves.
Risser's bill has little chance of passing. Republicans control both the Senate and Assembly.
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Child killed by wild dogs in Russia
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 IANS/RIA Novosti
Moscow, Mar 1 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Police in Russia said Friday they were looking into the death of a boy thought to have been killed by wild dogs or wolves in Siberia.
The boy's body was found with numerous bites and his clothes torn into pieces near Lake Yessey in Evenkia district in Krasnoyarsk region late Thursday.
The body, discovered by the boy's mother, was surrounded by traces of animals which appeared to be from wolves or wild dogs, a police spokeswoman said Friday.
Yessey village head Gennady Maimaga said stray dogs which roam the area had previously attacked local residents.
"They actively breed in the forest and enter the village territory. There were previous cases when they had attacked people," Maimaga said.
Police are heading to Yessey for a preliminary inquiry into the death.
In January, a wolf cull was ordered in the neighbouring republic of Yakutia after wolves began attacking livestock.
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:28:10 PM
Fish and Game reports hunters have bagged 245 wolves this season; hunt off pace from last year
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 05, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — Hunters appear to be having less success hunting and trapping wolves in the Idaho backcountry than a season ago.
Idaho Fish and Game officials announced Monday that hunters had bagged 245 wolves this season. At the end last season, hunters killed 379 wolves.
There is still time for hunters to make gains on last year's mark.
Hunting and trapping in most zones across the state remain open through the end of March. Seasons in the Lolo and Selway zones in the north-central part of the state remain open through June 30.
Agency officials are encouraging hunters and trappers to focus on the hard-to-reach backcountry where success rates have been low. But they say wolves in those areas are less likely to have had encounters with hunters.
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Montana’s Wolf Hunt Tally
By Benito Baeza March 5, 2013 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana officials say the final tally from the state’s wolf hunting and trapping seasons is 225 predators. Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Monday that hunters killed 128 wolves and trappers another 97 in the season that closed Feb. 28.
That’s an increase over 2011 when 166 wolves were killed. Trapping was not allowed. The three counties with the most wolves killed were killed Lincoln, Park and Missoula counties. Another 104 wolves were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
FWP officials say they will have a 2012 wolf population report by the end of March. In 2011, the population increased to at least 653 wolves. They say 18,642 wolf-hunting licenses and 1,500 trapping licenses were purchased for this season.
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Bill would bar dogs from wolf hunt
March 5, 2013 By Bob Hague - WRN
Legislation being offered at the Capitol would bar the use of dogs to hunt wolves in Wisconsin. It hasn’t actually happened yet, but with rules governing the use of dogs in the wolf hunt now in place, state Senator Fred Risser has drafted a bill to prohibit what he calls state sanctioned dog fighting. “I see no purpose for it all,” said the Madison Democrat, noting that Wisconsin is the only state which allows dogs to used in a wolf hunt. “Dogs and wolves get into vicious battles, and it’s just mayhem.”
Anne Reed is executive director of the Wisconsin Humane Society, one of several groups in support of the legislation. “We don’t just think wolves kill dogs, we know they do,” she explained. “The DNR has documentation. Hundreds of dogs have been killed in the woods, by wolves, while either hunting or training for other game. This isn’t a hypothetical situation. Wolves kill dogs, and in the most horrible way.”
An injunction by a Dane County judge, in place throughout the most recent hunt, has been lifted and the Natural Resources Board approved rules to allow dogs to be used in the wolf hunt.
Continued:
http://www.wrn.com/2013/03/bill-would-bar-dogs-from-wolf-hunt/ (http://www.wrn.com/2013/03/bill-would-bar-dogs-from-wolf-hunt/)
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State agency launches aerial wolf control near 2 villages; wolves being shot from helicopter
By TIM MOWRY - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner March 05, 2013
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game pulled the trigger on another Interior wolf reduction program during the weekend.
Wildlife biologists from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Saturday began shooting wolves from a helicopter around Allakaket and Alatna, a pair of rural villages on the upper Koyukuk River, about 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks.
As of Monday, biologists had killed 15 wolves, according to Fish and Game spokeswoman Cathie Harms. The aim of the program is to provide more moose for the 180 residents in the two villages, she said.
The department had planned to start the program in November, but conditions and legal issues kept it on hold until spring, Harms said.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/askt5nk (http://tinyurl.com/askt5nk)
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Congress members seek continued wolf protections
By JOHN FLESHER - AP Environmental Writer March 05, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Members of Congress are asking federal officials not to revoke protections for the gray wolf in sections of the lower 48 states where the predator remains on the endangered species list.
After nearing extinction in most of the nation, the wolf has rebounded so strongly in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies that it's no longer classified as endangered there. Packs also have become established in Oregon and Washington, and restoration efforts continue in the Southwest.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to drop the wolf from the endangered list in areas where none are known to exist.
A letter to the agency sent Tuesday by 52 U.S. House members says legal protections should remain because the wolf could continue expanding its territory elsewhere, benefiting the environment.
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John Cornyn Introduces Endangered Species Act Settlement Reform Act
March 4, 2013 by Cole Shooter - Wolf Crossing
Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn has introduced legislation to prevent abuse of Endangered Species Act litigation.
Cornyn introduced the Endangered Species Act Settlement Reform Act, which will give impacted local parties a say in the settlement of litigation between special interest groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
“ESA litigation abuse has shut out those folks most affected by the kind of closed-door settlements we’ve seen,” said Cornyn. “My bill opens up the process to give job creators and local officials a say.”
Cornyn says that the bill adds protection for American citizens from the regulatory impact of closed-door litigation settlements between special interest groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2011, two environmental groups settled multi-district litigation with the FWS that resulted in a “work plan” for the agency to make endangered species list determinations for hundreds of species, and the settlement also required taxpayers to pay the plaintiffs’ litigation fees.
The suits were brought against the FWS because it failed to meet certain statutory deadlines after being flooded with requests to list hundreds of species.
Cornyn’s office says that Closed-Door ESA settlements not only threaten unwarranted regulation, but give plaintiffs undue leverage over local land owners, businesses, and elected officials in the conservation process.
Source:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=691 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=691)
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Moose population in Minnesota declines 69% in 7 years
A 35 percent decline in moose numbers in Minnesota in the last year forced the cancellation of the fall hunting season and the state has launched a study to determine the cause of the decline, which some attribute to a warming climate.
USA Today; March 1, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/aldz8e7 (http://tinyurl.com/aldz8e7)
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:31:37 PM
Idaho wolf seasons closing soon
by Idaho Fish & Game news release March 6, 2013
Gray wolf hunting and trapping seasons in most zones in Idaho run through March 31.
Hunting seasons in the Lolo and Selway zones remain open through June 30. And the Beaverhead and Island Park zones closed January 31.
As of March 4, hunters and trappers had taken 245 wolves in Idaho. Last year, they had taken a total of 379 wolves by the end of the season.
Fish and Game encourages wolf hunters to concentrate their efforts in backcountry zones where wolf harvest has been the lowest. Access to backcountry and wilderness units may be difficult, but wolves in those areas are less likely to have been disturbed by other hunters.
Examples areas with wolf hunting opportunities include: Unit 25, along the South Fork Salmon River or the East Fork of the Salmon River to Yellow Pine, or Unit 19A along the main stem of the Salmon River.
Wolves have proven to be a challenging big game animal to hunt.
Effective wolf hunting techniques include looking for fresh tracks and then closing the distance before calling to wolves, glassing ridges where wolves may travel or bed, and calling by howling or using other predator calls.
Wolf hunters are discouraged from shooting wolves with radio collars. The collared wolves provide important information biologists need to document wolf population levels and continue to justify having wolf hunting seasons, and the collars are expensive to place on animals.
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Montana wolf harvest numbers
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks March 6, 2013
State wildlife officials released the results of the 2012-13 wolf hunting and trapping seasons, which saw a substantial jump in harvest over last year.
The wolf hunting and trapping seasons ended with a total harvest of 225 wolves, 36 percent more than last season. Hunters took 128 wolves and trappers 97. The hunting season ran 181 days from Sept. 1, 2012 through Feb. 28, and the 76-day trapping season opened Dec. 15, 2012 and closed Feb. 28.
"We're generally pleased with these results," said Jeff Hagener, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena. "The overall harvest of 225 wolves this season is higher than last year and reflects the more liberal harvest opportunities that were added for 2012. The effectiveness of hunters and now trappers together continues to grow."
In all, 84 wolves were taken between Sept. 1, 2012 and the end of Montana’s general big game hunting season, which closed Nov. 25, 2012. Sixty four of the 84 wolves taken before November 25 were opportunistically taken by hunters who were in the field hunting other species. The majority of the harvest, however, took place after the general hunting season by hunters and trappers who were exclusively seeking wolves. During Montana’s first wolf hunting season in 2009, the opportunistic harvest was almost 80 percent.
Continued:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/03/MTwolfharvestnumbers.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/03/MTwolfharvestnumbers.htm)
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More than 550 wolves taken by hunters and trappers in Rockies
March 6, 2013 by Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
The debate: A total of 553 wolves that have been killed by hunters and trappers in the Northern Rockies this season, the second since hunting of the furtive predators was made legal.
An additional 216 wolves were killed by federal Wildlife Services agents, largely to prevent ongoing conflicts with livestock.
Figures are trickling in as hunting seasons wind down in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, where wolves were hunted to extinction in the last century but, in the wake of a controversial reintroduction program, are now ensconced in all three states and busting out toward Washington, Oregon and California.
State wildlife officials, fearing the recovery has been too robust, have been encouraging hunters and trappers to shave the numbers back, and the latest figures show that effort has worked, with 225 wolves killed in Montana, 69 in Wyoming and 259 in Idaho.
Continued:
http://phys.org/news/2013-03-wolves-hunters-trappers-rockies.html (http://phys.org/news/2013-03-wolves-hunters-trappers-rockies.html)
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Alaska biologists shooting wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! March 6, 2013
Wildlife biologists working for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game have been shooting wolves from a helicopter in attempt to reduce the wolf population to help the local moose population. Villagers are allowed to keep the wolf carcasses.
State officials expect to harvest 35-50 wolves in the area this year, and 15-20 wolves annually thereafter.
For more, click on the link below.
NECN.com
http://tinyurl.com/aozvzbn (http://tinyurl.com/aozvzbn)
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:34:06 PM
Wily wolves prove a hard target
Idaho wolf harvest numbers down this season
Thursday, March 7, 2013 By BILL BULEY CdA Press
COEUR d'ALENE - As the season on gray wolves winds down in Idaho, the number of animals killed this year is down from last, including in the Panhandle.
According to Idaho Fish and Game, 259 wolves have been killed in the state through March 4 - 177 by hunting, 82 by trapping. In comparison, 379 wolves were killed in Idaho last year - 255 by hunting, 124 by trapping.
In the Panhandle this season, 17 wolves have been killed by hunters, and 31 by trappers. Last year, Panhandle hunters killed 33 wolves, and trappers killed 43.
Gray wolf hunting and trapping seasons in most zones in Idaho run through March 31.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bp4y6rt (http://tinyurl.com/bp4y6rt)
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Statewide wolf kill reaches 223; guidelines cited
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 Associated Press
With at least 223 gray wolves killed by hunters and trappers as Montana’s wolf season closed Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right management rules in place to reduce the predator’s numbers but maintain a viable population.
Montana’s wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That’s on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year because of livestock attacks or other conflicts.
Yet because the animals breed prolifically, Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Jeff Hagener said he expects at most a modest drop in the population from last year’s estimate of about 650 wolves.
About 400-500 animals statewide would maintain a sustainable population, he said, but that’s just a rough guideline and not a definitive goal.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cy5te64 (http://tinyurl.com/cy5te64)
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Aerial wolf control halted after fewer wolves than expected found near 2 Interior villages
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 07, 2013
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The killing of wolves near two villages on the upper Koyukuk River has been stopped because fewer wolves were found than expected.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologists have shot and killed 17 wolves from a helicopter near the villages of Allakaket and Alatna in the Interior. Without more being spotted, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://is.gd/kzn5Su (http://is.gd/kzn5Su)) reports that the aerial hunt has been halted.
The department had estimated that there were between 35 and 50 wolves in the area. The goal was to eliminate all the wolves for the next five years to help increase moose numbers.
An agency spokeswoman says three wolf packs that were originally inside the predator control area had traveled outside the boundary by the time biologists found them and now are off-limits.
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550 Gray Wolves Killed This Season: Hunt Saboteurs Rise Up
by the Howling Monkeywrench Gang of the Anthropocene March 07 2013 [EarthFirst!]
550 gray wolves have been reported killed by hunters and trappers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming this season. If you add in the number of wolves killed by federal Wildlife Service agents (who kill wolves that threaten livestock), poachers, disease, and vehicle collisions, it starts to look like the return of the time honored American tradition of predator genocide. Hunting seasons have also begun in the Great Lakes Region, long a haven for our wild, four-legged kin.
Two such seasons have now passed since gray wolves had their protective status removed under the Endangered Species Act and its unclear how many more they will sustain.
The howls of the hunted carry in the wind and call for help. It is time for hunt saboteurs to rise up to defend the wolf family.
You can dismantle traps, dismantle hunting ORVs and trucks, dismantle the structures of hunting cabins, dismantle the helicopters used for aerial hunting. There are lots of great resources for ideas. Join the resistance. Defend the wolves.
Go with caution, go with love, go wild as hell!
Source:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20130307123237464 (http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20130307123237464)
Post by: bearpaw on March 08, 2013, 03:37:30 PM
Wolf Spotted at Craters of the Moon
Twin Falls Times-News; March 8, 2013 By Kimberlee Kruesi
ARCO [Idaho] - Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve officials have released a photo of the first recorded wolf sighting in the monument’s 88-year history.
On Christmas Day 2012, a remote camera took the photo of a lone wolf in the snow. Since then, the cameras have snapped photos of two wolves on the monument area,said John Apel, chief of resource management for the National Park Service at Craters of the Moon.
“It’s not really too surprising,” Apel said. “We have a lot of elk in this area, and we have two packs established in the Pioneer Mountains area.”
The wolves were spotted north of the typically popular areas visited by recreationists, Apel said.
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http://tinyurl.com/ag4torp (http://tinyurl.com/ag4torp)
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Utah legislators prepared to spend another $300K to keep wolves out of state
Last year, the Utah Legislature approved $300,000 to lobby to keep federal officials from reintroducing wolves into the Beehive State, and are preparing to pass another line-item measure for another $300,000 annual payment.
Salt Lake Tribune; March 8, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/aevj5ea (http://tinyurl.com/aevj5ea)
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Avid Minn. hunter faces lifetime firearms ban for his role in cover-up of killings of 2 wolves
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 08, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS — An avid hunter faces a lifetime ban on possessing firearms for his role in the killing of two wolves in northeastern Minnesota and an attempt to cover it up.
Vern Hoff must spend a month in a halfway house under the sentence handed down Thursday. But the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/13KiyHQ (http://bit.ly/13KiyHQ)) reports the gun ban from the felony conviction will require an even bigger change in the 55-year-old Finland man's lifestyle.
The forest services company owner was convicted last November of a felony count of lying to a federal officer and a misdemeanor for violating the Endangered Species Act. Prosecutors say one of his employees deliberately ran down two wolves in February 2010, and Hoff told him to bury the carcasses before a Forest Service employee arrived at the jobsite.
Post by: bearpaw on March 10, 2013, 09:48:47 AM
Wolf killed west of Ketchum
8 wolves killed in region this season
by Katherine Wutz March 6, 2013 Idaho Mountain Express
Eight wolves have been killed so far in the Wood River Valley region this season, including one from the Warm Springs pack northwest of Ketchum.
A Big Game Mortality Report from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game states that the Warm Springs wolf, a 100-pound, gray, 2-year-old male, was killed near Warm Springs Creek on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Lynne Stone, local wolf advocate and founder of the Boulder-White Clouds Council, said the wolf was likely part of the Warm Springs pack, which gained notoriety last summer when a pup from the pack was found by campers on Warm Springs Road. The pup now lives in Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.
“[It’s] a shame these wolves are being killed,” Stone said. “Maybe they all should have gone to Virginia. The puppy that was saved is going to probably die of old age.”
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146360 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146360)
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Wash. Senate OKs bill to allow animal owners to kill marauding wolves without a permit
By JONATHAN KAMINSKY - Associated Press March 08, 2013
OLYMPIA, Washington — The Washington state Senate passed a measure Friday to allow livestock and pet owners to shoot gray wolves without a permit when the wolves are attacking or threatening their animals.
The bill is the latest salvo in an ongoing debate over how to cope with the reintroduction —and subsequent population rise — of the predatory canines in northeastern Washington state.
"We have the right to protect our families and our properties and our livelihoods," said Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, the bill's sponsor. "It's a fundamental principle of the American system."
Bill opponents say it would hurt the state's wolf recovery efforts and contradicts years of effort put into hashing out a state wolf plan.
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http://tinyurl.com/bamuogm (http://tinyurl.com/bamuogm)
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Oregon Commission Hears Gray Wolf Update
By Courtney Flatt March 8, 2013 NWPR
Two new wolf packs formed in Oregon last year. That brings the state’s total to six packs. Friday the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission learned what this could mean for possibly removing endangered species protection for the wolves.
2012 was the first year that more than four breeding wolf pairs were identified in Oregon. One goal for delisting gray wolves in the state: sustain four breeding pairs for three years.
Russ Morgan, Oregon’s wolf coordinator, briefed the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“By December of 2014, December of next year, we could conceivably meet that conservation objective," Morgan says.
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http://www.nwpr.org/post/oregon-commission-hears-gray-wolf-update (http://www.nwpr.org/post/oregon-commission-hears-gray-wolf-update)
Post by: bearpaw on March 10, 2013, 04:08:04 PM
Anti-wolf group likely to get second $300,000 Utah payment
By Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune March 10, 2013
A $300,000 line item to fund efforts to prevent wolves from being “reintroduced” in Utah as part of a federal gray wolf-recovery effort will be included in the budget headed for final votes in the next few days.
Democratic lawmakers on Friday unsuccessfully attempted to strip the money from the spending plan. Without debate, and on a party-line vote, the little-scrutinized project was adopted by the Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee, made up of leaders of the House and Senate.
“It seems like a waste,” said Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City. “It’s another challenge to federal authority to protect wildlife. The problem isn’t even here.”
The $300,000 appropriation — the second in as many years for the anti-wolf campaign — was recommended by Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund, R-Monroe.
An outspoken critic of wolves — who also was sponsor of last year’s so-called “Mule Deer Protection Act,” more than doubling the $20 bounty on coyotes — Okerlund received $6,500 in campaign donations last year from the two men requesting the funding.
Don Peay, founder of the influential Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and the spin-off organization Big Game Forever, gave Okerlund $1,500 last July, according to state records. Ryan Benson, attorney for and co-founder of Big Game Forever, contributed $5,000 last Aug. 2 — the same day the state Division of Wildlife Resources signed a contract with Big Game Forever to lobby in support of state control over the gray wolf, a federally protected species.
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Study: more female wolves on Isle Royale
March 10, 2013 By JOHN PEPIN - The Mining Journal
HOUGHTON - New genetic studies have detected more female gray wolves at Isle Royale National Park, boosting hopes the island's population is farther away from possible extinction than previously thought.
"We are still a ways off from making any decisions about the future management of wolves on the island, but these results are very encouraging," said Isle Royale National Park Chief of Natural Resources Paul Brown.
National Park Service officials at Isle Royale said the topic of the park's wolf population has been the subject of considerable debate over the past year. The park consists of one large island surrounded by more than 450 smaller islands; it encompasses a total area of 850 square miles including submerged land, which extends 4.5 miles out into Lake Superior, northwest of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
"In early 2012, observations from long-running research by Michigan Technological University suggested there was only one female wolf left on the island, raising the question of how soon wolves might go extinct on Isle Royale," park officials said in a recent news release. "The need to further understand the population issue led to genetic analysis to decipher the number and sex of individuals in the actual population."
The previous research drawing the conclusion a lone female wolf remained on the island did not have the benefit of genetic study to reach that deduction, park officials said.
Genetic analysis was conducted, funded mostly by the National Park Service, but contributions were also made by wolf researcher L.D. Mech and contributors to an Internet funding initiative.
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Post by: bearpaw on March 15, 2013, 07:48:40 PM
Groups flock to join lawsuit challenging Wyoming wolf plan
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press March 11, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — The cast of characters is growing in a legal fight in which environmental groups are challenging the federal government's recent decision to end protections for wolves in Wyoming.
U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson of Cheyenne has allowed a coalition including Wyoming county governments and sportsmen groups to intervene in the lawsuit. He hasn't acted yet on a request from the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International, a hunting group, to intervene.
The groups are siding with the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in defending the federal decision to turn wolf management over to the state. Wyoming's plan classifies wolves in most of the state as unprotected predators that can be shot on sight.
Two other similar lawsuits have been consolidated in Washington, D.C.
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Killing of 2 gray wolves before delisting means federal sentences for 2 North Shore men
by PAUL WALSH - Star Tribune March 11, 2013
A North Shore man was sentenced Monday for intentionally killing two gray wolves in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest with his vehicle while they were still an endangered species and then concealing the carcasses with his prison-bound cohort.
Kyler J. Jensen, 32, of Finland, Minn., was sentenced in federal court in Minneapolis to the time he has already served, about three months, for purposely killing the wolves in February 2010 on Forest Road 369 (Sawbill Landing Road) and moving them to a work site, where he dug a hole with a bulldozer and buried the animals. He later retrieved the remains, intending to destroy the evidence.
Conspirator Vernon L. Hoff, 55, also of Finland, was sentenced to one month in prison and fined $2,500 on Thursday for lying to authorities about the wolves being killed.
A jury convicted Hoff. Jensen pleaded guilty.
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http://www.startribune.com/local/197082631.html (http://www.startribune.com/local/197082631.html)
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EFU film Shades of gray: America's wolf dilemma
11th March, 2013 Jim Wickens - The Ecologist
Reviled by ranchers and fawned over by conservationists, the Gray wolf is highly controversial in the US. Ahead of a new film on the issue, Jim Wickens travels to Montana and Wyoming to unravel the complex arguments surrounding plans to cull the animals
The elk carcass glints in the overhead sun, it's ribs picked clean, poking out of a tangled mess that lies buried beneath the blood-stained snow. It is a wolf kill, a bloody spectacle that is playing out with growing regularity across the Rockies, and dividing Americans in it's wake.
We are on a Yellowstone park patrol, crunching over fresh packed snow with Dr. Dan Stahler, a leading wildlife biologist and renowned wolf expert employed by the National Park Service, who has been following their introduction since 41 wolves were introduced into Yellowstone in 1995-6.
Wolf kill sites in Yellowstone are regularly analysed, providing the Park with data that is helping to decipher the ecosystem impacts caused by the reintroduction of a predator into the Rocky mountain landscape. clutching the jawbone of the fallen elk, Dan explains the role that wolves are having on the Park ecosystem.
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http://tinyurl.com/b3l8f94 (http://tinyurl.com/b3l8f94)
Post by: bearpaw on March 15, 2013, 07:50:45 PM
Federal judge allows Wyoming Wolf Coalition to intervene in delisting lawsuit
The Wyoming Wolf Coalition, made up of county governments and sportsmen's groups, was allowed to intervene on the side of Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a lawsuit defending the federal government's decision to delist wolves and hand management of the species to the state. The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International have also petitioned to join the lawsuit.
Casper Star-Tribune; March 12, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bf2lb29 (http://tinyurl.com/bf2lb29)
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Wisconsin’s First Wolf Hunt Results
by Patrick Durkin on Mar 12, 2013 Bowhunting
Our understanding of gray wolves advanced far more from Wisconsin’s recent wolf-hunting season than from the 117 candles animal-rights activists lighted in mid-January to honor wolves killed during the hunt. Granted, activists had every right to ring bells and burn candles outside the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources offices in Madison that day. They can also believe wolves exist on a higher spiritual plane than other Wisconsin wildlife. Maybe they even stand superior to humans in some folks’ eyes. But wolves don’t benefit from such pubic displays of pretension.
In contrast, biologists, researchers and volunteers conduct the real work of wolf management in near anonymity from university campuses and DNR offices around Wisconsin, as well as in Michigan, Minnesota and a handful of Western states now home to wolves. For Wisconsin, this work includes not only tracking surveys to assess wolf numbers, but compiling and analyzing data from the 2012 wolf hunt. These studies are supported in part by the $294,320 generated through applications and license sales from the state’s first wolf season.
I realize most of that money will compensate people for pets and livestock killed by wolves, but at least the state is no longer grifting money from the DNR’s endangered resources program for those abatements. No matter what anyone thought of Wisconsin’s inaugural wolf hunt – which opened Oct. 15, 2012, and closed nearly 10 weeks later on Dec. 23 – we’re just starting to reap its educational bounty. For instance, most hunters and trappers pursued wolves with the same respect shown other game animals. Adrian Wydeven, the DNR’s wolf ecologist, said only two wolves were confiscated when investigators determined the licensees misled DNR wardens where they killed the wolf, hoping to dodge season closures in their areas.
For its part, the DNR proved it could monitor the season closely and close it quickly. Hunters and trappers exceeded the state’s 116-wolf goal by one animal statewide. The DNR matched the quota to the wolf in three of the six zones, going 32 for 32 in Zone 1, five for five in Zone 4, and 23 for 23 in Zone 5. It fell one short of the 20-wolf quota in Zone 2, and exceeded by one the 18-wolf goals in zone 3 and 6. That performance stood in contrast to grim – if not apocalyptic – predictions from critics last year who claimed the agency couldn’t cap the kill effectively. With help from TV, radio, emails, news releases, Internet alerts, and old-fashioned word-of-mouth, the DNR closed the season compartment by compartment like seasoned sailors securing a ship for heavy seas.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b2ycgo5 (http://tinyurl.com/b2ycgo5)
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Pro-wolf group's poll finds support for delaying next Minnesota hunt
By John Myers - Duluth News Tribune 03/11/2013
A majority of Minnesotans surveyed last month favor a five-year delay before the state holds another wolf hunting and trapping season, according to a poll conducted for a pro-wolf group.
The group Howling for Wolves on Monday released results of a statewide survey of 600 registered voters that also found two-thirds of those polled say there is no reason for a hunt if landowners and others already have the right to kill wolves attacking livestock, pets or people. Of the people surveyed, 25 percent said a wolf hunt still is necessary.
The poll was conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Lake Research Partners from Feb. 28 to March 4 and comes as the Minnesota Legislature considered a bill to delay the next sport hunting and trapping season for wolves by at least five years. That five-year delay was called for by a wolf-advisory committee a decade ago but was dropped by lawmakers last year when they approved a hunt the same year federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves were dropped in the Great Lakes region.
The survey also found that 66 percent oppose the use of traps, snares and bait to hunt and trap wolves in Minnesota with 29 percent favoring trapping of wolves.
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http://tinyurl.com/b8nhspn (http://tinyurl.com/b8nhspn)
Post by: bearpaw on March 15, 2013, 07:57:10 PM
Report: Wolf takes down in 2012-13
Hunters shoot 25 percent fewer than previous season
By KATHERINE WUTZ - Idaho Mtn. Express Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A new report on wolf harvest numbers for the 2012-13 season indicates that the number of wolves killed by hunters and trappers is down about 25 percent from last year.
A wolf management update released last week by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game details the wolf harvest, trapper education and monitoring efforts for the 2011-12 season as well as for the first half of the 2012-13 season.
Department spokesman Niels Nokkentved said the department would likely have numbers on the state’s current wolf population by the end of March.
The report states that as of Jan. 31, 2013, hunters and trappers had killed 202 wolves, down from the same date in 2012, when 270 wolves had been killed.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146443 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146443)
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Twisp, Washington: Wolf Attacks Local Pet Dogs
March 13, 2013 by Tom Remington
Below is the copy of an email, with photos, I received yesterday with what is described as a true account of what took place in Twisp, Washington, when a wolf attacked two domestic dogs...
Sunday morning, at approximately 1:00 AM, John Stevie was awakened by one of his dogs furiously barking and growling, while still inside the house, at their living room sliding glass deck doors. John hurried to the door and saw a very large wolf up on the ten-foot-high deck, savagely attacking his blue heeler dog. He opened the door in an attempt to rescue his dog, but his other dog pushed past him out to the attack. The wolf and dog fought out on the deck for a short time before the wolf leapt off the deck and headed toward the creek bottom with John’s dog hot on his heels. The blue heeler, “Shelby” was taken to Daniel Deweert’s Valley Veterinary Clinic for treatment. “Shelby” is still in critical condition with deep puncture wounds to her head and neck..
WDFW was called. Mr. Stevie told them that he was within two feet of the wolf in an attempt to save his dog, but WDFW suggested “perhaps it was a cougar instead of a wolf!” Mr. Stevie assured them that he was within very close proximity to the wolf, and that he had numerous wolf sightings close to his home and knew a wolf when he saw one. John asked WDFW if they would be paying any of the vet bills, their reply was, “We will have to send this information to Olympia to see if it will be called a wolf attack or not.”
Full story with sad photos:
http://tinyurl.com/chtzwj8 (http://tinyurl.com/chtzwj8)
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Wolf hunt ends with highest harvest yet
3/13/2013 By Daniel Martynowicz - Valley Journal
HELENA — The 2012-13 Montana wolf hunt saw a 36-percent increase in harvest numbers from last year. The 181-day season closed with a total of 225 wolves taken by hunters and trappers — the largest harvest so far.
According to a press release, 128 wolves were taken by hunters and 97 by trappers. An additional 104 wolves were harvested by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 70 different incidences.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks communication and education spokesman Ron Aasheim said of the wolves taken by the FWS, the vast majority were preying on livestock. In Idaho, Aasheim said, most wolves are in the backcountry and away from people, landowners and livestock, resulting in fewer confrontations.
“In Montana, we have wolves that are in places that are more accessible, and they’re more inclined to get in trouble with landowners,” he said.
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California without wolves again as OR7 returns to Oregon
Mar 13, 2013 Pete Thomas Outdoors
California is without wild wolves again as the famous male gray wolf known as OR7 has returned to his home state of Oregon.
Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that OR7, which first entered California on Dec. 28, 2011, crossed the state border on Tuesday evening. He entered via southwest Klamath County, Oregon.
This marks the second time OR7 has returned to Oregon, the other being a brief visit two months after he became California's first recorded wild wolf in nearly 90 years.
(See our story from last week, implying that OR7 might be headed back to Oregon.)
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which had been issuing daily position reports obtained via OR7's GPS collar unit, did not issue a report Wednesday.
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Canine Assets
Putting a price tag on the Mexican gray wolf
By Laura Paskus SF Reporter 03.12.2013
One of the hallmarks of wolf recovery in New Mexico and Arizona is the intensity of emotion it ignites on both sides of the issue. (Wolves suck! Wolves rock!) For a moment, let’s set those emotions aside and talk numbers instead.
Extirpated from the United States, Mexican gray wolves were reintroduced to the southwestern United States in 1998. Fifteen years ago this month, the US Fish and Wildlife Service released 11 wolves into the remote forests along the Arizona-New Mexico border.
According to the plan drawn up in the early 1980s, by 2006 there would be 100 wolves living in the recovery area. But by the time those first wolves were actually released, politics had intruded upon science to such an extent that what happens on the ground today is quite different from what scientists envisioned three decades ago.
In the late 1990s, when FWS finalized the project, it classified the Mexican gray wolf population as “nonessential experimental” rather than “endangered” or “threatened.” The unique designation allowed FWS “greater management flexibility.” (FWS enforces the Endangered Species Act and is mandated to protect and recover rare plants and animals.) With such a designation, the agency tried to assuage the fears of livestock owners and program opponents: If a wolf threatened livestock, FWS and its partners would remove that particular predator from the wild. And the agency has upheld that promise.
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http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-7298-canine-assets.html (http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-7298-canine-assets.html)
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Michigan wildlife official says wolf hunts wouldn't take place across entire Upper Peninsula
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 13, 2013
IRONWOOD, Michigan — State wildlife officials say if Michigan allows hunting of gray wolves, it won't take place across the entire Upper Peninsula.
Officials with the Department of Natural Resources discussed wolf management issues Tuesday during a public meeting in Ironwood.
The Legislature authorized wolf hunts in December, and the Natural Resources Commission could make a decision in June. Opponents of the hunts are raising petition signatures to get the issue on the 2014 election ballot.
The latest DNR count found there are nearly 700 wolves in the U.P., and a new estimate is expected next month.
According to the Daily Globe of Ironwood, (http://bit.ly/YaKKwH (http://bit.ly/YaKKwH) ) Bump told about 270 people at the meeting that hunters wouldn't be allowed to use dogs when pursuing wolves, but trapping would be a possibility.
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Minnesota wolf policy should include Ojibwe perspective
What we regard coldly as ‘wolf management’ should include tribes’ perspectives.
by CLINT CARROLL Updated: March 13, 2013 Star Tribune
On Thursday, the Minnesota Senate Environment and Energy Committee could decide the fate of a bill (SF666) that would reinstate the five-year moratorium on wolf hunting that was disregarded last year. In the spirit of cooperation with Minnesota tribes, I urge our state senators to pass this bill.
The heated debate surrounding the wolf hunt in the western Great Lakes region boils down to this: Are wolves relatives or resources? How one answers this question shapes one’s ultimate stance on the recent state-sanctioned hunts in Minnesota and Wisconsin. One need not be American Indian to respect wolves as other-than-human persons.
For Ojibwe people, the wolf is a relative, and the Ojibwe are fighting to honor their responsibilities to wolves by opposing the hunt.
The Ojibwe view is not a mystical or teary-eyed appeal to a worn-out ¬stereotype. Ojibwe philosophy and natural law clearly state that people have a shared destiny with wolves and are bound to them through a relationship of brotherhood. In other words, wolves and the Ojibwe people go “way back.”
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http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/197677461.html (http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/197677461.html)
Post by: bearpaw on March 15, 2013, 08:00:31 PM
Hunting season changes on Idaho Fish and Game's agenda next week
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission meets next week in Boise and on the panel's agenda are changes to hunting seasons for wolves, lion, bear, deer, elk and pronghorn antelope.
Twin Falls Times-News; March 14, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/a8qav6c (http://tinyurl.com/a8qav6c)
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Wash. Senate OKs Killing Wolves Without Permit
Mar 08, 2013 Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The Washington state Senate has passed a measure to allow livestock and pet owners to shoot gray wolves without a permit when the wolves are attacking or threatening their animals.
The bill, which passed the upper chamber Friday, is the latest salvo in an ongoing debate over how to cope with the reintroduction of the predatory canines in Washington state.
Supporters say the measure is necessary to allow people to protect their property.
Bill opponents say it would hurt the state's wolf recovery efforts and contradicts years of effort put into hashing out a state wolf plan.
The measure passed by a vote of 25-23, with Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom not voting. It heads next to the Democratic-controlled House, where it faces an uphill battle for passage.
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'High probability' that wolf attacked dogs near Twisp
By Ann McCreary - Methow Valley News March 13, 2013
John Stevie was awakened about 1:30 a.m. last Sunday (March 10) by frantic barking. His Siberian husky-wolf hybrid, Lopi, was throwing himself at doors leading from the kitchen to an outdoor deck of his home.
Stevie rushed to the kitchen and threw open the French doors to the deck to see what was upsetting Lopi. In the light from the kitchen, he saw his other dog, a 60-pound female husky-wolf hybrid named Shelby, pinned down by another canine that had its jaws around her head.
Stevie began instinctively reaching out to try to pull them apart. The attacking animal was startled by Stevie’s sudden appearance and looked up at him, still gripping Shelby’s head. Stevie realized he was face-to-face with a wolf.
“They’ve got different eyes. Kind of yellowish, greenish. It was showing its teeth,” Stevie said.
A moment later Lopi, who weighs about 100 pounds, bounded onto the deck and attacked the wolf. The two fought briefly before the wolf leaped through the wooden railing around the deck, landed on snow about five feet below the deck and took off running, with Lopi in pursuit.
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http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=9586 (http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=9586)
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Minn. Senate panel approves 5-year wolf hunt moratorium
by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio March 14, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota Senate committee approved a bill Thursday that would put a five-year moratorium on wolf hunting in Minnesota.
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved the measure on a seven to six vote. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center, said she thinks it's irresponsible to hunt wolves so quickly after the animal was removed from the endangered species list.
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http://tinyurl.com/a8ebelp (http://tinyurl.com/a8ebelp)
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Fun Facts About Wolves
Nina Sen, LiveScience Contributor 14 March 2013
Known for its bone-chilling howl, a wolf is the largest member of the dog or canid family. Wolves live in the remote wilderness of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. They are usually shy and cautious around humans but unlike the dog, have not been domesticated at all.
The most common type of wolf is the gray wolf. These animals are about 36 to 63 in (91 to 160 cm) long and weigh about 40 to 175 lbs (18 to 79 kg). Just like its name, the gray wolf typically has thick gray fur although pure white or all black variations exist.
All wolves are carnivores that hunt in packs usually consisting of a male and female with their pups. The average pack has about 10 animals but larger packs of 30 have been recorded. Wolves always follow the leaders, called alphas, and are highly territorial. They may even kill other lone wolves they encounter. Wolves hunt by corralling a young, weak or sick animal away from its herd. Their diet consists of goats, sheep, deer, moose and other prey.
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http://www.livescience.com/27909-wolves.html (http://www.livescience.com/27909-wolves.html)
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"Alpha" Wolf?
Dr. L. David Mech talks about the terms "alpha" and "beta" wolves and why they are no longer scientifically accurate.
2:35 minute video:
"Alpha" Wolf? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtFgdwTsbU#)
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Dr. L. David Mech Wolf Lecture
USGS Public Lecture Series featuring Dr. L. David Mech.
Topic: Wandering Wildlife: Tracking movement, migrations and mileage.
April 7, 2010
26:05 minute video:
Dr. L. David Mech Wolf Lecture (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KhrX58pQNI#)
See also:
Ellesmere Wolf Blog
http://internationalwolfcenter.blogspot.com/ (http://internationalwolfcenter.blogspot.com/)
Post by: bearpaw on March 15, 2013, 08:02:51 PM
Minnesota Senate panel approves moratorium on wolf hunt, but many hurdles ahead
By STEVE KARNOWSKI - Associated Press March 14, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Opponents of wolf hunting won a victory Thursday as a Minnesota Senate panel voted 7-6 for a five-year moratorium on future wolf seasons.
An overflow crowd made up mostly of wolf hunting opponents heard several people argue before the Senate Environment and Energy Committee that the state acted too hastily when it decided to resume sport hunting and trapping after the region's wolves came off the endangered list early last year. Hunters and trappers then killed 413 wolves during the state's first wolf season, which ended in January.
Supporters of the hunt testified the state's wolf population has recovered enough to allow for properly managed hunting and trapping, and they said years of study and legal battles preceded the hunt.
The bill now goes to a Senate environment budget committee, where its prospects are uncertain. No hearing has been scheduled for a similar bill in the House.
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Wolf release plan stirred plenty of opposition
By Jerry Lackey San Angelo Standard Times March 14, 2013
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The controversy surrounding a recent issuance of a draft concerning the release of the southwestern gray wolf in West Texas has been withdrawn — at least for now, said Sandy Whittley, executive secretary of Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association.
“Word from our colleagues in New Mexico and Arizona is that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have decided to withdraw the proposed implementation of the Southwestern Gray Wolf Management Plan ‘at this time,’ ” Whittley said. “They say the plan met with too much opposition.”
At the TS&GRA winter meeting in February, a resolution was unanimously passed “to oppose the plan, not only from Texas but including New Mexico and Arizona.”
Joe Will Ross, a Sutton County rancher and San Angelo attorney who heads the TSGRA resolutions committee, said: “The TSGRA does not support wolf recovery within Texas and desires any wolf found within the state be returned to wolf recovery areas or lethally removed if causing damage.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b4nmo2h (http://tinyurl.com/b4nmo2h)
Post by: CementFinisher on March 16, 2013, 01:29:37 AM
Post by: bearpaw on March 16, 2013, 07:23:05 PM
Wash. Senate OKs bill to allow animal owners to kill marauding wolves without a permit
By JONATHAN KAMINSKY - Associated Press March 08, 2013
... Bill opponents say it would hurt the state's wolf recovery efforts and contradicts years of effort put into hashing out a state wolf plan.
"This bill undermines a three-year intensive public process that the ranchers agreed to, as did the environmentalists," said Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island.
full story:
http://tinyurl.com/bamuogm (http://tinyurl.com/bamuogm)
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Lynn Stuter questions Senator Ranker’s claims regarding wolf bill
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 Okanogan RLC (blog)
Senator Ranker,
I’m calling you out on your claim that “This bill undermines a three-year intensive public process that the ranchers agreed to, as did the environmentalists.”
Your environmentalist buddies may have agreed to the Washington Wolf Plan, but the ranchers did not.
As you well know, the Wolf Working Group, while representing the environmental lobby quite liberally, did not equally represent those most affected by wolves – ranchers.
And I will tell you the same thing I told the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife when they agreed to the stupidity that is the Washington Wolf Plan – you can either control this predator by keeping the numbers strictly in check or you can face the reality that those affected by this predator are going to take care of the problem, and there is not one thing the WDFW is going to do about it because, in these economic times, the WDFW won’t have the money. Besides that, the WDFW is a bureaucracy that does not represent one person in this state, their claims to the contrary.
The fact is that, at this point in time, WDFW has no clue how many wolves there are in this state; admitting that the population expanded 100% in one year. What this says is that people like you have no clue the reality of wolves – having listened to the environmental whackos who have brought pseudo-science to the table in pursuit of their anti-rural, anti-rancher, anti-hunting agenda.
Here are some pictures of the reality of wolves, Senator Ranker. How would you like it if this were your dog? This happened near Twisp, Washington. This dog was on a deck when attacked by the wolf. The dog’s owner, in an attempt to save his dog, was no more than two feet from that wolf. Yet your WDFW friends tried to convince him that the wolf he was so close to was really a cougar!
How about it, Senator Ranker, you want to help pay the vet bill to save this dog’s life? What if this had been your kid instead of a dog?
Sincerely,
Lynn M Stuter
Source (warning, sad photos!):
http://tinyurl.com/a84pp5q (http://tinyurl.com/a84pp5q)
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Hard work, emotion part of wolf study
March 16, 2013 by RON SEELY - Wisconsin State Journal
CLAM LAKE — As Adrian Wydeven drove the snowy wilds of the Chequamegon National Forest, keeping an eye out the truck window for signs of wolves, his thoughts returned again and again to one old wolf, different from any he had ever encountered, and that for years made these remote forests and swamps her home.
An ecologist and conservation biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, Wydeven has helped run the agency's wolf recovery program for the past two decades. He spends his days tracking wolves, trapping and radio-collaring them, howling on summer nights for them. He traipses despondently toward steady signals from their transmitters, known in the trade as "mortality" signals, to collect the stilled bodies of dead wolves.
And now, he is helping to figure out how the state's first wolf hunt affected an animal that just a little over a year ago was listed as an endangered species.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b2dt4nl (http://tinyurl.com/b2dt4nl)
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West Texas wolf release plan stirred plenty of opposition
Jerry Lackey March 15, 2013 Reporter News
A controversial draft concerning the release of the southwestern gray wolf in West Texas has been withdrawn — at least for now, said Sandy Whittley, executive secretary of Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association.
“Word from our colleagues in New Mexico and Arizona is that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have decided to withdraw the proposed implementation of the Southwestern Gray Wolf Management Plan ‘at this time,’ ” Whittley said. “They say the plan met with too much opposition.”
At the livestock association’s winter meeting in February, a resolution was unanimously passed “to oppose the plan, not only from Texas but including New Mexico and Arizona.”
Joe Will Ross, a Sutton County rancher and San Angelo attorney who heads the association’s resolutions committee, said: “The TSGRA does not support wolf recovery within Texas and desires any wolf found within the state be returned to wolf recovery areas or lethally removed if causing damage.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/b3brcgn (http://tinyurl.com/b3brcgn)
Post by: bearpaw on March 24, 2013, 09:13:07 PM
The Wolf That Changed America
Doug Smith - PBS
Uploaded on Nov 19, 2008
See the full episode at http://video.pbs.org/video/1069630535 (http://video.pbs.org/video/1069630535)
In this Web-exclusive video, wolf expert Doug Smith discusses the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Started in 1994, the Wolf Project has taken advantage of the visibility of Yellowstone's wolves to explore wolf population dynamics. Of particular interest is how wolves interact with prey and scavenger populations in the park. Smith hopes that Wolf Project research can help replace common misconceptions about wolves with factual information.
"The Wolf That Changed America" aired on PBS Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 8pm as part of the 29th season of the Peabody and Emmy award-winning series produced by Thirteen in association with WNET.ORG for PBS.
6:23 minute video:
NATURE | The Wolf That Changed America | Wolf Expert | PBS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyCZqkX-f_8#)
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Management of Habituated wolves in Yellowstone National Park
September 12, 2003
Wolves are among the shiest of all wildlife and are generally suspicious of humans. Historically, problem wolves are rare and have an almost zero probability of attacking a human. However, some wild wolves have shown aggressive behavior towards humans, and it is the purpose of this plan to acknowledge that possibility in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and take steps to prevent such an occurrence.
Wolves are intelligent animals that learn quickly, so changing the behavior of a problem wolf is difficult. Also, because problem wolf behavior is rare, there is little published information and management strategies on this topic, and the common solution is wolf removal. Unlike other aspects of wolf management, where a plethora of information exits, there was little information upon which to draw for formulation of this management plan.
Our management objectives discussed in this plan are to: 1) maintain a wild population of wolves in YNP; 2) prevent the development of habituated wolves; 3) reduce wolf–human contact; 4) prevent human injury due to an habituated wolf; 5) educate the public about proper wolf viewing so as to prevent habituation; and 6) gather more information on habituated wolves to help manage future situations that may develop. We intend to achieve these goals through human education and intolerance of fearless wolves that may pose a threat to human safety. Should cases of problem wolves occur, and non-lethal management actions are unsuccessful in eliminating the problem, then removal of the problem wolf will take place. We recommend, however, that wolf removal be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Continued (646 kb 19 page PDF file):
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2009/02/habituatedwolves9-2003.pdf (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2009/02/habituatedwolves9-2003.pdf)
Post by: bearpaw on March 24, 2013, 09:18:55 PM
Woman attacked by wolf in Manitoba
March. 18, 2013 UPI
Manitoba, March 18 -- A woman in Grand Rapids, Manitoba, drove herself to a hospital after she was attacked and bitten by a wolf as she stopped to aid another motorist.
She credits a childhood lesson for saving her life, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.
The wolf lunged at Dawn Hepp as she walked from her car.
"His face and jaws were around my neck. I could just hear my dad saying 'Stay calm, Dawn.' He [the wolf] dug a little deeper. Whether he couldn't get a good grip or what, he let go," she said of the incident.
She returned to her car, pulled up next to the other vehicle, rolled down her window and asked, "You guys OK? I've got to get to the nearest hospital."
Remaining calm, Hepp drove herself to a hospital in Ashern, Manitoba, and was treated for puncture wounds and possible rabies, the CBC said.
The report didn't say why Hepp stopped to help the other motorist.
The incident occurred about 415 kilometers (258 miles) north of Winnipeg.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/d6vgbrv (http://tinyurl.com/d6vgbrv)
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See also:
Attacked by wolf, Manitoba woman drives to hospital
CBC News March 18, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/dxuz8u4 (http://tinyurl.com/dxuz8u4)
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WDFW Can’t Pay For Injuries To Dog Attacked By Wolf
By Andy Walgamott, March 15th, 2013 Northwest Sportsman
State law is barring WDFW from paying the vet bill for a dog that was attacked by a wolf on Sunday morning in the Methow Valley.
However, in the future, pet owners could be reimbursed if their animals are injured when they tangle with wolves under a bill that passed the state Senate earlier this week.
The bills for Shelby, the Siberian husky-wolf hybrid, have rung up at least $289 for John Stevie and his family, and will probably be more. The dog suffered injuries to her face, neck and ears.
After WDFW determined it was indeed a wolf attack, based on interviews with Stevie and his partner and evidence at the scene, state wolf manager Donny Martorello looked into compensation for them.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/crw8nkd (http://tinyurl.com/crw8nkd)
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[Note: The above story came with the following comments.]:
"BY AN UNUSUAL COINCIDENCE???, the attack came just two days after the state Senate passed a bill that “Requires that rules established by the fish and wildlife commission allow an owner, the owner’s immediate family member, the agent of an owner, or the owner’s documented employee to kill a gray wolf that is attacking or poses an immediate threat of physical harm to livestock or other domestic animals regardless of its state classification and without the need for a permit or other form of permission.,” according to a bill digest for SB 5187. It is now in the House where it will have a hearing on March 20 before the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee".
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Not unusual at all Andy, in the last two years there have been four wolf attacks on dogs within a few miles of the same area that Shelby was attack, WDFW just refuse to report these attacks. Why do you suppose that is? Out of sight out of mind in WDFW's eyes and to hell with the people and their pets who have to deal with an out of control wolf population in the Methow Valley.
Did anyone see the story of the rancher who believes wolves were into his cattle last fall, his cows chased his herding dogs, just like has happened in other states where wolves are killing cattle. This rancher said he believes he lost two calves to wolves last year. I talk to this same rancher in 2011, he lost a calf close to home that year and believed it was wolves. He told me he had seen the cow and calf the night before and the next morning all that was left was a calf head and a wild-eyed cow.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,120283.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,120283.0.html)
What will it take to bring honesty back into WDFW? Is protecting wolves that have made liars out of the USFWS, and those who promote them more important then other wildlife, livestock, pets and people?
Please call or e-mail every Washington State Representative and urge them to pass SB 5187.
[Note: I have a list of the emails from the message, too many to post in the newsletter. I can forward the message upon request to interested parties.]
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Wolves may contribute to Minn. moose decline
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 18, 2013
DULUTH, Minnesota — Researchers using GPS trackers and transmitters to find out what's causing the decline of northeastern Minnesota's moose population are getting some early results that show wolves are to blame for some of the deaths.
State wildlife experts recently tranquilized 111 moose to fit them with high-tech collars that send satellite messages if the animal stops moving for six hours. The goal is to get crews to the dead moose quickly to harvest organs and tissue to find out what killed them.
Six of those moose already have died and at least two appear to be wolf victims, Department of Natural Resources officials told the Duluth News Tribune (http://bit.ly/XU4MiO (http://bit.ly/XU4MiO) ) for a story published Monday. The four others are listed as having died of complications from the stress of being tranquilized and collared.
In a similar study of 19 moose collared by the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, at least one animal died from a wolf attack.
Northeastern Minnesota's moose population has plummeted from 8,800 in 2006 to 2,760 this January, prompting the DNR to cancel moose hunting for the foreseeable future.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cegsy6q (http://tinyurl.com/cegsy6q)
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Minnesota DNR counts the state’s elusive wolves
By Sam Cook, INFORUM March 17, 2013
DULUTH, Minn. - It’s a daunting assignment for a wildlife biologist: Count one of the most elusive creatures that roam the north woods.
That’s John Erb’s task. He’s trying to determine how many gray wolves live in Minnesota. Erb is the furbearer research biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at Grand Rapids. He’s directing the state’s first wolf population estimate since 2007-08.
He knows what he’s up against.
“Trying to count wolves is a challenging thing,” Erb said. “When you’re talking about 30,000 square miles (of wolf range), and it’s a secretive animal, there are always going to be uncertainties.”
Continued:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/393537/group/homepage/ (http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/393537/group/homepage/)
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We need to live in harmony with nature
March 16, 2013 By Aurelia Valente - My View
I would like to address the issue of the Mexican gray wolves. One of the reasons is because the executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, Caren Cowen, in a recent story said: “These animals haven’t proven to be able to live in the wild, for whatever reason. … Why are we trying to make something happen that clearly nature doesn’t want to happen?”
This was very wrong to say. It is not nature that doesn’t want the wolves to survive, but some ranchers.
The Mexican gray wolves are a symbol of the West. They also provide biological diversity. Keeping them here, in New Mexico, would have many good effects.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/auuj2eu (http://tinyurl.com/auuj2eu)
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Proximity is the problem. Mexican wolf encounters with children impacted on the rise.
January 30, 2012 - Wolf Crossing
With the onset of the 2012 breeding season sightings, close encounters and home encounters have created a difficult situation for managers of the Mexican wolf program and they are not getting much slack from local governments and citizens.
In December the program issued it’s first lethal control order after a female wolf with a long track record of livestock depredations and human habitation was found circling a private home at regular intervals where small children were exposed to her close presence. The same wolf had birthed a litter of hybrid pups the prior spring and FWS are still on the lookout for the one Mexican wolf hybrid that got away. They haven’t found it presumably it will add to the genetic mix that is the rare Mexican wolf. The remarkable thing about this control action is the fact that despite dozens of human safety encounters since the beginning of the program many of which involved their attraction to children, this was the first time the agency admitted lethal control was warranted for human safety reasons.
The encounters with wolves did not end after AF 1105 was removed from the picture. Despite the claims from radical environmental organizations that the wolf was merely lonely and only needed to find a male. They also claimed that there weren’t enough male wolves in the wild for her to mate with, The next three encounters at homes and highways were with male wolves looking for a mate in the same region as AF 1105.
The photo’s in the attached gallery show these animals are clearly in the vicinity of people and they are also in the area where pairing with AF 1105 was possible and feasible. Instead, they appear more interested in easy prey or a handout at a home than pairing with a female that was making herself readily available for another breeding with a ranch dog. It makes a reasonable person wonder what these big males are breeding with since they showed little interest in AF 1105 possibly coyotes it is possible as the canine DNA is nearly identical subject to family markers.
Continued:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=585 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=585)
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Young Family Held Hostage by Mexican Grey Wolf
December 19, 2011 Wolf Crossing
Crystal Diamond, who lives on the family ranch near Beaverhead, spent 24 hours indoors with her two daughters, ages two and three, with a collared Mexican Grey Wolf on her front porch and in her yard, before the wolf was controlled by Wildlife Services personnel. (Crystal has written a detailed timeline of events, see below.)
Continued:
http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=567 (http://wolfcrossing.org/?p=567)
Post by: bearpaw on March 24, 2013, 09:22:04 PM
Are Wolves Causing Low Body Fat in Moose in Minnesota?
March 19, 2013 by Tom Remington
The Duluth News Tribune has a story from yesterday, March 18, 2013, that headlines that wolves are taking a toll on Minnesota moose; a headline that many of us have waited for quite some time. But perhaps the headline is a bit premature. Further data collection and research might tell a better and more complete story……..or will it?
It’s always difficult to get an accurate assessment of events such as wildlife studies from newspaper accounts and I don’t think I need explain why. So, from this one newspaper account, I would like to point out just one part of it that presents a confusing and perhaps misleading bunch of statements. This may be intentional bias or not. I don’t really know, but it does little to solve a problem.
Here’s a snippet taken from the article:
Of the two animals that died from other causes, both appear to be victims of wolf attacks. One had been mostly eaten, and the other had injuries from a wolf attack but had not been eaten. From a post-mortem investigation at the scene, it appears wolves got the big cow’s calf and then left the area before the cow died, Butler said.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d84q299 (http://tinyurl.com/d84q299)
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Stressed out cattle and elk?
10/25/2010 by DeLene - Wild Muse
Can the mere presence of a wolf stress a prey animal so much that they lose weight? New research says, Yes, maybe so.
When I was working on my master’s, I interviewed several cattle ranchers in the Southwest — namely, Arizona and New Mexico. I was looking for their beliefs and opinions about Mexican wolf reintroduction, and an oft-repeated claim was that the mere presence of the wolves was stressing their cattle, resulting in lower weights. And a skinny cow never made anyone any money, so that was a problem, they said. Wolf conservationists laughed in my face when I told them about this complaint.
But biologically speaking, is there something to it? A new study by a group of Canadian researchers found that both domestic cattle and wild elk change their behaviors when wolves are around; and this often costs the animals energy, they say. Until this past August, Defenders of Wildlife offered a compensation program that paid ranchers for wolf-killed cattle and other domestic livestock in the Northern Rocky Mountains and in the desert Southwest where wolves were being reintroduced. Had they continued it, perhaps they would have been asked to compensate ranchers not only for wolf-killed cattle, but also for cattle that did not grow out to whatever the rancher’s historic average was due to “stress” from wolves. (How you would separate this variable from changes in forage due to drought, I have no idea.)
For this study, the authors guessed that the artificial selection of cows over the years, for domestic breeding purposes, may have resulted in the loss of behaviors that you may expect from wild animals, such as elk, when faced with the stress of being eaten by a predator such as a large gray wolf. Or, they wrote, artificial selection of cows may have resulted “in erratic and inconsistent responses.”
Continued w/link to study and interesting comments:
http://tinyurl.com/cgddvf3 (http://tinyurl.com/cgddvf3)
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Bill would let farmers kill attacking wolves
March 19, 2013 Yakima Herald
OLYMPIA — John Smith and other Eastern Washington farmers talk often about a new predator in their midst: the gray wolf.
They’ve have been known to prey on calves, sheep and family pets — and Smith said little can be done to stop them. And because wolves are an endangered species in Washington, farmers can’t shoot them.
“Right now, if my wife or I were to hear one of our dogs being attacked by a wolf one night, we’d have to stay in the house while that wolf killed our dog,” Smith said. “The way that this species of wolves operates is that they don’t do quick kills. We’d be forced to listen to our pet be chewed to pieces for who knows how long while our children cried inside.”
Smith also happens to be a state senator, a Colville Republican, and he’s introduced legislation to help Washington farmers protect their animals from wolf attacks.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/c8pxved (http://tinyurl.com/c8pxved)
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Are wolves really all that?
08/18/2012 by DeLene - Wild Muse
Have conservation scientists become carried away, touting the ecological benefits of wolves where there are perhaps — dare I say it? — not as many as we believe there to be? Perhaps some people in the media, and even some in science, have gotten carried away with the ecological changes that wolves are actually capable of mediating, says globally-renowned wolf biologist L. David Mech in his most recent paper “Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf?”
Ever since the reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park, and by extension the Northern Rocky Mountain ecoregion, the role of apex predators in regulating trophic cascades has been an issue of great debate. Among the first to publish a correlation between a return of aspen and willow recruitment to stands where they’d been long absent, at the same time that wolves were reintroduced, were a pair of researchers from Oregon State University, Ripple and Beschta. They promulgated an idea dubbed the ecology of fear which postulated that the presence of wolves caused a behavioral shift in elk, leading them to graze less often in open riparian corridors where they were more likely to be attacked by wolves. Their warier behavior, and shift in browsing pressure, led to a rebound in the aspen and willow growth. It’s become a familiar, almost calcified narrative, and one that many wildlife proponents have embraced (myself included).
But in his newest paper, Mech reviews the literature both supporting and refuting wolves as the mechanism of a behaviorally-modulated trophic cascade in Yellowstone. He asserts that other factors may be at play in stimulating the willows and aspen to regrow, and that they at least deserve more serious discussion. Mech seems to feel that some conservation scientists have become so myopically focused on wolves as the mechanism of ecological change that we tend to view as positive that they are unwilling or unable to look beyond wolves for alternative or contributing factors.
I have to admit, if this paper had been written by someone other than Mech, I’d probably have not have paid as much attention to it. This is because I find myself wanting to believe the wolf-as-ecological-mediator narrative. I freely admit, I’m biased in this regard. But the fact that a wolf biologist as learned and experienced as Mech produced this definitely caught my eye.
Continued with links:
http://tinyurl.com/cojwflc (http://tinyurl.com/cojwflc)
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Gaylord public meeting Tuesday to feature discussions on state's gray wolf management plans
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 19, 2013
GAYLORD, Michigan — Gray wolf management is being discussed at a public meeting in Otsego County.
The meeting with state Department of Natural Resources officials is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Wisconsin Street Hall in Gaylord, about 160 miles north of Lansing.
The state Legislature authorized wolf hunts in December, and the Natural Resources Commission could make a decision in June.
Opponents are raising petition signatures to get the issue on the 2014 election ballot.
The latest DNR count found there are about 700 wolves in the Upper Peninsula.
About 270 people attended a meeting last week in Ironwood. Meetings also have been held in Marquette and Saint Ignace.
The DNR also is consulting with Indian tribes and compiling data about livestock and pets killed by wolves.
Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:29:46 AM
'Stay calm': Woman walks away after Canada wolf attack
By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News March 20, 2013
A woman in Manitoba, Canada, was receiving rabies treatment Wednesday after surviving a roadside attack by a timber wolf.
Dawn Hepp was driving along a highway near Grand Rapids, Manitoba, on March 8 when she pulled over to see if a stopped motorist was in need of help, Canadian national broadcaster CBC reported.
As she walked to the other motorist's car, the wolf leapt at her.
"His face and his jaws were around my neck," she told CBC, adding that she could feel the wolf's fur on her face.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/brc2edo (http://tinyurl.com/brc2edo)
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Fish and Game Commission approves increase in elk tags, changes in wolf hunting rules
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 20, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — Big game hunters in Idaho will have a chance to bag more elk next season and more time to hunt wolves in certain parts of the state.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Tuesday adopted a series of new rules and regulations for the 2013 big game hunting season.
Major changes for elk include an increase of more than 2,300 controlled hunt tags. The commission also made adjustments in a variety of hunting zones across the state for elk season.
Commissioners also approved extending the wolf hunt on private land in the Panhandle Zone to year-round and stretched the season in the Middle Fork Zone north of the Selway River to June 30.
Changes also included expanding wolf trapping in certain hunting zones.
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Wolves targets of legislation, bullets, traps, rumors
by Rich Landers March 19, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Here’s a lengthy update on gray wolf news, issues and activities in the region, including bills being considered this week:
WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE
Still alive in Olympia is a bill that could let landowners kill wolves caught in the act of attacking pets or livestock.
Senate Bill 5187, introduced by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday morning (March 20).
While some conservation groups oppose most measures that involve killing wolves, which are listed as endangered in Washington, state Fish and Wildlife officials tend to support the bill.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cp5tb2j (http://tinyurl.com/cp5tb2j)
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2013 Wash. wolf costs estimated at $2.3 million
by Rich Landers March 20, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The cost of managing protected wolves in Washington is likely to increase by 300 percent from last year to about $2.3 million in 2013, a state wildlife official told legislators in Olympia this morning.
Dave Ware of the Department of Fish and Wildlife gave the figure in his testimony during a public hearing on wolf-related legislation before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
In November, Ware had estimated the state had spent $376,000 by that time in 2012 on wolf management, including $76,500 to eliminate the cattle-killing Wedge Pack in northern Stevens County.
But this morning, Ware said the total for 2012 was $750,000. With the population of wolves growing rapidly — doubling in a year under endangered species protections — the costs will increase as the state is obliged to work with livestock producers, investigate cases of livestock killed by wolves and dedicate more staff in the field to trapping, researching and monitoring wolf packs.
See a more detailed recap of today's hearing by Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman.
The post notes — as many of us have while we observe and report on the historic re-entry of wolves to the region— that conservation groups continue to oppose the killing of wolves. They continue to ignore wolf experts who say wolves must be killed in some situations to help ease the impact to rural people and the social tension, a necessary step that will work in favor of wolves in the long run.
Source w/links to more info:
http://tinyurl.com/ckzc3as (http://tinyurl.com/ckzc3as)
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Washington wolf bills under discussion
By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press March 19, 2013
A Washington State House committee will take up a bill that would allow ranchers to kill wolves caught in the act of attacking pets or livestock.
Senate Bill 5187 would allow a rancher to kill a wolf caught in the act of attacking a domestic animal, including dogs, cats, cows, horses and pigs.
"Under current law, if my wife this evening was to go out and discover a wolf attacking one of our dogs, she would have to hold our children inside while the wolves ripped our pet to shreds," said Sen. John Smith, R-Colville. Current laws prohibit killing a wolf in such a scenario, he said.
The bill would not require a permit, Smith said.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ccg7fho (http://tinyurl.com/ccg7fho)
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NRA, Safari Club blame wolves for decline of hunting in NW Wyoming, push to enter lawsuits
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press March 19, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International are blaming wolves for bringing down the quality of big-game hunting in northwestern Wyoming.
The hunting groups are now pushing to intervene in two lawsuits pending in federal courts in Washington, D.C., and Wyoming. The groups want to oppose environmental groups' push to reinstate federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.
Nearly 70 wolves have been killed in Wyoming since the federal protections ended last October. Wyoming allows trophy hunting for them in a zone around Yellowstone National Park and classifies wolves as unprotected predators in the rest of the state.
Both the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are arguing against the environmental groups' call for reinstating federal protections for the wolf.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d3pfc3x (http://tinyurl.com/d3pfc3x)
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Letter: Claim about wolf hunting is false
March 19, 2013 By: Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, Alexandria, Minn., INFORUM
A recent Star Tribune article, “Minnesota Senate panel passes wolf hunt moratorium 7-6,” includes a statement from a Sierra Club lobbyist that is blatantly false. The provision to allow a Minnesota wolf hunt went through our standard legislative process, had ample discussion and everyone was allowed to testify. As the author of the bill two years ago and former chairman of the Senate’s Environment Committee, I know this to be true.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wolf management plan says a minimum population of 1,600 wolves is needed to ensure their long-term survival. The Department of Natural Resources and Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration agreed the state should have a wolf hunt because there were twice as many wolves than needed to ensure their survival. Senate leadership should continue this wolf hunt, not work to eliminate it.
I will continue to support a wolf hunting and trapping season.
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Wis. gov's budget would end night wolf hunting
March 20, 2013 LaCross Tribune
Gov. Scott Walker's executive budget would prohibit wolf hunters from going after the animals at night.
A law Republicans passed last spring establishing the wolf hunt allows people to hunt wolves at night after the November gun deer season ends. Walker's budget would repeal that section of the law.
The governor's spokesman says night hunting isn't necessary. He says hunters killed only one wolf at night during last fall's hunt and still easily met the statewide kill quota.
The law's chief author, Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder, an Abbotsford Republican, says he disagrees. He says hunters are allowed to go after other animals such as coyotes and raccoons at night. He says he plans to speak with Walker's office about retaining the provision.
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Saving Wolves Through Social Media
03/20/2013 Cathy Kangas, Board of Directors, Humane Society
Fifteen years ago this month, 11 captive-reared, Mexican gray wolves were released into the wild for the first time in the Blue Range Recovery Area of Arizona and New Mexico. These magnificent creatures had almost become extinct; their distinctive howl had nearly been silenced.
To mark this anniversary, during the week of March 23-30 wildlife organizations, zoos, advocacy groups, businesses and individuals will join forces using social media to celebrate these Mexican gray wolves and educate the public about the important role these animals play in our ecosystem.
The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) located in South Salem, N.Y. is one of the organizations leading #LoboWeek. Since 1999, this nonprofit has promoted wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment and our role in protecting their future. As a member of the organization's Board of Directors, I have witnessed firsthand how tirelessly the small, committed staff works to protect wolves.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/boub3f9 (http://tinyurl.com/boub3f9)
Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:42:09 AM
Idaho Fish and Game Commission Adopts Major Hunting Changes
Twin Falls Times-News March 20, 2013
BOISE - The Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Tuesday adopted 2013 seasons for deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion and gray wolf, including some big changes proposed by Fish and Game biologists.
The new seasons include an increase in elk controlled hunt and pronghorn tags and expanded wolf hunting and trapping seasons, said a press release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Here's a summary of major changes.
Major changes for deer:
- Reduce antlerless tags in units 22, 31, 32, 32A and 39 to maintain or increase deer numbers.
- Move popular rotating muzzleloader controlled hunt from east side of Unit 45 to east side of Unit 52.
- Add new archery hunt in Unit 45 with 10 tags.
- Move archery unlimited controlled hunt in Unit 72 up two weeks to start on Nov. 16 and run through Dec. 5, and expand the hunt area into a part of Unit 76.
- Reinstate 390 either-sex deer tags reduced after 2010-11 winter in units 60, 62, 64, 66 and 67.
- Create “high-quality” buck hunts with five tags each in hunt areas 21, 28-1, 30, 36A and 36B from Oct. 10 through Nov. 30.
- Convert 85 extra antlerless tags in Units 21 and 36A to youth extra antlerless tags.
Major changes for elk:
- Include a net increase of 2,321 controlled hunt tags.
- Increase either-sex tags in units 2 and 3.
- Eliminate 71 late bull hunt tags in Unit 11 in response to low bull numbers in winter survey.
- Increase antlerless tags in Hells Canyon Units to reduce high cow densities and low calf survival.
- Place a cap on Bear River B Tag to reduce bull harvest about 20 percent. A cap at 550 tags represents reduction of about 20 percent of hunters based on prior five-year average. Proportional reduction allocation: 440 resident tags, 55 nonoutfitted nonresident tags and 54 outfitted tags.
- Shift tags from nonresident allocation to resident hunters in Diamond Creek and Salmon zones where resident quota has been filled but nonresident tags were left unsold.
- Eliminate extra antlerless tags in units 68A, 74 and 76 where depredation conflicts have been successfully resolved.
- Reinstate general season A-tag muzzleloader antlerless hunt in Pioneer Zone units 36A and 50, and increase antlerless controlled hunt tags in Units 49, 50 and 36A.
- Shorten general A-tag any-weapon antlerless hunts in Tex Creek and Palisades zones to reduce cow harvest and increase population.
Major changes for pronghorn:
- Include an increase of 115 tags.
- Create new youth hunts in Unit 39 with five tags, and Unit 54 with 15 tags.
- Increase tags in units 44 and 45 to provide additional opportunity and address depredations.
- Split Hunt Area 68 unlimited controlled archery hunt into two hunts, with 40 tags early and unlimited tags late, to resolve hunter crowding.
Major change for black bears:
- Convert Unit 1 archery-only season to any-weapon opening 16 days earlier.
- Increase harvest in units 7 and 9 to reduce summer depredation on elk calves.
- Allow use of electronic calls in units 4, 6, 7 and 9.
Major change for mountain lions:
- Open season in Panhandle units 16 days earlier on Aug. 30.
- Increase harvest in units 7 and 9 by allowing a second tag, use of electronic calls and extending the season two months to close June 30.
Major change for gray wolves:
- Extend hunting season on private land in the Panhandle Zone to year-round.
- Extend hunting season in the Middle Fork Zone and in that portion of Unit 16 in the Dworshak-Elk City Zone north of the Selway River to end June 30.
- Extend hunting season in Beaverhead and Island Park zones two months to end March 31.
- Increase harvest limit in the Salmon Zone to 45.
- Expand trapping to portions of units 2 and 3.
- Expand trapping to private lands in units 13, 18 and 22 from Nov. 15 through March 15.
- Expand trapping season to Island Park and Salmon zones with foothold traps only; except snares may be used on private lands and in that portion of Unit 28 within designated wilderness.
Details of the 2013 big game hunting seasons will be posted on the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov (http://fishandgame.idaho.gov), and the new printed brochure will be available at all license vendors in late April, the Fish and Game release said.
[Hat tip to Idaho for Wildlife]
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NRA, Safari Club want in on lawsuits over wolf management in Wyoming
The National Rifle Association and the Safari Club have asked to intervene in two federal lawsuits filed by environmental groups seeking to put wolves in Wyoming back on the federal endangered species list.
Casper Star-Tribune; March 21, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d2r44d8 (http://tinyurl.com/d2r44d8)
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Arizona commission backs lawmakers' effort to take gray wolves off endangered-species list
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 21, 2013
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is supporting an effort by two members of Congress to remove gray wolves from the endangered-species list.
The Arizona commission voted unanimously Wednesday to endorse the letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's director by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.
The letter says wolves aren't endangered and don't need federal protections.
The commission also voted unanimously to continue state efforts to restore the Mexican wolf in Arizona.
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Wisconsin governor's budget would end night wolf hunting; Chippewa see it as legal maneuver
By TODD RICHMOND - Associated Press March 20, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — Language tucked into Republican Gov. Scott Walker's executive budget would bar hunters from killing wolves at night, eliminating one of the most contentious elements in Wisconsin's wolf hunt regulations.
The provision comes as Wisconsin's Chippewa tribes are fighting in federal court for permission to set up a night deer hunt in northern Wisconsin. State wildlife officials contend night deer hunting is far too dangerous, but the tribes maintain they're entitled to a night hunt since nontribal hunters can now kill wolves after dark. They believe eliminating the night wolf hunt is designed to nullify one of their strongest legal arguments.
"It appears to be an attempt to influence this federal court litigation that's ongoing between the state and tribes," said Charlie Rasmussen, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which oversees the Chippewa bands' off-reservation rights. He declined further comment.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d87o43c (http://tinyurl.com/d87o43c)
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Mo. Conservation Department says hunter's 'coyote' was actually a gray wolf
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 21, 2013
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri — The state Conservation Department says a canine shot by a hunter in central Missouri last fall turned out to be a wolf.
The hunter who shot the animal in Howard County in October thought it was a coyote, but the Conservation Department said Wednesday the remains are actually those of a gray wolf.
Gray wolves have not lived in Missouri since the late 1800s, but some have wandered in from northern states.
Conservation officials said a DNA test on the Howard County wolf confirms it came from Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan.
Officials say there's no evidence that the gray wolf is repopulating in Missouri.
Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:46:12 AM
Local YP Wolf Report
March 22, 2013
Wolf tracks on Johnson Creek road in the fresh snow headed for Yellow Pine some time early this morning. Looked like a pair, traveling right down the road. A little bit of fresh snow on top of the tracks from the light snow this morning.
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NE WASHINGTON - Wolf news update
March 21, 2013 (via email)
A pretty busy day, so this issue of the wolf news update is receiving expanded distribution (forgive me if you get it more than once). Please forward to anyone who you think might be interested in today’s information.
The thing I’d really like to ask you to take a look at (if you aren’t one of the ones actively involved) is the press release and an article from The Capitol Record that I’ve added below the article links. It’s about the public hearing held this morning (March 20th) in the Washington House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on two wolf bills that have already passed the Senate, SSB 5187, Protecting domestic animals against gray wolf attacks, and E2SSB 5193, Concerning gray wolf conflict management.
(Disclosure — I prepared written testimony for each of these bills last evening and placed them into the public record for the legislation.)
What I’d really like to ask you to do is to go to the TVW archive for the hearings and settle in to a very interesting event, which includes county commissioners from the four counties in northeastern Washington (Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille) known as the Northern Tier Counties. When asked what the counties would do if the Legislature fails to act on SSB 5187, the commissioner testifying at the time said they have agreed that if the situation continues, the counties have agreed that they will simultaneously and collectively file a state of emergency and take care of the problem.
We need to understand that counties have the power to declare an emergency when there is a threat to public health, safety, and welfare. This is an issue we should all be watching very closely.
You can find the archived video at:
http://tinyurl.com/b82keb5 (http://tinyurl.com/b82keb5)
The hearing on the wolf bills starts 26 minutes 30 seconds into the video.
To put this hearing into context, both bills have already passed the Washington Senate. Since Senate passage, a woman has reportedly been attacked by a wolf a few hundred miles north of Winnipeg, Manitoba (two article links below, with photos of the injuries to her neck) and last week a dog was attacked on the porch of its home by a wolf in Twisp, which happens to be located in Okanogan County.
That dog accompanied its owners to Olympia and was in the committee hearing room when the owner testified about the attack for the hearing.
- Norm
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Wolf attacks on domestic animals subject of public hearing in state House
Smith legislation would allow citizens to defend pets, livestock in event of a gray wolf attack
March 20, 2013 Press Release
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer, Rep. Kretz – (360) 786-7252
Amanda Web, Public Information Officer, Sen. Smith: (360) 786-7869
Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer, Rep. Short: (360) 786-7698
Today, Senate Bill 5187, a measure which would give people the right to protect their property and their pets from a gray wolf attack, received a public hearing before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The bill was sponsored by 7th District Sen. John Smith.
John Stevie, who witnessed the near-fatal attack of his 60-pound dog Shelby by a gray wolf March 10, came from Twisp, Wash. to testify in favor of the bill and brought Shelby along to show the severity of the dog’s wounds from of the wolf attack.
County commissioners and their representative from Pend Oreille, Ferry, Stevens and Okanogan counties, or the Northern Tier group, also made the trip to Olympia to testify as a united front in favor of Senate Bill 5187.
“I appreciate the citizens who came from all across our state to testify on this important issue,” said Smith, R-Colville. “The state’s wolf conservation and management plan did not anticipate the extreme concentration of wolves that we see today in northeastern Washington and the resulting catastrophic damage it would render to family farms and rural residents. This bill restores the right to defend one’s home and property against a wolf attack – a natural human instinct and God-given right.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/a4frylp (http://tinyurl.com/a4frylp)
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House panel hears debate over wolf conflict legislation
By Chris West March 20, 2013 The Capitol Record
The debate continued Wednesday over a measure allowing livestock and pet owners to kill endangered gray wolves without a permit when the wolves are attacking their animals.
A coalition of commissioners from Okanogan, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties traveled to Olympia to deliver a stern message in front of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
“Will we act as county commissioners if you fail to? I will make that choice to act because we can’t wait any longer,” said Stevens County Commissioner Wes McCart. “The ability to protect your life, your family, your food, your pets – to me this is one of the Constitutional rights that we have and under the law. If you shoot a wolf without a permit right now, you will go to jail or pay a fine or both. This is wrong.”
Under current law, the penalty for killing a wolf without a permit is a gross misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class C felony for the second offense, which could result in a $5,000 fine or a year in jail.
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http://tinyurl.com/a757skq (http://tinyurl.com/a757skq)
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Montana wolf numbers drop slightly in 2012; next hunting season will have fewer restrictions
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press March 21, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Montana's gray wolf population declined slightly for the first time in almost a decade in 2012, amid stepped-up efforts to curb the predator's numbers through increased hunting and trapping, state officials said Thursday.
At least 625 wolves from 147 packs roamed Montana at the end of last year. That's down about 4 percent from the 653 animals tallied in 2011, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said.
The decline came after trapping was introduced and hunting quotas were lifted across most of the state last year in an attempt to reduce wolf attacks on livestock and wildlife. A new state law means even fewer restrictions for next winter's wolf season, when hunters will be allowed to use electronic calls and take up to three wolves apiece.
State officials say roughly 400 to 500 wolves are needed to maintain a stable population, However, that's considered a rough target and not a definitive goal.
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http://tinyurl.com/alotmbz (http://tinyurl.com/alotmbz)
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See also:
Montana's annual wolf survey finds lower numbers but more packs
For the first time since 2004, Montana's wolf population has decreased, with the 2012 survey indicating there are at least 625 wolves in 147 packs in the state, with 59 wolves in 13 packs in the Bitterroot Valley.
Ravalli Republic; March 22, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/a659wbu (http://tinyurl.com/a659wbu)
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See also:
Montana Releases Latest Wolf Numbers, RMEF Maintains Call for Proper Management
March 22, 2013 by Tom Remington
http://tinyurl.com/bywmmuh (http://tinyurl.com/bywmmuh)
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Experts Question Wildlife Experts Questioning Account of Wolf Attack
March 22, 2013 by Tom Remington
The story goes that Dawn Hepp was traveling in Manitoba, Canada, on Highway 6 north of Winnepeg, when she stopped to help another motorist. After stopping, she claims she was attack by a wolf. And now so-called “experts” are doubting the details of this woman’s account of what happened.
You can read the story and see photos of the bite and scratch marks on her neck by clicking this link.
From a different perspective on this, after reading this account, it is just as easy to doubt that the so-called “wildlife experts” know which end is up when it comes to wolves, even if you have written a book about it.
I’ve read the account and find the woman’s details a bit odd, casting some doubt about what really happened. However, reading what the experts had to say about wolf behavior only shows their ignorance of wolf behavior and casts just as many doubts as to the reliability of their information. Whether the accounts, as described by Dawn Hepp, are totally accurate may not matter in the long run. If the wolf had rabies, it could explain the seemingly odd behavior of the wild dog, if that’s what it was.
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Groups sue to end trapping in 15 Montana counties, citing threatened lynx habitat
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 21, 2013
HELENA, Montana — Three conservation groups are suing Montana in an attempt to force wildlife regulators to halt trapping in much of northwestern and southwestern Montana
They are seeking to end the trapping of wolves and fur-bearing animals in areas of Montana that have been designated as critical lynx habitat. That includes portions of five trapping districts and 17 wolf-management units.
The plaintiffs say trapping and snaring activities have resulted in at least nine lynx being caught.
Canada lynx is a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The federal law prohibits the taking of any endangered or threatened species.
The lawsuit filed Thursday by Friends of the Wild Swan, WildEarth Guardians and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies names as defendants each state Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioner and the agency's director.
Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:51:04 AM
Montana turns tide on wolves; first year since 2004
by Rich Landers March 21, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Montana wildlife officials say they've finally turned the tide on the growth of gray wolf populations that generally have been increasing since the 1900s.
At least 625 wolves inhabited Montana at the end of 2012 according to state wildlife managers in a summary of a federally required annual wolf conservation and management report released today.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' complete report is expected to be available online at by April 12.
Montana's verified minimum wolf count decreased more than 4 percent in 2012, compared to a 15 percent increase in 2011 and an eight percent increase in 2010 despite open hunting seasons.
The minimum wolf count is the number of wolves actually verified by FWP wolf specialists at the end of the year. Actual numbers likely are higher.
The 625 wolves are in 147 packs with and 37 breeding pairs.
While it's the first time since 2004 that the minimum count has decreased, Montana’s minimum wolf pack and breeding pairs estimates increased slightly from 2011.
The 2012 calculation, however, doesn't include the 95 wolves taken by hunters and trappers between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 of this year.
“We're making some progress,” said FWP Director Jeff Hagener. “Confirmed livestock loss has been on a general downward trend since 2009, and we have more tools now for affecting wolf populations. In some areas, where hunting, trapping and livestock-depredation removals have been effective, it looks like the wolf population's growth has been curbed this year. In other areas the population may be leveling off, but we have more work to do. There are still places where we need to manage for a better balance among other Montana wildlife and with Montana's livestock producers and their families.”
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/d2v9b7u (http://tinyurl.com/d2v9b7u)
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Meeting centers on impact of wolves on big game
by Rich Landers March 22, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The potential impact of wolves on northeastern Washington game species such as deer and elk will be discussed in a public meeting set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on Wednesday (March 27) in Colville.
- The meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Colville Ag Trade Center, 317 West Astor Ave.
State and local wildlife managers will present information on wolf monitoring in the area along with population trends and harvest data for white-tailed deer, elk and moose.
They’ll also discuss the status of wolves in the region and the impact wolves have had on deer and elk populations in other western states, according to a WDFW media release.
Dave Ware, WDFW game manager, said the department has not documented any measurable impacts from wolves on game species in Washington, but recognizes that reports from other states have raised public concerns.
“We want to talk to people in northeast Washington about this issue because that’s the area of the state that has the largest number of wolves,” Ware said. “We’d encourage area residents who have concerns to attend this meeting.”
Source w/map:
http://tinyurl.com/af42o88 (http://tinyurl.com/af42o88)
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Wolf Recovery, Political Ecology, and Endangered Species
by Dr. Charles Kay (1996)
493 Kb 43 page PDF file:
http://tinyurl.com/3x6d35h (http://tinyurl.com/3x6d35h)
[Hosted by Idaho for Wildlife]
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Gogebic sheriff won't sign up to halt planned U.P. wolf hunt
3/23/2013 Your Daily Globe
BESSEMER [Michigan] - Gogebic County Sheriff Peter Matonich isn't signing the downstate petition to keep wolves a protected species and prevent a hunt.
When the sheriff of Saginaw County sent Matonich a message seeking his support in signing the petition to stop the planned wolf hunt, it struck a raw nerve with Matonich.
"I would like to thank you for the laugh, I needed one today. I will make sure and pass on your letter and request to other law enforcement agencies and officers in my county. I am sure they could use a good laugh, also," Matonich responded.
"Have you ever seen a wolf in your yard next to your children's swing set? I have numerous times in my own yard, and I live within the city limits of our county seat. A pack was eliminated within two miles from my home with more than one (wolf) shot and killed in neighboring city of Ironwood's downtown.
"Reports of wolf sightings, encounters with household pets, sporting dogs and livestock depredation are becoming all too common here, not to mention the decrease in our deer population," Matonich said.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/clqss6e (http://tinyurl.com/clqss6e)
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Witness sinks teeth into woman's wolf tale
By Alexandra Paul 03/22/2013 Winnipeg Free Press
Clayton Ross figured the wolf was sick or injured, which is why he pulled over on a lonely stretch of Highway 6 in the first place.
Ross, a young father from Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Cross Lake, was headed south on Highway 6 with his girlfriend and two daughters the day a Thompson woman reported she was attacked by a wolf.
That was March 8, near Grand Rapids, about 400 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
But the account Dawn Hepp gave in repeated media interviews doesn't fit Ross's recollection of events.
Ross posted a colourful Facebook rant full of expletives after the encounter, ending the post with this classic line: "That was the dumbest (excrement) I ever seen in my life."
Reached at his home Thursday, Ross said a truck, with a woman alone at the wheel, pulled up behind his car that day.
The wolf they were watching was a timber wolf, full-grown but scrawny and skinny. It looked as though it had been hit by a car.
"Maybe the woman felt sorry for it," he said.
Ross and his family watched as the driver got out, crossed the two-lane highway and walked 10 metres toward the spot where the wolf was standing and watching her.
"She had a bag in her hand, chips? Anyway, she's dumping this bag of chips by the side of the road and her truck was 30 feet behind her.
"I sure as hell wouldn't get out of a vehicle if a wolf was there," Ross said. "This wolf is slowly walking up to her. She didn't move back. It was like the woman was trying to feed the damn wolf. Me and my girlfriend are saying, 'What the hell is she doing?' "
Then the wolf jumped the woman, Ross said.
"It attacked her. It pounced. It happened so fast, it was over in like three to five seconds and I'm going 'Man!' Then she stepped back, like she was pushing it off, and it jumped down and it ran about 15 feet away from her."
At that point, the woman backed off too and retreated down the highway toward her truck, the wolf trailing her.
"I'm saying, 'Man, get the hell in your vehicle.' She was taking so damn long getting back to it and then she took a while to close the door.
"It must have been three or four seconds after she got in before she closed her door and the wolf was right there," said Ross.
Ross said he waited to see what would happen next.
His Facebook account recorded an exchange he recalled:
"We were looking at that wolf, then she came up behind us. I asked her if she was all right, then she says, 'Yeah. I'm OK. Don't worry.' Then she says, 'Are you OK??' I'm like 'Well, yeah, I'm worried about you. And then she says, 'ya, I'm OK. It's nothing.'
"I'm like (astounded). I think this lady's in shock."
As the woman roared off down the highway, Ross said, he pulled over to where the wolf had pounced her and looked for blood, but didn't see any.
Meanwhile, the wolf hadn't moved, which unnerved the already uneasy witnesses.
"I don't want people to think we didn't want to help her. I knew she was in shock and I tried to catch up with her vehicle, but we never saw it again," Ross said.
Hepp, the woman at the centre of the story, could not be reached Thursday for comment. She's reportedly resting at her mother's house in Ashern.
Wolf experts say Ross's account sounds realistic and Manitoba Conservation Thursday repeated its warnings not to feed wild animals. Provincial wildlife officials urged the witness to call their 24/7 tip line at 1-800-782-0076.
Experts looking at photos of a deer killed by a wolf in Ontario with puncture marks found they appeared remarkably similar to the puncture that appears in photos of Hepp's neck.
Experts said Thursday they may never sort out what happened.
[Note: story is behind a "pay wall" - hat tip to WC.]
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Gun and ammunition sales boost Montana wildlife projects
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 23, 2013
MISSOULA, Montana — Increased sales of guns and ammunition have resulted in more money coming into Montana through federal excise taxes that can be used for wildlife restoration and sport fishing programs, state officials say.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says Montana received $13.8 million in wildlife grants from 2012 receipts. The state also received $8.5 million from sport fish grants.
In all, the federal government distributed $882.4 million to all 50 states through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs. The agency said excise taxes on guns and ammunition was up 33 percent over the previous year.
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Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:56:19 AM
Idaho gets $16M in fish, wildlife restoration cash
MARCH 24, 2013 Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho is poised to get more than $16 million in excise tax revenue that will be used on fish and wildlife restoration and recreation projects.
Idaho's share comes from a $882 million pot of tax revenue generated nationally last year by sportsmen through the sale of sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing gear and fuel taxes paid by recreational boaters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the disbursements last week to fish and game agencies in all 50 states.
For the state, Idaho's Department of Fish and Game is getting more than $9.8 million for wildlife restoration projects this year and another $6.3 million for fish projects.
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Rural residents seek to ease restrictions on wolf killing
March 24, 2013 Yakima Herald
How Washington’s rural residents can legally defend their family, pets and livestock from state-protected gray wolves has been a sticky issue since the first pack showed up in the Methow Valley five years ago.
Under the state’s wolf management plan, only with a state-issued “kill permit” could livestock producers shoot a wolf in the act of going after their sheep or cattle — and only two such permits have been issued.
Proposed legislation enabling anyone to shoot an attacking wolf has died in committee, its supporters blaming the failure on the political and philosophical differences dividing urban and rural.
Two weeks ago, though, a wolf attack on a Methow Valley man’s pet dog may become a tipping point of sorts in this emotionally charged political arena.
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Testimony On Wolf Bill Includes Story Of Attack
By Steve Jackson March 22, 2013 NWPR
A public hearing Wednesday on a bill to allow people the right to protect livestock and pets from wolf attacks included the story of a very close wolf encounter near the town of Twisp.
Senate Bill 5187 would let owners of livestock or pets kill a wolf without a permit if the predator is in the act of attacking or posing an immediate threat to their animals.
Among those who testified at a House Agriculture and Natural resources committee hearing was John Stevie who lives on 40 acres near Twisp.
Earlier this month, Stevie was awakened by a loud noise on his front porch. It was the sound of his Siberian Husky, Shelby, being attacked by a wolf:
Stevie: “I pulled the doors open, and about two feet in front of me when I stepped out on the deck, this wolf he was a hundred pounds plus, it had her by the head on the porch, and I wasn’t exactly sure what it was and it looked up at me, and it still had her head in its mouth looking at me”
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http://www.nwpr.org/post/testimony-wolf-bill-includes-story-attack (http://www.nwpr.org/post/testimony-wolf-bill-includes-story-attack)
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DNA sample confirms ‘wolf’
March 23, 2013 Daily Journal
Last fall, a hunter in Howard County shot what has been recently confirmed by the Missouri Department of Conservation to be a wolf. According to MDC Resource Scientist and Furbearer Biologist Jeff Beringer, tissue samples from the 81-pound male animal, mistaken as a coyote by the hunter, were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for genetic testing. Recently received DNA test results confirm that the animal was a gray wolf from the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan. Beringer added that the animal did not have ear tags, tattoos, other identification or physical signs that indicated it was a captive animal.
Also known as timber wolves, gray wolves once inhabited northern Missouri but were gone from the state by the late 1800s due to hunting and habitat loss.
Beringer said that there is no evidence of a breeding population in the state, but wolves occasionally wander into Missouri from northern states. He added that MDC has never stocked wolves and has no plans to restore this once-native species.
A previous case of mistaken identity happened in late 2010 with the shooting of what also appeared to be an unusually large coyote in Carroll County. DNA test results of the 104-pound canine linked the animal to timber wolves from Great Lakes states.
While wolf sightings in Missouri are very rare, another past case occurred in 2001. It involved an 80-pound timber wolf killed by a landowner in Grundy County. The man also mistook the wolf for a coyote, but discovered his mistake when he found the animal wore a radio collar and an ear tag linking it to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, more than 600 miles away. He notified MDC, which was able to confirm its origin with Michigan officials.
Post by: bearpaw on March 25, 2013, 08:57:51 AM
Sportsmen Taking Charge of Predator Problems
Editorial News/Press Release
March 25, 2013
New Montana Legislation SB397 Looks To Establish Provisional Hunting Seasons To Reduce Predator Numbers
No where in the text of Senate Bill 397 will you find the word "emergency". Still, taking care of a somewhat "natural disaster" is what this bill is truly all about. The newly drafted legislation, which is headed for a Senate Fish and Game Committee hearing this week, would establish provisional hunting seasons, hunt areas and hunting regulations which are aimed at accomplishing two things. First, if enacted, this bill would greatly reduce the number of wolves, bears and mountain lions roaming much of Western Montana. Second, to do so would greatly reduce the loss of elk, moose, deer and other big game to a gross over population of these apex predators.
Sportsmen who have grown weary of watching once great elk herds, pockets of moose, and an abundance of deer dwindle away over the past fifteen years, while predator populations have steadily grown, are now pointing the finger of blame at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The very same agency which has been mandated by the Montana Constitution to insure an abundance of game seems to have chosen to insure greater predator populations over huntable numbers of prey game species. Throughout most of Western Montana, elk herds are barely 20-percent of what they were twenty years ago, moose have totally disappeared in many areas where they once thrived, and now deer populations are beginning to plummet.
Wolf, bear and lion depredation has clearly taken its toll on big game herds, resulting in the tremendous loss of big game hunting opportunities for Montana residents. The goal of SB397 is to reverse that trend.
Robert Fanning, founder of the group known as Friends of The Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd, has watched that herd implode from more than 20,000 elk, before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service introduction of a non-native gray wolf subspecies from central Alberta in 1995 and 1996, to fewer than 4,000 today. That loss can all be directly tied to excessive predator numbers.
He says, "Hunting in Montana , which was described in a USFWS 2001 study, used to be a $237.6 million industry and the number one hunting culture in all 50 states, has been harmed by extreme predator densities. SB 397 is an attempt at fairness and equity in broadening the menu of huntable animals, raising the probability of hunter success and addressing predator control within the parameters of existing Montana Code Annotated."
MT FWP has long been criticized for enforcing methods of take that are far too restrictive to permit hunters to take sufficient numbers of wolves, mountain lions and bears. Likewise, inadequate limits or quotas have hampered sufficient harvests of these predators, insuring that come the next birthing season there would be still more predators putting even more pressure and greater negative impact on other wildlife resources.
Introduced by Montana State Senator Scott Boulanger (R-Darby), SB397 calls for changes which would establish provisional predator seasons in those hunt districts which have seen elk and other big game populations fall well below objective levels, resulting in far fewer hunting licenses now issued, along with more restrictive hunting regulations. These are the units, or districts, which have been impacted the hardest by too many wolves, too many lions and too many bears. In order to sufficiently reduce predator populations, allowing big game numbers to rebound, this bill eliminates many of the FWP methods of take restrictions which have prevented hunters from properly controlling predators. This legislation also significantly reduces the costs of non-resident licenses for hunting these predators, pretty much eliminates quotas, expands limits, and calls for extremely long seasons - in the affected hunt districts only. The purpose of these provisional hunts is to make a dramatic reduction in predator populations.
Keith Kubista, president of Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife says, "It is very encouraging to see a legislator who understands the predator prey relationship and negative effects of past failed predator policy. Senator Scott Boulanger has created a solution to recover ungulates and ultimately restore big game hunting opportunities by introducing Senate Bill 397. All legitimate sportsmen and organizations should be beating down the doors of the Capitol and attend the Senate Fish and Game Committee hearing on Tuesday 3-26 in room 422 to testify in support of SB 397. Senator Boulanger has an extensive hunting history, involvement in the Bitteroot elk working group and other activities that enabled him to formulate a mechanism, SB 397, that will finally turn things around for the hunting community."
More specifically, within the designated provisional hunt areas, SB397 would allow hunters to use bear hunting scents, and would permit baiting for bears. The bill would also legalize bear hunting with dogs during the spring season, and during these hunts during a provisional season, hunters would not be required to keep the meat from a bear, just the head and hide. Hunters taking a lion in districts designated as a provisional hunt unit would not be required to purchase a trophy license to possess and transport a lion harvested. During the wolf hunts in these districts, trapping would also be allowed, including the use of snares. The proposed provisional wolf hunting and trapping season would run from September 1 to June 30. The cost of a non-resident wolf, bear or lion tag for hunting the provisional hunt areas would be reduced to $50 each.
Other provisions in the bill call for the closing of the wolf season should the statewide population fall below 200. It also establishes the cost of a bear baiting permit and for a permit to run dogs for bear and lion. The text of SB397 also lays out the parameters for the hunting of grizzly bears, which contribute greatly to the extreme losses of elk calves every spring and summer, destroying the recruitment of future generations of elk. Montana sportsmen now fully realize it has been the "Perfect Storm" of predator impact, from wolves, lions and bears which has resulted in the devastation of big game herds in Western Montana. While grizzlies make a much greater impact on game populations, especially the young of the year, black bears also take a high number of elk and moose calves, and deer fawns.
"Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has failed miserably when it comes to controlling predator numbers in this state. The agency has put way too much emphasis on managing for these predators as 'big game', and has totally forsaken the 'big game' species for which sportsmen buy the vast majority of licenses to hunt - namely elk and deer. This has resulted in hunters buying fewer licenses, which means less funding for FWP. The loss of the once thriving elk herds up and down the Western one-third of this state, along with a severe drop in deer numbers, all due to predator impact, is now costing the State's economy more than a hundred million dollars annually. Most impacted are the small communities where game numbers have been hardest hit, where FWP's 'management' of major predators has literally destroyed what were once some of the greatest game herds in America. Before that agency can 'manage' predators, it first must gain control of predator populations...and we're now years from ever accomplishing that. Emergency measures must be taken right now, or we will see the total loss of elk, moose and deer in much of Montana. The only hope we have of saving the remnant populations of these great game animals is to first dramatically reduce predator numbers. Passage of Senate Bill 397 would truly be the first step in the right direction toward rebuilding these wildlife resources," comments Toby Bridges of LOBO WATCH
The end of the recent 2012 wolf season stands as testimony to the failure of MT FWP truly taking charge or control of the predator situation - and once again the agency is falsely claiming the hunt to be a "success". A total of 225 wolves were taken between September 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013. Hunters took 128 wolves, and trappers accounted for 97 wolves.
Had certain methods of take been relaxed by the FWP Commission last spring, the wolf harvest could have been significantly higher. At Commission meetings, and regional FWP meetings around the state, concerned sportsmen repeatedly shared that it would take the legalization of snares during the new wolf trapping season to make any real impact on wolf numbers. The Commission ignored that input and ruled snares illegal. Many other sportsmen attending those meetings also said that electronic game callers needed to be allowed. The Commission agreed, but it took the passage of House Bill 73 more than six months later, just two weeks before the end of the season, before such callers could be used. Had snares and electronic calls been allowed during the entire season, the wolf harvest could have been significantly higher, maybe closer to 325 to 350 wolves. Since EACH wolf is now known to kill close to 50 big game animals annually, that additional harvest could have saved 5,000 to 6,000 elk, moose, deer and other big game species from being lost to just one species of predator - the gray wolf.
One questionable sportsman group which has already announced that it will oppose SB397 is the somewhat shady Montana Sportsmen Alliance. The group is a sportsman "organization" by name alone. In reality, it has simply been a political activist front for Senator Jon Tester. This is the group which ran all of those negative attack ads against Denny Rehberg during his run for Tester's seat in the U.S. Senate during the 2012 elections. Altogether, Montana Sportsmen Alliance spent more than a million dollars to insure that Tester held onto his Senate seat - a million dollars of non-disclosed funding. Much of that funding likely came from environmental groups, which tend to favor expanded predator populations and fewer hunting opportunities for Montana's true sportsmen.
Another spurious sportsmen organization expected to oppose SB397 is the so-called Montana Hunters & Anglers Action, or whatever they're calling themselves these days. This group tends to be little more than a facade of a sportsman based organization for the Montana Wildlife Federation. One of the founders of this bogus sportsman group is Land Tawney, of Missoula - who just also happens to be a Senior Manager for the National Wildlife Federation, working out of the organization's Missoula regional office. Montana Wildlife Federation is simply a state chapter of the National organization, which is a major proponent of expanding the numbers and range of wolves and grizzly bears.
MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks is often accused of working way too closely with these groups, which do not represent the wants and needs of the state's sportsmen. Nor has the state wildlife agency really placed any priority on ever taking control of the predator problem. Senate Bill 397 would establish that priority for FWP, concentrating on the needed reduction of wolves, bears and lions in order to halt the continued decline of big game populations, and begin the recovery of wildlife in those hunt districts which are now in dire need of emergency measures. The provisional seasons and less restrictive regulations governing these hunts may be the only salvation for bringing back huntable numbers of big game throughout most of Western Montana.
On Tuesday, March 26, SB397 is scheduled to be scrutinized at a Senate Fish and Game Committee hearing at the State Capitol in Helena. A large turnout of both proponents for and opponents of the bill are expected to be on hand to testify. Things could get more than a little heated. Hanging in the balance of whether SB397 passes or not is very likely the future of big game hunting in Montana.
- End-
SB 397 will be heard in the Senate Fish and Game Committee hearings on Tuesday afternoon, March 26, Room 422 in the State Capitol Building, at 3 PM
LOBO WATCH encourages all sportsmen who can attend to make every effort to be on hand to testify in favor of this legislation...even if you only walk up to the microphone and state your name and place of residence and say..."I'm tired of the continued loss of Montana's big game, I am in favor of more stringent predator control, and I'm for SB397 and the emergency provisional hunts and regulations!"
The enemies of sportsmen and the Montana outdoor way of life will be there to shoot this control measure down...and there must be a force on hand to shoot down their efforts to allow the destruction of wildlife resources to continue...and to discredit their goals and agenda. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH
Following Are Members Of The Senate Fish and Game Committee...if you cannot attend the hearing in Helena...go to their on-line message form and let them know how you feel. Google "Montana Legislature"... Then click on "Contact a Legislator"
John Brenden (R-Scobey) ; Rick Ripley (R-Wolf Creek); Debby Barrett (R-Dillon); Tom Facey (D-Missoula); Jennifer Fielder (R-Thompson Falls); Bradley Hamlett (D-Cascade); Larry Jent (D-Bozeman); Jim Peterson (R-Buffalo); Fred Thomas (R-Stevensville); Kendall Van Dyk (D-Billings)
For More About LOBO WATCH Go To: www.lobowatch.com (http://www.lobowatch.com)
LOBO WATCH
100 Parker Court
Missoula, MT 59801
Ph. - (406) 542-9751
E-mail - lobowatch1@gmail.com
Post by: bearpaw on March 26, 2013, 04:47:34 PM
Montana curbs increase of wolves
March 24, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Montana wildlife officials say hunting and other measures have turned the tide on the growth of gray wolf populations increasing since the 1900s.
At least 625 wolves inhabited Montana at the end of 2012, state Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said Thursday.
Montana’s annual verified minimum wolf count decreased 4 percent in 2012 compared to a 15 percent increase in 2011 and an 8 percent increase in 2010.
The 625 wolves are in 147 packs with 37 breeding pairs that will produce pups next month.
The 2012 calculation does not include 95 wolves killed by hunters and trappers from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 this year.
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See also:
Montana wolf numbers down slightly
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks March 24, 2013
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/03/MTwolfnumbersdownsli.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/03/MTwolfnumbersdownsli.htm)
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Bitterroot Valley of Montana home to 13 packs of wolves
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! March 24, 2013
Montana's Bitterroot Valley is home to 13 packs of wolves. That's up two packs from the year before.
To read the details, click on the link below.
Ravalli Republic
http://tinyurl.com/a659wbu (http://tinyurl.com/a659wbu)
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New Montana Legislation SB397 Looks To Establish Provisional Hunting Seasons To Reduce Predator Numbers
Editorial News/Press Release March 25, 2013 by Toby Bridges Lobo Watch
No where in the text of Senate Bill 397 will you find the word "emergency". Still, taking care of a somewhat "natural disaster" is what this bill is truly all about. The newly drafted legislation, which is headed for a Senate Fish and Game Committee hearing this week, would establish provisional hunting seasons, hunt areas and hunting regulations which are aimed at accomplishing two things. First, if enacted, this bill would greatly reduce the number of wolves, bears and mountain lions roaming much of Western Montana. Second, to do so would greatly reduce the loss of elk, moose, deer and other big game to a gross over population of these apex predators.
Sportsmen who have grown weary of watching once great elk herds, pockets of moose, and an abundance of deer dwindle away over the past fifteen years, while predator populations have steadily grown, are now pointing the finger of blame at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The very same agency which has been mandated by the Montana Constitution to insure an abundance of game seems to have chosen to insure greater predator populations over huntable numbers of prey game species. Throughout most of Western Montana, elk herds are barely 20-percent of what they were twenty years ago, moose have totally disappeared in many areas where they once thrived, and now deer populations are beginning to plummet.
Wolf, bear and lion depredation has clearly taken its toll on big game herds, resulting in the tremendous loss of big game hunting opportunities for Montana residents. The goal of SB397 is to reverse that trend.
Continued:
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/Legislation13/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/Legislation13/go)
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WY wolf lawsuit grows
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! March 24, 2013
The Wyoming Wolf Coalition has been granted intervenor status in the federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to delist wolves in the state. Meanwhile, a coalition of hunting advocates are awaiting word whether they will be allowed to intervene as well.
Click on the link below for the story.
Associated Press article
http://tinyurl.com/cb7va2e (http://tinyurl.com/cb7va2e)
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Lab tests may determine whether it was wolf that attacked pet dog in Eastern Oregon
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 25, 2013
BAKER CITY, Oregon — A state biologist says lab tests may tell whether it was a wolf that attacked a pet dog about 10 miles west of Baker City.
The dog's owner, Jay Ogg, says he fired several rounds from a 10 mm Glock pistol to chase the animal away Sunday morning.
He told the Baker City Herald (http://bit.ly/ZlRpqH (http://bit.ly/ZlRpqH) ) the animal had the head of the 30-pound pet named Taz in its mouth but let go.
The home is at the base of the Elkhorn Mountains. District wildlife biologist Brian Ratliff says the agency hasn't confirmed that wolves are in the range, but they could be.
Ratliff says he found tracks from two animals in nearby woods. He's sending feces and hair he found for DNA testing and expects results in about two weeks.
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Man backing wolf laws brings badly hurt dog
By Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review March 21, 2013
OLYMPIA – The key witness at a hearing Wednesday on whether Eastern Washington needs new laws on wolves didn’t say a word.
Shelby, a 6-year-old Siberian Husky mix, sat or lay quietly while county commissioners, cattlemen and wildlife officials warned about the growing danger posed by wolves in Eastern Washington. Then she followed her owner John Stevie to the witness table, where he explained how the 60-pound dog knows about wolves firsthand.
One attacked her on the porch of Stevie’s home outside Twisp 10 nights earlier.
Continued:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/mar/21/seeking-solutions/ (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/mar/21/seeking-solutions/)
____________________________________________________________
March 26, 2013
Bills would provide money for wolf control, compensation
By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press March 26, 2013
BOISE -- Two bills that would make more money available to control wolves and compensate producers in Idaho who have lost cattle to the predators are moving through the Idaho Legislature.
One is on the verge of passing while the other is under the gun with the session set to end March 29.
A bill introduced March 25 by Rep. Judy Boyle, a Republican rancher from Midvale, would increase the price of wolf tags in Idaho by $4 and use the money to create a fund that would compensate producers for losses suffered to wolf depredation.
Boyle expects the fund would raise about $175,000 annually. Wolf tags are currently $9.75.
Continued:
http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/SE-wolf-help-032913 (http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/SE-wolf-help-032913)
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Hatch, fellow senators petition to end gray wolves' protected status
By Ben Lockhart March 25th, 2013 KSL News
SALT LAKE CITY — Led by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, 72 senators and representatives formally asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Monday to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
The request in a letter sent to the agency argues that the gray wolf is no longer an endangered species and that uncontrolled gray wolf population growth is a threat to other indigenous wildlife as well as the hunting and ranching industries. Recovery efforts in the United States began in 1973 after the species nearly went extinct, and were so successful that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has delisted the species in its Great Lakes and Northern Rockies regions in recent years.
“The full delisting of the species and the return of the management of wolf populations to state governments is long overdue,” the letter states. “State governments are fully qualified to responsibly manage wolf populations and are able to meet both the needs of local communities and wildlife populations.”
Sixty-five Republicans and seven Democrats signed the request, including every congressman from Utah. Hatch told KSL News that delisting the gray wolf nationally is partly a matter of reducing federal bureaucracy.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cjklwuh (http://tinyurl.com/cjklwuh)
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Environmentalists oppose push to end federal wolf protections to prevent expanded range
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press March 26, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Western environmental groups say they're alarmed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a plan to end federal protections for gray wolves in areas where the animals no longer exist.
The groups say ending federal protections would keep wolves from expanding their range back into states that could support them, including Colorado and California.
The federal agency intends to announce this spring whether it will propose a blanket delisting of wolves in the lower 48 states. Wolves in the Northern Rockies and around the Great Lakes, where reintroduced populations are well-established, are already off the Endangered Species List.
The prospect of the national delisting has prompted members of Congress on both sides of the issue to lobby the Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.
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Origin of eastern Washington wolf hard to determine
March 25, 2013 By Rich Landers - The Spokesman-Review
Among the many wolf sightings reported in the region, some are more credible than others, including the black wolf wearing a radio collar and running with another wolf west of St. John, Wash., in recent months.
Washington Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed the wolf was not collared in Washington.
"The wolf could be from either Idaho, Montana or even B.C.," said Jim Hayden, Idaho Fish and Game wildlife manager in Coeur d'Alene.
"All of us have plenty of collars that have gone off the air, or dispersed out of range where we're flying," he said, noting that GPS collars that can be followed by satellite are more expensive and used more sparingly.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cmslzc6 (http://tinyurl.com/cmslzc6)
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Oregon homeowner suspects a wolf in dog attack
Associated Press March 25, 2013
BAKER CITY, Ore. -- DNA samples may tell whether it was a wolf that attacked a pet dog about 10 miles west of Baker City and was chased off by gunfire from the dog's owner.
Jay Ogg said he had just let out the family's two dogs on Sunday morning when he heard one squeal.
Ogg told the Baker City Herald (http://bit.ly/ZlRpqH (http://bit.ly/ZlRpqH)) said he looked outside and saw what he described as a wolf, about 20 to 30 feet from the back porch.
Continued:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130325/NEWS03/703259861 (http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130325/NEWS03/703259861)
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See also (more info):
Possible wolf sighting near Baker City
by Jayson Jacoby March 25, 2013 Baker City Herald
http://tinyurl.com/cfof5c4 (http://tinyurl.com/cfof5c4)
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Oregon’s wolf program works
March 25, 2013 Nancy Shinn Coos Bay
Oregon is not getting enough press on their wildlife wolf policies, and we are doing better than anyone in the country.
Wildlife biologists will tell you there are studies that indicate elk populations flourish in areas where there are wolves. Wolves instinctively prey on the weak; the lame, the infirm and keep the herds moving, so that trees along riverbanks grow instead of being browsed, which keeps streams cool, fish and birds healthy and the ecology diversified and strong. Oregon is doing all the right things so far.
Keeping our fledgling population of wolves safe, unlike Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Minnesota, where all the protections were lifted and shooting, trapping, gassing of dens and poisoning have destroyed over 1,000 wolves. Rampant wolf killing generates conflict, controversy and headlines. But Oregon is quietly writing a different story. Our total state population is around 45 and legislation introduced to try to hunt them here has stayed with a court injunction so far.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bpyd28r (http://tinyurl.com/bpyd28r)
[Note: Coos Bay is on the west coast of Oregon.]
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Hybrid wolf-dog spotted in southwestern NM
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press 03/26/2013
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Federal wildlife managers have been working to return the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest for the past 15 years. Every now and then, there's a genetic hiccup.
It happens when a wolf breeds with a domestic dog, producing a litter of hybridized pups.
Just last month, an animal that looked like a wolf was spotted in the mountain community of Reserve near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Experts with the wolf management team say the uncollared animal was most likely a wolf-dog hybrid.
While it doesn't happen often, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says hybridization is a concern. Having a genetically diverse - yet pure - population has been identified by biologists as one of the keys to successfully reintroducing Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.
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Scientists say Isle Royale wolves had no pups, may have stopped reproducing
By JOHN FLESHER - AP Environmental Writer March 25, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — The gray wolves in Isle Royale National Park in northern Michigan are increasingly threatened, scientists said Monday, with no pups spotted during the past year and concern growing that the animals may have stopped reproducing.
The wolves have long been a symbol of the wilderness character of the island chain, one of the least-visited national parks because of its remote location in western Lake Superior.
Only eight remain, down from 24 just five years ago, according to a summary of a Michigan Technological University study obtained Monday by The Associated Press before the full report's public release. There were nine wolves last year, and scientists said the entire population could die out soon if the animals don't reproduce. Wolves usually live only four to five years.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ca7pyjd (http://tinyurl.com/ca7pyjd)
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Group Opposed to Wolf Hunt Says It Can Force a State Vote
Mar 26, 2013 Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- A coalition opposed to hunting gray wolves in Michigan says it has gathered more than enough petition signatures to force a statewide referendum on the issue.
The Legislature approved a bill in December authorizing state wildlife regulators to organize a hunting season in the Upper Peninsula, where the wolf population has reached around 700. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission is expected to make a decision as early as May.
But a group called "Keep Michigan Wolves Protected" says it will present 240,000 signatures Wednesday to the secretary of state's office calling for the law to be repealed.
If at least 161,305 of the signatures are found to be valid, the law will be put on hold until a statewide vote which would take place during the November 2014 general election.
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Post by: CementFinisher on March 26, 2013, 05:27:42 PM
March 25, 2013 Nancy Shinn Coos Bay
Oregon is not getting enough press on their wildlife wolf policies, and we are doing better than anyone in the country.
Wildlife biologists will tell you there are studies that indicate elk populations flourish in areas where there are wolves. Wolves instinctively prey on the weak; the lame, the infirm and keep the herds moving, so that trees along riverbanks grow instead of being browsed, which keeps streams cool, fish and birds healthy and the ecology diversified and strong. Oregon is doing all the right things so far.
Keeping our fledgling population of wolves safe, unlike Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Minnesota, where all the protections were lifted and shooting, trapping, gassing of dens and poisoning have destroyed over 1,000 wolves. Rampant wolf killing generates conflict, controversy and headlines. But Oregon is quietly writing a different story. Our total state population is around 45 and legislation introduced to try to hunt them here has stayed with a court injunction so far.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bpyd28r (http://tinyurl.com/bpyd28r)
[Note: Coos Bay is on the west coast of Oregon.]
IF THAT WAS NOT SO PATHITICALY SAD IT WOULD BE FUNNY. fREEKING WHACK JOBS!
Post by: NoImpactNoIdea on March 26, 2013, 06:18:29 PM
Post by: bearpaw on March 29, 2013, 09:08:37 PM
Idaho Bill: Wolf Hunters Would Help Cover Livestock Loss
March 27, 2013 - Northwest News Network
A bill headed for the floor of the Idaho House would tap into the interest in hunting wolves to raise money for ranchers who lose livestock to those wolves. A legislative committee approved the measure Tuesday, despite legal concerns.
Idaho lawmakers who represent ranching country say it’s now up to the state to cover losses caused by wolves. Federal compensation funds are another casualty of the automatic budget cuts known as the sequester.
The House bill would raise the cost of a wolf hunting tag by $4 and send $8 from each tag sold to a “Wolf Depredation Account.” It would both reimburse ranchers and fund state efforts to rein in the wolf population.
But the Idaho Department of Fish and Game opposes the bill, as deputy director Sharon Kiefer testified.
“I believe most hunters want to be a part of the solution. But I don’t think they want their funding to be the only solution,” Keifer told lawmakers.
Kiefer said the move may also violate an agreement with the federal government to use fees from hunting tags and licenses to preserve and propagate wildlife.
But Rep. Judy Boyle, the bill’s sponsor, said she was confident it would pass legal muster.
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New wolf pack found near Wenatchee
by GARY CHITTIM - KING 5 News March 27, 2013
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife cameras have captured images of a pair of wolves in the Entiat Mountains of Chelan County.
Biologists were able to determine that the wolves were part of a newly formed pack that is probably related to the nearby Teanaway pack near Cle Elum. That brings the number of confirmed packs in the state to 10, with two more suspected packs.
It also represents the second confirmed pack to form in a more central location. Most inhabit the north and northeast part of the state.
The new pack has been named the Wenatchee pack and so far it has only two confirmed members.
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Wash. investigates whether wolves killed cow
March 27, 2013 The Associated Press
WENATCHEE, Wash. — State wildlife biologists are investigating the death of a pregnant cow on a ranch south of Wenatchee — and they got a glimpse of a wolf while they were working.
It's the same ranch where pictures of two gray wolves were captured on Sunday. The Wenatchee World reports that state wildlife officials named the wolves the Wenatchee Pack on Tuesday. Later that same day, the officials were at the Hurd family ranch investigating a dead cow.
"This is all happening so fast," said Dave Volson, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The state agency has not yet determined how the cow died.
Rancher Ross Hurd said he doesn't want to create hysteria about the wolves, but wants people to know the wolves are in the area and people may have to adapt.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cd3vnhk (http://tinyurl.com/cd3vnhk)
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Wandering wolf OR-7 feeding on dead elk in southwestern Oregon
By MARK FREEMAN - Associated Press March 27, 2013
MEDFORD, Oregon — Wandering wolf OR-7 is spending his second week back from California in Jackson County, where he's been feeding on a dead elk as he continues his apparent search for a mate.
The 4-year-old wolf crossed the Cascade crest into Jackson County on March 19, his first trip back here since he left April 1, 2012, on the way to a much-publicized tour of Northern California.
Since his return, he's wandered along the western Cascades east of Butte Falls and Prospect and has shared meals on a dead cow elk with at least one coyote and some ravens, says Mark Vargas, Rogue District wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Vargas last week used a VHF receiver to follow the radio-transmitter that has been fitted on OR-7's collar. Vargas was able to get close enough to register a strong signal, but he never actually saw the only confirmed wolf in Western Oregon since 1937.
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http://tinyurl.com/d2gn2he (http://tinyurl.com/d2gn2he)
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Wolf hybridization concerns federal wildlife managers
By Susan Montoya Bryan - The Associated Press Tuesday, March 26, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE — Federal wildlife managers have been working to return the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest for the past 15 years. Every now and then, there’s a genetic hiccup.
It happens when a wolf breeds with a domestic dog and produces a litter of hybridized pups.
Just last month, an animal that looked like a wolf was spotted in the mountain community of Reserve near the Arizona-New Mexico border so experts with the wolf management team had to investigate. They determined that the uncollared animal was most likely a pet that showed some signs of northern gray wolf heritage.
While it doesn’t happen often, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom Buckley said Tuesday that hybridization is a concern.
Continued w/more info:
http://tinyurl.com/dxobafe (http://tinyurl.com/dxobafe)
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Lawmakers Decry Proposed Cut in Wolf Hunt Permit Fee
Ann-Elise Henzl WUWM NEWS - Mar 26, 2013
State Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp appeared Tuesday before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, to talk about Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal.
Lawmakers on the panel were critical of the provision that would cut the price for a wolf hunt permit from $100 to $47.
Republican state Rep. John Nygren of Marinette chastised Stepp for the proposal. He pointed out that the Legislature set the $100 fee, in the bill that created the wolf hunt.
Stepp told lawmakers that Walker wants the lower fee, in order to remove obstacles to hunting wolves. She also said the price reduction would bring wolf hunting permits more in line with the $49 permits for hunting bears.
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Post by: bearpaw on March 29, 2013, 09:11:41 PM
Idaho Senate defies F&G Commission, passes wolf control funding bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 27, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — The Senate voted 26-8 to divert money from a Department of Fish and Game hunter-access program to wolf control, an effort backed by the state's livestock industry.
Wednesday's vote came over objections from Idaho's wildlife agency, whose Fish and Game Commission opposed the measure.
Supporters of shifting funding from the Sportsmen's Access Yes! program to Idaho's animal damage control account argued the cash would reduce predators, helping ranchers as well as big-game hunters angry that wolves eat too many elk.
Foes included Pocatello Sen. Roy Lacey, who said he was among residents eager to see wolves eradicated.
Lacey suggested they might attack him while he rides his bike near Island Park.
Even so, Lacey said this bill amounted to raiding Fish and Game money.
The measure has passed the House.
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Successful wolf recovery requires attention to community values
By PHIL ANDERSON For the Capital Press March 28, 2013
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently conducted three well-attended meetings in Northeast Washington to discuss wolf management with ranchers and other residents of the communities that are on the front line of wolf recovery in our state.
Gray wolves are listed by the state as an endangered species, and wolf recovery is the fundamental goal of the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. So far, wolves are recovering rapidly. Washington's wolf population nearly doubled in 2012, and these numbers will continue to grow.
But long term, sustainable wolf recovery won't succeed unless the state -- and WDFW -- can address the legitimate concerns of livestock operators and the people who live in rural areas where wolves are recolonizing, and the impacts on game animals such as deer, elk and moose.
We heard several clear messages during our meetings in Colville, Cusick and Okanogan.
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Wolves didn’t kill cow, state says
March 28, 2013 By Michelle McNiel Wenatchee world
WENATCHEE — State wildlife experts have concluded that a pregnant cow found dead south of Wenatchee on Tuesday was not killed by a wolf.
However they are still worried about the two gray wolves that appear to be establishing territory on or near a cattle ranch in Pitcher Canyon.
“We’re just kind of on pins and needles hoping that this livestock operator doesn’t have any more issues with dead cows,” said Matt Monda, regional wildlife program manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Once wolves learn that livestock is a meal, then we will have to go in and take action.”
In extreme cases, the action may require killing wolves, which are protected under federal and state endangered species laws.
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Lowest wolf count on Isle Royale
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! March 27, 2013
The most recent annual report of ecological studies of wolves on Isle Royale reveals that there are only eight wolves left in this unique population.
Here's the report summary:
"From mid-January to late February 2013, we conducted the fifty-fifth annual Winter Study of wolves and moose on Isle Royale. Between January 2012 and January 2013, the wolf population declined from 9 to 8, the lowest number of wolves ever observed in the population. During the past year, mortality rates were low (11%), with just one wolf dying. There was no evidence of any reproduction during the past year. This is the first year in the project’s history that we have been unable to document reproduction. Analysis of DNA extracted from wolf scat collected in January and February 2012, and the pattern of mortality during the past year, indicate that the population is comprised of between three and five females. The lack of reproduction is not due to a shortage of females."
Click on the link below for more information.
Isle Royale Wolf & Moose studies
http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/ (http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/)
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Lawsuit Filed to Protect Border-crossing Wolves Entering Arizona, New Mexico From Government Traps
March 28, 2013 Center for Biological Diversity
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit today challenging a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will allow federal and state agencies to capture wolves that enter Arizona and New Mexico from either the north or the south and keep them in captivity indefinitely. Mexico has an ongoing program to reintroduce endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Sierra Madre, and wolves from the northern Rockies could move into the Southwest at any time.
http://tinyurl.com/cja93ao (http://tinyurl.com/cja93ao)
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San Diego’s Efforts To Boost Mexican Gray Wolf Population Threatened
Thursday, March 28, 2013 By Susan Murphy - KPBS
More than 70 members of Congress wrote to the Obama Administration last week requesting that the gray wolf be removed from the endangered species list, including Arizona and New Mexico, where a subspecies of 75 critically endangered Mexican gray wolves live.
Some of the Mexican gray wolves in region, called the Blue Range Wolf Reintroduction Area, have come from the California Wolf Center, a 50-acre conservation and research facility in Julian.
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http://tinyurl.com/ck9wmss (http://tinyurl.com/ck9wmss)
Post by: bearpaw on March 29, 2013, 09:14:08 PM
Bill to fund wolf control efforts dies in Idaho House
By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press Friday, March 29, 2013
BOISE -- A bill that would increase wolf tag prices and use the money to control problem wolves and compensate livestock producers for wolf losses has died in the House of Representatives.
The bill had been approved by the House ag committee March 26 despite opposition from the Idaho Fish and Game Department.
However, it was narrowly killed two days later on a 35-33 vote by House lawmakers opposed to using hunting fee revenue to compensate livestock producers.
Debate over the bill during a public hearing resulted in one lawmaker reminding fish and game that the legislature, not the department, sets state policy.
Sharon Kiefer, the department's deputy director for programs and policy, told lawmakers the bill could erode the department's ability to monitor wolves and possibly result in a loss of some federal wildlife management funds.
The fish and game commission did not get to review the bill, she said, and wants lawmakers to hold it.
"We are a bit disappointed with the haste and lack of discussion about this bill and its possible consequences," Kiefer said.
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http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/SE-wolf-tags-040513 (http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/SE-wolf-tags-040513)
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Idaho extends wolf hunting through June
by Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review March 28, 2013
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission today (March 28) voted to extend the current wolf hunting season in the Middle Fork and part of the Dworshak-Elk City wolf management zones.
The commission extended the wolf hunting season through June 30 in the Middle Fork units 20A, 26 and 27 and in the part of the Dworshak-Elk-City Zone's Unit 16 north of the Selway River.
These seasons were scheduled to end Sunday.
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Fed move would end wolf protections in places where there are no wolves
Mar 28, 2013 - The Associated Press
CHEYENNE -- Western environmental groups say they're alarmed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a plan to end federal protections for gray wolves in vast areas where the animals no longer exist.
The groups say ending federal protections would keep wolves from expanding their range back into states that could support them, including Colorado and California.
"As a matter of principle, I just think it's wrong," said Jay Tutchton, a Colorado lawyer with the group WildEarth Guardians.
Tutchton's group has sued over recent action to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming. Wolves in most of the "Cowboy State" are classified as unprotected predators and scores have been killed since federal protections ended last fall.
"The Endangered Species Act was designed to protect species, including in places where they no longer reside," Tutchton said. "You were supposed to try to recover them, not throw in the towel."
The Fish and Wildlife Service could announce as soon as this spring whether it will propose a blanket delisting of wolves in most of the lower 48 states. Wolves in the Northern Rockies and around the Great Lakes, where reintroduced populations are well-established, are already off the Endangered Species List.
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Wolf permit spurs lawsuit by environmentalists
By The Associated Press 03/29/2013
ALBUQUERQUE - Environmentalists are challenging a permit they say would allow federal and state wildlife managers to capture and hold captive certain wolves that find their way into the American Southwest from the north and from Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed its lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday. The agency did not immediately respond.
The group says it's seeking the protection of wolves found outside the area in New Mexico and Arizona where the federal government has been reintroducing endangered Mexican gray wolves.
Friday marks the 15th anniversary of the first release of captive-bred Mexican wolves as part of the reintroduction program.
There are now at least 75 of the predators in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. Environmentalists argue that's far below what's needed for the population to be sustainable.
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Mexican gray wolf celebrates 15 years in the Southwest
By Dennis Lambert 03/29/2013 KJZZ
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf in the Southwestern U.S., but wildlife advocates say more needs to be done to ensure the wolves’ long-term survival.
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Wolf-hunting decision will likely go to voters next year
The petition to stave off wolf hunting has earned enough signatures; now supporters must wait for public vote.
by Allison Arnold Friday Mar 29th, 2013 The Rapidian
In an effort to stop legislation allowing a wolf hunting season in Michigan, the group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected sponsored a petition to place the issue on a state ballot in 2014. The petition recently surpassed the 161,000 signatures needed by March 27, with a total of 253,705.
“Mounting a petition drive in the dead of winter and collecting a quarter of a million signatures in 67 days has been a monumental feat. We look forward to giving Michigan voters—not the politicians—the opportunity to decide whether to keep wolves protected or to allow sport hunting and trapping of these rare creatures just beginning to recover from the brink of extinction,” said Jill Fritz, Director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
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http://therapidian.org/next-steps-suspending-wolf-hunt-michigan (http://therapidian.org/next-steps-suspending-wolf-hunt-michigan)
Post by: bearpaw on April 02, 2013, 10:00:14 PM
Researcher blasts Swedish wolf hunt
March 30, 2013 (UPI)
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A French researcher says a wolf hunt in Sweden intended to reduce inbreeding will have no effect on inbreeding and is "an abuse of science."
The Swedish government authorized the wolf hunt, targeting 16 wolves from the most inbred packs, The Local.se reported Friday.
However, Guillaume Chapron, an ecologist who has studied wolves in France and Sweden, said in a letter to the Science journal it is "nonsense to kill animals in order to reduce inbreeding."
"Would we do the same if it had been about woodpeckers? Of course not," Chapron wrote. "People would think you were crazy.
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http://tinyurl.com/bvejg9j (http://tinyurl.com/bvejg9j)
Post by: bearpaw on April 02, 2013, 10:01:50 PM
Wolf Control Bill Fails In Idaho House Of Representatives
By Brandon Redmond Mar 31, 2013 KMVT-TV / KTWT-TV
Boise, Idaho - The Idaho House of representatives voted thirty five to thirty three against shifting money from hunting licenses to compensate ranchers for livestock losses and fund state efforts to kill wolves.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game along with hunters had objections against the bill. The bill would have raised hunting tags for wolves by five dollars and twenty five cents making wolf hunting tags fifteen dollars.
Eight dollars of that would have gone into a wolf depredation account. Half of the money would have gone to wolf control and the other half to livestock owners who lost animals due to wolf attacks.
Post by: bearpaw on April 02, 2013, 10:04:12 PM
Local YP Wolf Report
April 1, 2013
A report of wolf tracks on Profile summit on Friday March 29th. It looked like the wolves were coming out of Big Creek towards Yellow Pine down Profile Creek.
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Members of Congress Urge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Delist the Gray Wolf From the Endangered
A bipartisan group of 72 Members of Congress have written to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to urge that the Agency delist the gray wolf from the (ESA) in the Continental United States.
PoliticalNews.me - Apr 01,2013
72 Members of Congress Urge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Delist the Gray Wolf From the Endangered Species Act
A bipartisan group of 72 Members of Congress have written to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to urge that the Agency delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Continental United States. The letter was spearheaded by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and John Barrasso (R-WY), and Reps. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Doc Hastings (R-WA), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
In the letter, the Members of Congress write that “[w]olves are not an endangered species and do not merit federal protections. The full delisting of the species and the return of the management of wolf populations to State governments is long overdue. As you know, State governments are fully qualified to responsibly manage wolf populations and are able to meet both the needs of local communities and wildlife populations.”
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http://politicalnews.me/?id=22534&keys=GRAY-WOLF-ENDANGERED-REMOVE (http://politicalnews.me/?id=22534&keys=GRAY-WOLF-ENDANGERED-REMOVE)
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Wolf expert to speak
April 1, 2013 Billings Gazette
CODY, Wyo. — Gray wolves past, present and future will be the topic of a noon lecture Thursday at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Draper Museum of Natural History.
The lecture will be delivered by Mark Bruscino, large-carnivore supervisor with the Wyoming Fish and Game Department.
The last breeding population of gray wolves was exterminated 70 years ago. In a move that is still controversial, they were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995.
They have thrived since in Wyoming, and were recently removed from the state's list of threatened and endangered species.
The program, part of the Draper Museum's Lunchtime Expeditions, is free. It will be in Coe Auditorium.
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Greens Fight Uncle Sam Over Gray Wolves
By TIM HULL Monday, April 01, 2013 Courthouse News
TUCSON, Ariz. (CN) - Endangered wolves that wander into Arizona and New Mexico from the north and south risk indefinite capture under research permits the federal government issued illegally, the Center for Biological Diversity claims in court.
The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Federal Court.
The Tucson-based environmental group claims the defendants approved a permit in 2011 under which "endangered wolves that enter Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico or the Northern Rocky Mountains population can be captured or trapped and relocated to the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (where they will be treated for all purposes as part of the nonessential experimental population), returned to Mexico, or placed indefinitely in a captive breeding facility." (Parentheses in complaint.)
Essentially, any wolf found in those states, outside the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area in the Apache National Forest of Arizona and the Gila National Forest of New Mexico, is subject to trapping under the permit, the complaint states.
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http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/04/01/56236.htm (http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/04/01/56236.htm)
Post by: bearpaw on April 02, 2013, 10:06:33 PM
Idaho reports 11 percent decrease in wolves during 2012
by Rich Landers April 2, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Idaho's gray wolf population at the end of 2012 was at least 683, a decrease of 11 percent from 2011, according to the federally required annual state wolf monitoring report (http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/wolves/ (http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/wolves/)) posted online today by the Idaho Fish and Game Department.
Humans killed 418 of the 425 wolves known to have died in the state last year by hunting, trapping and state and federal agency control efforts to protect livestock, the report says.
However, the number of documented packs had increased and wolves were occupying territories throughout the state.
Montana also has reported a decrease in wolves in its 2012 annual report, the first decrease since 2004.
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http://tinyurl.com/cw4bctj (http://tinyurl.com/cw4bctj)
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Minnesota Court of Appeals to Hear Argument on Lawsuit Challenging Wolf Hunting and Trapping
Media Advisory, April 2, 2013 Center for Biological Diversity
What: The Minnesota Court of Appeals will hear argument tomorrow in a lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources challenging the agency’s failure to provide a formal opportunity for public comment on rules establishing wolf hunting, trapping and snaring.
When: Wednesday, April 3 at 10 a.m.
Where: Courtroom 100, Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota’s 2001 wolf-management plan provided that wolves would not be hunted or trapped for five years after removal of their Endangered Species Act protection, but the state legislature eliminated those safeguards by attaching a rider to a 2011 budget bill authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to open wolf hunting if the agency first provided an opportunity for public comment. In January 2012 the wolves’ federal protection was removed; but instead of opening a formal public comment period, the department offered only an online survey.
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http://tinyurl.com/cz9792u (http://tinyurl.com/cz9792u)
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Wolves Teach Scientists Their Limitations
April 1, 2013, By Paul Voosen - The Chronicle
The gray wolves of Michigan’s Isle Royale may soon go extinct. But before they do, they’re offering an important lesson for scientists: Have a little humility.
For more than 60 years, after their intrepid ancestors scrambled 14 miles across an ice bridge, packs of heavily inbred wolves have stalked the snow and evergreens of Isle Royale, a remote 850-square-mile archipelago in northwestern Lake Superior. For all that time, the wolves, normally known for their catholic prey selection, have feasted and famished off a single species, the yin to their predatory yang. They have hunted moose.
We know this because for as long as the wolves have stalked the moose, they have been tracked by a pack of Michigan scientists, in what has become a classic, 55-year-old study of the dynamics between a predator and its prey. In an age when much research lasts no longer than a graduate student’s labors, the study is an anomaly. Forget Big Data. This is Long Data.
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Post by: bearpaw on April 03, 2013, 05:59:07 PM
Hunting, trapping slow to balance Idaho wolf numbers
by Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review April 3, 2013 Idaho's 2012 wolf monitoring report released Tuesday indicates the state is struggling to get 14 years of burgeoning wolf populations into some sort of sustainable balance with prey and social acceptance.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game reports 683 wolves at the end of 2012, down from 746 wolves in 2011 — an 11 percent decrease.
But the total number of packs has increased from 104 in 2011 to 117 in 2012. Wolves are moving in and out of the state, and a new crop of wolves is being born in dens across the state this month.
State wildlife officials attribute both the overall population downsizing and the increase in packs to continued pressure through hunting, trapping and agency control methods.
Continued with Idaho Wolf Pack Map:
http://tinyurl.com/cltb2cw (http://tinyurl.com/cltb2cw)
[Note: It looks like there is a new Caton Creek Pack named in our area.]
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Idaho wildlife officials report 11 percent decline in state's wolf population in 2012
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 03, 2013
LEWISTON, Idaho — The latest population tally shows an 11 percent decline in the number of wolves roaming Idaho.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game reports 683 wolves in 117 packs at the end of 2012. That total is down from 746 wolves in 104 packs in 2011.
"It's encouraging to see the trend going down, and we are certainly committed to managing wolves to reduce impacts with livestock and big game (animals), and that means we will continue to focus on increasing harvest, particularly in problem areas," said Jon Rachael, big game manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Boise.
State wildlife officials attribute the downsizing to continued pressure through hunting, trapping and agency control methods. Humans killed 418 of the 425 wolves known to have died in the state last year.
Officials say wolves killed 73 cattle, 312 sheep and two dogs in 2012.
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See also:
Idaho wolf population decreased by 11 percent in 2012
Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review April 3, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/cejkacw (http://tinyurl.com/cejkacw)
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Wolf hunting ends in most of state
Some zones to close June 30
by Katherine Wutz Idaho Mountain Express April 3, 2013
Wolf hunting ended in most of the state Sunday, but the Idaho Fish and Game Commission decided last week to expand the current season on parts of northern Idaho.
The commission met Thursday, March 28, to extend the wolf hunting season in the Middle Fork and part of the Dworshak-Elk City wolf management zones. Those seasons had been scheduled to end on March 31 but were extended to match the ending dates of neighboring zones.
The Lolo and Selway zones, which border those areas and are located on the Idaho-Montana border, already had seasons sending June 30. Hunting for the 2013-14 season will begin Aug. 30.
Hunting has closed in the Southern Mountains Zone, the area that encompasses much of the Big Wood and Little Wood river basins. The Southern Mountains Zone had a harvest quota of 40 wolves, only eight of which were killed.
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Governor, FWP to meet with members of Montana wolf advisory group.
The Montana Wolf Management Advisory Council hasn't met for years, but Gov. Steve Bullock and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Jeff Hagener have invited the 12 members back to Helena for a meeting on April 12.
Billings Gazette; April 2, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/cxumeoh (http://tinyurl.com/cxumeoh)
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Montana's Wilderness Areas Are Not What They Are Cracked Up To Be!
Editorial by Toby Bridges of Lobo Watch - April 2, 2013
Montanans, and those who visit the State of Montana, are blessed with a bounty of beauty. Only a few other areas of the United States come even close to matching the Treasure State's abundance of mountain vistas, crystal clear rivers and lakes, or wide open grasslands that roll out as far as the eye can see...then some.
Vast stretches of public owned land make up much of what makes Montana such a great place to live or visit. There are right at 17,000,000 acres of National Forest and another 8,000,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management administered lands within the state's borders. All of Glacier National Park's 1,012,837 acres are situated in Montana, while about 67,000 acres of Yellowstone National Park and another 60,000 acres of the Bighorn National Recreation Area extend north out of Wyoming into the state. Altogether, there are more than 5,000,000 acres of "State of Montana" owned lands, including many state administered wildlife management areas and public hunting and fishing areas. Tribal lands also make up roughly another 5,000,000 acres, on much of which non-tribal members are allowed, for a price, to outdoor recreate - hunt, fish, hike, camp, etc. To all of this state, federal and tribal owned lands, you can also add the more than 1.1- million acres of Montana that are administered as National Wildlife Refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Due to the very natural and diverse land features of Montana, primarily the many major and secondary mountain ranges and the deeply cut canyons of the Missouri Breaks, nature had already carved out many areas that would remain wild long after the first white settlers arrived in Big Sky Country. The state is the fourth largest in the country, and statewide only topped 1- million residents in the past couple of years. Cities with populations larger than 50,000 remain few and far between, generally separated by distances of 100 to 120 miles. To cross the state on interstate highway from east to west is more than a 700-mile drive - fortunately with lots of beautiful scenery.
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http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfImpact10/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfImpact10/go)
Post by: bearpaw on April 04, 2013, 07:48:31 PM
April 4, 2013 by Tom Remington
On January 21, 2009 I wrote that when and if the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains were ever taken off the Endangered Species Act list of protected species and put in the hands of the states, the states would be clueless as how to “manage” the animal. It seems I can rest my case and say, “I told you so.”
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) believed themselves to be ahead of the curve by laying out rules and regulations that would govern a wolf hunt should there ever be one. It became clear that IDFG was more interested in seeing how much money they could make selling wolf hunting tags than managing and controlling the large predators so that other game species, i.e. elk, moose and deer, wouldn’t be destroyed from an overgrown and out of control wolf population. They failed! In addition the rules set aside for wolf hunting were so restrictive to the hunter, the odds on harvest success were reduced considerably. Essentially that first hunt provided for a man and gun and a short period of time to tag his harvest; nothing else to assist him.
Some argued that erring on the side of caution would be the prudent thing to do out of fear that too many wolves would be killed and the wolf would be put back under federal protections. This showed the real ignorance of game managers who both had no idea of how to control this creature nor did they seem interested in learning how to do it from countries that have had to deal more with savage and disease-ridden wolves than Idaho.
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Wolf recovery not taking heavy toll on big game so far, Washington officials say
April 04, 2013 Oregon Live
Washington's moose, elk and deer herds do not yet appear to be suffering heavy losses from the revival of gray wolves, so far, to the best of the Fish and Wildlife Department's knowledge.
Indeed, wildlife managers used qualifiers liberally last week in a contentious Colville meeting regarding wolves and their impact on Washington big game.
Wolf recovery is still in early stages statewide, they said, and the agency lacks funding for widespread, reliable big-game monitoring.
But they're doing the best they can under state laws, said Dave Ware, state game manager based in Olympia.
While pertinent questions were asked from the 250-plus people attending, many of those handed the microphone were bent on lecturing or scolding the three wildlife experts who made presentations.
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http://tinyurl.com/dxnfs44 (http://tinyurl.com/dxnfs44)
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Gray wolf’s California quest comes to an end
Michael Condon - Plumas County News 4/4/2013
A rather unique and intriguing visitor recently brought his stay in California to an end.
After more than a year of wandering through northern California, presumably in search of a mate and a new territory, a gray wolf known as OR-7 left the Golden State and returned to Oregon on March 13. OR-7 wandered throughout northeastern California but spent most of his time in Plumas and Tehama counties.
Originally from northeastern Oregon’s Imnaha pack, OR-7 was fitted with a radio collar in February 2011 when he was just a pup. The nomadic gray wolf dispersed from his pack in the fall of that year to begin an epic walkabout.
Continued w/map:
http://tinyurl.com/crz3sq5 (http://tinyurl.com/crz3sq5)
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Wildlife Services employee investigated in wolf death
By Rene Romo - ABQ Journal Thu, Apr 4, 2013
LAS CRUCES – Federal officials have confirmed that a Wildlife Services employee is the subject of an investigation into the killing of an endangered Mexican gray wolf in January in the southwest corner of the state.
Few details about the killing have been disclosed, with spokesmen for Wildlife Services, an arm of the USDA, and Fish and Wildlife Services, which oversees the wolf recovery project, saying that the case is under investigation.
However, a brief statement from Wildlife Services indicates the employee asserted the killing was a case of mistaken identity.
The employee, described as a specialist, was investigating a possible wolf depredation of livestock in January when the incident occurred, wrote Carol Bannerman, a Maryland-based spokeswoman for Wildlife Services. “While on-site he lethally removed a canine, which was then identified as possibly a Mexican wolf.”
Bannerman wrote that the Wildlife Services employee “immediately reported the take” to the agency’s management and to the recovery project’s Interagency Field Team, a group of federal, state and tribal officials who work collaboratively on the wolf program.
Asked specifically about the rumored killing of a wolf by a Wildlife Services employee, Sherry Barrett, the Mexican wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, said she was unable to comment and referred questions to a spokesman.
Nick Chavez, special agent in charge of Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement for the region, said that a “canine mortality” was being investigated. “I’m not confirming or denying it,” Chavez said when asked about the killing of a wolf by a Wildlife Services employee. “It’s under investigation.”
The killing of the lobo, one of only 75 known to roam national and tribal forest lands in a designated recovery zone in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico, by a federal employee would mark another setback to the hotly debated program.
The illegal poaching of wolves has been the biggest cause of wolf mortality since lobos were released to the wild, but the January incident would mark the first known case of a federal employee having killed a wolf not formally designated for removal or capture.
Last week, on March 29, the Fish and Wildlife Service noted the 15th anniversary of the date when eleven wolves were released in Arizona to the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. Those wolves were the descendants of the last known Mexican gray wolves, seven in all, which were captured in an effort to revive the species after ranchers and a previous incarnation of Wildlife Services trapped, hunted and poisoned the Mexican gray wolf to near extinction in the U.S. and Mexico.
Neither Wildlife Services nor Fish and Wildlife disclosed the exact date or location where the killing occurred, and would not identify the employee involved.
[Note: this story is behind a pay wall, hat tip to "R" for sharing.]
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Return of the Wolf God
A recently identified wolf subspecies ranges far wider than first imagined: across Africa.
By Cheryl Lyn Dybas - Natural History April 4, 2013
Woollff! shouted Lajos Nemeth-Boka, lead naturalist and tour leader at GreenEye Ecotours. It was November of 2007. Nemeth-Boka was driving slowly along the west bank of the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan. “An animal crossed the road in front of us, coming from the Nile’s shore and running toward the Sahara sands,” he says. “I’ve seen jackals and I’ve seen wolves, and there is a big difference between the two. This was clearly a wolf.”
As it turned out, he was right. The first clues had come thousands of years earlier. But the wolf in jackal’s clothing wasn’t proved to be such until 2011, four years after Nemeth-Boka’s sighting. In the fifth century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus reported that there were wolves in Egypt, describing them as no bigger than foxes. A century later, Aristotle reiterated that these Egyptian wolves were smaller than those of his homeland. And in the first century BC, the Greek historian Diodorus recounted a story that once a Nubian army, invading Egypt from the south, had been repelled by packs of wolves. The wolves drove the army all the way south from the town of Asyut to the then border, earning the town the Greek name of Lycopolis, “city of the wolf.”
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cwowchm (http://tinyurl.com/cwowchm)
Post by: bearpaw on April 06, 2013, 11:11:45 PM
Panhandle wolf season ends
April 4, 2013 CdA Press [Idaho]
The wolf hunting and trapping seasons closed March 31 in most parts of the state, including the Panhandle.
As of April 1, hunters had killed 192 wolves and trappers 114 for a total of 306 wolves. Last year, hunters and trappers killed 379 wolves.
In the Panhandle 17 were harvested by hunting and 49 by trapping.
The wolf hunting season remains open in the Lolo and Selway wolf management zones, and trapping is now closed.
Last week, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Commission extended the current wolf hunting season in the Middle Fork and part of the Dworshak-Elk City wolf management zones.
The commission extended the wolf hunting season through June 30 in the Middle Fork units 20A, 26 and 27 and in the part of the Dworshak-Elk-City Unit 16 north of the Selway River. These seasons were scheduled to end March 31.
For information see http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/wolves/ (http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/wolves/)
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Shock! In Wyoming It’s Legal to Slaughter Wolf Pups in Their Dens.
Endangered in some states and fair game in this one, wolves have long been the victims of human cruelty - and there may be more on the way.
By Maria Goodavage April 3, 2013 - Take Part
The term “wolf denning” sounds kind of warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? It conjures up images of a wolf mom with various members of the pack nurturing new pups that do nothing but sleep, eat, and play in the den.
But I recently learned that “wolf denning” refers to the killing of wolf pups in or near their dens.
In many parts of the U.S., wolves are still protected by the federal endangered species act, but in certain areas where reintroduction efforts in the mid-1990s have been successful, the animals are fair game.
According to Defenders of Wildlife’s John Motsinger, since October 2012 Wyoming has allowed wolves to be killed year-round, without a license and by almost any means, across 85 percent of the state—the so-called “predator zone.”
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http://tinyurl.com/bpfl87x (http://tinyurl.com/bpfl87x)
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Madison resident hopes to bring voice of non-hunters to Conservation Congress
by Ron Seely - Wisconsin State Journal April 6, 2013
With recent months having brought everything from the state's first wolf hunt to a noisy debate over trapping and hunting in state parks, non-hunters and animal activists in Wisconsin are arguing that powerful hunting groups are wielding too much influence with the state Legislature and the Department of Natural Resources.
Now, some of those activists are hoping to crash the party of one of state's most influential pro-hunting groups — the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
Melissa Smith, a Madison resident who has helped lead opposition to wolf hunting in the state, has declared herself a candidate for the Conservation Congress, a popular statewide organization that advises the state Department of Natural Resources on outdoor sporting issues.
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http://tinyurl.com/coqsaxj (http://tinyurl.com/coqsaxj)
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Poisoned meatballs found in central Idaho, 1 dog sickened
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 06, 2013
SALMON, Idaho — State and federal authorities say 10 poisoned meatballs have been found in central Idaho near Salmon.
Officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued the warning Friday after a pet dog was treated by a veterinarian after eating poisoned bait. The dog is expected to recover.
Officials tell KIFI-TV (http://bit.ly/17j0mFw (http://bit.ly/17j0mFw)) there could be more of the poisoned meatballs in the Badger Basin area.
Post by: bearpaw on April 07, 2013, 06:53:00 PM
The first year of a wolf, from conception
by Rich Landers April 3, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Northern Rockies gray wolf packs are highly structured socially. Only the alpha male and alpha female breed.
Generally, according to Washington Fish and Wildlife biologists:
* Mating occurs in January.
* Pups are born in dens in April and the pack supports the nursing mother with food.
* The female and pups begin uniting with the pack at a rendezvous site in May.
* Pups are weaned in June.
* By October, the pups are actively hunting with the pack.
* By December, the pups appear full size and some older wolves may have been dispersed from the pack to take care of themselves and find new mates and territories.
* Wolf packs are known to kill other wolves as they expand or defend territories averaging 350 square miles. Dispersing wolves are especially vulnerable.
A pack is defined as a minimum of two wolves hanging out together.
A breeding pack must have a minimum of one male and one female wolf hanging out together during the winter breeding period.
Source w/photo:
http://tinyurl.com/c8d4q5j (http://tinyurl.com/c8d4q5j)
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Decline in wolves? Not bloody likely
Daily Inter Lake March 28, 2013
One probably shouldn’t read too much into a state report indicating that Montana’s wolf population declined slightly last year for the first in almost a decade.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is reporting that the state ended 2012 with at least 625 wolves in 147 packs roaming the landscape, roughly a 4 percent decline from 653 animals in the 2011 minimum count.
The key words here are “at least” and “minimum count.”
Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have long stressed that the counts represent the number of wolves that were visually observed, mostly by tracking packs that contained wolves bearing radio collars. They also acknowledge there are actually more wolves than the counts indicate.
And that stands to reason, considering that counting depends on getting radio collars in the field through trapping efforts that may be more or less successful from one year to the next.
The main reason for having minimum counts is to ensure that populations do not drop below a desired population threshold. State officials say about 400 to 500 are needed to maintain a sustainable population. Wolf hunting and trapping quotas were lifted across most of the state last year, but those limits could return if the minimum drops below the target threshold.
That seems highly unlikely though, considering how successful wolves have been at re-establishing themselves at the top of the food chain in Montana.
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Post by: denali on April 09, 2013, 03:33:43 PM
WENATCHEE — Ross Hurd spent last week building fences on his family's cattle ranch and then brought their cows home from the open range over the weekend.
Normally the roughly 60 head of cattle and crop of spring calves would be roaming the 5,000-acre Hurd ranch south of Wenatchee until early May, when they are rounded up for branding.
Hurd and his brothers are being forced to make some changes after two wolves showed up last month.
“The state wants us to put fences around them and keep them there for awhile, so we’re doing it,” Hurd said Friday.
The Hurds have not seen any evidence of the wolves in nearly two weeks. But Ross Hurd said he and wildlife officials expect that they will be back.
“The biologist said that once they set their territory they will come back,” he said. “So we’re going to be prepared for them. Hopefully we’ll have the cows out of their range in a protected area.”
“The game plan is that we make sure the cattle do not become wolf feed and, hopefully when the deer and elk migrate up into the hills the wolves will follow them.”
Hurd said that if and when state wildlife biologists are able to get tracking collars on one or both of the wolves, then they can allow their cows to use open range but bring them in when state biologists tell them the wolves are getting close.
“It’s not easy to round them all up,” Hurd said. “But at least it’s a plan we can live with.”
The wolves were first spotted on the Hurd’s property about two weeks ago, when state wildlife officers went there to investigate a dead cow. Before that, remote cameras set up on the property captured images of two wolves scavenging an elk carcass.
Hurd said 14 deer, two bull elk and one pregnant cow died on his property within the span of a few weeks while the wolves were known to be there. Wildlife officers have not confirmed that the wolves killed any of the animals, but did say they scavenged the elk and cow after they died.
By Monday afternoon, he’d rounded up and fenced in the majority of the herd. Just one adult cow was still unaccounted for, he said. But they won’t know for another month whether there is any noticeable decline in the number of calves.
Hurd said his family has been ranching in the canyon for more than 100 years and this is the first time they’ve had to fence in cows because of predators. When they used to raise sheep, they penned them to protect against domestic dogs and coyotes, though.
“Wolves are going to be the hardest predator to deal with, I think,” he said. “We just don’t know what the outcome will be. But we’re trying to prepare for them being here the best we can.”
Michelle McNiel: 664-7152
Post by: denali on April 16, 2013, 11:12:53 AM
Wolf management options remain alive at Capitol
By STEVE BROWN
Capital Press
OLYMPIA -- Two wolf-related proposals are still getting attention in the Washington State Capitol, their backers say.
Senate Bill 5187, sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, would authorize the owner of livestock to kill a gray wolf without a permit or license if it is attacking or threatening livestock or another domestic animal.
SB5193, also a Smith bill, would allow the State Wildlife Account to be used for compensating owners of livestock for damage caused by wolves. It also would create a new account to be used for the mitigation, assessment and payment of claims for livestock losses due to wolf predation, and it would remove the condition that a livestock owner must raise livestock for sale to qualify for wildlife damage compensation.
The first, because it's a policy bill, essentially died in committee, Smith said. "However, because 5193 has a financial element, it can still be brought forward, and its title is broad enough to include 5187," he said. "We're still discussing options in how they can move forward."
"We've heard some support from the governor's office and his natural resource policy folks, and they're having some conversation," Tom Davis, director of government relations for the Washington State Farm Bureau, said. "As wolves continue to recover in the northeastern part of the state, it is critical that additional tools be made available for the landowners most impacted by wolves."
April 17 is the last day to consider bills from the opposite house. Lawmakers will still be able to consider initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, differences between the houses and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session.
Other legislation still active:
* HB1113, requiring the Department of Ecology to identify beforehand any peer-reviewed science it relied on in preparing a significant agency action, passed both the House and the Senate unanimously.
* HB1209, extending the program establishing Christmas tree grower licensure, passed both the House and the Senate with one dissenting vote.
* HB1770, allowing the appointment of nonvoting advisory members to commodity boards, passed both the House and the Senate unanimously.
* HB1950, designating certain hydroelectric generation from a generation facility located in irrigation pipes, irrigation canals and wastewater pipes as an eligible renewable resource, awaits a vote in the Senate.
* SB5078, modifying the property tax exemption for nonprofit fairs, awaits a vote by the House.
* SB5767, requiring the Department of Agriculture, upon request by a licensed milk producer, to issue an official individual identification tag (green tag) for bull calves and free-martins under 30 days of age, has passed both the Senate and the House with two dissenting votes.
Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 04:47:31 AM
Wildlife official says wolves unlikely to thrive outside Wyoming’s northwestern corner
April 8, 2013 The Missoulian
CODY, WYO. — After nearly two decades since their reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park, population trends show that gray wolves are unlikely to thrive in sections of Wyoming outside the northwestern corner of the state.
Many wolf supporters remain dissatisfied with Wyoming’s so-called “dual status” management approach, which classifies wolves as trophy game in the area around Yellowstone and as predators elsewhere. But a state wildlife official said Thursday that policy changes won’t have much effect on wolf numbers across most of the state.
Relatively poor habitat and higher rates of development make most of Wyoming a place where wolves have had—and will continue to experience—trouble establishing thriving packs, said Mark Bruscino, supervisor of the large carnivore section of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Bruscino spoke about the past and future of wolf management in Wyoming during a lecture at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
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Endangered Wolf Center Calls Upon Mexican Gray Wolf to Help Raise Funds
BY cheryl hughey Monday, April 08, 2013 - StL Today
In a creative move that supports their animal-centered approach, the Endangered Wolf Center has chosen Apache, a Mexican gray wolf, to serve as their spokesperson for their annual campaign.
Apache was born on May 2, 1998 to Cheech and Juanita at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Mo. As the elder statesman of the Center, Apache is a living tribute to the successful reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves to North America.
“There are only 75 Mexican gray wolves remaining in the wild. This wolf is the most endangered mammal in North America and the Center has been making great strides reintroducing them back into the wilderness. Every Mexican gray wolf in the wild can trace its lineage back to the Endangered Wolf Center,” said Regina Mossotti, Director of Animal Care and Conservation.
Donations for the Endangered Wolf Center’s annual fund can be made by visiting their website at www.endangeredwolfcenter.org (http://www.endangeredwolfcenter.org), by calling 636-938-5900 or by mailing a check directly to the 501c(3) at P.O. Box 760, Eureka, Mo. 63025.
Source:
http://interact.stltoday.com/pr/non-profits/PR040813101512468 (http://interact.stltoday.com/pr/non-profits/PR040813101512468)
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Wolf-dog still missing from Rist Canyon sanctuary
April 8, 2013 The Coloradoan
A female wolf-dog is still missing after escaping her enclosure at W.O.L.F Sanctuary in Rist Canyon Sunday morning.
“Cree” is about 8 years old, around 62 pounds and has reddish white and brown coloring, according to sanctuary manager Steve Shaffer.
W.O.L.F. Sanctuary, or Wolves Offered Life and Friendship, is a 180-acre sanctuary that rescues and cares for nearly 30 captive-bred wolves and wolf-dogs, providing a permanent home for the animals at the sanctuary after rescue.
Cree came to the sanctuary from Arizona on Friday and still is recovering from being spayed Saturday. Sanctuary staff said she’s the first animal to escape the sanctuary and that they believe she came over the top of the enclosure.
“This is an isolated incident and our enclosures are keeping our animals safe and contained,” said Executive Director Shelley Coldiron. “Cree became the exception... We’re making modifications to her enclosure to prevent her from being able to do this again.”
Shaffer said the wolf-dog was named upon arrival and likely won’t respond to her name. Cree is “extremely afraid” of people and will run if approached.
All residents in the area have been notified and sanctuary staff are searching for her.
If you think you see Cree, don’t attempt to catch her, Shaffer added. Instead, call W.O.L.F. at (970) 416-9531.
“Wolves and wolf-dogs don’t get aggressive unless they’re cornered,” Shaffer said. “If people try to catch her, she’s just going to run. Give us a call and let us herd her back.”
[Note: story is from a subscription site, hat tip to "R" for sharing.]
Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 04:49:09 AM
Local YP Wolf Report
A black wolf was seen near the Yellow Pine Campground a couple of days ago.
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Another Mexican gray wolf found dead in Southwest
04/09/2013 The Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Another Mexican gray wolf has been found dead in the Southwest, but federal officials have refused to provide any details.
The wolf reintroduction team confirmed in its latest monthly report that the male wolf died in March.
However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the troubled wolf program, would not say where the animal was found or how it might have died. This marks what is believed to be the second death this year of an endangered Mexican gray wolf.
In January, an employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services shot what officials described as a "canine."
The employee reported the shooting because the animal looked like a Mexican wolf after closer inspection. Tests are being done, but federal officials have been tightlipped about the case.
Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 04:51:25 AM
Wolf population drops in state
10 packs documented in southern Idaho mountains
By KATHERINE WUTZ Idaho Mountain Express April 10, 2013
The number of wolves in Idaho continued to drop in 2013, even as the number of packs in the state increased.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game released its annual wolf monitoring report Tuesday. The report states not only the estimated population of wolves in Idaho but the number of packs and the estimated number of pups that were born this year and survived.
The report states that the Idaho wolf population fell 11 percent between December 2011 and December 2012. The report states that a decline in pack sizes is likely due to wolf harvest and depredation control (wolves killed by wildlife officials for killing livestock).
The agency estimated that there were about 683 wolves in Idaho at the end of 2012; down from 768 in 2011 and 777 in 2010. The population rose steadily between reintroduction in 1995 and 1996, when populations were 14 wolves and 42 wolves, respectively. Numbers climbed to a peak of 856 in 2009, then fell sharply with the first state-allowed wolf hunt in 2009-10.
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Fourteen Wyoming wolves harvested in 2013
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 10, 2013
Fourteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming's predator zone as of March 29, 2013, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Hunting within the trophy game area is currently closed, and the 2013 hunting seasons will be set by the WG&F Commission in July 2013.
Last year there were 42 wolves killed in the trophy game season, and an additional 25 wolves killed in the predator zone. There were also two wolves illegally killed after the hunt areas were closed in 2012.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Check here for hunting quota updates.
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx (http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx)
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Fences installed to protect cattle from wolves
Brett Wessler, Drovers Cattle Network 04/10/2013
A Washington state cattle producer is taking extra precautions to ensure his herd’s safety after wolves were spotted near the ranch.
Ross Hurd’s cattle are typically given 5,000 acres to roam during the spring until early May when the 60-head herd is collected for branding. This year Hurd has consolidated his herd to a smaller fenced section of his ranch south of Wenatchee, Wash. due to two gray wolves seen nearby.
Late last month, Hurd lost a pregnant cow and thought the two wolves might be responsible. An investigation by state wildlife biologists concluded the wolves were not responsible, but action may be needed if the wolves develop a taste for beef.
“We’re just kind of on pins and needles hoping that this livestock operator doesn’t have any more issues with dead cows,” said Matt Monda, regional wildlife program manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Yakima Herald. “Once wolves learn that livestock is a meal, then we will have to go in and take action.”
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Wolf-hunt fees to compensate farmers for livestock losses
April 9, 2013 By Heidi Clausen - The Country Today
STONE LAKE — Revenue generated via application and license sales in the 2012 Wisconsin wolf-hunting season will help compensate farmers who have lost livestock as a result of wolf depredation.
David Ruid, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said 117 wolves were harvested last year in Wisconsin.
The approximately $289,000 raised through fees will be used to reimburse producers for livestock they’ve lost to wolf attacks.
“There’s an earmark now for compensation,” Ruid said. “Claims won’t be paid until the next year when they know what revenue was generated. If you have a loss today, you won’t get a check until 2014.”
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No dogs in Wisconsin wolf hunt, outdoorsmen vote
Associated Press 04/10/2013
Wisconsin outdoor enthusiasts who attended the Conservation Congress' spring hearings narrowly voted to ban wolf hunters from using dogs, even though they overwhelmingly approved new regulations governing the practice on the same ballot.
The congress is an influential group of sportsmen who advise the Department of Natural Resources on policy. Every year the congress holds statewide hearings and asks attendees to vote on a number of outdoor issues.
This spring's ballot asked attendees if they supported new regulations for wolf hunters who use dogs and if they supported legislation prohibiting dog use.
Attendees overwhelmingly supported the regulations. But they voted 2,631 to 2,494 in favor of legislation ending dog use on wolves.
Larry Bonde is vice chairman of the congress. He said he can't explain the dichotomy.
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State officials to recommend a wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula
By Steve Carmody Michigan Public Media April 10, 2013
State wildlife officials plan to recommend Thursday that Michigan hold a wolf hunt this Fall in the U.P.
Gray wolves in Michigan were until recently listed as an endangered species. There are about 700 wolves in Michigan. Farmers say the growing wolf population is a threat to livestock.
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission will receive a recommendation to kill 47 wolves, as part of a hunt, focused in three parts of the Upper Peninsula. The commission may vote next month to set the dates for a wolf hunt.
Those opposed to the proposed wolf hunt complain the animal’s population is still too small and a hunt could cause permanent damage.
One group has collected over a quarter million signatures on petitions to put the issue on the 2014 ballot.
Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:04:27 AM
Wyoming Game and Fish Department proposes cut in wolf quota after last year's successful hunt
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 11, 2013
CASPER, Wyoming — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is proposing to reduce wolf hunting quotas by half this fall because of the state's successful first hunt last year.
The wolf population could not withstand another 52-wolf quota without coming dangerously close to the required minimum set in Wyoming's delisting plan, said Mark Bruscino, the department's large carnivore program supervisor.
If wolf numbers drop below the minimum requirement, it could lead to re-listing the wolf as an endangered species, which results in special federal protections.
"Our intent the first year was to reduce the population," Bruscino said. "We estimated we would reduce it in the trophy game area and seasonal game area by 11 percent and we actually reduced it about 12 percent."
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Senate committee OKs bill that could render meaningless a proposed referendum on wolf hunting
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 11, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — A state Senate panel has voted to let the Michigan Natural Resources Commission decide which animals can be hunted, which could render meaningless a proposed referendum on wolf hunting.
Now only the Legislature can designate wildlife as game species that hunters can pursue. A law enacted in December put wolves on the list. Opponents have gathered petition signatures for a 2014 statewide vote that could overturn the measure.
But a bill approved Thursday by a committee of the Republican-controlled Senate also would let the seven-member Natural Resources Commission designate game species. That could mean wolves are hunted regardless of what voters say.
The Senate's environment committee approved the bill on a party-line vote, with five Republicans in favor and two Democrats opposed. It now goes to the Senate floor.
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DNR says Michigan gray wolf population declines slightly in past 2 years, now estimated at 658
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 11, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — Michigan's gray wolf population has declined slightly as state officials consider scheduling a hunting season in the Upper Peninsula this fall.
The Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday the latest estimate is that 658 wolves roam the U.P. That's down from 687 two years ago.
Biologist Adam Bump tells the Michigan Natural Resources Commission the DNR recommends having a hunt in November and December in which 43 wolves could be killed. It would be held in three sections of the U.P.
One area includes the city of Ironwood and the adjacent township on the western end. The second takes in parts of Baraga, Houghton, Ontonagon and Gogebic counties. The third includes portions of Luce and Mackinac counties in the eastern U.P.
Local ordinances involving discharge of firearms would still apply.
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Famous Oregon wolf is alive and well, but lonely
April 11, 2013 Mail Tribune
I was so happy to read about OR-7 traveling back to Oregon to try to find a mate. My question is about a Mail Tribune article last year that had OR-7 traveling to another state (I'm not sure which one), where it is legal to hunt wolves — and that he was shot and killed. Were we misinformed or is there another OR-7?
- Dolores S., via email
Well, Dolores, you can rest assured that OR-7 is still out and about in Oregon. You seem to have mistaken him for two of his less-fortunate brethren.
A collared gray wolf, OR-9, left northeastern Oregon's Imnaha pack two months earlier than his brother OR-7, traveling in a different direction and toward a different fate. He migrated to Idaho, where he was shot and killed in February 2012 by a hunter near a cattle feedlot and winter calving area near the town of Emmett, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The hunter had an expired wolf tag, but he received just a warning because he had been given incorrect information from a clerk, who told him he could fill that tag legally, Idaho officials said at the time.
In February, Idaho officials reported that collared gray wolf OR-16 was shot and killed legally by a hunter holding an Idaho wolf tag. That wolf, from the Walla Walla pack in northwestern Oregon, had traveled across the Snake River and into Idaho in January.
After spending about three weeks in Jackson County, OR-7 has been in eastern Douglas County for more than a week, says Michelle Dennehy, wolf program spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Cobourg woman tells terrifying tale of coyote attack
Worst part was 'the squealing and crying'
Karen Longwell Apr 11, 2013 Northumberland News
COBOURG [Ontario, Canada] -- When Cobourg resident Sam Kelly's little dog started barking at something on her lawn, she wasn't worried at first.
Griffey, a five-year-old pug/dachshund mix, wanted to go outside around 8 p.m. on March 7, said Ms. Kelly. Griffey has back problems so Ms. Kelly stayed with him because she had to carry him back up the steps. It was dark in the yard and Ms. Kelly put him on a lead tied to a post. The yard, which backs onto Burnham Manor Park, is not fenced in the back because Ms. Kelly and her family moved in on Feb. 1. She planned to install a fence when the ground thawed, she said.
After he did his business, Griffey started to bark at something and he took off to the edge of the yard as far as his lead would take him, she said.
"I wasn't worried because he was tied up," she said. "I thought it was a dog."
Then she saw a coyote. Ms. Kelly pulled on the leash and called Griffey.
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Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:06:41 AM
Otter gets out veto pen; nixes bill to divert Fish and Game dollars to wolf control fund
By HANNAH FURFARO - Associated Press April 12, 2013
BOISE, Idaho — Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has vetoed a pair of bills, including legislation that called for diverting money from Idaho Fish and Game to a program aimed at managing problem wolves.
That bill sponsored by Midvale Republican Rep. Judy Boyle would have moved $100,000 currently used for hunter access to a separate program focused on eliminating wolves that prey on livestock and prized game like elk and deer.
Otter vetoed the bill Thursday, saying it could create a rift between sportsman and livestock producers — two groups he says are vital to controlling predatory wolves.
He also says stakeholders weren't consulted or given the chance to review the proposal.
Otter also killed a second bill Thursday that would shift power to the attorney general to investigate misconduct by elected county officials.
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Wolf numbers drop in Northern Rockies as hunting drives down populations in Mont., Idaho, Wyo.
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press April 12, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Aggressive gray wolf hunting and trapping took a toll in much of the Northern Rockies last year as the predator's population saw its most significant decline since being reintroduced to the region two decades ago.
Yet state and federal wildlife officials said Friday that the population remains healthy overall, despite worries among some wildlife advocates over high harvest rates. Its range is even expanding in some areas as packs take hold in new portions of eastern Washington state and Oregon.
Overall, biologists tallied a minimum of 1,674 wolves in 321 packs across the six-state Northern Rockies region at the end of 2012. That marks a 7 percent decline.
"We expected the states to bring the population down and that's what's been happening," said Mike Jimenez, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "They are bringing it down gradually."
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Humane societies appeal Wisconsin judge's dog-wolf hunting decision
By TODD RICHMOND - Associated Press April 12, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — A group of humane societies Friday appealed a Dane County judge's ruling that wolf hunters can use dogs, extending their fight to erase one of the most polarizing elements of Wisconsin's wolf season.
The humane societies and the National Wolfwatcher Coalition filed a lawsuit last summer alleging the state Department of Natural Resources failed to impose any real restrictions on wolf hunters using dogs when the agency set up the framework for the first wolf season. They argued the agency had set the stage for bloody wolf-dog brawls.
Judge Peter C. Anderson earlier this year barred hunters from training dogs to hunt wolves in Wisconsin. But he ruled hunters could run dogs on wolves during the season.
The societies and the coalition sent a notice of appeal to the 4th District Court of Appeals on Friday morning.
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Battle Creek zoo plays part in wolf legacy project
By ANDY FITZPATRICK - Battle Creek Enquirer April 12, 2013
BATTLE CREEK, Michigan — Future generations of Mexican gray wolves will be able to thank Binder Park Zoo for their existence.
In February, the zoo participated in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan program, collecting genetic material from the population of male Mexican wolves to be stored for future breeding.
Researchers from the St. Louis Zoo, where the Battle Creek wolves' semen will be stored alongside wolf material from other institutions, worked with Binder Park Zoo on the project, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"There's a moratorium on natural breeding, meaning that they're pausing that natural breeding process because they just don't have enough places to put these animals in captive settings," Binder Park Zoo veterinarian Dr. Judilee Marrow told the Battle Creek Enquirer ( http://bcene.ws/ZeDd6z (http://bcene.ws/ZeDd6z) ).
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Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:08:22 AM
Otter vetoes bill to divert funds to wolf control
HANNAH FURFAR, Associated Press Friday, April 12, 2013
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has taken out his veto pen and nixed a pair of bills, including one measure calling on Idaho Fish and Game to divert up to $100,000 to a program aimed at managing the state's wolf population.
The second measure would have given the attorney general power to investigate elected county officials in certain circumstances.
The Republican governor's decision to reject the bills Thursday mark the only two vetoes so far this year and come a week after lawmakers wrapped up the 2013 Legislature.
The bill intended to divert money from Fish and Game was sponsored by Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale. It would have moved funds currently used to improve hunting access for sportsmen to a separate program focused on eliminating wolves that prey on livestock and prized game like elk and deer.
In a letter explaining his decision, Otter cited concerns that Fish and Game and sportsmen didn't have an appropriate chance to weigh in.
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Link to the governor’s veto messages on HB 278, the wolf funds bill,
(249 kb 2 page pdf fie)
http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2013/04/Veto-message-HB278.pdf (http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2013/04/Veto-message-HB278.pdf)
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Wolf status summed up for Idaho, Mont., Wyo.
by Rich Landers April 12, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists weighed in today, confirming that the Northern Rockies gray wolf population has remained sustainable two years after wolves lost their endangered species protections in most of the region.
The latest wolf status updates on 2012 wolf monitoring in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming found that aggressive hunting, and some trapping, in the three states lowered the overall number of wolves for the first time in years.
Overall, biologists tallied a minimum of 1,674 wolves across the five states at the end of 2012, a 6 percent decline.
However, the wolf population that burgeoned under protections for more than a decade are still FIVE TIMES higher than the federal government’s original recovery goal, set in the 1990s, of at least 300 wolves in the region.
That goal was achieved in 2002, but lawsuits stalled wolf management for years and the population soared.
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National Park Service sees drop in wolf numbers, says it coincides with state predator control
By MARY PEMBERTON - Associated Press April 12, 2013
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A large decline in wolves inside one of Alaska's national preserves is coinciding with a state-sanctioned program to kill the animals near the boundaries of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, a National Park Service official said Friday.
Federal biologists discovered a more than 50 percent decline, the highest on record, by comparing the number of wolves spotted in aerial surveys done last fall and this spring in a 2.5 million-acre conservation area in the preserve along the Canadian border.
"The drop is substantially more than normal and coincides with predator control efforts by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game conducted near the preserve," the Park Service said in a news release.
Alaska has practiced predator control for a decade in multiple areas in order to reduce predators and increase moose and caribou populations. Techniques vary, but the most common method of reducing wolves is to have them shot from aircraft. The state's predator control program near Yukon-Charley began in 2009 with the shooting of wolves from helicopters.
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Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:11:56 AM
Wolf harvest lower than last year
By LAURA ROADY Hagadone News April 14, 2013
In the [Idaho] Panhandle Region, wolf harvest was slightly lower than last year after the season closed on March 31. Between hunting and trapping, 70 wolves were harvested during the 2012-2013 season (reported as of April 3) versus 76 wolves during the 2011-2012 season.
Harvest by trapping increased this season with 51 wolves being harvested versus 43 last year. Harvest by hunting decreased from 33 to 19 wolves.
As of April 3, overall wolf harvest in Idaho was less than the previous season. During the 2012-2013 season 312 wolves were harvested between hunting and trapping. During the 2011-2012 season 379 wolves were harvested.
The hunting season for wolves has been extended in the Lolo, Selway, Middle Fork, and portions of the Dworshak-Elk City regions until June 30.
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After Legal Challenge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rescinds Permit to Trap Border-crossing Wolves in the Southwest
April 11, 2013 Center for Biological Diversity
SILVER CITY, N.M.— Just two weeks after a legal challenge by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rescinded a permit it had granted itself and other federal and state agencies to trap wolves that cross into Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico. The contested “take permit” authorized wolves to be trapped and kept indefinitely in captivity, even though by law those wolves should be fully protected under the Endangered Species Act.
“We’re glad the government rescinded this permit, which would have damaged prospects of real recovery for Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest and Mexico,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The fact is that this permit should never have been on the books in the first place. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service never provided an opportunity for public comment on this permit and never bothered to publicly disclose it until after our legal challenge.”
A month after Mexico initiated a wolf-reintroduction program in October 2011 the Fish and Wildlife Service granted itself and other agencies authority to live-trap wolves from Mexico if they entered the United States. Last year the Center for Biological Diversity warned the Fish and Wildlife Service that the permit was illegal and filed a lawsuit in late March.
The U.S.-run Mexican wolf-reintroduction program in Arizona and New Mexico — which is about 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border — allows capture as well as shooting of wolves under some circumstances. Government abuse of that authority has contributed to suppression of wolf numbers as well as genetic inbreeding.
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http://tinyurl.com/c3wp6bm (http://tinyurl.com/c3wp6bm)
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Debate over wolf hunt continues
Senate committee moves to counter vote
April 13, 2013 By John Pepin - Marquette Mining Journal
MARQUETTE - The state Senate Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee passed legislation to the full Senate on a 5-2 vote Thursday that could counter efforts by animal rights activists and others to block a potential Michigan wolf hunt.
In December, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill into law that reclassified gray wolves as a game species and authorized a wolf hunt. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission - which would set provisions for a hunt - is considering whether to establish a limited fall harvest of 47 animals from three wolf management zones in the Upper Peninsula, based on a Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommendation.
The commission could decide whether to adopt the recommendation next month.
Meanwhile, state election officials are working to determine whether enough valid petition signatures were submitted recently to put the question of whether to repeal the wolf hunt law on the statewide November 2014 election ballot. If enough signatures are valid, a wolf hunt could not be held until after the election.
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Wisconsin DNR names new specialist to handle wolves, bears, cougars
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 14, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — The state Department of Natural Resources has named a new carnivore manager.
David MacFarland has worked as a wolf, bear and furbearer scientist for the agency since 2010. He helped design the regulatory framework for the state's first organized wolf hunt last fall.
He began an assignment as the DNR's carnivore staff specialist, a new position within the agency's Bureau of Wildlife Management on April 7. He's now responsible for the bureau's wolf and bear management efforts as well as cougar response programs.
MacFarland holds a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Messiah College. He also has a master's degree in conservation biology and sustainable development and a doctorate in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He's stationed in Rhinelander.
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Sheriff: Meat pile likely poison bait
Dog walkers advised to keep animals on leash
by Katherine Wutz April 12, 2013 Idaho Mountain Express
A dog walker and pro-wolf activist said she found what appears to be poisoned meat near Corral Creek, east of Sun Valley, on Wednesday, and the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging people to keep their dogs on leashes as a result.
Lynne Stone said she found roughly two pounds of fresh hamburger on Wednesday morning near the barricade that closes off Corral Creek Road during the winter. Stone said she had gone to walk her dog when she noticed the strange pile.
“It obviously didn’t belong there and had intentionally been put there,” she said. “I have no idea if it was tainted or not.”
Stone said she was suspicious of the meat because of an incident in August when her dog ate some strange meat in Lake Creek, north of Ketchum, that was later found to contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener poisonous to canines. The dog threw up the meat and survived, though another dog did die as a result of also consuming meat in the area.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146887 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005146887)
Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:14:09 AM
Wolf Count: Numbers Up in Oregon, Washington; Down In Idaho
April 15, 2013 - Northwest News Network
There are fewer wolves overall in the West, but Oregon and Washington’s wolf populations continue to grow. That’s according to the federal government’s annual gray wolf tally, released Friday. As Jessica Robinson reports, the count has also revealed the initial effect of a controversial wolf hunting season in Idaho.
In the 2011-12 season, Idaho hunters and trappers killed nearly 400 wolves. Yet the population count decreased by just 63 animals, or 11 percent.
David Allen heads the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He says when you take into account new pups, the once-endangered wolves are now stable.
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Hunting takes a bite out of wolf populations in 3 western states.
Biologists said overall wolf populations are healthy in six Northern Rockies states, with a minimum of 1,674 wolves in 321 packs at the end of last year reported in those states, a seven percent decline from 2011.
Flathead Beacon; April 15, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d2reul4 (http://tinyurl.com/d2reul4)
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WG&F proposes to cut wolf quota by half
by Wyoming Game and Fish Department April 15, 2013
CHEYENNE - Officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department say the state's efforts at wolf management to date have been successful. In a report released by the department today, WGFD wolf managers detail their work at managing and monitoring wolves over the past seven months.
Wyoming assumed management authority for wolves on September 30, 2012. The first year's hunting season was designed to reduce the wolf populations in the state using a conservative, adaptive approach. Wyoming's wolf management plan includes a dual-status designation for wolves, which allows for regulated hunting seasons in parts of northwest Wyoming and unlimited wolf hunting in the rest of the state.
"We are very pleased with the results of our wolf management program thus far in Wyoming," said WGFD Chief Game Warden Brian Nesvik. "Based on public input and thorough scientific analysis, we set a goal of reducing the wolf population in the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area and Seasonal Wolf Trophy Game Management Area from 192 to 172 individual wolves in 2012. Results of our intensive population monitoring show that we ended the hunting season with 169 wolves in these areas. Wolf breeding pairs were also reduced from 19 to 15. The year-end data suggest that Wyoming's dual-status plan is working and we can maintain a recovered population of wolves while minimizing conflicts and providing hunting opportunity. I want to recognize wolf hunters, who were extremely cooperative throughout the season by helping us monitor hunting activity and collect important biological data. I am also very proud of the work our personnel did to put the wolf plan into action and achieve our intended goals."
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http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/WGFproposestocutwolf.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/WGFproposestocutwolf.htm)
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Wolf advisory council shares management ideas with Montana FWP.
The Montana Wolf Management Advisory Council, formed a decade ago to help the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission develop a wolf management strategy, reconvened on Friday to offer ideas on tweaking that strategy now that hunting and trapping have commenced.
Helena Independent Record; April 14, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d9boqsx (http://tinyurl.com/d9boqsx)
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Thousands Call for Investigation of Wildlife Services' Killing of Mexican Wolf, Alleged Cover-up
15 April 2013 (ENEWSPF)
Silver City, N.M.-- Fifteen thousand people from around the country are calling on Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to investigate the apparent killing of a Mexican gray wolf by a Wildlife Services employee and the subsequent cover-up of the incident. Although the killing happened months ago in New Mexico, the public didn't learn about it until it was reported by the Albuquerque Journal on April 4th. Wildlife Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has refused to publicly discuss the killing.
“Wildlife Services is an agency out of control,” said Michael Robinson, wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, which is leading the call for the investigation into the wolf shooting. “The killing of a rare Mexican wolf and the cover-up of the incident are each travesties that demand investigation and vigorous prosecution.”
Wildlife Services is a secretive federal agency that kills millions of animals every year, largely on behalf of the livestock industry, with little to no public accountability. Members of Congress have recently called for an investigation into the agency’s practices after media stories revealed the torture of coyotes, the deaths of family pets and golden eagles and other troubling practices.
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Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:16:04 AM
Wolf attacks deer in Wenatchee residential area; deputy kills injured deer
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 16, 2013
WENATCHEE, Washington — A wolf attacked a deer Tuesday morning in a residential area on the west side of Wenatchee.
Residents called the Chelan County sheriff's office and a deputy arrived and found the injured deer.
Undersheriff John Wisemore told The Wenatchee World (http://bit.ly/110UTOL (http://bit.ly/110UTOL)) the deputy killed the deer because it was too badly injured to survive.
Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Madonna Luers says a wildlife biologist examined the deer and found it had a broken leg, possibly from being hit by a car, which made it vulnerable to the wolf attack.
Two wolves were photographed by a remote camera in late March just south of Wenatchee, the first evidence of a wolf pack in Chelan County in recent history.
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Eastern Oregon ranchers ask lawmakers for more authority to kill wolves threatening livestock
By JONATHAN J. COOPER - Associated Press April 16, 2013
SALEM, Oregon — Eastern Oregon ranchers are asking the state Legislature for more authority to kill wolves that threaten their livestock, re-energizing a longstanding debate as the wolf population increases.
Ranchers told a House committee Tuesday that their existing authority to kill wolves caught in the act of attacking livestock isn't enough protection from the substantial losses they incur when wolves prey on cattle and sheep. Environmentalists warned that wolf populations might dwindle if ranchers have fewer hurdles to scale before they can legally kill a wolf.
Three Eastern Oregon legislators have proposed allowing ranchers to kill any gray wolf they reasonably believe has attacked or harassed their livestock — a significantly lower bar than the one in place today. Both sides are planning meetings to work on a compromise.
"We simply want to keep our livestock alive and out of harm's way," said Rod Childers, a Wallowa County rancher who leads a wolf committee for the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.
The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee took no action on the bill Tuesday.
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Silencing voters in Michigan
By Kristi Lloyd On April 16, 2013 The Wildlife News
In January of 2012 the gray wolves in Michigan lost their federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Eleven months later, late in Dec. 2012, a bill was introduced by R-Sen. Tom Casperson of Escanaba that would designate wolves as a game species. The bill was passed and Gov. Rick Snyder signed the bill.
Designating wolves as a game species opened the door to hunting wolves in MI. Michigan has the legal option to challenge legislature through the referendum process. With approximately 687 wolves and being delisted only less than a year, well within the estimated carrying capacity of up to 1,330 wolves in Upper Michigan, the Humane Society of the U.S. organized a ballot initiative. Keep Michigan Wolves Protected came into being and was the driving force behind a petition drive to put the possibility of a wolf hunt on the ballot in 2014.
After the bill was signed, KMWP had 90 days from the date of the signing to organize, collect a minimum of 161,000 signatures but set a goal of 225,000 in case some signatures were not valid per the Secretary of State. Volunteers were out and about at various locations throughout Michigan talking to people and gathering signatures for the petition, mostly in February—and outdoors. In 67 days not only was the goal of 225,000 signatures reached, but the final count was over 253,000! These signatures were from registered voters across the state.
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Post by: bearpaw on April 18, 2013, 05:21:26 AM
Gray wolf numbers released
Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Justyna Tomtas - Clark Fork Valley Press
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its’ 2012 Annual Report for the Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf population. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks estimate there are eight packs in Sanders County alone containing approximately 60 to 65 wolves.
According to the Service, “the annual report is conducted to monitor the wolf population to ensure that it continues to thrive under professional state management and no longer needs federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.”
According to CEO David Allen of The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a non-profit wildlife conservation group, the fact that wolf numbers have decreased but the numbers of packs has increased is significant.
The report states that as of December 3, 2012 there were 321 confirmed packs and 1,674 wolves within the Northern Rocky Mountain Region that includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The 2011 report showed there were 287 packs with a population of 1,796 wolves.
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Ranchers Want To Hunt Gray Wolves In Eastern Oregon
NBC April 17, 2013
Eastern Oregon legislators are asking for more leverage in killing gray wolves.
Currently, ranchers can get a permit to shoot a wolf if it is "caught-in-the-act" of attacking their livestock.
Ranchers say no one with a "caught-in-the-act" permit has ever killed a wolf because it is nearly impossible to catch them in the act.
the proposed change would allow ranchers to kill any gray wolf they "reasonably believe has attacked or harassed their livestock."
The 2012 gray wolf tally in Oregon was up to 46 wolves...from 26 wild wolves in 2011.
So far, the proposal has only been heard in a house committee.
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Wolf seen hunting near Wenatchee is a heads up to everyone
by Rich Landers April 17, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
A wolf witnessed hunting a deer in a Wenatchee residential area Tuesday is a dose of reality a little too close to home for some people.
It's a reminder that urban deer need to be controlled, and that we need to have measures in place so we can control wolves.
We need to be aware of wolves — all of us. The landscape has changed.
Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman magazine offers this reminder of the well reported developments in the past few years:
It’s a reminder that it’s not just ranchers who will need to adapt to living with the species, but mountain bikers, hikers, mushroom pickers and others who frequent the woods. They will also need to adjust their behavior and become more alert in the outdoors and better understand wolves’ proclivities to avoid the rare negative interactions.
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Wolf-related bills alive but sputtering in Olympia
by Rich Landers April 16, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
A day before the Washington Legislature’s deadline for bills to be considered by the opposite house, two wolf-related proposals are still alive.
But despite their merits and being approved by the state Senate, they’re gasping in the House — as a new crop of wolf pups is being born in dens across the East Side.
Senate Bill 5187, sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, would allow rural dwellers to kill a gray wolf caught in the act of attacking or threatening livestock or another domestic animal, no permit required.
This bill, supported by Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists, would go a long way in reducing the public tension in northeastern Washington, where locals feel they are being unfairly saddled with the dangers and impacts of wolf recovery.
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Mexican Wolf Releases in 3 weeks
Multiple livestock killer and habituated problem wolves
April 16, 2013 Wolf Crossing
Within three weeks, the Fish and Wildlife Service intends to release a pair of known problem wolves at McKenna Park in the Gila Wilderness. This is just 10 miles from several ranches in the region.
The female is F1108 (look up Mexican Wolf F1108 for more information on her) which was part of the Aspen Pack that officially killed 12 yearlings on the Adobe Ranch in 2007. The male is M1133 (look up Mexican Wolf M1133 for his history) which was the wolf that had to be darted and removed for loitering in a residential neighborhood in Reserve, NM this past January.
The only reason for this release is to introduce the DNA of F1108 into the existing wolf population in the wild to shore up deteriorating genetics.
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[Note: could not find info about the female, here is a story about the male.[
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Recently released Mexican wolf recaptured after pair failed to bond
Potential to breed in captivity greater for male wolf
Feb 13, 2013 Snoran News
PHOENIX – The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project’s Interagency Field Team (IFT) recently recaptured a radio-collared 4-year-old male Mexican wolf, designated M1133, near Reserve, N.M.
The wolf was released in early January in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area adjacent to the Bluestem Pack’s territory in an attempt to replace the pack’s breeding (alpha) male that was illegally killed in 2012. The decision was made to recapture M1133 when it became obvious that he had failed to bond with the Bluestem Pack alpha female and moved into an area in New Mexico where he was unlikely to encounter other wolves.
“It is important to remember that we are working to establish a genetically sound wolf population. It’s natural that all of us, including the Service, sometimes get swept up in the story of individual wolves,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest regional director. “While our management efforts may involve activities that affect an individual wolf or pack, our focus must be larger than that if we are to succeed in our Mexican wolf reintroduction goals.”
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Blue Range Wolf Reintroduction Area (BRWRA) Monthly Project Updates
April 15, 2013 FWS
Mexican Wolf Blue Range Reintroduction Project Monthly Update March 1-31, 2013
The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project (Project) activities in Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNF) and Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR) and in New Mexico on the Apache National Forest (ANF) and Gila National Forest (GNF). Non-tribal lands involved in this Project are collectively known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA).
Additional Project information can be obtained by calling (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653, or by visiting the Arizona Game and Fish Department website at http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf (http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf) or by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf. (http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf.)
Past updates may be viewed on either website, or interested parties may sign up to receive this update electronically by visiting http://www.azgfd.gov/signup. (http://www.azgfd.gov/signup.)
This update is a public document and information in it can be used for any purpose. The Reintroduction Project is a multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT).
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http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/BRWRP_notes.cfm (http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/BRWRP_notes.cfm)
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Bear baiting may put hunting dogs at risk from wolves
April 17, 2013 Science Codex
Bear hunters will tell you that a good way to attract a bear is to put out bait. And in 10 states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, that's perfectly legal. Hunting dogs are another useful technique in the bear-hunter's toolkit, and 17 states say that's just fine.
But who else likes bear bait? Gray wolves, that's who. And wolves that are feeling territorial about a bear bait stash can—and sometimes do—kill hunting dogs released at the bait site.
Like most interactions between wildlife and human beings, wolf attacks on hunting dogs illustrate a tangled trade-off: attracting bears for the hunters, attracting danger for their dogs.
Seeking possible ways to reduce potentially lethal encounters between wolves and bear hunting dogs, researchers at Michigan Technological University and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources compared bear hunting practices and regulations in Michigan and Wisconsin.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 08:31:53 AM
Wyoming wolf case stays in DC
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 17, 2013
The federal lawsuit over removing Wyoming wolves from the list of federally protected species filed by Defenders of Wildlife, The Humane Society of the United States, and other animal activists was filed in Washington DC, and will remain there, according to an order from a federal judge.
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/WYwolfcasestaysinDC.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/WYwolfcasestaysinDC.htm)
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April 19, 2013
Oregon House panel approves wolf bill
Thursday, April 18, 2013 By MITCH LIES - Wallowa County Chieftain
SALEM -- An Oregon House committee has passed a bill allowing ranchers in zones of chronic wolf depredation to kill wolves attacking or chasing livestock.
House Bill 3452 as amended allows ranchers to kill, or "take," wolves without a permit, the first permit-less take of wolves allowed since wolf packs began to re-inhabit Oregon earlier this century.
Wolves were hunted to extinction in Oregon in the early 1900s.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on April 18 moved the bill to the floor with a do-pass recommendation, with a stop in the House Rules Committee, where the bill could be further amended.
The bill also clarifies in statute that the state can lethally take wolves to address chronic depredation of livestock, a provision that would remove a stay on a current state order to kill two problem wolves from the Imnaha pack.
Wolves from the pack have killed more than two dozen head of livestock in recent years in Wallowa County.
The bill passed with only Rep. Jeff Reardon, D-Portland voting against it.
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Wolf group suggests bounty system to Montana’s FWP: Commission to set tentative wolf hunting, trapping rules in May
April 14, 2013 By Eve Byron of The Helena Independent Record
Establishing a roster of wolf trappers, implementing a bounty system or changing the rules about hunting wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park all were ideas bandied about at a Fish, Wildlife and Parks special meeting Friday.
The ideas came from members of the Montana Wolf Management Advisory Council, which helped develop Montana’s wolf management plan 10 years ago and reconvened this week in Helena to give the FWP Commission and department feedback on their implementation of the plan.
The overview comes one month before the FWP Commission sets tentative rules for the 2013-14 wolf hunting and trapping season, and the same day the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the 2012 Annual Report for the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) Gray Wolf Population.
Overall, the council members complimented the department on its wolf management activities, and said they were amazed at the amount of new science that’s been developed since the plan was written. However, they also noted that a lot has changed since wolves were delisted and urged FWP to remain flexible when dealing with wolves.
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April 20, 2013
Seen near Wallace: Is it wolf or dog?
by Rich Landers April 18, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
A reader submitted this photo snapped Wednesday off I-90 between Wallace and Mullan [Idaho]. She said the eyes appeared blue like those of a husky, but the animal ran away as though it were wild.
What's your guess? Wolf, wolf hybrid or husky?
http://tinyurl.com/c2wpgh7 (http://tinyurl.com/c2wpgh7)
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Wolves work up healthy appetites
April 18, 2013 - Opinion - The World
Oregon’s wolf program is up for debate. Nancy Shinn is very right that wolves prey on the “weak, the lame, the infirm.” They also feed on the dead.
This is not the problem we face with wolves. They are opportunistic predators and are extremely capable of killing all age-classes of healthy animals. The young are always an easy prey during that brief period in the spring. In the winter, when snows are deep, any big game animal can easily be exhausted and taken.
I was involved in a predator-prey study on antelope where mostly coyotes, and to some degree bobcats, killed every single antelope kid after birth. Wolves are at the very top of this type of predation.
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AZ Game and Fish, enviro square off over Mexican wolf delisting
April 19, 2013 blog by Tony Davis Arizona Daily Star
As the federal government ponders whether to delist endangered gray wolves nationally, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and environmentalists are at odds over whether the Mexican wolf should join the ranks of the delisted.
One of the key issues is a legal question over what would happen to the Mexican wolves in this state if they were removed from the federal endangered species list.
The environmentalist Center for Biological Diversity contends they would be easy targets for shooting without federal protection, particularly from ranchers, for whom the federal government had exterminated the wolf generations ago. Game and Fish strongly disagrees, says existing state protections would prohibit wolf shooting and that more would undoubtedly be in the pipeline if the wolf were to be managed exclusively by the state.
The commission voted unanimously last month -- the second time since 2010 -- to urge the federal government to take the Mexican wolf and all other populations of endangered gray wolves nationally off the endangered species list. The five-member commission joined a Rocky Mountain senator and congresswoman who wrote the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month, supporting a nationwide delisting of gray wolves.
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Wolf believed responsible for animal attacks in Cambie-Solsqua area
By Lachlan Labere - Eagle Valley News April 18, 2013
A Cambie-Solsqua [Canada] resident is hopeful that whatever has been attacking her animals has moved on.
Willow Mist Farm owner Kagen Stephenson says the attacks began on Jan. 7, when one of two alpacas she was boarding was killed. The predator returned on Feb. 28 and killed the second alpaca. Stephenson’s guard llama was targeted, but not killed in a March 3 attack, and her male stud llama was emasculated, but survived a struggle with the predator on March 15.
Initially, the attacker was believed to be a cougar. But tracks found later indicated something else, a large canine, likely a wolf.
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http://www.eaglevalleynews.com/news/203608341.html (http://www.eaglevalleynews.com/news/203608341.html)
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April 21, 2013
Veto nips money grab
April 19, 2013 Idaho Mountain Express - Our View
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter used his dusty veto stamp last week on a bill that would have diverted up to $100,000 in hunter-access funds from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to wolf management.
In crying “Wolf!” the Legislature would have forced IDFG to pare down a program that pays landowners money in exchange for allowing access for hunters on or through private property.
A long-standing program, it has successfully kept both public and private areas open for hunting that landowners legally could have closed off. Payments help offset hunter impacts such as litter and downed fences that require time and money from landowners to fix.
Fish and Game officials say that the program opened up 432,000 acres to hunters last year that otherwise would have been closed. That’s not just good for hunters, it’s good for the state economy that benefits from hunting and fishing.
Supporters of the bill wanted to use the diverted funds to make up for federal budget cuts to a depredation program that manages wolves that kill livestock or big game in struggling herds. The governor said he believes that with their money at stake, sportsmen should have been allowed to weigh in before money was diverted.
The Legislature’s action would have increased an already heavy and unwelcome burden on Fish and Game for managing wolves. The department receives nothing in general tax dollars and is supported primarily by license fees paid by hunters and fishermen.
Sportsmen didn’t invite wolves back to Idaho and shouldn’t be punished by the state and federal government’s need to manage them. Otter’s veto will force state officials to find a better way.
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April 22, 2013
G&F counts 25 wolves in six packs
Apr 21, 2013 - By Eric Blom, The Ranger
About 25 wolves in six packs live in Fremont County, [Wyoming] and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported recently that humans killed 12 wolves last year.
The animals were responsible for the deaths of three cows and 10 sheep in the county in 2012.
"A wolf population that's a little bit lower than it was last year definitely lessens the impacts to big game and eases the impact on (livestock) producers," said Wyoming Game and Fish regional wildlife supervisor Jason Hunter.
"It's what the public asked of us."
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April 23, 2013
Program working against Oregon wolves
April 23, 2013 By Oregon Department of Agriculture
Year one of a block grant program for Oregon counties impacted by wolf depredation has gone relatively smoothly, but less funds are available for round two even as the state’s known population of wolves continues to grow. Nonetheless, most everyone agrees that the money spent to compensate Eastern Oregon ranchers for livestock losses and for non-lethal prevention measures is fulfilling its intended purpose.
“Livestock producers have been exceptionally patient through these first years of wolf depredations and population growth,” says Rodger Huffman, the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s state brand inspector, who is based in La Grande.
The 2011 Oregon Legislature created the Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance County Block Grant Program and appropriated $100,000 to cover the biennium. ODA was directed to establish and implement the program, which awards funds to individual Oregon counties affected or likely to be affected by wolf activity. By working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the agency that performs wolf depredation investigations, county level advisory committees make sure the money compensates ranchers for actual livestock losses caused by wolves. The committees also ensure the monies are spent on proactive efforts to prevent wolf impacts on livestock.
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Yellowstone Nat'l Park bull elk featured in BBC film dead after likely being killed by wolves
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 23, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — A Yellowstone National Park bull elk featured in a BBC film has died after likely being killed by a wolf pack.
Park officials confirmed Tuesday that elk No. 10 was found dead near the Wraith Falls trailhead Saturday. He was believed to be between 16 and 18, a ripe old age for a male elk.
Gardiner, Montana-based naturalist Jim Halfpenny told the Billings Gazette (http://bit.ly/13ScU7w (http://bit.ly/13ScU7w) ) that the elk "held court" in the Mammoth Hot Springs area starting in 2006, when he chased off another bull and took over a harem, or group of cows. No. 10 became famous after being included in the BBC film on the Mammoth elk, "Street Fighters." Bulls are shown fighting with each other and chasing off tourists as well as cars with their antlers.
No. 10's rival, No. 6, died in 2009 at an estimated age of 15 after jumping a barbed-wire fence in 2009. He tangled his feet and suffocated after getting stuck on his back.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 08:50:31 AM
Dr. David Mech, the man who invented “balance of nature”, refutes his own claim. Says “Balance of Nature” a Myth.
Top Wolf Scientist Charges Wolf Researchers Have Become Advocates Rather Than Scientists
by George Dovel The Outdoorsman – Bulletin Number 51 – Page 8
Republished on this website with permission from editor/author.
During a May 7, 2010 Boise State University Radio interview, Idaho Fish and Game Predator Biologist Dr. Hilary Cooley stated emphatically that wolves – not hunters – are necessary to manage elk herds.
Speaking with authority, as if she were part of a team of scientists whose research prompted her statements, Cooley stated:
“We saw this in Yellowstone – when we had tons and tons of elk they could change the entire landscape. We saw songbird densities changing, we saw beaver populations changing – everything responds to that and so while some people like to have high, high densities of ungulates, it’s not always good for the rest of the ecosystem.”
What Cooley was referring to are the alleged “trophic cascades” that many ecologists and most conservation biologists now claim are the stabilizing benefits provided to ecosystems by wolves and other top predators. The basic theory is that the top predator (wolf) reduces the number and/or alters the habits of its prey (elk), which provides more habitat for other species such as beaver, song birds and smaller predators.
This revival of the “Balance of Nature” myth promoted by Durward Allen and his graduate student David Mech in their 1963 National Geographic article, began when Robert Payne coined “keystone species” in 1969 and “trophic cascades” in 1980.
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The Challenge of Wolf Recovery
An Ongoing Dilemma for State Managers
By L. David Mech March 22, 2013 posted in the Wildlife Society News
“Dave, would you do another legal declaration on the wolf for us?” The weary voice on the phone belonged to Mike Jimenez, Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Management and Science Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). He was calling from Wyoming to ask me to prepare a document to address a legal challenge to the FWS’s August 2012 delisting of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Wyoming, a highly controversial move. Mike’s tone reflected the reality that — as so many wildlife biologists know and live each day — wildlife management is mainly people management. This contention could not be truer for managing any wildlife species than for managing the wolf.
Dubbed “the beast of waste and desolation” by Teddy Roosevelt (The Wilderness Hunter 1893/1900), wolves had been universally hated as prolific predators of valuable livestock and game. Around the turn of the 20th century, members of the U.S. Biological Survey and various state agents, ranchers, cowboys, and other frontiersmen poisoned and persecuted wolves, extirpating them from most of the contiguous United States (Young and Goldman 1944). By 1967, Minnesota and nearby Isle Royale National Park in Michigan held the only remaining wolves in the Lower 48 states, prompting the FWS to place the wolf on the Endangered Species List (established by the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966). The wolf then became the list’s poster species, and the timing was ideal: Silent Spring (Carson 1962) had just seeded and fertilized the environmental movement, which blossomed on Earth Day (April 22, 1970) into the environmental revolution. “Save the wolf!” became one of the movement’s rallying cries. And save the wolf we did.
It seemed to matter to no one that a thriving population of 60,000 wolves remained next door in Canada and Alaska: Because they were gone from the western wilderness — including Yellowstone National Park and other wild lands in the contiguous states — wolves were officially endangered and considered worthy of salvation. I was an early proponent of that philosophy. My book The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species ended by saying, “The wolf haters must be outnumbered. They must be outshouted, outfinanced and outvoted” (Mech 1970). To save the species, federal agencies put protections in place. Soon the ranks of wolf supporters began to rise, making it easier to outvote the anti-wolf factions.
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Court rules dual lawsuits will proceed over ending federal protection for Wyoming wolves
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press April 23, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A recent ruling by a federal judge means that two parallel lawsuits will continue to run in Cheyenne and Washington, D.C., over environmental groups' challenges to the federal government's transfer of wolf management to the state of Wyoming, lawyers say.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington this month denied a request from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Wyoming to transfer one lawsuit to federal court in Cheyenne, where a similar case already is pending.
Environmental groups in both lawsuits claim Wyoming's management plan classifying wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state is inadequate. They want the courts to restore federal protections.
Wyoming's wolf management plan allows trophy hunting in a flexible zone along the border of Yellowstone National Park. The state game department recently reported that hunters killed 68 wolves in the state from Oct. 1, when federal management stopped, through Dec. 31. Of those, 42 were killed in a trophy hunting zone bordering Yellowstone National Park, while 26 were killed as unprotected predators elsewhere in the state.
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Trapper kills rabid wolf; Alaska health officials issue warnings for Mat-Su, Chandalar Lakes
By DAN JOLING - Associated Press April 23, 2013
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A rabid wolf killed near Chandalar Lakes and transported to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has state health and wildlife officials warning Alaskans to be on the lookout for other animals that may be infected.
The rabid wolf was the first infected animal to be documented around Chandalar Lakes, an area south of the Brooks Range about 185 miles north of Fairbanks.
The trapper discarded the skinned, beheaded carcass of the sick wolf in a forested area near Palmer and state wildlife officials warned that contact by other animals could spread the disease.
Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Cathie Harms said its presence in the Mat-Su is not grounds for panic. After tests on the head confirmed rabies, the rest of the carcass was retrieved. The rabies virus is found in an infected animal's nervous system, and nervous system tissue on the carcass such as the spinal cord had not been scavenged.
"The chances for transmittal are low, but they exist," Harms said by phone from Fairbanks.
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Wolf council meeting to discuss proposed hunt
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 24, 2013
ST. IGNACE, Michigan — Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials will discuss their proposal for a wolf hunting season in the Upper Peninsula during a meeting Wednesday in St. Ignace.
The state's Wolf Management Advisory Council is meeting from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Little Bear Arena. It's open to the public. The council has representatives from a variety of interests, including hunting and trapping, conservation and native tribes.
DNR wildlife biologists this month asked the Natural Resources Commission to schedule a two-month season this fall. Up to 43 wolves could be killed in three areas of the Upper Peninsula where officials say they've repeatedly attacked livestock and pets. The commission could vote on the plan in May.
The DNR estimates the U.P. wolf population at 658.
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RMEF Files to Intervene in Great Lakes Wolf Suit
April 24, 2013 by Tom Remington
MISSOULA, Mont. – The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit by several animal rights groups seeking to return gray wolves in the Great Lakes region to the Endangered Species List. If granted, Judge Beryl A. Howell will consider RMEF positions in her U.S. District Court in Washington D.C.
“It is of paramount importance that everyone recognizes that states, not the federal government, are best qualified to manage a recovered species like the wolf,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “This suit, like so many previous frivolous filings, will frustrate science-based management and cause conservation damage into the future.”
Gray wolves recovered to more than 4,000 in the Great Lakes prior to delisting in January 2012.
Minnesota had an estimated population of 3,000, while Wisconsin and Michigan had about 850 and 700 respectively. The removal of wolves from federal protection happened after several years of litigation and returned responsibility for managing wolf populations to the states.
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April 25, 2013
Rancher loses calf to wolves?
Posted April 24, 2013 to Hunt Fish NW
This morning a rancher in the Methow Valley discovered one of his calves had been killed and mostly eaten. We scouted the area and found where the new calf had been killed and a pile of what looks like wolf scat. The sheriff and WDFW were called, Scott Fitkin was one of the bios that investigated the kill.
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http://tinyurl.com/bprjthf (http://tinyurl.com/bprjthf)
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Mystery calf killing up Twisp, Wa
Posted April 25, 2013 to Hunting Washington Forum
A cattleman near the Lookout Pack adjacent to Twisp, Washington found a newborn calf killed this morning. He suspicioned wolves since he had gotten a medium sized wolf picture on a trail camera a week ago not 500 yds. from where this calf was killed.
His neighbor just to the west also got a large wolf picture on his trail camera last Saturday. The cattleman also found 5 inch wolf tracks approximately two weeks ago at the cattle watering trough and took pictures as proof.
Then just a few days ago a neighbor heard and saw three wolves one which was very large and two smaller ones howling up on the ranchers property. The neighbor only noticed them because they were howling at 8:30 in the morning and got his attention. He looked at them through his spotting scope to have a better look and was absolutely certain it was wolves.
Since the rancher knew the wolves were in the area he patrolled his cattle frequently to make sure the one remaining cow he had that was due to calve any day would not get eaten by the wolves. Unfortunately, the rancher does not patrol at night because he can't see at night and went up this morning (Wed. April 24, 2013) to check the cow.
The cow was all by herself at least a half mile from the other 50 head of cattle. He suspicioned something went wrong when he spotted some red and black on the ground with a scavenger bird on it. He immediately went up to the cow which was only about 100 yds. from the road and discovered the newly born calf over half eaten.
Continued with disturbing photos:
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,124045.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,124045.0.html)
[Hat tip to TM for both links.]
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Feds confirm Wildlife Services employee killed Mexican gray wolf
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 24, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Officials confirmed Wednesday that an animal killed by a federal employee in southwestern New Mexico in January was a Mexican gray wolf.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said genetic tests confirmed it was a small, uncollared female. More tests are under way to determine which pack the wolf was associated with.
In January, an employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services shot what officials described at the time as a "canine." The employee reported the shooting because the animal looked like a Mexican wolf after closer inspection.
The wolf was shot from about 250 yards away, officials said.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 08:51:22 AM
U.S. plans to drop gray wolves from endangered list
The planned ruling would eliminate protection for the top predators, but scientists and conservationists say the proposal is flawed.
By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times April 25, 2013
Federal authorities intend to remove endangered species protections for all gray wolves in the Lower 48 states, carving out an a exception for a small pocket of about 75 Mexican wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico, according to a draft document obtained by The Times.
The sweeping rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would eliminate protection for wolves 18 years after the government reestablished the predators in the West, where they had been hunted to extinction. Their reintroduction was a success, with the population growing to the thousands.
But their presence has always drawn protests across the Intermountain West from state officials, hunters and ranchers who lost livestock to the wolves. They have lobbied to remove the gray wolf from the endangered list.
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Delisting wolves will shift cost from feds to states
by Rich Landers April 26, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
As reports surfaced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the gray wolf from endangered species protections, the costs of the recovery are being totaled:
Between 1991 and 2011, the federal government spent $102 million on gray wolf recovery programs and state agencies chipped in $15.6 million. Federal spending likely would drop if the proposal to lift protections goes through, while state spending would increase.
And the management job's not done. Scanning the news I see that in the past week:
Source with links to more info:
http://tinyurl.com/c532q2t (http://tinyurl.com/c532q2t)
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In Spite of Directors’ Claims, Idaho Fish and Game Refuses to Control Wolves Decimating Elk Herds
Hosted by Tom Remington April 25, 2013
Republished on this website with permission from the editor/author.
The Outdoorsman – Bulletin Number 51, Dec. 2012 – April 17, 2013 Pgs. 1-3.
In Spite of Directors’ Claims, Idaho Fish and Game Refuses to Control Wolves Decimating Elk Herds
by George Dovel
In January 1999 I attended a predator symposium in Boise co-sponsored by the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Assn., Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game and eight other groups. Like many of the 17 panel members whose unsupported testimony claimed wolves would have limited impact on deer, elk and moose numbers, Wolf Education Center’s David Langhorst claimed poachers kill 10 times as much game as wolves do.
But Wildlife Ecologist Dr. Charles Kay provided facts to support his testimony – that the wolves transplanted from Canada would eventually drive Idaho’s already declining big game populations into a predator pit.
Beginning with his August 1993 Petersen’s Hunting article titled, “Wolves in the West – what the government does not want you to know about wolf recovery,” Dr. Kay had published extensive research exposing federal and many state biologists’ false claim that protecting wolves would create healthy game populations.
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Oregon Senate Hearing on Wolf Management
Video posted by Tom Remington April 26, 2013
12:57 minute video:
http://tinyurl.com/d5gwu5a (http://tinyurl.com/d5gwu5a)
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Wolf control rules expected Friday
by Jim Camden April 25, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
OLYMPIA – New rules for dealing with wolf attacks on livestock and domestic animals, which seemed stalled in the Legislature, may be announced as early as today a result of action by key legislators and a state commission.
Today, the House gave final approval to a bill that adds $10 to the cost of certain specialty license plates to provide money for non-lethal methods to control the growing gray wolf populations in Eastern Washington. After being pulled out of committee by a special parliamentary maneuver, it passed unanimously.
Friday, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider rules that would allow residents to kill a wolf that is attacking livestock or pets. The rules are expected to be similar to the provisions of a separate bill that generated hot debate between rural Republican legislators from Eastern Washington and their urban Democratic counterparts. It narrowly passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
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New focus on wolves that attack livestock
Backer says kill permit would be unnecessary
By Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review April 26, 2013
OLYMPIA – New rules for dealing with wolf attacks on livestock and domestic animals, which seemed stalled in the Legislature, may be announced as early as today as a result of action by key legislators and a state commission.
On Thursday, the House gave final approval to a bill that adds $10 to the cost of certain specialty license plates to provide money for nonlethal methods to control the growing gray wolf populations in Eastern Washington. After being pulled out of committee by a special parliamentary maneuver, it passed unanimously.
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Panel OKs rule allowing livestock-attacking wolves to be shot
by Rich Landers April 26, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted unanimously to allow people without a special permit to shoot a wolf caught in the act of attacking a pet or livestock.
The emergency rule was enacted in an urgently called teleconference meeting that started at 1 p.m.
source with links to more info:
http://tinyurl.com/cgesmns (http://tinyurl.com/cgesmns)
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Mexican wolves released into wild in Arizona and New Mexico
Apr 26, 2013 KVOA
PHOENIX - A pair of Mexican wolves has been released into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery area in Arizona by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
In a separate action, the Service will also release a second pair of Mexican wolves into the wolf recovery area in New Mexico. Both pairs, selected to increase genetic diversity of the wild wolf population, were previously held at the Service's Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility where they have undergone an acclimation process to determine that they are suitable release candidates.
"We continue to be committed to strategic releases that improve genetic diversity, increase the number of breeding wolves, and offset illegal mortalities in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area," said Benjamin Tuggle, the Service's Southwest regional director.
"We're excited to be working with our partners on this simultaneous release of Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. This dual release is another step that helps us reach our goal of a self-sustaining wild wolf population."
"The strategically-planned release of the wolf pair into Arizona is to improve the genetic integrity of the wolf population. The release approaches being used are tailored to encourage these wolves to acclimate and behave as wild wolves. Our experience shows that wild-born, wild-raised wolves have a much better chance at success," says Director Larry Voyles, AGFD.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 08:51:58 AM
Winter wolf attack left scientists debunking pop culture and pack of lies
By Alexandra Paul Winnipeg Free Press April 27, 2013
Farley Mowat's classic Never Cry Wolf isn't bedtime reading for Canada's wolf experts. Some even call the book a brilliant literary prank by a talented Canadian humorist.
But as wolf numbers declined through the decades, the popular perception mirrored Mowat's benevolent fiction. Today, as packs come back, we're not so sanguine.
This winter, when Dawn Hepp garnered international attention for a wolf attack on a lonely stretch of Highway 6 in northern Manitoba, wildlife biologists with a realistic view of our place and theirs in North America paid attention.
An unprovoked attack made no sense scientifically, even if wolves are dangerous, wild animals.
So, they fielded queries about the encounter and shared published and unpublished research and anecdotes about wolf behaviour.
"Her decision NOT to struggle almost certainly saved her life," noted Valerius Geist, professor emeritus of environmental science at the University of Calgary, suggesting the incident was more exploratory than predatory.
"By holding still, Dawn Hepp mimicked a dominant wolf, causing the wolf to pause and let go. Had she struggled, she would have been bitten severely. The behaviour of the wolf before and after the attack also fit with a wolf exploring a prey."
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http://tinyurl.com/ca8fnfs (http://tinyurl.com/ca8fnfs)
[Note: if you cannot access this story, let me know and I can send the full text.]
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Feds Preparing to Lift Gray Wolf Protections
by George Prentice April 27, 2013 Boise Weekly
Saying that the approximate 6,000 gray wolves now living in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes regions are enough to prevent the species's extinction, the U.S. Department of Interior is inching closer to lifting federal protections of the animals across the nation's Lower 48 states.
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that a new rule is already under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which, if approved, would cede federal authority over wolves to individual states, similar to Idaho's model.
"It ends up being a political question more than a biological one," wolf specialist John Vucetich told the Associated Press. "It's very unlikely the wolves will make it to places like the Dakotas and the Northeast unless the federal government provides some kind of leadership."
The Fish and Wildlife Service, in an emailed statement, wrote that "robust" populations of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes remain as evidence that the animals' recovery "is one of the world's great conservation successes."
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Wolves kill 13 sheep in Montana.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services verified that two wolves killed five ewes and eight lambs on a ranch in Montana near Gardiner, and the rancher has been given a shoot-on-sight permit to remove the wolves should they return.
Missoulian; April 26, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/c4nercj (http://tinyurl.com/c4nercj)
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Rancher takes precautions after wolves kill nearly 20 of his sheep
By Katherine Mozzone, KTVM April 26, 2013
GARDINER, Mont. - Rancher Bill Hoppe nails wire to his wooden fence. He wants to move his sheep closer to the house so he can keep an eye on them at night. He hopes the wire will keep wolves out, to avoid a what he awoke to Tuesday morning.
http://tinyurl.com/cvtlatb (http://tinyurl.com/cvtlatb)
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Wolves act to help bighorn sheep near Yellowstone National Park
by Ken Cole - The Wildlife News April 26, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d9ltngx (http://tinyurl.com/d9ltngx)
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Federal court ruling allows separate lawsuits on wolves in Wyoming to proceed.
A ruling issued this month by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C. that denied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's request that the D.C. lawsuit be transferred to Cheyenne, where another lawsuit is challenging the federal government's transfer of wolf management to Wyoming, will allow the two parallel lawsuits to continue separately.
Denver Post; April 24, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/dyme9tn (http://tinyurl.com/dyme9tn)
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Commission Approves Wolf Killing
Saturday, April 27, 2013 KMAS
A state commission has approved the killing of gray wolves that are caught in the act of attacking livestock or pets.
The state Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday approved a temporary emergency rule allowing pet and livestock owners to immediately kill one wolf if it is attacking their property.
Commissioners voted unanimously for the rule, noting there have been recent and escalating reports of wolf attacks on pets and livestock.
Wolf numbers have grown rapidly in Washington in recent years as the animals migrate into the state from other states.
The commission's emergency rule can remain in effect for up to eight months. The commission also decided it will pursue a permanent rule allowing the killing of a wolf caught in the act of attacking livestock or pets.
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Wash. moves toward compensation for wolf attacks
April 27, 2013 The Daily News
Washington lawmakers are approving a plan that would compensate the owners of livestock who suffer losses due to wolf attacks.
The state Senate widely approved a bill Saturday that would increase the cost of some specialized license plates to pay for the program. Those fees are projected to eventually raise some $200,000 per year.
Lawmakers say it is one step in a broader strategy to manage concerns about wolves preying on cattle. Separately, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission announced this week that property owners in parts of the state can immediately kill a wolf caught in the act of attacking livestock or pets.
The compensation plan now goes to the governor for his approval.
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Feds release wolf pairs in NM, Arizona
Associated Press Apr 27, 2013
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) - The wild population of endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest is getting a boost.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department have partnered to release a pair of wolves in the Apache National Forest.
The male and female wolves were transported this week from a wildlife refuge in New Mexico to a holding pen in the Alpine Ranger District.
Another pair of wolves is being released in southwestern New Mexico.
Federal officials say the wolves were packed on the backs of specially trained mules into the Gila Wilderness on Saturday so they could be placed into a temporary holding pen. The wolves will be able to chew through the pen to leave the site.
There are at least 75 Mexican gray wolves in the wild in the two states.
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 08:57:30 AM
Rule allows killing of wolves
Lethal force permissible if predators caught attacking domestic animals
By Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review April 27, 2013
OLYMPIA – A wolf attacking livestock or pets in Eastern Washington can be killed immediately under an emergency rule adopted Friday by a state board.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission allowed Wildlife Director Phil Anderson to issue an emergency rule that lets owners, family members or employees kill one wolf “caught in the act” of attacking domestic animals.
The owner will have to notify the Department of Fish and Wildlife within 24 hours of the incident; the department will investigate the circumstances and take the wolf carcass. If wildlife agents determine the owner had a legitimate reason to kill the wolf, he or she will be issued a permit to kill another wolf under similar circumstances.
The commission was responding to concerns over a rapid increase in the number of wolves and wolf packs in Eastern Washington, and a request by legislators to provide emergency relief after a bill with similar provisions stalled.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cb5w3rl (http://tinyurl.com/cb5w3rl)
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Michigan campaign finance: See who's funding ballot proposal to block wolf hunt, political PACs
By Jonathan Oosting April 26, 2013 Michigan Live
LANSING, MI -- National animal advocacy groups have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a ballot measure to stop a potential wolf hunt in three areas of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but legislation approved by the Senate this week could thwart their efforts long before 2014.
Campaign finance reports released this week indicate that the "Keep Michigan Wolves Protected" committee -- which bills itself as a broad coalition that includes Michigan residents, conservationists and animal welfare groups -- has raised nearly $500,000 since forming earlier this year.
Some of that money came from individual donors who live here or other parts of the country, but nearly half of the donations came from the Humane Society of the United States. The Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, through its namesake organization and legislative fund, has donated more than $240,000 to the committee and recently released a television ad. The Doris Day Animal League, another Washington D.C. based advocacy group, donated $200,000 in January.
The committee paid a California-based firm approximately $360,000 to help collect the 253,705 signatures -- far more than required to make the ballot -- submitted to the state for review in March. But the group also used volunteers to collect signatures, which kept their expenses relatively low.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/cg5e8f9 (http://tinyurl.com/cg5e8f9)
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April 29, 2013
Wolf data deserves scrutiny
by Idaho Farm Bureau Federation April 28, 2013
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's annual wolf population report released in mid-April, shows "at least" 321 confirmed packs and 1,674 individuals in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Overall numbers are down by about 100 animals compared to last year. Highlighted in the report are confirmation of breeding pairs and growing subpopulations in Oregon and Washington. Further, the report claims there are no wolves in Utah. In addition, the report is riddled with inconsistencies and other strangeness that leads us to believe we aren't getting the full story here folks.
For instance, as far back as 2002, wolves were confirmed in northern Utah, when a pack killed 15 sheep and lambs near Hardware Ranch in Cache County. Livestock depredations have occurred throughout southeast Idaho and northern Utah since that time. In 2002, wolf number 253, a two-year-old male and member of Yellowstone Park's Druid Pack, was caught in a coyote snare in Morgan County, Utah, east of Ogden. This wolf, doing nothing more than following his wild instincts, crossed a political boundary. He was transported back to Yellowstone Park, on the taxpayers' dime, and was later killed by a hunter near Daniel, Wyoming.
In March of 2008, a pilot with experience flying in Alaska spotted five wolves, three blacks and two greys near Dutch John, Utah. KSL News reported that tracks were later found and the wolves answered a howl call. Yet these wolves weren't evicted from Utah. Did the political boundary vanish in those six years?
Continued:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/Wolfdatadeservesscru.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/Wolfdatadeservesscru.htm)
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RMEF moves to intervene in wolf delisting lawsuit
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 28, 2013
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has filed a motion to intervene in the Wildearth Guardians et al., lawsuit over wolf delisting in Wyoming. This is the case that will be argued in federal court in Wyoming.
The motion noted:
"The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation seeks to intervene in this action to protect its specific interest in defending the USFWS’s decision to remove protection of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA"), the decision to create two zones of gray wolf management in the State of Wyoming, and in preserving populations of elk, deer, moose, wild sheep, and other big game species that are being impacted by wolf predation."
If the court allows RMEF to intervene in the case on the side of federal officials, this wildlife non-profit will join a growing list of intervenors, including the State of Wyoming, Wyoming Wolf Coalition 2013, Safari Club International, and the National Rifle Association.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
http://www.rmef.org/ (http://www.rmef.org/)
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Feds plan US wolf delisting
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 28, 2013
The Los Angeles Times obtained a draft U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service document indicating the federal wildlife agency plans to remove endangered species protections for all gray wolves in the Lower 48 states, with the exception of wild Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.
To read the LA Times story, click on the link below.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/25/local/la-me-wolves-20130426 (http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/25/local/la-me-wolves-20130426)
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Reaction Mixed To Federal Government Blanket Delisting Of Gray Wolf
Aby Aaron Kunz Boise State Public Radio April 29, 2013
A plan by the federal government to end protection for gray wolves received mixed reactions from environmental groups to ranchers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a plan to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. That would leave the states in charge of wolf management.
Ramona Phillips, a rancher in Joseph, Oregon, says even if the federal government ends protections for wolves, she’s not optimistic that things will get any better for her and other ranchers if states take over management of wolf populations.
“I absolutely don’t think it will impact us at all and I think it is a way for the federal government to not have to spend any more money or time on the wolves here,” she says.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/bs4ywr8 (http://tinyurl.com/bs4ywr8)
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Biodiversity: Wildlife advocates howling mad about draft federal plan to take wolves off the Endangered Species List
April 29, 2013 by Bob Berwyn - Summit County Voice
Wolves may not be in danger of extinction, but are they recovered?
http://tinyurl.com/cd6x2om (http://tinyurl.com/cd6x2om)
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Local lawmakers support rule change on wolf killing
April 29, 2013 Yakima Herald
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Central Washington lawmakers are pleased with the state Fish and Wildlife Commission’s new emergency rule allowing the killing of wolves caught in the act of killing livestock.
Previously, livestock owners were required to obtain a state permit to kill gray wolves attacking their animals.
“I have heard repeatedly from my constituents about their concerns with a great expansion of wolves,” Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, said in a news release. “People should have the right to protect their livestock and pets on their own property.”
The new rule, approved Friday, requires property owners to report the incident within 24 hours, surrender the wolf carcass to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and provide investigators access to the property where the wolf was killed. If the killing was not justified, the killer of the wolf may be prosecuted for unlawful taking of endangered wildlife, the rule said.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ctjqx9g (http://tinyurl.com/ctjqx9g)
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Watered down wolf bill
Written by Baker City Herald Editorial Board April 29, 2013
As we expected, the Oregon Legislature has watered down a bill that would give landowners much more authority to kill wolves on their property.
The amended version of House Bill 3452 is a slight improvement over the current situation, but it’s not likely to benefit ranchers in Northeastern Oregon, where all of the state’s known wolf packs live and where all confirmed wolf attacks on livestock have happened.
The original version of the bill would have allowed landowners, on their property, to kill any wolf that is “reasonably believed by the person to have attacked or harassed, livestock or working dogs.”
Continued:
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/Waterered-down-wolf-bill (http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/Waterered-down-wolf-bill)
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Feds plan wolf releases in NM, AZ
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 28, 2013
Federal wildlife officials will soon be releasing two pairs of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. One pair is being held in a holding pen in Arizona while they acclimate to the area. The other pair is being held in a backcountry pen in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico and "will be able to chew their way out of the enclosure," according to a Seattle Post Intelligence.
Click on the link below for more information.
http://tinyurl.com/d65ekba (http://tinyurl.com/d65ekba)
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:00:30 AM
Wolves vs Lion Hounds: Attacks Rising in Montana and Idaho
April 30, 2013 by Jeff Hull - Field and Stream
On the morning of February 23, Hamilton, Montana, outfitter Tom Henderson and Dan Morris, one of his guides, were trudging north and downslope through a glade of ponderosa pines and Douglas fir trees. About 100 yards ahead of them they saw Morris’s bluetick hound Sadie baying up a tree.
“At that point, it looked like we were going to kill a big tom lion,” Henderson said.
Henderson and Morris walked down toward the treed lion. When they’d closed about half the distance, they saw seven wolves—five black and two grey—rush the tree from the west. Sadie was so intent on the treed cougar that she never noticed the wolves until one charged in, grabbed her by the neck and shook her for about five seconds.
“All we had with us was pistols,” Henderson said. “When you lion hunt seriously, sometimes a bottle of water is too much to have in your backpack, much less a scoped rifle.”
Continued with disturbing photos:
http://tinyurl.com/d9uhecx (http://tinyurl.com/d9uhecx)
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Sixteen Wyoming wolves harvested in 2013
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! April 30, 2013
Sixteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming's predator zone as of April 26, 2013, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Hunting within the trophy game area is currently closed, and the 2013 hunting seasons will be set by the WG&F Commission in July 2013.
Last year there were 42 wolves killed in the trophy game season, and an additional 25 wolves killed in the predator zone. There were also two wolves illegally killed after the hunt areas were closed in 2012.
Wyoming wolf packs map:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/Wolfpackmap.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/04/Wolfpackmap.htm)
Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Wolf hunt quota/harvest info
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx (http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx)
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Oregon Wolf Education Organization
by KayDee Gilkey Ag Info April 30, 2013
In 2011 a group of Oregon’s Wallowa County ranching women created an organization to help educate the public about the impact of the Canadian Gray Wolves on the Pacific Northwest livestock industry.
Kerry Tienhaara is one of the founders of the Oregon Wolf Education. She also does a weekly wolf radio show on one of AgInfo’s radio stations, KWVR in Enterprise, Oregon.
Tienhaara: “We attend meetings, make our position heard in those meetings. We have put on symposiums where we show a video and we just talk to a group. If a group invites us we go, we speak, put out our information and usually have a very lively question and answer period. We feel we can reach a lot of people just by telling them the truth.”
The organization has given presentations to groups in Oregon and Central and Eastern Washington as well. She stresses that it is important to share with information and science with elected officials too.
Tienhaara: “Another avenue is reaching the politicians as they are ones who hold the key to a lot of what goes on. We need to be able to give them the scientific evidence of the Canadian Gray wolf not being a native wolf to Oregon.”
The organization has both a Face book page and website as Tienhaara shares.
Tienhaara: “It is wolfed -- http://www.wolfed.org/ (http://www.wolfed.org/) .”
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Lawmakers hold hearing on bill that could circumvent wolf hunt vote
By Rick Pluta Tue April 30, 2013 Michigan Radio
A state House committee is holding a hearing on a measure that would change how hunting is managed in Michigan, and bypass a referendum on wolf hunting if it’s on the ballot next year.
... State Representative Ed McBroom (R-Escanaba) is from the western UP.
He says pets and livestock are endangered in pockets of the UP and how to manage that problem should not be a question that’s voted on by the entire state.
“This issue is isolated to the Upper Peninsula and the people of the UP are at great risk of being totally disenfranchised by the rest of the state of Michigan on an issue that’s critical on the future of our well-being,” said McBroom.
Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/bqcen27 (http://tinyurl.com/bqcen27)
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150 pound dog killed in wolf attack
by Steve Asplund 04.30.2013 Upper Michigan's Source
ATLANTIC MINE -- There's been a wolf attack in the Keweenaw and a large dog is the victim, according to officials.
The attack happened Sunday morning outside Atlantic Mine on the hobby farm of Rich Johnson. D.N.R. Biologist Brian Roell has confirmed the attack. He says a 150 pound, five year old female Newfoundland was killed by at least one wolf.
Roell says a wildlife technician was at the farm on Monday. They found with the melting snow, it was difficult to tell if more than one animal was involved in the attack. It happened in a field, about 150 yards away from any buildings on the farm.
"There's no way to tell what brought on the attack, it could have been a territorial issue between the animals," said Roell.
There have been no other conflicts with wolves in the area, but wolves are present, Roell added. He says there were older tracks in the sand in the area of the attack.
Roell also said that Johnson had no problems with wolves before, but did notice some chickens and ducks had gone missing earlier. Johnson was unsure as to why.
The D.N.R. has issued a lethal control permit to Johnson if there is another wolf encounter. Roell hopes this is an isolated case, in which the dog was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Johnson reported the incident to the Report All Poaching hotline.
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:07:46 AM
Movie Trailer: Ghosts of the Rockies by Rockholm Media Group
May 1, 2013 by Tom Remington
This movie trailer introduces a movie that is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2013. We are told it will contain information to prove that the effort, from the beginning, to introduce Canadian wolves to Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho, was a criminal enterprise – criminal based on fraud, deception, theft and illegal acts. This should be good.
Video hosted here:
http://tinyurl.com/cy8e2ce (http://tinyurl.com/cy8e2ce)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4Sl6NVXelb0#at=36 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4Sl6NVXelb0#at=36)
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Sister of famous California wolf trapped, killed
By Peter Fimrite Apr 30, 2013 SF Gate
The sister of California’s famous wandering wolf was killed by trappers in Idaho.
The three-year-old gray wolf, known as OR-5, left the Imnaha pack in Oregon just like her brother, OR-7, who roamed more than 2,000 miles through California before crossing back into Oregon on March 13. The sister went the other way, crossing into Idaho, where she got caught in a foothold trap March 30 on the next-to-last day of the Idaho trapping season.
“Crossing the border into Idaho was a death sentence for this wolf,” said Amaroq Weiss, the west coast wolf organizer for the Center for Biological Diversity. “What a heartbreaking paradox — one wolf from this pack, OR-7, is world-renowned and beloved, while his sister OR-5 died a lonely, terribly painful death in a steel-jawed leghold trap.”
Federal Endangered Species Act protections were rescinded for wolves in the northern Rockies in 2011, prompting what Weiss characterized as a hunting frenzy. More than 800 wolves have been killed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming since then, reducing the wolf population 7 percent.
The brother of the California wolf, OR-9, was killed last year by an Idaho hunter, one of several radio-collared wolves that, instead of providing valuable research, became hunting trophies.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to remove protections for gray wolves over the rest of the United States, including Oregon and California, according to a draft rule obtained by the Chronicle last week.
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May 3, 2013
Hidden Costs/Consequences of Wolves
by KayDee Gilkey Open Range May 03, 13
Although there are state programs throughout the Northwest to compensate ranchers for cattle verified killed by wolves. That is only the most obvious loss ranchers have when their livestock are stalked by wolves.
Oregon Wolf Education Kerry Tienhaara shares some of are hidden costs to having cattle pasturing near wolf packs.
Tienhaara: “Well, I can speak from personal experience, we had a calf lost in a Canadian Gray wolf depredation then we also had another calf that was attacked but not killed. That calf’s mother -- her brain was gone. You couldn’t get within 600 feet of her. She’d see you enter the field and she’d take off. She was very difficult to be around. When we finally did get her up to the corral -- the decision being made that we couldn’t keep her. She is a danger. Shipping was hard.”
Addition to losing a productive but flighty cow, Tiehaara shares some of the other negative costs for ranchers.
Teinhaara: “Another thing that happens is low conception rates. When these cattle are harrassed by Canadian Gray wolves they get run to near exhaustion. If they are bred, they can very well abort their calf making them produce no calf that year or a very late calf if they do rebreed. They have significant weight loss -- not only to the cows but the calves that are on the ground that are suppose to be gaining weight to come in and be weaned in the fall.”
Source:
http://www.aginfo.net/index.cfm/event/report/id/Open-Range-24804 (http://www.aginfo.net/index.cfm/event/report/id/Open-Range-24804)
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Montana wildlife commission to consider changes to wolf hunting rules.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel have recommended that the state's wolf hunting season start a month earlier, and that those with wolf permits be allowed to take a total of five wolves. The state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will take up those proposals next week.
Helena Independent Record; May 2, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ccchhwp (http://tinyurl.com/ccchhwp)
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Book Review: Wolfer – a Memoir
Posted on May 3, 2013 by Tom Remington
For trappers, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, animal lovers and anyone with any interest in the process of gray wolf introduction in the Yellowstone National Park and Center Idaho, I believe this book is a must read. I enjoyed it immensely and gained a different perspective about the author.
To be completely transparent about this book review, I have never met Mr. Niemeyer, the author, nor have I ever communicated with him, at least that I am aware of. I believe once I received an email from his wife suggesting I read this book. That was some time ago and it has taken me a couple of years to get around to reading it, mostly because of the recommendation of a friend.
When I first began reading the book, which sets the stage of a young boy growing up in rural Iowa, it didn’t take long to see that there were many similarities between Carter Niemeyer’s upbringing and young past in rural Iowa and mine in rural Maine, including the early deaths of our fathers.
Continued:
http://tomremington.com/2013/05/03/book-review-wolfer-a-memoir/ (http://tomremington.com/2013/05/03/book-review-wolfer-a-memoir/)
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Sisters author children’s book based on study of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park
By Mark Wineka Friday, May 3, 2013 Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — Some sisters like to run or walk together. Maybe they go shopping or antiquing. Or they might use their time to visit other family members.
When Gail McDiarmid and Marilyn McGee get together, they often dance with the wolves — more specifically, the gray wolves of Yellowstone National Park.
Over the past nine years, the sisters’ affection for and research into the wolves of the Northern Rockies blossomed into a children’s book, “Running for Home,” and their personal efforts to educate others on the ecological importance of bringing back and maintaining wolf populations.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d2yz97d (http://tinyurl.com/d2yz97d)
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May 4, 2013
Two pairs of Mexican wolves released
Saturday, 04 May 2013 by Arizona Game and Fish
White Mountains, Arizona - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) released a pair of Mexican wolves last week into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area of Arizona.
In a separate action, the Service also released a second pair of Mexican wolves into the wolf recovery area in New Mexico. Both pairs, selected to increase genetic diversity of the wild wolf population, were previously held at the Service’s Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility where they had undergone an acclimation process to determine their suitability for release.
“We continue to be committed to strategic releases that improve genetic diversity, increase the number of breeding wolves, and offset illegal mortalities in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Director.
“The strategically-planned release of the wolf pair into Arizona is to improve the genetic integrity of the wolf population. The release approaches being used are tailored to encourage these wolves to acclimate and behave as wild wolves. Our experience shows that wild- born, wild-raised wolves have a much better chance at success,” says Director Larry Voyles, AGFD.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ch2x4k8 (http://tinyurl.com/ch2x4k8)
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Humane Society of the United States Meddling in Michigan
Saturday, May 04, 2013 Glen Wunderlich Ammoland
Lansing, Michigan -- When it comes to wildlife management, common sense dictates that such matters are best left to states’ control as opposed to that of federal agencies.
But, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) doesn’t agree and will stop at nothing to further its agenda against hunting and has filed a federal lawsuit to drag us all into the mud, once again.
This time around, its focus is on Michigan’s wolves.
Wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were removed from the Endangered Species List because they had far exceeded their recovery goals in the region and, by definition, are no longer “endangered.” Gray wolves number more than 4,000 in the Great Lakes prior to delisting in January 2012. Minnesota had an estimated population of 3,000, while Wisconsin and Michigan had about 850 and 700 respectively. The removal of wolves from federal protection followed several years of litigation and returned responsibility for managing wolf populations to the states.
However, Jonathan Lovvorn, chief counsel for animal protection litigation at HSUS, said the decision to turn management over to the states, “…paves the way for the same state-sponsored eradication policies that pushed this species to the brink of extinction in the first place.”
Really? Then why did Michigan abolish its bounty system in 1960 and grant wolves protection in 1965, well before the enactment of the Endangered Species Act of 1973? In fact, the only type of hunt even being considered now is a regulated management hunt with a quota of 47 wolves commensurate with the level of nuisance complaints and depredation events – a far cry from eradication.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/d99tw9q (http://tinyurl.com/d99tw9q)
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Protect gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act
Alex Marks 05/04/2013 Daily Camera
The Obama administration has recently announced plans to abandon the recovery plan for the gray wolf and remove it from the endangered species listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I cannot tell you how troubled this makes me feel, as it is not only a fundamental shift in the protection of imperiled species in the U.S., but it completely undermines the very spirit of the ESA and deprives the gray wolf of any chance it has to develop a sustainable population right here in Colorado.
The goal of the ESA is to conserve endangered and threatened species to ensure their long-term survival in the wild. One of those species placed under protection in 1973 was the gray wolf upon the Act's inaugural declaration. The restoration of wolves has been hailed as one of the biggest successes of the ESA since it was passed in 1973.
But the important work of wolf recovery is unfinished. Delisting the gray wolf will halt decades of progress in its tracks and expose America's wolves to unwarranted and unsustainable killing, and put it on a fast track to a path of complete obliteration. Delisting would close the door on an historic opportunity to revitalize some of America's best remaining wildlife habitat by bringing back these important animals. Not only that, delisting also could derail efforts to restore wolves to more of their historic range that has huge areas of suitable wolf habitat, including Colorado.
Please contact the Obama Administration to tell them we cannot afford to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act, as it needs to give it more time to fight on its own.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:15:48 AM
River of No Return
PBS Nature series shows the habitat and inhabitants of the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness in central Idaho.
The River of No Return is an interesting documentary by and about a young married couple who set out to spend an entire year in the wilderness. The Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness is a rugged area larger than Yellowstone National Park. Its 2.5 million acres are inhabited by a variety of animals that year after year experience the four seasons in all their glory.
50 minute video on PBS:
http://tinyurl.com/cqr7xlt (http://tinyurl.com/cqr7xlt)
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May 3, 2013
WDFW Enacts Emergency Rule To Permit Killing A Wolf Attacking Domestic Animals
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife last week enacted an emergency rule to permit ranchers, farmers, and other pet and livestock owners in the eastern third of the state to kill a wolf that is attacking their animals.
http://www.cbbulletin.com/426415.aspx (http://www.cbbulletin.com/426415.aspx)
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May 6, 2013
Jackson hunt guides don't want wolves back under fed protection and so endorse fewer permits
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 06, 2013
JACKSON, Wyoming — The Jackson Hole Outfitters and Guides Association has endorsed Wyoming's proposal to cut the number of wolf hunting permits in half this fall.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has proposed reducing the wolf hunting permits from 52 to 26.
Alpine guide Cartlon Loewer says Jackson Hole outfitters would prefer higher harvest quotas.
But he tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/18vVZVr (http://bit.ly/18vVZVr) ) that they don't want wolves back on the Endangered Species List.
Biologists estimate that the statewide wolf population fell by 16 percent in 2012, the first year of regulated wolf hunting in Wyoming history.
Under its Endangered Species Act delisting agreement, Wyoming must maintain 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs in the state.
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Wis. DNR: Wolf population still stable after hunt
By TODD RICHMOND - Associated Press May 06, 2013
MADISON, Wisconsin — Wisconsin's first wolf hunt didn't make much of a dent in the overall population, according to estimates state wildlife officials released Wednesday.
The Department of Natural Resources' late-winter count shows the state's wolf population may have slightly declined but remains relatively stable. The numbers could lead to higher kill limits this year as debate stretches on over whether wolves should be hunted at all.
"The management objectives remain to put downward pressure on the population," DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland said. "The mortality levels experienced in 2012 didn't achieve that objective or only made slight progress toward the goal."
The DNR's wolf management plan calls for an off-reservation population of 350. The agency's count found as many as 834 animals roamed the state as of March. That compares with as many as 880 wolves around the same time last year. The 2013 count marked only the fourth time since 1985 the DNR hasn't detected an increase in the wolf population.
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May 7, 2013
Correction: Rabid Wolves story
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 07, 2013
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In a story May 2 about the Department of Fish and Game detecting rabies in a second interior Alaska wolf, The Associated Press, relying on information provided by the agency, reported erroneously the nature of echinococcus. Echinococcus is a parasite, not a bacterial infection.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Second wolf confirmed rabid in interior Alaska
Wildlife officials say second rabid wolf found in interior Alaska; trapper fed carcass to dogs
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May 8, 2013
Feds propose wolf delisting
Conservationists blast potential action
The Idaho Mountain Express Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a rule that would strip gray wolves across the country of federal protection.
The draft U.S. Department of Interior rule obtained by The Associated Press contends the roughly 6,000 wolves now living in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes are enough to prevent the species’ extinction. The agency says having gray wolves elsewhere — such as the West Coast, parts of New England and elsewhere in the Rockies—is unnecessary for their long-term survival.
A small population of Mexican wolves in the Southwest would continue to receive federal protections, as a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf.
The loss of federal protections would likely be welcomed by ranchers and others in the agriculture industry, whose stock at times become prey for hungry wolf packs. Yet wildlife advocates say the proposal threatens to cut short the gray wolf’s dramatic recovery from widespread extermination.
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Wildlife activists say Gardiner man who killed wolf may be intentionally baiting the animals
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 08, 2013
BOZEMAN, Montana — A big game outfitter who shot and killed a collared wolf from Yellowstone National Park is intentionally luring the animals by leaving dead sheep carcasses in a pile, leaders of a wolf advocacy group said.
"Make no mistake about that, it's definitely intentional baiting," Marc Cooke, president of Wolves of the Rockies, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
William Hoppe shot and killed a 2-year old, female wolf Sunday near where 13 sheep were killed in April. He notified Fish, Wildlife and Parks warden Chris Kerin that he killed the wolf using one of his two shoot-on-sight permits the agency issued after the sheep were killed, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (http://bit.ly/17LAEJ5 (http://bit.ly/17LAEJ5)) reported Wednesday. The permits are valid for 45 days and only allow wolves to be shot on the property where the sheep were killed.
In mid-April, Hoppe, an outspoken opponent of wolves, bought about 30 sheep and started raising them on his property along the Yellowstone River near Gardiner.
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Changes to Montana's wolf hunting season on FWP agenda Thursday.
At Thursday's meeting of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the board will vote on changes to the state's wolf hunting regulations, a proposed land acquisition along Big Spring Creek and a negotiated easement to allow access to the Marias River Wildlife Management Area access.
Great Falls Tribune; May 8, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ctkgzu2 (http://tinyurl.com/ctkgzu2)
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Snyder signs bill that could lead to gray wolf hunting season in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
By JOHN FLESHER - AP Environmental Writer May 08, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill Wednesday that clears the way to schedule Michigan's first gray wolf hunting season since the resurgent predator was driven to the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states a half-century ago.
The measure lets the state Natural Resources Commission decide which types of animals can be hunted - authority that previously rested entirely with the Legislature. The seven-member commission could vote Thursday on a proposal by state wildlife regulators for a season this fall in which up to 43 wolves could be killed - about 7 percent of the 658 believed to roam the Upper Peninsula.
"This action helps ensure sound scientific and biological principles guide decisions about management of game in Michigan," Snyder said. "Scientifically managed hunts are essential to successful wildlife management and bolstering abundant, healthy and thriving populations."
The new law is a blow to opponents, who have gathered more than 250,000 petition signatures seeking a statewide referendum on a measure approved in December that designated the wolf as a game species. If officials determine that enough of them are valid, the issue will be placed on the 2014 election ballot.
Now, the vote would be only a symbolic gesture. Regardless of the outcome, the commission will have the power to allow wolf hunting.
The panel was discussing the matter Wednesday during its monthly meeting in Roscommon and could make a decision Thursday. An opposition coalition called Keep Michigan Wolves Protected urged commissioners to wait until voters have had their say next year.
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Wolf vs moose: Mother fights tooth and nail to save newborn from killer's clutches in the Alaskan wilderness
By Damien Gayle - 7 May 2013 Daily Mail
These incredible pictures show the scene as a titanic life-and-death battle unfolded between a mother moose defending her calf and a ravenous pack of wolves.
The enormous moose dwarfs her attackers in this thrilling sequence of images taken in the Alaskan wilderness as they attempt to kill her newborn.
As she makes her stand in a small pond in the chilly tundra the mother fights ferociously to save her youngster from the hungry predators.
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http://tinyurl.com/cowwb5b (http://tinyurl.com/cowwb5b)
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:22:15 AM
After roiling Cody community, wolf billboard removed
Written by CJ Baker - Powell Tribune May 6, 2013
A provocative billboard opposing hunting and trapping of the region’s wolves was abruptly removed last week after an outcry from the Cody community.
Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the owner of the billboard — but not the message — chose to remove the graphic billboard Friday morning, less than 72 hours after the sign went up.
The sign was sponsored by an unknown number of anonymous individuals and groups who refer to themselves as “Project: WOLF” and have the stated aim to stop the hunting — specifically the trapping — of wolves; the group’s site refers to the practice as “murder.”
The primary feature of the billboard, erected near the South Fork turn-off on Cody’s west strip, was a photograph of four dead wolves with some blood on the snow beneath them. Tribune research of the photo indicates the image is an altered version of a hunting photo reportedly taken in Alberta, Canada at least a year and a half ago. The image appears to have been manipulated to be slightly more bloody. Illustrated blood also dripped down from the top of the sign. It was accompanied by the text, “This is what is happening to your Yellowstone wolves. Do you care? projectwolf.org.”
The sign went up Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday morning, Lamar’s regional manager in Casper, Korbe Palmer, was getting phone calls from irate citizens.
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May 10, 2013
Wolf attacks on humans in North America
by Jonathan DuHamel on May. 09, 2013 Tucson Citizen
I have often heard the claim by some environmentalists that there has never been a documented attack on humans by wolves in North America. That claim is untrue as I will demonstrate. Wolf attacks on humans are rare as are attacks by mountain lions and bears, but they do occur. Somewhat more common are apparent “stalkings” by wolves, especially of children in rural areas (see here and the Catron County Wolf Hotline for incidents involving the Mexican Gray Wolf in New Mexico).
Quite common, however, are incidents of predation by wolves on sheep and cattle. For more information, see: Wolf Crossing, Life With Wolves, and Gray Wolf News.
I begin with Alaska Department of Fish & Game Technical Bulletin 13 (2002) entitled “A Case History of Wolf-Human Encounters in Alaska and Canada.” That study was precipitated by a wolf attack on a 6-year-old boy near Icy Bay, Alaska, in April, 2000. The study documents 80 wolf-human “encounters.” “Thirty-nine cases contain elements of aggression among healthy wolves, 12 cases involve known or suspected rabid wolves, and 29 cases document fearless behavior among non-aggressive wolves. In 6 cases in which healthy wolves acted aggressively, the people were accompanied by dogs. Aggressive, non rabid wolves bit people in 16 cases; none of those bites was life-threatening, but in 6 cases the bites were severe.”
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Wildlife panel gives initial OK to expanding wolf hunt, proposal now goes to public comment
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 10, 2013
HELENA, Montana — Wildlife officials have given tentative approval to a proposal to lengthen the hunting season for wolves and increase the limit from one to five animals.
After making the decision on Thursday, Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners will take public comment before finalizing the changes.
FWP is proposing a rifle season from Sept 15 to March 31, compared to the current season that runs from Oct. 15 to Feb. 15.
Last season, hunters and trappers could take only one wolf, but a new law allowed the agency to increase that limit.
Sportsmen's groups and ranchers supported the proposal, while backers of wolf re-introduction said the plan goes too far and threatens wolf numbers, the Independent Record (http://bit.ly/13KoEGb (http://bit.ly/13KoEGb) ) reported.
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Montana FWP commission takes testimony on changes to wolf hunt rules.
At the meeting Thursday of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, sportsmen's groups spoke in support of an extended hunting season for wolves, as well as allowing hunters and trappers to take up to five wolves per hunting season, and wildlife advocates argued that the changes are too liberal and will give the state a black eye.
Helena Independent Record; May 10, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d9fo7qy (http://tinyurl.com/d9fo7qy)
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Outfitter who killed wolf disputes claims he baited animal with sheep carcasses
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 09, 2013
BOZEMAN, Montana — An outfitter who killed a wolf after several of his sheep were killed is disputing claims that he baited the wolf by leaving the sheep carcasses in a pile.
William Hoppe (HOP'-ee) said Thursday that he buried all the carcasses within days.
On Sunday, he killed a radio-collared wolf from Yellowstone National Park using a state-issued permit he had to kill two wolves if they entered his land near Gardiner where his sheep died. Park biologist Doug Smith says information from the wolf's radio collar indicated she wasn't involved in killing Hoppe's sheep.
Nevertheless, Hoppe says he followed conditions of his permit.
He disputes statements by leaders of Wolves of the Rockies that he lured the wolves. Hoppe says he bought the sheep as a project for his grandkids.
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Wyoming Game and Fish wolf hunting proposal out
by Gib Mathers May 09, 2013 Powell Tribune
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will host public meetings this month to discuss proposed changes to wolf management and the 2013 wolf hunting season.
In Cody, the meeting takes place at 7 p.m. May 23 at the Holiday Inn.
As proposed, this year’s wolf quota in Wyoming’s trophy areas would be 26 rather than the 52 wolves it was last year.
Because the department reached its reduced population goal in 2012, population reductions efforts will be more conservative this year, said the Game and Fish.
In each of the 12 trophy game areas, including the seasonal trophy game zone, quota numbers are more or less half of what they were last year.
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Game and Fish to begin trapping wolves for research purposes in Gros Ventre Mountains
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 10, 2013
JACKSON, Wyoming — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department plans to begin trapping wolves for scientific purposes in the Gros Ventre Mountains next week.
Game and Fish officials say the trapping is set to begin Tuesday and continue through June 15.
All major access points where wolves will be trapped will be marked with warning signs. Game and Fish says it's important that hikers don't venture into these areas.
The trapped wolves will be immobilized, studied and released on site.
Trapping is required to monitor the state's wolf population under the terms for removing the animals from endangered species protection.
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Michigan commission OKs wolf hunt.
After a vote on Thursday, Michigan joins five other states with an authorized wolf hunt.
Denver Post; May 10, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/crnwlgs (http://tinyurl.com/crnwlgs)
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Interior rabid wolves prompts vaccination clinic in Fairbanks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 10, 2013
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The recent discovery of two rabid wolves has prompted Fairbanks North Star Borough animal control officials to offer nightly rabies vaccines next week at the shelter.
The $5 vaccines will be available 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://is.gd/WrAY9H (http://is.gd/WrAY9H) ) reported Friday.
The shelter has received calls from pet owners asking if they should be concerned since the discovery of rabid wolves killed by trappers in the Chandalar Lake area about 185 miles north of Fairbanks, animal control manager Sandy Besser said.
"I believe this is an appropriate response and hope we are able to reach folks whose animals have not been vaccinated," Besser wrote in an email announcing the clinics.
It's the first time the disease has been detected in interior wild animals.
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Wolves or Alaskan husky dogs? South Dakota animal owner, neighbors at odds over pet canines
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 10, 2013
LEAD, South Dakota — Residents of a neighborhood in the western South Dakota city of Lead say they're fed up with a man's pet wolves. The owner of the canines says they aren't wolves but registered Alaskan husky dogs, and Mark Valdez doesn't understand why anyone would be afraid of them.
State and local authorities are now involved in the dispute, after residents say one of Valdez's animals attacked and nearly killed a small dog during the weekend.
Julie Cease said her daughter, McKenzie, is afraid to go outside and her dog, Sadie, is so traumatized by the Sunday incident that she won't got outside even to go to the bathroom.
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May 11, 2013
Montana Outfitter Kills Sheep-Eating Wolf
May 9, 2013 East Idaho News
(WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT) – A Montana man has shot and killed a collared wolf that wandered out of Yellowstone National Park. William Hoppe, an outspoken wolf opponent, legally shot a wolf on his property near Gardiner on Sunday. Hoppe says wolves killed nearly two dozen of his sheep late last month. He used one of two shoot-on-sight permits issued to him by state fish and wildlife officials following the initial attack. Biologists say the wolf was likely drawn to Hoppe’s property because the dead sheep were placed in a bone pile and left unburied.
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NRC OKs limited late-year wolf hunt in selected U.P. locations
May 10, 2013 By JOHN PEPIN - The Mining Journal
MARQUETTE - The Michigan Natural Resources Commission voted Thursday to approve a limited two-month gray wolf hunt in three wolf management areas in the Upper Peninsula.
Last month, Michigan Department of Natural Resources division chiefs recommended several regulations for a wolf hunt to the NRC. Those regulations establish a harvest of 43 wolves in three areas where wolf-human conflicts - including depredation of livestock and pets and human safety concerns - have been persistent despite employing a number of non-lethal control measures.
DNR officials said Michigan's wolf population has grown significantly since 2000, with the current minimum population estimate of 658, down slightly from last winter. The DNR said the target harvest is not expected to impact the overall wolf population trajectory, based on published scientific research.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:27:16 AM
FWP's expanded wolf hunt plans stir range of debate in Montana
May 11, 2013 By Eve Byron of The Independent Record
HELENA — Proposals to liberalize the 2013-2014 wolf hunting and trapping season in Montana drew a wide range of comments this week from both supporters and opponents of the plan put forth by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The usual sportsmen’s groups in favor of increased hunting and trapping activities noted that they’re still looking for the proper predator-prey balance on the landscape, and the majority endorsed the proposal. Among other items, it calls for a six and a half month wolf hunting season and a bag limit of five wolves per person, up from one per person. Electronic calls also would be allowed.
“We think the department has done an excellent job putting together this proposal and it is incremental,” said Blake Henning, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Jay Bodner, director of natural resources for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, added that they believe FWP is on the right track.
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Wolf population drops slightly
By Sam Cook, Forum News Service May 11, 2013
HAYWARD, Wis. — After Wisconsin’s inaugural season of wolf hunting and trapping last fall, the state’s wolf population has declined only slightly.
The 2013 Wisconsin wolf count indicates there are a minimum of 809 to 834 wolves in the state, including 215 packs and 15 lone wolves, according to Department of Natural Resources officials. The count compares to the 2012 estimate that ranged from 815 to 880 wolves, including 213 packs and 20 lone wolves.
“The thing people were concerned about was whether the recent hunting and trapping seasons would have a depressing effect on the wolf population, and I don’t see that in the numbers and the number of packs,” said Ken Jonas, DNR area wildlife supervisor in Hayward.
Last fall, hunters and trappers took 117 wolves statewide.
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Several reasons why Michigan will now have a wolf hunt
New season can be part of the solution to several wolf issues
May 11, 2013 by Darren Warner Battle Creek Enquirer
Retired farmer Larry Fogel, from Ahmeek, has a suggestion for those who think Upper Peninsula residents are exaggerating just how big of a problem wolves have become North of the Bridge.
“Let’s trap some of the wolves, move them down to southern Michigan and see how residents there suggest dealing with them.”
Now in his 80s, Fogel has had disastrous conflicts with wolves while bear hunting. The first conflict occurred a couple years ago when Fogel was hunting alone in Keweenaw County near Mohawk. Three of his best dogs were barking treed on a black bear when suddenly, things went deathly quiet.
“Wolves attacked and killed all three of my female dogs and tore up the hind quarters of my male dog pretty badly,” explained Fogel. “I’ve been breeding and raising bear dogs for 40 years, and in one fell swoop I lost an entire blood line.”
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May 13, 2013
Why everything you know about wolf packs is wrong
The alpha wolf is a figure that looms large in our imagination. The notion of a supreme pack leader who fought his way to dominance and reigns superior to the other wolves in his pack informs both our fiction and is how many people understand wolf behavior. But the alpha wolf doesn't exist—at least not in the wild.
by Lauren Davis May 12, 2013 - io9
Although the notions of "alpha wolf" and "alpha dog" seem thoroughly ingrained in our language, the idea of the alpha comes from Rudolph Schenkel, an animal behaviorist who, in 1947, published the then-groundbreaking paper "Expressions Studies on Wolves." During the 1930s and 1940s, Schenkel studied captive wolves in Switzerland's Zoo Basel, attempting to identify a "sociology of the wolf."
In his research, Schenkel identified two primary wolves in a pack: a male "lead wolf" and a female "bitch." He described them as "first in the pack group." He also noted "violent rivalries" between individual members of the packs:
-- "A bitch and a dog as top animals carry through their rank order and as single individuals of the society, they form a pair. Between them there is no question of status and argument concerning rank, even though small fictions of another type (jealousy) are not uncommon. By incessant control and repression of all types of competition (within the same sex), both of these "a animals" defend their social position."
Thus, the alpha wolf was born. Throughout his paper, Schenkel also draws frequent parallels between wolves and domestic dogs, often following his conclusions with anecdotes about our household canines. The implication is clear: wolves live in packs in which individual members vie for dominance and dogs, their domestic brethren, must be very similar indeed.
A key problem with Schenkel's wolf studies is that, while they represented the first close study of wolves, they didn't involve any study of wolves in the wild. Schenkel studied two packs of wolves living in captivity, but his studies remained the primary resource on wolf behavior for decades. Later researchers, would perform their own studies on captive wolves, and published similar findings on dominance-subordinate and leader-follower relationships within captive wolf packs. And the notion of the "alpha wolf" was reinforced, in large part, by wildlife biologist L. David Mech's 1970 book The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species (I'm linking it here, but please note that while the book has historical interest, some of its research is outmoded).
Mech spent several years during the 1960s studying wolves in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park as part of his PhD thesis work. Mech's book echoed Schenkel's notions of "alpha wolves" and competition-based pack hierarchies. Readers of Mech's book were led to believe that dominance played a key role in the lupine social order, and that wolves were naturally inclined to dominate one another. And Mech's book became a hit; it was republished in paperback in 1981 and remains in print (much to Mech's chagrin) to this day. It popularized a lot of our modern ideas about wolves, including competition-based hierarchies. Although Mech has since renounced the notion of the "alpha wolf," he admits that if you've heard the term, it's likely thanks to his book.
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Wyoming to trap wolves in Gros Ventre Mountains.
On Tuesday, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will launch a month-long campaign to trap and study wolves in the Gros Ventre Mountains.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 13, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d6zq6dd (http://tinyurl.com/d6zq6dd)
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2 endangered Mexican wolf pups born in NY to be raised in Ind. wildlife refuge
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 13, 2013
SOUTH SALEM, New York — Two Mexican wolf pups born less than a week ago at a preserve in the New York City suburbs have been flown to their new home in Indiana.
Newsday reports (http://bit.ly/10GCgDq (http://bit.ly/10GCgDq) ) Sunday that the pups named F749 and M804 have been flown by private jet to the Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden in Evansville, Indiana
The two pups born Wednesday at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem will be raised by other Mexican wolves. They're an extremely rare breed with only about 300 left in captivity and about 75 in the wild.
Wild wolves are kept along the New Mexico-Arizona state line under a federal program that reintroduced them to the wild in 1998.
The paper says these two pups' offspring may someday be released into the wild.
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May 14, 2013
Washington takes action to reduce wolf attacks
by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife May 10, 2013
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) enacted an emergency rule to permit ranchers, farmers, and other pet and livestock owners in the eastern third of the state to kill a wolf that is attacking their animals.
The action followed a special meeting of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, during which the commission members instructed WDFW Director Phil Anderson to put the rule into effect. WDFW also is initiating a public rule-making process for the commission to consider whether to adopt permanent rules to address these issues, with a decision expected this fall.
Commission Chair Miranda Wecker of Naselle said the commission is striving to address the legitimate need of residents to protect their domestic animals without undermining the state’s long-term goal of supporting the recovery of gray wolves. Without the emergency rule, animal owners would have had to obtain a "caught in the act" permit from the WDFW director before lethally removing a wolf.
Today’s action followed a request from 10 state legislators, who urged the commission and the department to use their rulemaking authority to address the concerns of residents whose communities are most affected by wolf recovery.
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Wolves migrating to central Cascades in Wash.
by Gary Chittim - KING 5 News May 14, 2013
WENATCHEE, Wash. -- The state of Washington had a plan. It asked ranchers where a new pack of wolves showed up this year to keep their cows in protective pens longer than usual.
The hope was that the wolves would follow the deer and elk as they moved to the high country when the weather warmed.
It may have worked just like it was supposed to. Sightings of the pack have dried up over the last week and the ranch family is about turn the cows out to pasture. But in the world of wolves, nothing is certain. Rancher Doug Hurd worries the wolves will find cattle on the range irresistible.
But biologists say this plan can work and it may have to become the norm in expanding Washington state wolf country.
The newest pack and one other, the Teanaway pack, are the first to venture west to the central part of the state and may signify a much larger western migration. That's good news for wildlife managers who are hoping well dispersed wolves will create a healthy and manageable population.
In the mountains above Wenatchee the pack is also doing something the state biologists like. They are, so far, preying on deer and elk, not protected cattle.
Source w/video:
http://tinyurl.com/c6lawom (http://tinyurl.com/c6lawom)
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Elk Foundation intervenes in wolf case
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! May 10, 2013
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has been granted intervenor status in the federal lawsuit over delisting wolves in Wyoming that is currently pending in a federal court in Washington, D.C. The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International are also intervenors in that case.
The RMEF is also intervening in the federal lawsuit over wolf delisting in the Great Lakes area, and is awaiting word from the federal court in Wyoming whether it will be permitted to intervene in a wolf lawsuit here as well.
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WG&F starts wolf trapping
Gros Ventre wolves targeted for monitoring
by Wyoming Game and Fish Department May 10, 2013
As part of ongoing efforts to monitor the population of gray wolves in northwest Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will conduct scientific trapping operations in the Gros Ventre mountain range southeast of Jackson. Trapping will begin May 14, 2013 and may continue through June 15, 2013.
All major access points where trapping is being conducted for monitoring purposes will be marked with warning signs. It is critical that members of the public heed these signs and do not venture into posted areas.
Monitoring the number, distribution, and other activities of gray wolves is vital to the ongoing recovery of gray wolves in the Yellowstone ecosystem and is required under the terms of delisting. Trapped animals are immobilized, processed, released on-site, and monitored in accordance with standard wolf capture and handling techniques.
For more information regarding gray wolf trapping efforts, call the Game and Fish Cody regional office at 307-527-7125 or your local Game and Fish biologist or game warden.
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Montana proposes expanded wolf hunt
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! May 10, 2013
While Wyoming works to reduce the number of wolves allowed for harvest by hunters this fall, Montana is working to increase the limit from one to five animals in that state's hunt.
For details, click on the link below.
Associated Press article - Read the details here:
http://tinyurl.com/ccchhwp (http://tinyurl.com/ccchhwp)
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Montana man kills sheep-killing Yellowstone wolf
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! May 10, 2013
A Gardiner, Montana man has killed a wolf that came out of Yellowstone National Park and onto his private property. The killing was in the wake of about a dozen of his sheep being killed by wolves two weeks ago.
For more, click on the link below.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle - Read the article here:
http://tinyurl.com/d8a88c4 (http://tinyurl.com/d8a88c4)
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Baiting claims dismissed by Montana officials after Yellowstone wolf killed by outfitter
By KATHRYN HAAKE and MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press May 14, 2013
HELENA, Montana — Claims that a Montana outfitter illegally baited wolves by leaving animal carcasses in a pile on his property near Yellowstone National Park were rejected Tuesday by Montana wildlife officials, who said an investigation determined the dead sheep had been buried.
Wildlife advocates had accused outfitter William Hoppe of intentionally luring in the predators and shooting one after wolves killed at least 13 of his sheep. Hoppe is a long-time critic of the reintroduction of wolves to the Yellowstone region two decades ago.
But Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials said an investigation determined Hoppe buried all but one of the sheep that were killed by wolves on April 24. The remaining animal was dragged away by a grizzly bear.
Hoppe obtained two shoot-on-site kill permits from the state following the sheep attack. He used one to kill a wolf from Yellowstone National Park last week.
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Wolf researchers advocate intervention
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! May 10, 2013
The New York Times has published an editorial by three researchers whose work has focused on the wolves of Isle Royale National Park, documenting the inbreeding and decline of that wolf population that was originally established by wolves traversing ice from the mainland. Now that the population is in decline, the researchers are advocating that action be taken to "reintroduce" wolves onto the island where a known population already exists – an island that also happens to be a wilderness area, where nature is supposed to take its course.
Rather than documenting what happens next in this natural drama, researchers want to actively manipulate the situation.
New York Times - Link to editorial
http://tinyurl.com/cu5wq8e (http://tinyurl.com/cu5wq8e)
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:34:39 AM
Wolves to be trapped in Absaroka Mountains
Billings Gazette May 14, 2013
As part of ongoing efforts to monitor the population of gray wolves in northwest Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will conduct trapping operations in the Absaroka Mountains west of Cody. Trapping will begin Sunday and may continue through July 15.
All major access points where trapping is being conducted for monitoring purposes will be marked with warning signs.
Monitoring the number, distribution, and other activities of gray wolves is vital to the ongoing recovery of gray wolves in the Yellowstone ecosystem and is required under the terms of delisting. Trapped animals are immobilized, processed, released on-site, and monitored in accordance with standard wolf capture and handling techniques.
For more information regarding gray wolf capture efforts, call the Game and Fish Cody regional office at 307-527-7125 or your local Game and Fish biologist or game warden.
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Second dog killed in wolf attack
May 15, 2013 By STEPHEN ANDERSON - The Daily Mining Gazette
ATLANTIC MINE - A wolf fatally attacked a sled dog in Atlantic Mine, the second such attack within a month in the vicinity, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday.
"We got this reported to us yesterday, sent an officer to the site, and he did confirm he felt it was a wolf that killed this animal," Brian Roell, DNR biologist, said today.
The 18-year-old, 60-pound retired sled dog was allowed to walk freely, and according to tracks in the area, the DNR believes it was a single wolf that made the attack. The rural property owner's name was not released as of press time.
"In this case we didn't have a carcass to look at, so we simply make the identification by wolf tracks," Roell said.
Another dog was killed by a wolf in Atlantic Mine on April 28, and according to Roell, farmer Rich Johnson was awarded a 30-day permit to kill wolves on his property. He successfully killed one wolf, and his permit is still active.
No other reports of wolf problems have been reported in the area.
The DNR encourages people to call only when wolves create a problem in an area, but because of the second attack in Atlantic Mine, Roell advises people to report even just sightings of wolves in that area.
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May 16, 2013
Wolf killing ban sought
By Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Jackson Hole, Wyoming May 16, 2013
A conservation group is asking the National Park Service to eliminate potential wolf hunting in the 24,000-acre Rockefeller Parkway between Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks.
The National Parks Conservation Association is petitioning the agency to launch a “rulemaking process” to review which species could be hunted in the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, the group’s Jackson representative said Wednesday. The Park Service has the authority, and duty, Sharon Mader said, to conduct such a review.
“The Park Service to this point has been negligent,” Mader said. “This fills that gap.”
The state of Wyoming has not issued licenses for wolf hunting in the parkway but has claimed authority to do so. Hunting is allowed in the parkway for elk and waterfowl, according to state seasons and license restrictions.
Continued:
http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9866&pid=news (http://jhnewsandguide.com/print.php?art_id=9866&pid=news)
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May 17, 2013
Rancher: Wolves killed 31 sheep
Agency issues kill order for predators near Carey
By KATHERINE WUTZ - Idaho Mountain Express Friday, May 17, 2013
The owner of the Flat Top Ranch near Carey said Wednesday that he recently lost more than two dozen sheep to wolves over a two-day period.
John Peavey said numerous lambs and ewes were killed by wolves on Friday, May 10, and Sunday, May 12.
Idaho Wildlife Services State Director Todd Grimm said Thursday that the final mortality count was at 31—18 lambs and 13 ewes.
Peavey said a Fish and Game representative determined that wolves were to blame, rather than another type of predator. As a result, Grimm said, Idaho Wildlife Services is carrying out a kill order on “at least” two wolves in the area.
Peavey said the sheep are currently vulnerable because they are in lambing season, when young lambs and birthing ewes can become easy prey. One of the ewes killed was in the process of birthing triplets, he said, and one of the lambs killed was the first—and only—one of the triplets to be born.
Continued:
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147366 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147366)
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Environmentalists drop 1 of 2 lawsuits challenging end of federal protections for Wyo. wolves
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press May 17, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A coalition of environmental groups has dropped one of two lawsuits challenging last year's decision by federal officials to turn over management of Wyoming wolves to the state.
A notice dismissing the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Cheyenne by lawyers for WildEarth Guardians and eight other groups. That leaves a similar suit filed by a different coalition of groups pending in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Both lawsuits generally claim that the state's wolf management plan doesn't provide adequate protection for the animals. The plan classifies wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state and allows regulated hunting elsewhere.
"My clients made a decision that there are two lawsuits over the exact same thing going on in two different places, and this was not an efficient use of their resources, said attorney Jay Tutchton, who represents WildEarth Guardians. "The way for us to fix that under our own control, is what we did."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/awxmkud (http://tinyurl.com/awxmkud)
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Petition Pushes Park Service on Wolf Hunting Decision
by Deb Courson Smith - Public News Service - WY May 16, 2013
JACKSON, Wyo. - The National Park Service is being nudged on setting rules about wolf hunting. A petition has been filed by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). It asks that regulations be set to protect gray wolves from being hunted inside the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
Sharon Mader, NPCA Grand Teton program manager, said although the state chose not to allow hunting in the parkway last fall, it did claim authority to do so and will review the decision each year, so the rules need to be clear.
"We very much respect the State of Wyoming and their authority to hunt outside of park boundaries," she said. "We do not believe that that right extends to within park boundaries."
Last season's wolf hunt outside the parks did affect park wolves, she added, with Yellowstone losing radio-collared animals.
The Park Service expressed serious concerns about wolf hunting in the Parkway because it is a wildlife corridor, she explained, but it has been eight months since then and nothing has happened.
"This is an important step that the park service needs to take to protect their wildlife management authority and to safeguard and protect wolves on park lands in the future," she said.
The petition claims that rule-making should have been triggered with delisting in Wyoming, and it pushes for formal action.
The petition is available online at www.npca.org (http://www.npca.org)
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Calf’s wounds caused by wolf attack
by Katy Nesbitt - The La Grand Observer May 13, 2013
A wounded calf found on the Imnaha Highway Thursday night was determined to have been wounded by the Imnaha wolf pack.
County Commissioner Susan Roberts said a range rider employed to look for signs of wolf-caused livestock kills reported a calf that “looked like it had been chewed on,” prompting an investigation. The dead calf had been fed on, but showed no signs of being killed by wolves. However, another calf walking along the highway with its mother was seen limping and had an open sore on its hip.
The next day the calf’s owner saw its injury and called for an investigation. Neither the rancher nor a Wildlife Service’s agent were able to catch it, so Fred Steen, Wallowa County Sheriff Office’s chief deputy, brought his horse down to the ranch along Little Sheep Creek and roped it as it headed up Three Buck Canyon.
“It had a pretty good sore with small maggots on it,” Roberts said.
Pat Matthews, the acting district biologist for the state, investigated the injury and determined it was wolf caused. The 125-pound calf was treated with antibiotics for the infection, Roberts said.
This area of Wallowa County has been regularly used by the Imnaha pack for the past four years. According to GPS collar information, members of the pack had been in the vicinity of the injured calf prior to the attack.
This past winter a young, female member of the pack was caught in a trap set for coyotes on the same ranch. She was collared by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and released unharmed.
In March 2012, a bred heifer was discovered on the Little Sheep Creek ranch with bite marks and had to be euthanized. It, too, was determined to have been attacked by a wolf. Two other cows, according to Rod Childers, Oregon Cattlemen’s wolf committee chairman, were also confirmed to have had wolf-caused injuries, but survived.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/a3lphor (http://tinyurl.com/a3lphor)
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Wandering wolf captured again
By Rene Romo - Abq Journal Thu, May 16, 2013
LAS CRUCES — Federal officials have captured a recently released male Mexican gray wolf for the second time in four months after the lobo wandered away from his mate and a designated recovery area.
The wolf, designated M1133, had been in the wild only two weeks when he was captured Saturday and returned to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wolf Management Facility at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
The wolf was among two pairs that Fish and Wildlife released in late April, after a four-year period in which the agency had released only one captive wolf. The releases, which wolf advocates had repeatedly called for, were aimed at bolstering the genetic diversity of the wild population, increasing the number of breeding wolves, and offsetting the illegal killing of endangered wolves.
According to the most recent monthly report on the wolf recovery effort and a Fish and Wildlife spokesman, law enforcement is investigating the recent deaths of two wolves, while the status of another pair will be considered “fate unknown” if they are not located by the end of May.
Federal officials put the male wolf and his mate, a pregnant female designated F1108, into a temporary enclosure in McKenna Park, a remote area in the Gila Wilderness, on April 27. The enclosure is designed to allow wolves to chew through and “self-release,” which the pair did May 3.
But while the pregnant female appears to be denning near McKenna Park to raise pups, her mate headed east, covering more than 75 miles before he was captured east of the San Mateo Mountains in the Cibola National Forest southwest of Socorro.
Because the wolf was outside the boundaries of the 4 million-acre Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, and is considered part of a “nonessential, experimental population,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said program rules required the capture of the wandering lobo.
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity disagreed, saying Fish and Wildlife was only required to capture the wolf if it established a territory outside the recovery area. Still, Robinson said he did not fault the decision to capture the wolf because it was headed toward a hazard — Interstate 25 — and was not likely to find another mate or pack. “It’s disturbing that there weren’t other wolves en route that might have captured his fancy or slowed him down,” Robinson said, adding, “A lot more wolves need to be released, so these situations don’t keep happening.”
Seventy-five Mexican gray wolves were counted in the wild at the end of 2012.
The wandering lobo had been released in Arizona on Jan. 8, with the hope he would mate with the Bluestem pack’s alpha female. The two did not pair. M1133 headed to where he was not likely to find other wolves, so he was captured.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b3rd3rb (http://tinyurl.com/b3rd3rb)
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May 18, 2013
Will red ribbons help save wolves and cows?
by GARY CHITTIM - KING 5 News May 14, 2013
NEAR CLE ELUM, Wash. -- If you drive up North Fork Teanaway Road near Cle Elum, you will see miles of red ribbons - 13,000 ribbons flapping the breeze along the side of the road and then off into the pasture and forest lands. DO NOT TOUCH IT! The ribbons are part of a wolf deterrent project and they are attached to an electrified cable.
Biologists explain the ribbons, or fladry as they are called, have been scaring wolves for centuries.
”They have some kind of phobia tied to these flags,” said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Anthony Novak. “They just don’t want to cross it.”
And if they do, they get zapped with a painful but harmless dose of electricity.
Volunteers from the Conservation Northwest group are helping WDF&W wrap the fladry around a pasture where cattle will soon be turned out.
It’s hoped it will keep the wolves away long enough for them to follow deer and elk who head for the high country during the hot weather.
It’s just one tool wildlife managers and groups are hoping ranchers adopt as the wolves struggle to repopulate the state.
Source w/video report:
http://tinyurl.com/a7hquv6 (http://tinyurl.com/a7hquv6)
[Note: We have found that deer and elk get tangled in the wire and pull the fladry down.]
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MT issues statement about rancher who shot wolf
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks May 17, 2013
The Gardiner area landowner who lost thirteen of his sheep to wolves late last month has asked Fish, Wildlife and Parks to amend his shoot on sight permit granting permission to take a second wolf. The landowner says he will be shipping his cow/calf pairs which were grazing in the area of the depredation to summer pasture in another location at the end of the week, while his remaining live sheep were moved immediately following the depredation event. Therefore, the landowner says there will no longer be a need for the permit.
In response to the landowner’s request, FWP has revised the shoot on sight permit issued on April 24 to expire on May 18, 2013 rather than June 8, 2013 in support of this good-faith gesture. Consistent with this action, cattle producers issued a shoot on sight permit always have the option not to use a kill permit issued to them.
The landowner legally shot and killed a wolf on May 6, 2013. This wolf (a collared female) had returned to the site where the landowner’s sheep were killed. FWP believes the wolf killed by the landowner was likely one of the two animals responsible for the depredation event. FWP investigated claims that this landowner baited the wolves and determined them to be unfounded. Further, despite some false reports, the carcasses of the dead sheep were all moved off-site to avoid conflict, except for one that was mostly consumed by a bear a few days after the depredation.
Montana routinely issues shoot on sight permits to assist livestock owners in removing depredating or offending wolves that return to the localized area associated with a confirmed depredation. This assists FWP in preventing further conflicts where risk of depredation continues.
FWP is charged with managing a fully recovered, robust wolf population that thrives on multiple-use landscapes outside of protected areas. Since gray wolves were reintroduced in the Northern Rockies, lethal removal of problem individual wolves has been recognized as necessary means to promote conservation of non-depredating wolves while accounting for wolf effects on local livelihoods. A single wolf associated with a depredation, and removed from a population, does not biologically threaten the local or regional wolf population.
According to FWP’s annual wolf conservation and management report, there was a minimum of 625 wolves at the end of 2012 statewide in 147 packs and 37 breeding pairs.
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Group wants wolf protection in parkway
by National Parks Conservation Association May 17, 2013
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) today (May 17, 2013) filed a petition that asks the National Park Service (NPS) to start a rulemaking process that will eliminate the possibility of a hunt of gray wolves inside the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The Parkway, a unit of the National Park System, connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, providing what Congress called the "spiritual and physical connection" between them. It also serves as the connection for the wolf packs inhabiting those parks. The petition was filed for NPCA by Robert D. Rosenbaum and others at the law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP.
"Wolves in Wyoming were recently removed from the endangered species list, and the state of Wyoming controls wolf management outside our national parks," said NPCA Grand Teton Program Manager Sharon Mader. "The state of Wyoming has claimed, however, that it also has that authority in the Parkway and has stated that it has ‘assumed control’ of such hunting there."
While the state has not yet attempted to permit such hunting, it says it will review that issue annually.
Continued:
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/05/Groupwantswolfprotec.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/05/Groupwantswolfprotec.htm)
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Wolf and grizzly trapping in Pinedale region
by Wyoming Game and Fish Department May 17, 2013
As part of ongoing efforts to monitor the population of gray wolves in northwest Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will conduct scientific trapping operations in the northern Wind River Mountains and Gros Ventre Mountains north of Pinedale and east of Bondurant. Trapping will begin after May 19, 2013 and may continue through August 31, 2013.
Also, as part of ongoing efforts to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, WG&F will conduct research trapping operations north and west of Pinedale beginning after May 19 and may continue through September 31, 2013.
All major access points where trapping is being conducted for monitoring purposes will be marked with warning signs. It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs and not venture into posted areas.
Monitoring the number, distribution and other activities of gray wolves and grizzly bears are vital to the ongoing recovery of these large carnivores in the Yellowstone ecosystem and is required under the terms of delisting. Trapped animals are immobilized, processed, released on site, and monitored in accordance with standard capture and handling techniques.
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:42:09 AM
Aerial survey finds increase in elk numbers in Bitterroot Valley
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 19, 2013
HAMILTON, Montana — An aerial survey by Montana officials has found an increase in the number of elk in the Bitterroot Valley.
The Ravalli Republic reports (http://bit.ly/12ESDiD (http://bit.ly/12ESDiD)) that this year's spring count found 7,373 elk in the five hunting districts surrounding the Bitterroot Valley.
Mike Thompson of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said it's the fourth highest number of elk counted in the 48-year history of the annual survey. It follows a series of disappointing surveys, including last year's that found 6,238 elk.
"We've had a pulse this year," he said. "It's a hopeful sign. We've seen that kind of variation in elk populations before. You achieve that kind of bump in population numbers with higher calf production and survival."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/aretue3 (http://tinyurl.com/aretue3)
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May 21, 2013
Government indefinitely delays decision on wolf protections in Lower 48, but reason uncertain
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 20, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Federal wildlife officials are postponing a much-anticipated decision on whether to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states.
In a court filing Monday, government attorneys say "a recent unexpected delay" is indefinitely holding up action on the predators. No further explanation was offered.
Gray wolves are under protection as an endangered species and have recovered dramatically from widespread extermination in recent decades.
More than 6,000 of the animals now roam the continental U.S. Most live in the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes, where protections already have been lifted.
A draft proposal to lift protections elsewhere drew strong objections when it was revealed last month.
Wildlife advocates and some members of Congress argue that the wolf's recovery is incomplete because the animal occupies just a fraction of its historical range.
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Scientists Call on Obama Administration to Keep Gray Wolves Protected Under Endangered Species Act
Biologists Say Proposal to Remove Protections Fails to Follow Best Science
May 21, 2013 Center for Biological Diversity
WASHINGTON — In two sharply worded letters sent to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today, prominent scientists argued for continued protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states and criticized a draft federal proposal to remove those protections for being premature and failing to follow the best available science. One of the letters came from the American Society of Mammalogists, the other from 16 prominent biologists.
http://tinyurl.com/kn8ftq7 (http://tinyurl.com/kn8ftq7)
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Enthusiasts celebrate the anniversary of wolf reintroduction
By Benjamin Fisher, Sun-News 05/19/2013
SILVER CITY — More than 30 Mexican gray wolf enthusiasts and interested residents stepped into the shade at the Little Walnut Creek Picnic area for the 15th Anniversary Lobo Birthday Party on Sunday.
Featuring guest speaker Dave Parsons, carnivore conservation biologist and former US Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, and live music by the Silver City String Beans, the event was held by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.
According to the group's website, the Alliance is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and continued enjoyment of New Mexico's wild lands and wilderness areas.
Continued:
http://www.scsun-news.com/silver_city-news/ci_23278918 (http://www.scsun-news.com/silver_city-news/ci_23278918)
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May 22, 2013
Scientists urge federal officials not to remove gray wolf protections across Lower 48 states
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 21, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Groups of scientists are urging federal officials not to remove protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states.
In letters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week, carnivore specialists say the wolf population has only begun to recover and is absent from most of its historical territory after being driven to near-extinction in the past century.
They say there's enough habitat and prey to support wolves in other parts of the country.
The wolf remains on the endangered species list except in the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes, where the combined population is about 6,000.
A draft proposal to drop remaining protections except in the Southwest surfaced last month. Government attorneys said in court papers Monday a final decision has been postponed. They provided no explanation.
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Public Employees Sue Over ‘Political Deals’ Behind Wolf Delisting
Environment News Service May 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC, May 22, 2013 (ENS) – The Obama Administration’s plan to remove the gray wolf from the protections of the Endangered Species Act, as detailed in a draft Federal Register notice released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, is temporarily on hold.
The reasons for the indefinite delay announced this week were not revealed nor were the records of closed-door meetings to craft this plan that began in August 2010.
Today a federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to obtain the records from those meetings was filed by PEER, a nonprofit national alliance of local, state and federal resource professionals.
The draft Federal Register notice would strike the gray wolf from the federal list of threatened or endangered species but would keep endangered status for the Mexican wolf. No protected habitat would be delineated for the Mexican wolf, of which fewer than 100 remain in the wild.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/nwcjusg (http://tinyurl.com/nwcjusg)
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Game and Fish mulls lowering wolf harvest quotas in Dubois area
May 21, 2013 - By Eric Blom, The Ranger
Wyoming Game and Fish proposes to lower the gray wolf harvest quota for the hunt area around Dubois to three animals from the five allowed in 2012. The hunt season would remain the same, from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.
Regional wildlife manager Jason Hunter, large carnivore biologist Bob Trebelcock and carnivore conflict supervisor Brian Debolt met with the Fremont County Commission on May 7 to discuss the proposed wolf season.
"We're hoping to reduce the population slightly in 2013," Trebelcock said, referring to the wolves.
The hunt area covers all of Fremont County west of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The tribal game and fish agency manages wolves on the reservation, and wolves are considered predators east of the reservation and can be shot without a license.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/om5wyok (http://tinyurl.com/om5wyok)
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Gov. Inslee signs bill for WA personal license plate $10 fee to help pay for wolf kills
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 22, 2013
OLYMPIA, Washington — Legislation signed Tuesday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee adds $10 to the cost of a personalized Washington license plate with the money going to help compensate livestock owners for wolf kills.
The legislation was requested by the state Fish and Wildlife Department to reimburse farmers and ranchers who lose animals to the recovering wolf population.
State wildlife managers say the wolf population doubled in Washington last year and they now estimate there are 50 to 100 gray wolves in at least 10 packs. Most of the wolves are in the northeast corner of the state in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille (pahn-duh-RAY') counties.
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Wolf management legislation signed into law, expands compensation
by David Haviland May 21, 2013 KBKW
OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee today signed legislation that will provide state wildlife managers more resources to prevent wolf-livestock conflict and expand criteria for compensation to livestock owners for wolf-related losses.
Senate Bill 5193, requested by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and prime-sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, was supported by a broad cross-section of interest groups.
"The gray wolf population is recovering quickly in Washington," said Inslee. "This bill received bipartisan support from legislators across the state because it represents a practical, realistic approach to minimizing wolf-livestock conflict while recognizing the need for fair compensation to ranchers and farmers."
WDFW Director Phil Anderson said the department appreciates the Governor's support for the bill and the efforts of both Republican and Democratic legislators to get it passed. "Washington state is committed to wolf recovery, but sustainable recovery requires that we address the legitimate needs of farmers, ranchers and other residents of the communities that are on the front line of wolf recovery," he said. "This bill does that."
Continued (scroll down past ad):
http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5518 (http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5518)
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Hunting of gray wolves in Michigan's U.P. put on hold
Chad Livengood - Detroit News May 22, 2013
Lansing — A planned hunt of gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula has been put on hold — for now — after the law authorizing the harvest was suspended Wednesday pending a statewide referendum vote in November 2014.
The Board of State Canvassers determined Wednesday the group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected turned in more than the minimum 161,305 signatures required to get the issue on the ballot.
The referendum on whether Michigan should allow wolf hunting will be placed before voters in the November 2014 general election, suspending the current statute, state elections director Chris Thomas said.
Anticipating the wolf hunting law would be suspended, the Legislature recently passed a separate law authorizing the Natural Resources Commission to designate animals as hunting game, including wolves.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/obd2rlu (http://tinyurl.com/obd2rlu)
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May 23, 2013
Whatever Happened to the Big Bad Wolf?
‘Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf,’ and More
New York Times - by Pamela Paul May 22, 2013 - Children's books
Once upon a time, the Big Bad Wolf was a mighty fearsome fellow. In the folkloric tales of Aesop and the Grimms, he terrorized small children and other helpless critters. He blew down houses in Disney’s “Three Little Pigs,” and in “The Three Little Wolves,” a somewhat sinister Silly Symphony cartoon from 1936, after the Nazi ascent to power, he is saddled with a German accent.
Perhaps he was due for a makeover. Four new picture books this year brush aside his surly past and sweeten him up for warmer and fuzzier tales, while still retaining a bit of bite. In “The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf,” the prolific author-illustrator Mark Teague (“Dear Mrs. La Rue,” the “How Do Dinosaurs…?” series), sets his story in motion when three small pigs are abandoned by their farmer. (He decides to move to Florida with his wife.) They’ll just have to set up camp elsewhere.
The story proceeds as expected, with a few comic touches. Two of the pigs are not only lazy, they’re inveterate junk food gobblers; the third plants a vegetable patch. Matters depart from the routine when the “somewhat bad” wolf comes in, hungry and in a “VERY bad mood.” Still, he isn’t the professional destroyer of pigs from the stories of yore. “I can’t believe that worked!” he marvels after blowing down the first pig’s house. “He had never blown down a house before.”
He’s also, it happens, out of shape. The pigs feel sorry for him, and soon enough, he’s lounging with his porcine friends in the third pig’s swimming pool. Instead of happily ever after, "he was hardly ever bad again.” Breezily entertaining and full of food references, this humorous fractured fairy tale won’t send any children peering fretfully up the chimney.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/ojnfwc3 (http://tinyurl.com/ojnfwc3)
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Idaho’s wolf soap opera begins a new season
May 23, 2013 by Rocky Barker - Idaho Statesman
The killing of 31 sheep by wolves near Carey earlier this month at first look, appears to be the classic Idaho story.
Wolves kill sheep. State issues kill order on wolves. Wolf lovers criticize rancher, wolf haters say I told you so.
The 23-year Northern Rockies soap opera continues. But this time the story is different.
John Peavey, the former Democratic state senator who owns the Flat Top Ranch, has been a part of a cooperative project between ranchers, local officials and the Defenders of Wildlife aimed at protecting sheep and wolves. The five-year program has pushed non-lethal methods of controlling wolves over traditional trapping and aerial gunning by federal agents.
Last year, there were 27,000 sheep in the project area around the Wood River Valley and two to three packs of wolves on landscape. They lived in harmony with only one late incident when the bands of sheep came upon wolves no one knew were there and they killed sheep.
That was only after the lambing season when Peavey chose instead of the others to use a method called range lambing. Most ranchers lamb in sheds in Idaho, which get it over with earlier in the spring and also fattens their lambs earlier.
The advantage for Peavey of range lambing is he doesn’t have to buy hay to feed his ewes. Idaho‘s growing dairy industry, along with high demand from China for exported hay, has driven its price of sky high.
Peavey estimates he would pay $100 a ewe for hay during lambing compared with a dollar on the public range. That cost differential makes a few losses to wolves and other predators acceptable to him.
But this spring his heart broke as he found a ewe and three triplets killed by wolves along with 27 other dead sheep. His reaction is a universal response that comes from the overriding ethical imperative of shepherds to protect their flocks.
Suzanne Stone has the same feelings for the wolves that run wild throughout Idaho and the northern Rockies. The Boise representative of Defenders of Wildlife fought hard to bring back wolves to the region and she has shed tears over the deaths of many wolves since 1995.
The kill order issued by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is, to her, an attack not only on her precious wolves but also on the project she has championed to show that wolves and ranchers can co-exist with fewer killings. Peavey’s range lambing does not fit into the non-lethal management model that seeks to keep the sheep together and protected with guard dogs, volunteers, noisemakers and colored flags that keep the wolves away from the sheep.
The Wood River Valley is one of the few places in Idaho where wolves are actively embraced. The Phantom Pack several years turned thousands of observers into wolf lovers.
Who can forget the wolf pup who was discovered last spring and embraced by people throughout the nation? The valley also loves is sheep herding history, which it celebrates with an annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival.
When lambing is over Peavey will bring his sheep in with the others under the protection of the non-lethal management cone. Look at a map of wolf depredations statewide and this area stands out for its empty space before this spring.
If the wolf issue was not so polarized and if even major livestock or wolf killing was not elevated to national news, I suspect the players would get over it and move on just like neighbors usually do after a spat. But today this is not just a local argument.
It will be fought out on social media and in blogs with comments including mine. The biology of wolf recovery is far easier than the cultural and political aspects.
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Groups join Wyoming in asking judge not to allow environmental groups to end wolf suit
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press May 23, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Lawyers for the federal government and several pro-hunting organizations have joined the state of Wyoming in urging a federal judge not to allow a coalition of environmental groups to drop a lawsuit challenging recent federal action turning wolf management over to Wyoming.
The coalition, led by WildEarth Guardians, last week moved to dismiss its lawsuit pending before U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne. A lawyer for the coalition said recently it's putting its support behind a similar lawsuit that other environmental groups are pushing in Washington, D.C. Wyoming officials accused the environmentalists of forum shopping.
Environmental groups in both the Wyoming and Washington lawsuits have challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's move last year to turn over Wyoming wolf management to the state government. The groups say the state's management plan, which classifies wolves as unprotected predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state, fails to afford them adequate protection.
Hunters have killed scores of wolves in Wyoming since the state took over management in October. State officials now say they intend to reduce regulated trophy hunting quotas for wolves this fall to prevent populations from possibly falling low enough to trigger a return to federal management.
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Michigan election board OKs wolf hunt referendum for 2014, but result could be meaningless
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 22, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — Michigan's election board on Wednesday certified the signatures of a group seeking to ban wolf hunting and a referendum will be placed on the November 2014 ballot, but the outcome of the vote could be meaningless.
The Board of State Canvassers agreed that Keep Michigan Wolves Protected gathered the more than 250,000 signatures needed to seek a vote on a measure lawmakers approved in December that designated the wolf as a game species.
But a new law makes the referendum a toothless gesture regardless of the outcome.
A separate measure signed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder earlier this month lets the Natural Resources Commission decide which types of animals can be hunted. That authority previously rested entirely with the Legislature. Despite what happens with a vote, the commission will have the power to allow wolf hunting.
Earlier this month, the commission approved a limited wolf hunting and trapping season in three areas in the Upper Peninsula in November and December.
Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, said they are still pushing forward with the ballot initiative to "demonstrate the overwhelming response from Michigan voters who oppose the hunting and trapping of wolves in our state." Fritz said the group is still considering its options for how to continue fighting against wolf hunting, including possible legal challenges and another referendum campaign to place the new law on the ballot.
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:46:32 AM
Wolves taking toll on Northeastern Oregon cattle, sheep
By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian May 23, 2013
LA GRANDE – Domestic sheep and cattle have been taking hits from gray wolves this month in northeastern Oregon, and at least one young wolf has died, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Four sheep were confirmed killed, another was injured and still another is missing north of Pendleton, the department confirmed this week. Wolf tracks were found at the scene, and radio-collar data showed at least one wolf from the Umatilla River pack was in that area the night of the attacks, said biologists.
Meanwhile, a rancher's yearling cow was killed by Imnaha Pack wolves in Wallowa County on May 15, the department reported. Evidence of at least two wolves was discovered at the scene, according to biologists.
Five days earlier, ODFW biologists confirmed a rancher's calf was bitten on a hind leg by a wolf, but was expected to survive.
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DNR Committee Recommends Higher Wolf Hunt Quotas
A Department of Natural Resources (DNR) committee wants to let hunters and trappers kill a lot more gray wolves this fall.
By Chuck Quirmbach Fri May 24, 2013 WPR
At a meeting in Wausau Thursday, a 26-member committee voted to raise the wolf kill quota to 275 this fall. That would be an increase from a quota of 201 last year, though only 117 wolves were actually killed: Ojibwe tribes didn't harvest any wolves set aside for native American hunters. It remains unclear how many of the 275 wolves this fall would be reserved for tribal hunters. Hunting opponents fear the answer is none. The DNR's David McFarland says by setting an overall higher kill target, the committee hopes to put a bigger dent in the Wisconsin wolf population.
“The hunt that we had last year was successful in stabilizing the population, but did not result in population reduction. We believe, in this quota recommendation, will begin to result in population decline.”
There are still about 800 wolves in the state. A current management plan has a goal of 350 wolves, but McFarland says that goal could be changed over the next year. Howard Goldman, of the Humane Society of the United States, says the wolf kill recommendation made Thursday is indefensible.
“This hunt is purely recreational killing: killing wolves for trophies, sport and fun. We don’t think the public will support that. We think it's a reckless number.”
Goldman says he's also disappointed that the DNR has removed wolf hunting opponents from the panel that made Thursday's recommendation. The new proposal now goes to other committees, DNR administrators and to the DNR board in about a month.
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Another U.P. dog killed by wolves
3rd in a month
May 23, 2013 The Daily News
ATLANTIC MINE - A wolf fatally attacked another dog in Houghton County's Atlantic Mine, the third such attack within a month in the vicinity, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported today.
The dog in this morning's attack was chained up in a fenced yard at the time of the attack.
The first confirmed kill in this area was on April 28.
"Wolf attacks on dogs around residences are usually uncommon," said DNR wildlife biologist Brian Roell. "The landowner was working to provide fencing and better boundaries but unfortunately another dog was killed on this property in a short amount of time."
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May 25, 2013
Settlement makes killing wolves that prey on livestock in Oregon a last resort
By JEFF BARNARD - Associated Press May 24, 2013
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — Conservation groups and cattle ranchers have agreed to a landmark settlement in a lawsuit that, for the past year and a half, has kept the state of Oregon from killing wolves that prey on livestock.
The agreement announced Friday by the governor's office creates a new rulebook for wolf management in Oregon that makes killing the ones that prey on cattle and sheep a last resort after nonlethal protections have been tried and livestock attacks have become chronic. It also gives ranchers greater authority to kill wolves that attack or chase their herds as long as certain conditions are met.
Brett Brownscombe, the governor's natural resources adviser, said the agreement will help bring peace to a longstanding and bitter conflict.
"Before, there had always been a lot of rhetoric about, 'We can't tolerate wolves here, and all this nonlethal stuff won't work,'" Brownscombe said. "Now the reality is wolves are here, and we have to be able to protect our property through reasonable means. Nonlethal techniques are going to be part of the expected approach forward. People are going to have assurances that if there are problems, they will have some recourse and things won't be stuck in the courts."
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Inslee signs wolf management bill
by Rich Landers May 21, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Gov. Jay Inslee today signed legislation that will provide state wildlife managers more resources to prevent wolf-livestock conflict and expand criteria for compensation to livestock owners for wolf-related losses.
Senate Bill 5193, requested by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and prime-sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, was supported by a cross-section of interest groups.
“Washington state is committed to wolf recovery, but sustainable recovery requires that we address the legitimate needs of farmers, ranchers and other residents of the communities that are on the front line of wolf recovery,” said Phil Anderson, WDFW director. “This bill does that.”
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Apache County cites states' rights with Mexican Gray Wolf ordinance
By Steve Shadley 05/24/2013 KJZZ
Apache County Supervisors have passed an ordinance that prohibits state and federal government from releasing Mexican Gray Wolves in the county. But the measure is drawing criticism from environmentalists who want to protect the threatened wolf species.
The Apache County Board passed the ordinance this week after listening to hours of testimony from ranchers who complained the wolves are killing their livestock. The county said it has the authority to ban reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf under the 10th amendment of the constitution that addresses the rights of states and local government.
But, Michael Robinson with the Tucson-based environmental group The Center for Biological Diversity said the county ordinance can’t supersede the federal wolf reintroduction program.
“This is another livestock industry attempt to attack the very vulnerable Mexican Wolves that are out there and to challenge the broad authority and responsibility of our federal government to conserve and eventually recover this endangered animal," Robinson said.
Robinson said 75 Mexican Gray wolves currently live in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. Apache County Supervisors have sent copies of their 11-page ordinance to Governor Jan Brewer, the state legislature and Congress.
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May 26, 2013
Who do you pay to manage your big-game herds?
By Mike Popp - Clearwater Progress May 23, 2013
Open up any Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) regulation booklet and the first text you will find is the Idaho Wildlife Policy which states: “All wildlife, including all wild animals, wild birds, and fish, within the state of Idaho, is hereby declared to be the property of the state of Idaho.”
It’s a one paragraph law that claims our wildlife will be managed in such a manner that “will preserve, protect, and perpetuate such wildlife, and provide for the citizens of this state and, as by law permitted by others, continued supplies of such wildlife for hunting, fishing and trapping.” Idaho Code Section 36-103
Are IDFG wildlife managers required to obey this law to ensure that they have to properly manage our wildlife resources?
The availability of game herds has a very positive impact economically and socially within the local communities. Idaho historically had always earned its fair share of the more than a $76 billion economic force that hunting and fishing generates throughout the United States. That all changed in 1995 with the importation of Canadian Gray Wolves.
North Idaho’s forests and communities changed forever when wildlife managers denied claims by locals of the negative impacts from the Canadian Gray Wolf. Locally, game management zones such as the Lolo Zone became stale environments. The elk, deer and moose populations were plummeting. IDFG officials and game managers were not doing their job.
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Proposed Wyoming wolf quotas attract little public comment
May 25, 2013 By CHRISTINE PETERSON Star-Tribune
SHERIDAN — A proposed plan to cut the Wyoming wolf hunting quota in half has generated little public comment during the first of several statewide meetings.
Two people went to a wolf meeting held by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Wednesday night in Sheridan. Dozens of people went to the Sheridan meeting last year to discuss the first wolf hunting season, said Mark Bruscino, large-carnivore section supervisor for Game and Fish.
The Pinedale meeting in early May had two attendees. Eleven people went to Dubois and four to Laramie. The upcoming meetings in Cody and Jackson may see larger crowds, said Dan Thompson, large-carnivore biologist with Game and Fish.
“Maybe people think [Game and Fish] has it under control,” said Ron Crispin, one of the two Sheridan meeting attendees.
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Now is not the time to cut back on wolf hunting
May 24, 2013 - Ron Collins, Riverton WY - The Ranger
Editor:
Mr. Peck makes the statement, "hunters had a good season, bagging every one of the available wolves licensed in the first hunt," and, "as it is, with the full allotment of wolves having been taken, the state is wise to cut back on the number of licenses later this year." Those statements are not true.
It is much easier to purchase a Black Footed Ferret Flask or a Maynard Moose Coin Bank off the Wyoming Game and Fish Department web site than to find harvest information. However, if one is willing to drill down deep enough, all the information is there. Wyoming had 12 wolf trophy hunting areas with a conservative quota of animals to be harvested in each area. At season's end; the quota was only reached in half of these hunt areas.
Wyoming sold 4,492 Resident wolf licenses and another 198 wolf tags to Non-Residents to bag 52 wolves in these 12 trophy areas and couldn't pull it off. At season's end, only 42 wolves were harvested out of the trophy areas.
Wyoming agreed to maintain 100 wolves with 10 breeding pairs in order for the Federal protection to be lifted. At the end of 2011, there were estimated to be a minimum of 328 wolves in Wyoming, including 48 packs and 27 breeding pairs. Outside of Yellowstone Park, there were a minimum estimated 224 wolves, 36 packs, and 19 breeding pairs. That's not counting this year's offspring.
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Residents react to wolf attacks
by Sarah Blakely 05.24.2013 Upper Michigan
ATLANTIC MINE -- Wallace Koski lives on a shrubby piece of land just off the highway in Atlantic Mine.
He is a sportsman and loves to take his dogs rabbit hunting.
Lately he hasn’t been able to take his dogs out for fear they’ll be attacked by a wolf.
“I had them come right behind the dogs within 30 feet,” said Koski. “I got to come out at nighttime and shoot with a 40-caliber glock at three in the morning. They’re yipping and nipping.”
The DNR says they plan to take more lethal action in controlling the wolves in Atlantic Mine.
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Government mandate more unpopular than wolves
By Brandon Loomis The Republic Sat May 25, 2013
RESERVE, N.M. “Beware — Danger.
“Free Roaming Wolves. Protect Your Children & Your Pets.”
This is Mexican gray wolf country, but it doesn’t mean people have to like it. Around Catron County, opponents of the government’s 15-year wolf-reintroduction program have set up roadside signs announcing the predators and showing photos of mangled dogs and elk.
North of town, a school-bus stop stands caged, one of several ostensibly built to protect children from the animals. Several residents said they’ve never seen kids inside the shelters, but the message is clear.
“They don’t belong here,” rancher Duke Stephenson said of the wolves. “That’s just what the conservationists have decided is best for us.”
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:51:02 AM
Regs for ’13 wolf hunt to face public scrutiny
By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole, Wyoming May 27, 2013
Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials will review proposed changes to wolf hunt regs at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Virginian Lodge.
Managers propose to halve the number of licenses, from 52 to 26, in the regulated 2013 wolf hunt, confined to about 15 percent of Wyoming land, including Jackson Hole. No changes are proposed to the “predator zone,” an area that encompasses the balance of the state, where wolves are not regulated and can be killed like pests.
During Wyoming’s inaugural regulated wolf hunt in 2012, the statewide population of wolves — including in Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation — fell 16 percent. The number of wolves dropped from a known minimum of 328 to 277.
Forty-one wolves were killed during 2012 in the “trophy game” hunt area, and another 25 in the predator zone. Thus far in 2013, another 17 have been killed in the predator zone.
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Arizona endangered wolves still on the brink
The Arizona wolf-relocation project struggles as endangered lobos fall prey to guns and cars.
Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic May 26, 2013
ALPINE, Ariz. -- A brown-streaked wolf — named Ernesta by her admiring captors — bounded from a crate and onto Arizona soil. She carries in her womb the newest hopes for a rare native species that is struggling to regain a footing in the Southwest.
Her government-sponsored April 25 relocation with her mate, from New Mexico's Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to a mountain south of Alpine, was the first in the state for a captive-bred pair of Mexican gray wolves in more than four years.
The last time a new canine couple sniffed freedom in these mountains, in fall 2008, they didn't last the winter. Someone shot the female almost immediately, and the male disappeared by February.
"It's a tough life for wolves in the wild," Endangered Wolf Center animal-care director Regina Mossotti said after watching the latest pair bolt from their crates last month in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The Missouri non-profit center is part of a breeding program and has nurtured both of the transplanted wolves at times. Mossotti felt a special kinship with the female she helped raise, and she was a little anxious.
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Some U.P. residents say wolf hunt badly needed
May 26, 2013 Detroit Free Press
IRONWOOD, Mich. — John Koski grips the old blanket in knobby hands weathered from a lifetime of farming. He pulls it back to reveal the carcasses of two cows, or what's left of them. More than half of each is picked clean, the spine and rib bones almost a polished white, with no traces of flesh. Some of the rib bones are snapped and show evidence of being gnawed upon.
The mutilated cattle, found this spring on Koski's 1,000-acre farm in the tiny community of Matchwood in Ontonogan County, are the latest casualties in his ongoing war with wolves. The 68-year-old farmer has had more cattle killed or injured by wolves than any farmer in the state, 119 in the past three years, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Government-paid sharpshooters and trappers for years have killed dozens of the wolves who've taken a liking to Koski's cattle.
"I think this is the last year I'm going to keep cattle here because I'm losing so many," Koski said, adding that he may move them to his other farmland in Bessemer, about 35 miles away.
There are no records of a human ever being killed by a wolf in the wild in Michigan. But Koski thinks that could change.
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Wolf attack
By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com May 27, 2013 [Canada]
A seven-year-old boxer is expected to make a full recovery after being attacked by several wolves outside city limits.
Tyler Allen took his boxer, Marshal, out for a walk in the field behind his house, which is near Kakabeka and Stanley, on Sunday. The 16-year-old took Marshal off leash and let him run off ahead. He lay down to enjoy the sunny day when he said he heard a noise.
“I came over the hill and there were five wolves surrounding him and other three or four up on the hill,” he said.
“I grabbed a nearby stick. The biggest one was maybe 20 feet away from me and he started walking towards me. He got pretty close to me and I swung at him. He then decided to turn around. I didn’t really think much at first. I just kind of did it. After it happened, it kind of set in and started to sink in. I’m a little uneasy.”
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May 28, 2013
Feds Postpone Plans to Delist Wolves Indefinitely
by Alicia Graef May 27, 2013 Care2
In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a delay in its plan to strip federal protection from nearly all gray wolves throughout the U.S. this week, but the plan could still move forward at any time.
Since losing protection in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes regions hundreds of wolves have been brutally slaughtered by hunters and trappers – both wolves who lived anonymously in the wild and collared wolves whose stories we followed. Michigan, the only state in the Great Lakes that didn’t have a wolf hunt last year, recently reclassified wolves as a game species, while other states are now working towards allowing hunting with dogs and baiting.
It’s a success story turned war zone for wolves, who unfortunately don’t understand state boundary lines and continue to pay for their ignorance with their lives.
At the end of April, the FWS was intent on moving forward with its plan to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection from wolves throughout the lower 48 states, with the exception of Mexican gray wolves, which sparked a lot of controversy and outrage from conservationists, wolf advocates, members of Congress and the public. Letters were written, phone calls were made, petitions were signed and lawsuits were filed with one common goal: to ensure that wolves remained federally protected and that management authority was not turned over to states.
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Game and Fish presents 2013 wolf management
by Gib Mathers May 28, 2013 Powell Tribune
Hunters may be upset because the Wyoming wolf hunt quota got cut in half for this fall, but they can celebrate the fact that wolf genetic interchange is happening.
In 2012 the quota was 52. This year the proposal is 26.
Wyoming’s gray wolves swapping genes with out-of-state colleagues is part of the recovery requirement to keep the animals off the Endangered Species List.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department have documentation proving Idaho and Montana wolves are breeding with Wyoming wolves.
“We’re already seeing that (genetic exchange) guys,” said Mark Bruscino, Wyoming Game and Fish Department statewide supervisor of the large carnivore management section.
Bruscino was addressing about 25 people Thursday evening at a meeting in Cody to discuss proposed changes to the 2013 wolf hunting season, most of which were minor except the quota cut.
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State and conservation groups reach settlement on wolf kills
Tuesday, 28 May 2013 by Steve Law Portland Tribune
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has reached a settlement agreement over a legal challenge to its wolf-killing program with Oregon Wild, other conservationists and the livestock industry.
A coalition of environmental groups sued in October 2011, charging that the state’s actions against endangered gray wolves were violating the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the state’s Wolf Plan adopted in 2005.
"This settlement will put in place, for the first time, clear standards and public accountability for what must happen before ODFW or livestock interests can kill an endangered wolf, and measures that should reduce conflict between wolves and livestock,” says Dan Kruse, an attorney for Oregon Wild and Cascadia Wildlands.
The deal comes after 17 months of negotiations involving Gov. John Kitzhaber, ODFW, environmental and ranching industry leaders.
"This agreement gets us back to the wolf plan we thought we had in 2005," says Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands legal director. "Under this agreement, killing wolves should be an option of last resort,” Cady says. “Ranchers need to do their part to improve animal husbandry and coexist with native wildlife, and ODFW needs to live up to its mission to ensure abundant populations of native wildlife for all Oregonians."
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Groups opposed to Minn. wolf hunt lose in state Court of Appeals over lack of legal standing
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 28, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Groups challenging Minnesota rules for a wolf hunting and trapping season were dealt another blow Wednesday in their effort to stop the practices.
Minnesota's Court of Appeals dismissed a petition aiming to undo rules that allowed for a wolf hunting season, the first of which was held starting in November.
The appeals judges decided that the two groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves, lacked sufficient legal standing to challenge the Department of Natural Resources rules.
"It's hard to put into words our disappointment and sense of injustice over this decision," said Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder of Howling For Wolves.
The group contended the DNR set its rules in a way that minimized public input. The organization is now evaluating its options for further court action after this second setback, said Hackett, a forensic psychiatrist and former Air Force officer.
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Safari Club International’s Arguments Win Minnesota Wolf Case
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Ammo Land
Washington, D.C. –- Based on arguments presented by Safari Club International (SCI) the Minnesota Court of Appeals today dismissed a legal challenge to Minnesota’s wolf harvest.
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May 29, 2013
Wildlife Officials Delay Decision on Wolf Protections in Lower 48
May 20, 2013 Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. — Federal wildlife officials are postponing a much-anticipated decision on whether to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states.
In a court filing Monday, government attorneys say "a recent unexpected delay'' is indefinitely holding up action on the predators. No further explanation was offered.
Gray wolves are under protection as an endangered species and have recovered dramatically from widespread extermination in recent decades.
More than 6,000 of the animals now roam the continental U.S. Most live in the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes, where protections already have been lifted.
A draft proposal to lift protections elsewhere drew strong objections when it was revealed last month.
Wildlife advocates and some members of Congress argue that the wolf's recovery is incomplete because the animal occupies just a fraction of its historical range.
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Healthy range, sheep and John Peavey
Wed. May 29, 2013 - Letters - Idaho Mtn. Express
This letter is in response to your article on the Flat Top Sheep Co. [Rancher: Wolves killed 31 sheep - http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147366 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147366) ] I am worried that so many of your readers come from urban backgrounds and they will not understand the significance of what John Peavey is trying to do. In order to highlight his efforts, I need to quote from a recent issue of the Colorado State University Extension Bulletin:
“A plant that is grazed intensely during early spring and given deferment during the remainder of the growing season may produce additional growth and be more vigorous than a plant that receives less intense defoliation throughout the growing season.”
Grasses are plants that reproduce by two methods. One is by producing seeds; the other is by vegetative propagation. This latter method is far more productive. Underground shoots (rhizomes) and above-ground shoots (stolens) plus various kinds of leaf propagation can greatly increase grass vegetation compared to the seed method. Think of grazing by Peavey's sheep and compare it to the cutting of a golf green. The cutting of the bent grass leaves stimulates vegetative growth and no greenskeeper would think of letting a reserve patch of his bent grass mature and produce seeds. In a recent greenskeeper’s bulletin, two researchers noted that “[with] creeping bent we discovered that a single plant, under favorable conditions, would make a mass of turf six feet in diameter in a single year.”
My point is that I have heard people from an urban background say that when they see a band of sheep on the side of a mountain, “There goes another bunch of range maggots.” My hope is that this letter will encourage them to rethink their prejudice and say, “Wow, look what that sheepman is doing to invigorate that mountain grassland.”
Bill Smallwood
Sun Valley
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One wolf lawsuit dropped, one remains
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! May 24, 2013
The Associated Press reports that activist organizations have filed a motion to drop their lawsuit over wolf delisting in Wyoming that had been filed in federal court in Wyoming.
In response, the Wyoming Attorney General filed a motion to continue the lawsuit over wolf management in Wyoming. Last week the plaintiffs filed a "Notice of Voluntary Dismissal." This, if not challenged, would leave only the Court in Washington, DC to hear the challenge over Wyoming’s wolves.
"This is a matter of considerable local interest and I believe that the suit should be heard here, closest to the Wyoming citizens," Governor Mead said. "Sometimes the party that files a lawsuit must finish what they started. This is one of those times."
The State of Wyoming is asking the Court to set aside the "Notice of Voluntary Dismissal" and give all of the parties in the suit a chance to respond.
With this lawsuit not going forward, that means there is one lawsuit remaining - one that will be heard by a federal court in Washington, D.C.
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FWP seeks comment on wolf hunting, trapping proposals
5/29/2013 By Daniel Martynowicz - Valley Journal
MISSION VALLEY — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently held a commission meeting regarding proposed changes for the upcoming 2013-14 wolf hunting and trapping seasons.
The proposed changes are numerous and far reaching, “but not final by any means,” said FWP communication and education coordinator Ron Aasheim.
The proposed changes include a new bag limit of five wolves per individual hunter, up from three last year. These wolves could be taken by any combination of hunting and trapping. The general hunting season would be extended one month, running through the end of March and totaling six and a half months.
While not an official proposal, Aasheim said FWP officials are seeking public comment on hunter bag limits in the two wolf management units south of glacier. Each have a quota of two wolves.
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WA turns to conflict prevention
by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife May 24, 2013
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation that will provide state wildlife managers more resources to prevent wolf-livestock conflict and expand criteria for compensation to livestock owners for wolf-related losses.
Senate Bill 5193, requested by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and prime-sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, was supported by a broad cross-section of interest groups.
"The gray wolf population is recovering quickly in Washington," said Inslee. "This bill received bipartisan support from legislators across the state because it represents a practical, realistic approach to minimizing wolf-livestock conflict while recognizing the need for fair compensation to ranchers and farmers."
WDFW Director Phil Anderson said the department appreciates the Governor's support for the bill and the efforts of both Republican and Democratic legislators to get it passed. "Washington state is committed to wolf recovery, but sustainable recovery requires that we address the legitimate needs of farmers, ranchers and other residents of the communities that are on the front line of wolf recovery," he said. "This bill does that."
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http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/05/WAturnstoconflictpre.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/05/WAturnstoconflictpre.htm)
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Minnesota wolf hunting: Court rejects challenge
By Dave Orrick 05/28/2013 Twin Cities Pioneer Press
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has dismissed a challenge to the state's wolf hunting and trapping seasons, the latest setback for those hoping to ban the practice.
In an opinion released Tuesday, the court found that wolf hunting opponents -- Howling for Wolves and the Center for Biological Diversity -- lacked standing to challenge the Department of Natural Resources' decision to move forward with the state's inaugural wolf hunt last fall. The federal government stripped the animal of Federal Endangered Species Act protections in 2012, ending a four-decade ban on hunting and trapping.
The groups sued, alleging the DNR ignored its own rule-making process. But they failed to show the state's decision harmed them, the judges ruled, saying their beef should have been with state lawmakers who paved the way for a hunt by removing a moratorium two years ago.
"Rather, it is apparent that petitioners' disagreement is with the legislature's policy decision to permit wolf hunting," Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman wrote in the opinion, which dismissed the suit. "In sum, petitioners do not assert that the wolf rules cause unique harm to their aesthetic interest in wolves ... ." In a friend-of-the-court brief, the Safari Club had challenged the groups' standing.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:55:28 AM
Suit to uncover political deals behind gray wolf de-listing
Closed-door meetings honed plan to strip gray wolf Endangered Species status
MAY 29, 2013 Sonoran News
WASHINGTON, DC — The federal government’s plan to remove the gray wolf from the protections of the Endangered Species Act, as detailed by a draft Federal Register notice posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), is temporarily on hold. The reasons for the indefinite delay announced this week were not revealed and neither were the records of meetings beginning in 2010 to hammer out this plan. Today PEER filed a federal lawsuit to obtain the records from those meetings.
The draft Federal Register notice would strike the gray wolf from the federal list of threatened or endangered species but would keep endangered status for the Mexican wolf. Yet, no protected habitat would be delineated for the Mexican wolf, of which far fewer than 100 remain in the wild. This long-planned step is the culmination of what officials call their National Wolf Strategy, developed in a series of closed-door federal-state meetings called “Structured Decision Making” or SDM, beginning in August 2010.
On April 30, 2012, PEER submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for all SDM meeting notes, handouts and decision documents. More than a year later, the agency has not produced a single responsive record, despite a statutory requirement that the records be produced within 20 working days. Today, PEER filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obtain all of the SDM documents.
“By law, Endangered Species Act decisions are supposed to be governed by the best available science, not the best available deal,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, pointing to a letter from the nation’s leading wolf researchers challenging the scientific basis for the de-listing plan. “The politics surrounding this predator’s legal status have been as fearsome as the reputation of the gray wolf itself.”
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http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2013/130529/news-gray-wolf.html (http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2013/130529/news-gray-wolf.html)
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Game and Fish monitoring wolf populations in NW Wyo.
The Sheridan Press May 30, 2013
Under the terms of U.S. Fish and Wildlife delisting of gray wolves, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is required to monitor the population of wolves in northwest Wyoming.
As part of its ongoing efforts, Game and Fish will conduct scientific trapping operations in several locations during the next few months.”
Trapped wolves are immobilized, processed, and released on-site, in accordance with standard capture and handling techniques. Trapping will take place in the Absaroka Range north of Dubois and west of Cody, the Wind River Range near Dubois, and the Gros Ventre Range north of Pinedale and east of Bondurant.
Near Dubois, trapping locations will include the East Fork, Wiggins Fork, Horse Creek, Warm Springs Creek, Geyser Creek, and Little Warm Springs drainages and their tributaries. Trapping may continue through Aug. 31.
All major access points where Game and Fish is conducting trapping for monitoring purposes will be marked with warning signs. It is critical that the public heeds these signs and does not venture into posted areas.
Monitoring the number, distribution, and other activities of gray wolves is vital to the ongoing recovery effort in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
For more information regarding gray wolf trapping efforts, call the Game and Fish Cody regional office at 307-527-7125 or a local Game and Fish biologist or game warden.
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Ruling puts Minnesota's wolf seasons beyond public challenge — by anyone
By Ron Meador May 30, 2013 Minn Post
Whether you're for or against the killing of wolves for sport, you might think the public has a right to be heard on a matter so enduringly contentious and emotional.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) thinks otherwise and so, apparently, does the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
News reports on Tuesday's perfunctory dismissal of a challenge to the new trapping and hunting seasons have cited the court's conclusion that the plaintiffs lacked "standing" to raise objections, but didn't explain the legal reasoning behind it.
And I was frankly scratching my head, because questions of standing usually seem to turn on such factors as having a demonstrable stake in the issues (no injury, no standing) or whether a lawsuit was filed in the correct jurisdiction, etc.
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http://tinyurl.com/m9zs3c4 (http://tinyurl.com/m9zs3c4)
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Our View: Legislature lets DNR officials do their jobs
Thursday, May 30, 2013 Post Bulletin
Among the encouraging trends we observed during the 2013 session of the Minnesota Legislature is this: Our elected officials are choosing to let the state's wildlife managers do their jobs.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed a petition from two groups who were suing the Department of Natural Resources in an effort to block wolf hunting and trapping. Last fall and winter, 413 wolves were killed in Minnesota during the state's first official wolf hunt since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
The plan calls for the DNR to evaluate the wolf population this summer and then decide whether another hunt will take place this fall — but before that could happen, the 2013 Legislature had to resist the temptation to jump back into the fray.
It did. Much-publicized attempts to impose a five-year moratorium on wolf hunting failed, as legislators deferred to wildlife professionals who know a lot more about wolves than they do. This means that whether Minnesota has a wolf hunt this fall will depend on science and data, not emotion and guesswork.
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http://tinyurl.com/ln3uon4 (http://tinyurl.com/ln3uon4)
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May 31, 2013
Which Wolves Breed... Which Don't?
by Toby Bridges of Lobo Watch May 30, 2013
In Montana, six regional "Wolf Specialists", with the help of a handful of state wildlife biologists, have been able to accomplish something that 18,889 wolf license holders apparently had a difficult time doing - and that's locating wolves. At the end of 2012, those wolf specialists and wildlife biologists readily announced that there were "at least" 625 wolves still roaming the state, while all of those 2012 wolf tag holding hunters and trappers only managed to find and take 225 wolves during the season that was open for basically six months - from September 1 to February 28, 2012.
In all fairness, it should be pointed out that those six wolf specialists and the state wildlife biologists that lend them a hand are stretched pretty thin, trying to keep up with wolf numbers across a state that covers nearly 146,000 square miles. They also keep tabs on the degree of damage wolves continue to deal populations of elk, moose, deer and other big game, plus the impact that wolves are having on livestock production.
Physically counting wolves with any degree of accuracy is impossible, especially in a state as huge as Montana. It's safe to say that close to 90-percent of the recognized wolf population is found in the western one-third of the state, where the terrain is most rugged and inaccessible, not to mention the thick and heavy forestation of the steep slopes and deep valleys. Spotting wolves from an airplane or helicopter at any time of the year is poor at best, particularly in Northwest Montana where both the canopy overgrowth and wolf populations are the most dense. Without physically seeing wolves, populations figures have become something of a not so hi-tech guessing game - no one knows for sure just how many wolves there really are in Montana, or for that matter how many wolves are currently in the Northern Rockies.
Thus, the qualifier "at least" is used any and every time that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks references a computer model determined minimum number of wolves in the state. Those numbers are extremely misleading, since there is no way that Montana's wolf specialists and biologists actually observed anywhere near the "at least" 625 wolf count at the end of 2012, nor have they physically established the 146 packs and 37 breeding pairs also claimed. Those numbers are all determined by computer modeling - based on data, good or bad, that's programmed into the model.
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http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfLies5/go (http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfLies5/go)
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Wolf dies in NE Oregon of canine parvovirus; first case of the disease in Oregon wolves
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 31, 2013
SALEM, Oregon — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says a wolf found dead May 19 in northeastern Oregon died from canine parvovirus.
The department says it's the first case of the virus found in Oregon wolves. Wildlife agents are monitoring wolves for the disease.
The Oregonian reports (http://is.gd/l5M368 (http://is.gd/l5M368) ) the highly contagious disease is common among dogs and wild canines — wolves, coyotes and foxes.
The young female gray wolf identified as OR-19 was part of the Wenaha pack in Wallowa County. It was trapped on May 11 and released with a radio collar in apparent good health, but it died within a week.
Parvovirus has caused brief dips in wolf populations in other states, but outbreaks aren't expected to be a long-term threat to the species.
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Road kill bill would help keep wolves away
By MITCH LIES - Capital Press May 29, 2013
SALEM -- At first, House Speaker Tina Kotek thought a bill introduced in May that required transportation workers to properly dispose of road kill in wolf country was a joke.
"I told her it's not a place holder or a joke," Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton, said. "For ranchers in wolf country, this is a real concern."
The Portland Democrat got the message and assigned House Bill 3529 to the House Rules Committee, where a hearing was held on it May 20.
No other hearing is scheduled, but Jenson, chief sponsor of the bill, said the Oregon Department of Transportation also seems to have gotten the message.
Transportation workers in Wallowa County today are taking large animal carcasses found on roadways to the county landfill outside of Enterprise.
They previously would simply move carcasses out-of-sight to ODOT land where it would continue to rot and attract wolves, Jenson said.
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http://www.capitalpress.com/content/ml-road-kill-wolves-052913 (http://www.capitalpress.com/content/ml-road-kill-wolves-052913)
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 09:59:19 AM
Two more wolf attacks confirmed
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Wallowa County Chieftain
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that wolves from the Imnaha pack have killed a yearling cow and injured a calf.
The department in a press release said radio collar evidence shows wolves from the pack were present at the site of both attacks.
According to ODFW, the injury of the calf was reported May 9 in the Little Sheep Creek area. The carcass of the cow confirmed as killed by wolves was found in grassland pasture the morning of May 15 in the Hayden Creek area.
Both incidents occurred on private land. They are the third and fourth confirmed wolf depredations by the Imnaha pack in 2013.
The northeast Oregon pack has been involved in more than two dozen depredations in recent years.
The pack is one of six known packs in Oregon, and one of only two Oregon packs known to be involved in depredations.
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Grey wolf found dead in Wallowa County died of disease, lab tests show
By Everton Bailey Jr., The Oregonian May 30, 2013
A young female gray wolf found dead May 19 in northeastern Oregon died from a highly contagious disease among dogs and wild canines, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday.
Lab results found that OR-19 died from complications of canine parvovirus, an often fatal disease among wild animals such as wolves, coyotes and foxes because they aren't vaccinated against it, the department said. This is the first case of the virus found among wolves in Oregon and it’s not known if others in the state are affected.
The body of the Wenaha pack wolf was found in the Sled Springs game management unit of Wallowa County. State biologists had trapped the wolf on May 11 and released it in apparent good health with a GPS radio collar, the department said. The collar alerted biologists of a possible problem on May 17 and its body was found two days later.
Canine parvovirus outbreaks are more common among wolf populations in other western areas of the country, the department said. The disease is often found among pups.
The virus has caused brief dips in wolf populations in other states, but outbreaks aren’t expected to be a long-term threat to the species, the department said.
Oregon wolves will be monitored for any more signs of the disease.
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'Landmark' wolf deal long time in the making, backers say
By MITCH LIES Capital Press Thursday, May 30, 2013
SALEM -- Legislators, a governor's policy adviser and state agency representatives on May 29 explained the workings of a recently reached wolf settlement agreement to a House committee and shared background on how the agreement came together.
Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton, said the agreement "is a product of ... about a decade, on the part of a lot of people, a lot of different interest groups."
Brett Brownscombe, natural resources policy adviser for Gov. John Kitzhaber, characterized the agreement as a "landmark historic moment where a lot of parties who typically have not been able to come to agreement on this issue, did."
And Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Pendleton, characterized the settlement as "bipartisan, bicameral: All the different good things that we in Oregon are known to do as far as getting good public policy."
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http://www.capitalpress.com/content/ml-wolf-hearing-053013 (http://www.capitalpress.com/content/ml-wolf-hearing-053013)
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Wolves moving, keeping biologists on alert
by Rich Landers May 29, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Wolves are roaming, forming new packs, popping pups and generally keeping Washington and Oregon wildlife managers on full alert this spring.
A black male wolf caught last year from the Smackout Pack and collared in far northeastern Washington was reported recently 300 miles to the west, across the Cascades and into Western Washington. (“Spread the wealth!” some folks are saying.)
This roamer known as WA-O17M is causing a rustle among DNA researchers who are having to bite their tongues a bit on the conventional theory that there's a distinct population of coastal gray wolves in British Columbia. The discussion is chronicled in this analysis by Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman.
Meanwhile, Washington is beefing up its crew of wolf specialists who are trying to locate and put radio collars on members of wolf packs they currently have no way of monitoring, including the new Wenatchee Pack. They have not been successful at last report. And there's still no confirmation of a pack on the Washington side of the Blue Mountains.
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http://tinyurl.com/lhskwes (http://tinyurl.com/lhskwes)
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The Daily Howler: The Travels Of WA-017M and OR7
By Andy Walgamott, on May 23rd, 2013 Northwest Sportsman
A young Washington wolf is on its way to upsetting conventional wisdom about the mixing — err, lack thereof — of inland and coastal wolves in British Columbia.
The black-coated Smackout male known as WA-017M, which left its pack in the Evergreen State’s upper right-hand corner earlier this year, is reported as being 300 miles northwest of Oroville, Wash., at last check.
That’s a round figure and a rough description of its location based on the GPS collar that hangs around its neck, but it puts the animal roughly in the middle of the coastal mountains.
And dangerously close to fouling up the DNA of the “genetically distinct” salmon-eating, red-coated Canadian wolves thereabouts.
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http://tinyurl.com/mymtstt (http://tinyurl.com/mymtstt)
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FWP seeks comment on wolf hunting and trapping proposals
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Clark Fork Valley Press
The Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment on changes for the 2013-14 wolf hunting and trapping seasons.
For the upcoming seasons, archery only hunting would run from Sept. 7 through Sept. 14. The general hunting season would follow and run Sept. 15 through March 31, 2014. The trapping season would run Dec. 15 through Feb. 28, 2014 and those new to wolf trapping would have to complete an education course to participate.
Hunting and trapping of wolves is provided for in Montana’s wolf conservation and management plan. Over the course of Montana’s 2012-13 wolf seasons, hunters harvested 128 wolves and trappers took 97 wolves.
The overall bag limit for the upcoming seasons would be five wolves per person in any combination of wolves taken by hunting or trapping.
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http://tinyurl.com/mzmy86j (http://tinyurl.com/mzmy86j)
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Wolf hunt proposal draws mixed response in Bitterroot Valley
May 23, Ravalli Republic (Billings Gazette)
http://tinyurl.com/mv6rktp (http://tinyurl.com/mv6rktp)
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Wolf plan draws interest in Jackson
By Rebecca Huntington May 29, 2013 Wyoming Public Media
A Jackson meeting last night drew 70 people, who showed up to comment on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's latest plan to manage wolves.
It was the biggest turnout so far for eight meetings being held across the state to take comment on plans to cut wolf-hunting quotas. Rancher Glenn Taylor echoed the feelings of many ranchers and hunters in the room.
"My message is, we need to manage the wolves.
Game and Fish is on the right track. Quota is not enough, but management is the key," said Taylor.
State officials are proposing cutting the quota in half, dropping it from 52 wolves, down to 26 in the trophy game area.
Unlimited killing will still be allowed across the state. But officials want to make sure they maintain enough wolves to avoid the federal government stepping back in and taking control.
Conservationists supported dropping the quota, but wanted to see numbers cut even more near national parks and places popular with wildlife watchers. They said the state needs to value visitors, who come spend money to view wildlife, especially wolves.
Game and Fish is accepting public comment on the proposal June 12.
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June 2, 2013
Lower wolf hunt quota right idea temporarily
May 31, 2013 - Anthony F. Duarte, Riverton Daily Ranger
Editor:
I would like to comment about the newspaper editorial from earlier this month about hunting quotas for wolves, and the responding letter from Mr. Ron Collins.
Mr. Collins pointed out an error in the editorial, but I expect that the writer was responding to news coverage which touched on hunting results in specific zones, rather than the entire licensed area.
In some areas, the wolf quotas were met fully and very quickly. This is what the state's wolf managers are concerned about, which I took to be the point of the editorial as well.
The point is not a Trivial Pursuit question about which quotas were filled where, but actually about how many wolves should be hunted this year. I have shot some deer during my life, but I don't expect I'll ever hunt a wolf. I thought about what I read, and I concluded that I agreed with the editorial's position that's the second time around this year should not be an all-out, gung-ho, hunting season.
As the editorial pointed out, we are supposed be in this for the long haul. The idea is to hunt just enough wolves to keep the numbers down, and just few enough to make sure that they don't go down far enough to have to be relisted again as endangered. This, I believe, is a wise move for Wyoming, and probably will be next year, too.
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Washington state wrestles with wolf resurgence
May 25, 2013 By Rich Landers - The Spokesman-Review
“Wolves are the most challenging wildlife issue on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department’s plate this year, bar none,” says Nate Pamplin, assistant director. “And we don’t want to be alone in it.”
Wolves also pose the most divisive wildlife issues, he said in a presentation to sportsmen in Spokane recently.
Moose also are a species of concern this year, as states to the east through Minnesota are devoting millions of dollars to study declines in the largest member of the deer family, said Rich Harris, the agency’s special species specialist.
“We haven’t documented a decline in Washington moose,” he said. “But we we’re working to get a better picture.”
Understaffed and underfunded Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists are asking the public to help monitor both of these marquee species.
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http://tinyurl.com/lpm2tja (http://tinyurl.com/lpm2tja)
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June 3, 2013
American Indian Tribes To Challenge Michigan Wolf Hunt
By Rick Pluta June 3, 2013 WKAR
Five Michigan Indian tribes have decided to challenge the state’s decision to hold a wolf hunt in the western UP this coming fall.
As we hear from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta, they say the wolf hunt violates a treaty.
Specifically, the tribes of the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority say the state did not consult with them in a meaningful way before establishing a gray wolf season, and that’s required by a 2007 consent decree.
Aaron Payment leads the Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewas. He says the wolf is sacred in tribal culture and the hunting season disrespects that.
“The five tribes that are a party to the consent decree are unified that we are going to take some steps, and we’re not exactly sure what that is at this point, but we’re not happy with the outcome,” he says.
Payment says the treaty gives the tribes options including mediating a resolution or going to court.
The state says the tribes were consulted as part of the process that set up a wolf season in the western UP.
Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 10:09:24 AM
How close is close enough for gray wolf recovery? It's Interior's call
Phil Taylor, Greenwire: Tuesday, June 4, 2013
The Obama administration is expected to decide soon whether to maintain federal protection for wolves in the lower 48 states, a decision it says will be based on science but which depends largely on how much recovery is enough for the iconic species -- a question science is loath to answer.
In a draft rule leaked months ago, the Interior Department proposed removing Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves everywhere except a small pocket in New Mexico and Arizona, arguing that wolves have mounted a successful recovery in the northern Rockies and western Great Lakes, where they had been nearly extirpated in the early 1900s.
In the past two years, the species was removed from the endangered species list in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, where wolves number nearly 1,700, and Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, where there are more than 4,000 of the animals.
But removing protections in the remaining 42 states has sparked a backlash from environmental groups and some biologists, who argue that the carnivore has yet to return to many parts of the country where it still belongs.
Amid the blowback, the administration told a federal court in late May that its decision had been indefinitely delayed, a move that raised hope among environmentalists that newly confirmed Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was considering shelving the rule.
But that optimism has faded, according to Don Barry, executive vice president at Defenders of Wildlife, who said yesterday he believes the White House has given Interior the green light to officially propose the delisting.
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http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059982240 (http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059982240)
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Billboards around Yellowstone Park urge end to wolf hunts.
Predator Defense is using billboards in five locations near Yellowstone National Park entrances in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to urge people to speak out to end wolf hunts, and Big Game Forever, a sportsmen's group, is planning to put its own message on billboards in Montana and Idaho in support of such hunts.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; June 4, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ld8tfes (http://tinyurl.com/ld8tfes)
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Ghosts Of the Rockies ~ second trailer
Published on Jun 2, 2013 Rockholm66
This is another peek into our latest film project. Wolf introduction into the Northern Rockies was/is a criminal enterprise. A handful of rogue Federal employees of the USFWS participated in fraudulent science, corrupting state game agencies along the way, and violated laws implementing their draconian wolf policy. We expose these frauds in this film, and we intend to urge the Legislatures in each state to sue the Federal Government. Once this film is released, you will see many high level state and Federal wildlife employees retire or exit their positions as soon as possible, to avoid possible legal action for participating in the fraud that lead to the destruction of state game populations. We have spent four years investigating this crime, and hundreds of hours filming witness testimony.
8:55 minute video:
Ghosts Of the Rockies~second trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtWNoJL5R9E#ws)
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June 5, 2013
Group submits proposed ballot initiative to ban trapping on public lands in Montana
By MATT VOLZ - Associated Press June 05, 2013
HELENA, Montana — State officials are reviewing a proposed initiative for the 2014 ballot that would ban animal trapping on public lands in Montana.
A similar initiative failed to qualify for the 2010 election, but the issue has since received widespread attention because of the state's decision to allow wolf trapping for the first time during the 2012-13 hunting season.
Trappers say it is a necessary wildlife management tool that helps sustain and maintain some animal populations by keeping others, such as wolves, in check.
Trappers were responsible for 97 of the 225 wolves killed during the hunting season, and they were instrumental in reducing the predators' population in the state by 4 percent.
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http://tinyurl.com/kk5pwn3 (http://tinyurl.com/kk5pwn3)
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June 7, 2013
Plan would lift wolf protections nationwide
KTVB and Associated Press June 7, 2013
BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Obama administration is proposing to lift most remaining federal protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states almost four decades after they were added to the endangered species list.
An official announcement is scheduled Friday. It's unclear how the announcement would affect wolf regulation in Idaho.
More than 6,100 wolves roam parts of the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes. That includes wolves in the state of Idaho, whose population is estimated at about 1,000.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that those populations are robust enough to stave off extinction.
Federal protections would remain only for a fledgling population of Mexican gray wolves in the desert Southwest. Some prominent scientists and dozens of lawmakers in Congress want broader protections to remain in place so wolves can expand, including in the Northeast and along the West Coast.
In 1995, a federal wolf recovery program was established in which 35 wolves were released into the State of Idaho, according to the Idaho Governor's Office of Species Concern. According to that same report, 30 more wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park that same year.
Wolves were delisted in Idaho in April of 2011. Hunting and trapping seasons for Idaho wolves have been observed in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
As of June, 6 2013, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game reports 319 wolves harvested in Idaho through a combination of hunting and trapping during the 2012-13 wolf season.
The department reports 379 were harvested during the 2011-12 season.
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APNewsBreak: Government plans to end remaining gray wolf protections across most of Lower 48
By MATTHEW BROWN and JOHN FLESHER - Associated Press June 07, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mwb46j2 (http://tinyurl.com/mwb46j2)
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Proposed US wolf rule ends protection for wolves that reach the Northeast
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 07, 2013
MONTPELIER, Vermont — A rule being proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove most species of wolves from the endangered species list would end federal protection for any wolves that move into upstate New York or northern New England from Canada or elsewhere.
Fish and Wildlife Service officials made the announcement Friday.
They said the protection offered by the Endangered Species Act is no longer needed because wolves in the upper Great Lakes and several western states have rebounded over the last several decades.
There are no breeding populations of wolves in the Northeast, but occasionally individuals find their way into the region from Canada.
Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species expert Mark McCollough says biologists in Maine are investigating a possible wolf sighting in Wilson's Mills from last winter.
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Mexican gray wolves would have more room to roam in Southwest under federal proposal
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 07, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Endangered Mexican gray wolves would have more room to roam in the Southwest under a proposal unveiled Friday.
The provisions regarding the Mexican wolves are part of a plan proposed by the Obama administration that calls for lifting most of the remaining federal protections for gray wolves.
Protections would remain only for the fledgling population of Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. The plan would also allow for captive Mexican wolves to be released in New Mexico and for the wolves to roam outside the current Blue Range recovery area — two changes that independent scientists and environmentalists have been pushing for over the past decade.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle said managers in the Southwest need more flexibility.
"When you look at our ability to have initial releases within the limited area that we have, it has sort of hamstrung us to a degree," Tuggle said. "If we expand those opportunities, we sort of minimize the potential of conflicts on the landscape."
A subspecies of the gray wolf found in the Northern Rockies, the Mexican wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976. The 15-year effort to reintroduce them has stumbled due to legal battles, illegal shootings, politics and other problems.
The proposal calls for expanding the area where the wolves could roam to include parts of the Cibola National Forest in central New Mexico and the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. In all, there would be a tenfold increase in the area where biologists are working to rebuild the population.
Environmentalists welcomed the prospect of expansion, but they voiced concerns about provisions that could create loopholes that would expand circumstances in which wolves could be killed for attacking livestock or for other reasons.
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House passes bill allowing ranchers to kill wolves attacking livestock
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 06, 2013
SALEM, Oregon — The Oregon House has passed a bill that would put into law some of the terms of a legal settlement that lifts an injunction barring the state from killing wolves that attack livestock.
The bill (HB 3452) passed Thursday by a vote of 57-2, and now goes to the Senate.
Conservation groups reached the deal with the state and the Oregon Cattlemen's Association last month. It will lift an injunction that has been in force more than a year.
The bill would give ranchers authority to shoot wolves seen attacking livestock, but only if the ranchers have taken non-lethal measures to keep wolves away, and wolf attacks have become chronic.
On Friday, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission takes up similar regulations covering when the state can kill wolves.
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June 8, 2013
Move to end gray wolf recovery efforts would lift protections across most of Lower 48
By JOHN FLESHER and MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press June 08, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Federal officials are declaring victory in their four-decade campaign to rescue the gray wolf, a predator the government once considered a nuisance and tried to exterminate.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday proposed removing the animal's remaining protections as an endangered species across the Lower 48 states. The exception would be in the Southwest, where the recovery effort for the related Mexican gray wolf is lagging.
Despite criticism from some scientists and members of Congress who consider the move premature, agency director Dan Ashe said the wolf can thrive and even enlarge its territory without continued federal protection.
"Taking this step fulfills the commitment we've made to the American people — to set biologically sound recovery goals and return wolves to state management when those goals have been met and threats to the species' future have been addressed," Ashe said.
The proposal will be subject to a 90-day public comment period and a final decision made within a year.
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Ore. Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts rules called for in wolf settlement
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 07, 2013
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has adopted temporary rules putting in place terms of a settlement to a lawsuit that had barred state biologists from killing wolves that attack livestock.
The commission approved the rules at its regular meeting in Tigard. It will take up permanent rules later this year.
Conservation groups negotiated a settlement with the state and the Oregon Cattlemen's Association that makes killing wolves a last resort. Ranchers must first use non-lethal measures to protect their herds. And a pack must attack a herd four times before it can come under a kill order.
For the past year, Oregon has been the only state where wolves could not be killed for attacking livestock. During that time, livestock attacks went down while the wolf population went up.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 10, 2013, 10:53:32 AM
Gray Wolves Would Be Removed From Endangered Species List Under New Plan
June 07, 2013 Indian Country Today Media Network
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed taking the gray wolf off the federal Endangered Species List, saying it is no longer in danger of extinction, and replacing it with the Mexican wolf, a species under siege.
The move, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe in a teleconference with reporters, allows the agency to focus on the much more endangered Mexican wolf.
Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains and the western Great Lakes are already out from under federal protection. Today’s announcement lifts the federal restrictions from all lower 48 states. The wolves will still be managed, Ashe said, but the states will do it. Tribes are also important in these efforts, he said.
Working with state partners in Arizona and New Mexico, “our goal is to reinvigorate our Mexican wolf recovery program,” Ashe said. “No one is suggesting” that gray wolves require less protection, but the question is whether they still require federal protection, he added.
Tribal input will be key during both the gray wolf’s transition away from federal management and the Mexican wolf’s continued regeneration, Ashe said.
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Post by: haus on June 10, 2013, 10:59:25 AM
Post by: villageidiot on June 11, 2013, 08:59:41 PM
Post by: bearpaw on June 15, 2013, 06:35:48 PM
FWS proposed wolf delisting
Mexican wolves would remain protected
by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service press release June 9, 2013
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today (June 8, 2013) proposed to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the list of threatened and endangered species. The proposal comes after a comprehensive review confirmed its successful recovery following management actions undertaken by federal, state and local partners following the wolf’s listing under the Endangered Species Act over three decades ago. The Service is also proposing to maintain protection and expand recovery efforts for the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) in the Southwest, where it remains endangered.
Under the proposal, state wildlife management agency professionals would resume responsibility for management and protection of gray wolves in states where wolves occur. The proposed rule is based on the best science available and incorporates new information about the gray wolf’s current and historical distribution in the contiguous United States and Mexico. It focuses the protection on the Mexican wolf, the only remaining entity that warrants protection under the Act, by designating the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies.
In the Western Great Lakes and Northern Rocky Mountains, the gray wolf has rebounded from the brink of extinction to exceed population targets by as much as 300 percent. Gray wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct and Western Great Lakes Population Segments were removed from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 2011 and 2012.
"From the moment a species requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, our goal is to work with our partners to address the threats it faces and ensure its recovery," said Service Director Dan Ashe. "An exhaustive review of the latest scientific and taxonomic information shows that we have accomplished that goal with the gray wolf, allowing us to focus our work under the ESA on recovery of the Mexican wolf subspecies in the Southwest."
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http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/06/FWSproposedwolfdelis.htm (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2013/06/FWSproposedwolfdelis.htm)
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Washington wolf packs producing pups
by Rich Landers June 5, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Half of Washington’s 10 confirmed wolf packs are believed to have had pups this spring, including those in the Lookout territory of western Okanogan County for the first time in three years, according to a report by Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman magazine.
Donny Martorello, WDFW’s wolf manager, told Walgamott the Teanaway pack in the Central Cascades, and Huckleberry, Smackout and Diamond packs in northeastern Washington are the other packs that appear to have litters, based on denning activity, GPS telemetry data clustering around one spot in a territory, and, in the case of the Lookout Pack, a photo of a lactating female.
That means the state's wolf population is suddenly increased by at least 20-30.
The reproductive status of the Salmo, Wenatchee and Wedge wolves and the Colville Tribes’ Nc’icn and Strawberry packs is unknown at this time, Martorello told NW Sportsman.
Five successful breeding pairs, including Teanaway, Huckleberry, Smackout, Diamond and Nc’icn, were reported in Washington in December in the 2012 state-tribal report to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Source w/photo:
http://tinyurl.com/p4tx3ap (http://tinyurl.com/p4tx3ap)
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Wolf 'massacre' leaves over 20 sheep dead
10 Jun 2013 The Local (Sweden)
A farmer in southern Sweden awoke on Sunday to find over 20 of his sheep slaughtered in what is believed to be a wolf attack. Experts have warned farmers in the area to be vigilant as the wolf will likely attack again.
The attack occurred at a farmyard in Hestra, southern Sweden, with 21 of the farmers 25 sheep either killed or so close to death that they needed to be put down.
"It's still shocking, it feels like a nightmare," farm owner Anders Svensson told Sveriges Radio (SR).
"There are dead sheep and lambs everywhere. They're floating in the pond... It's a terrible sight, like a massacre."
An animal expert at the County Administrative Board (Lansstyrelsen) Linda Andersson has visited the scene and is convinced that a wolf was behind the gruesome attack.
"There is no doubt that it's a wolf that has attacked the sheep, you can tell by the powerful bites on the necks and the backs of the sheep," she told SR.
"(The farmers) have reason to be concerned now, the wolf is in the area and it is very likely that it will attack again. That's usually how it is with wolves."
Andersson warned that farmers in the area should also inspect their fences to ensure no wolves will be able to get access to their sheep.
Source:
http://www.thelocal.se/48404/20130610/ (http://www.thelocal.se/48404/20130610/)
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June 11, 2013
Study: Yellowstone wolves don't frighten female elk enough to affect their health or pregnancy
By MEAD GRUVER - Associated Press June 11, 2013
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Wolves don't appear to startle female elk that range east of Yellowstone National Park sufficiently or frequently enough during the winter to cause them to lose weight and reduce their ability to carry fetuses to birth in the springtime, according to a study released Tuesday.
Previous studies offered no consensus on whether Yellowstone's reintroduced wolves have caused "non-consumptive" effects — impacts of predators on prey besides killing them — on the area's elk.
Some biologists have theorized that Yellowstone's wolves create an environment of fear sufficient to make elk less able to forage, get enough nutrition and reproduce.
But researcher Arthur Middleton and others who monitored wolves and elk in an area about 30 miles east of Yellowstone from January through March of 2008, 2009 and 2010 reached the opposite conclusion: wolves don't harm elk with fright.
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Coalition still campaigning against wolf hunt after state panel OKs season for this fall in UP
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 11, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — A coalition that opposes hunting wolves in Michigan is still making its case even though officials have scheduled a hunt for later this year.
The Keep Michigan Wolves Protected campaign is holding forums this week in Kalamazoo, Clarkston and Woodhaven. Organizers say they'll focus on the ecological and cultural value of wolves and provide information about the hunt.
The coalition includes animal welfare groups, conservationists, Native American tribes and faith leaders. They gathered more than 255,000 signatures seeking a statewide vote on a new law designating the wolf as a game species.
But legislators rushed through another measure that would make the referendum meaningless by allowing the Natural Resources Commission to establish a hunt. The commission last month scheduled an Upper Peninsula hunt for Nov. 15 to Dec. 31.
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The Tale of the Non-Endangered Gray Wolf
June 10, 2013 by Donna Laframboise -
A few days ago the Wall Street Journal published a charming and amusing story in which the narrator is a wolf. A four-year-old, gray male wolf, to be exact.
Fitted with a GPS tracking collar while still a pup, this wolf is known to the wildlife authorities who monitor his movements as OR7.
Everyone agrees it had been more than 80 years since any confirmed sighting of a gray wolf in California. Thus, when this particular wolf crossed the Oregon border into the Golden State in late December 2011, he became a minor celebrity.
OR7 has since returned to Oregon, but his visit served as a catalyst. It caused four environmental organizations to take leave of their senses.
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June 12, 2013
Our View: Delisting wolves a smart move
By Editorial Board - Ogden Standard-Examiner Wed, 06/12/2013
The Obama administration’s proposal to lift most of the federal protections for gray wolves is a sensible decision. Federal protection status is not meant to be permanent; the gray wolf is no longer endangered. It’s time for states, including Utah, to be able to manage the wolf population.
The gray wolf’s tenure with federal protection has been long, almost 40 years, and many — including national Utah pols Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Rob Bishop — have called for delisting. In fact, 72 members of the U.S. Congress, from both parties, urged for the delisting of the wolves. Whether it’s a bald eagle, a grizzly bear, a wolf, or another species, once the protected species has recovered, the feds should reduce oversight.
And that’s the case with gray wolves. There are more than 6,100 roaming the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes. These wolves are currently roaming only a small portion of the lands they have historically used. The wolves — as expected — will expand their roaming area and migrate into other states, including Utah. There’s a lot of territory for the wolves to roam. Packs have formed in Washington and Oregon and Utah is among several states that have seen individual sightings of the gray wolf. Obviously, livestock will need to be protected from wolves.
“If wolves make their way to Utah, balancing the number of wolves with the amount of prey that’s available to them needs to be the focus,” said John Shivik, mammals coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. And if many wolves come to Utah, we’re confident that our state officials can manage the population. The job of the feds in building up the gray wolf population is over. It’s time for the states to capably manage the wild animals. That’s a proper distinction between federal responsibilities and state responsibilities.
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Federal agency says fewer red wolf litters, pups recorded in NC in 2013 than in recent years
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 12, 2013
COLUMBIA, North Carolina — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the number of red wolf pups and litters is down slightly this year in eastern North Carolina compared to recent years.
The agency says 34 pups in seven litters were found this year, compared to 39 pups in nine litters last year and 40 pups from 10 litters in 2011. In 2010, the agency recorded 43 pups from nine litters.
The Red Wolf Recovery Program also reported 23 pups from four litters born in zoos and nature centers participating in the Species Survival Plan captive breeding program.
About 100 red wolves live in five northeastern counties. Their habitat includes national wildlife refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range, state-owned lands and private property.
Post by: bearpaw on June 15, 2013, 06:40:45 PM
USU wolf expert: State can manage wild animals better than feds can
By Nancy Van Valkenburg - Ogden Standard-Examiner Thu, 06/13/2013
LOGAN — The proposed delisting of gray wolves from the endangered species list has drawn vocal reactions from conservationists who want the wolves to remain protected, from livestock producers who lose animals to wolves, and from members of the general public, some of whom may have formed views based on romantic, Hollywood depictions of wolves.
Dan MacNulty, a Utah State University faculty member involved with the Yellowstone Wolf Project since 1995, sees strong benefits to the delisting, which will allow people to kill unwanted wolves. The Interior Department proposed the delisting last week.
“Without question, bringing back gray wolves was a success,” MacNulty said.
“What the debate is really about is where we want wolves in the lower 48 states, and where we don’t. That’s an important conversation to have. The question is whether or not the federal government is going to be directing that conversation, or states are.”
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Fish and Wildlife Endorses Wolf settlement - Spokane, North Idaho ...
Jun 07, 2013 KHQ
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has adopted temporary rules putting in place terms of a settlement to a lawsuit that had barred state biologists from killing wolves that attack livestock.
The commission approved the rules at its regular meeting in Tigard. It will take up permanent rules later this year.
Conservation groups negotiated a settlement with the state and the Oregon Cattlemen's Association that makes killing wolves a last resort. Ranchers must first use non-lethal measures to protect their herds. And a pack must attack a herd four times before it can come under a kill order.
For the past year, Oregon has been the only state where wolves could not be killed for attacking livestock. During that time, livestock attacks went down while the wolf population went up.
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Feds decide not to release pair of Mexican gray wolves in Apache National Forest
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 12, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — It's back to captivity for a pair of Mexican gray wolves that federal wildlife managers had planned to release in Arizona's Apache National Forest.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that the male and female wolves will not be released.
The pair had been transported from a captive breeding facility in New Mexico to southeastern Arizona in late April. The wolves have spent the last six weeks in a temporary pen so they could acclimate to their new surroundings.
Officials say the female was pregnant at the time of the relocation but the pups did not survive.
Another pack of wild wolves also acted aggressively toward the pair, suggesting that the release might prompt a battle over territory.
Officials say they will look for another opportunity to release the pair.
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6 Gray wolves born in Mexico
June 13, 2013 Global Post
Mexico City, Jun 13 (EFE).- Six Mexican gray wolves, a species on the brink of extinction, were born in a nature reserve in the northern state of Sonora, a state environmental official said.
"The birth of these pups is a big accomplishment for the conservation of an extinct species in its natural habitat," Sonora Environmental Commission director Oscar Tellez told Efe.
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June 14, 2013
NCBA, PLC call for full delisting of wolves nationwide
High Plains Journal June 14, 2013
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council expressed support for proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from the list of threatened and endangered species. The livestock associations added, however, that Mexican wolves in the Southwest should also be delisted. In their announcement, FWS stated the Mexican wolf will remain on the list of endangered species.
The wolf, placed on the list of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act over three decades ago, has far surpassed FWS recovery goals across the country, according to NCBA president and Wyoming rancher, Scott George. He added that, unlike most other species listed under the ESA, wolves pose a serious threat to wildlife, humans and private property, especially livestock.
“It’s time to turn management over to the states,” George said. “Wolf depredation of livestock is increasing to untenable levels in areas where wolves are still protected. We were given relief in Wyoming when it was finally delisted here. It’s only fair to allow all producers across the country that same relief.”
According to FWS, the proposal to delist the gray wolf comes after a “comprehensive review confirmed its successful recovery following management actions undertaken by federal, state and local partners.”
However, FWS added that it intends to maintain protection status and expand recovery efforts for the Mexican wolf in the Southwest.
PLC President Brice Lee, a rancher from Colorado, said that wolves in the Southwest have also recovered and do not warrant federal protection.
“The wolf population in Arizona and New Mexico has almost doubled in the last three years, thanks to the work of the state fish and game departments,” Lee said. “We feel that at a certain point, it’s possible to over-study and over-capture these animals. It’s time to stop with these government studies and allow them be truly wild, while the state departments continue their successful management.”
Lee stated that the FWS does not have the resources to continue managing the wolf as endangered, let alone compensate ranchers for their losses. Studies have shown, he said, that for every confirmed kill of livestock there are seven to eight that go unconfirmed.
“We appreciate FWS’ recognition that the gray wolf is recovered,” George said. “But it’s also time to end the unwarranted listing of Mexican wolf. Wolf depredation threatens ranchers’ livelihoods and rural communities, as well as the economies relying on a profitable agricultural industry.”
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June 15, 2013
Montana Conservationist Accused Of Declaring War On Wolves
by Robert Ferris June 15, 2013 Business Insider
Many conservationists are furious over a recent proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to drop the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
At least one group of conservationists, however, also supports dropping federal protection for wolves. They are the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, led by hunter David Allen.
“The recovery has surpassed the agreed upon recovery goals by 500%,” Allen told Business Insider. “It is time to let the states do their job.”
Allen's controversial stance has alienated some former supporters of the Elk Foundation, who accuse him of turning the conservation group into a pro-hunting lobby. The family of famed wildlife biologist Olaus J. Murie pulled money last year for its annual Elk Foundation award on account of the organization's "all-out war against wolves," according to the Montana Pioneer.
Allen insists that he really is looking out for the environment.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 21, 2013, 01:43:34 AM
Missoula-based elk foundation donates $50K to Montana to manage wolves.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation donated $50,000 to Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks to expand its program of radio-collaring wolves.
Billings Gazette; June 17, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kxv3mh3 (http://tinyurl.com/kxv3mh3)
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Local Mexican gray wolf population remains low
U.S. Fish and Wildlife look to leave subspecies on endangered species list
Matthew Smith, Good Morning El Paso Jun 17, 2013
EL PASO, Texas - In early June, Federal officials declared a victory following a four-decade campaign to rescue the gray wolf.
It has been a long journey for the gray wolf. One considered a dangerous predator by the government there were attempts to exterminate the wolves.
This month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the animal’s remaining protections as an endangered species across the Lower 48 states. The exception would be in the Southwest, where the recovery effort for the related Mexican gray wolf is lagging.
Dan Ashe, the agency’s director, said the wolf can thrive without further protection.
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June 18, 2013
Support delisting of wolves
Missoulian Editorial June 18, 2013
The U.S. government once sponsored the wholesale eradication of wolves by any means, be it poisoning, trapping or shooting. It was only right, then, that the U.S. government step up to restore the animals they once helped drive to extinction.
Now, that work is done. With more than 6,000 wolves at last count, the species is no longer in danger of extinction in the Lower 48. Federal protections have been removed in a handful of states already, with full delisting on the horizon.
Draft plans to fully delist gray wolves in the Lower 48 were first discussed back in April. On Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published its proposed rule in the Federal Register, thus opening the 90-day public comment period.
If the rule is accepted, individual states will assume full responsibility for managing their wolf populations, much as Montana has already done. One particular subspecies of gray wolves in the Southwest will be the lone exception. This group of about 75 Mexican wolves would still be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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Proposed Removal of Gray Wolves’ Endangered Status a Case Study in the Politicization of Science
US Fish and Wildlife Service relies on taxonomical shenanigans to appease wolf haters
by James William Gibson – June 17, 2013 Earth Island Journal
The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent announcement that it is beginning the process for removing gray wolves across the country from the protection of the Endangered Species Act surprised no one. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s mid-1990s reintroduction of gray wolves — a species virtually extirpated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho marked a triumph for conservationists and ranks as one of the most striking fulfillments of the Endangered Species Act. But as I have reported here and here, the wolves quickly met enemies.
By the early 2000s a loose coalition of hunters’ groups, outfitters, and ranchers — along with the many disaffected men embracing militia groups, local “sovereignty” and states rights, particularly rights to use public lands without federal regulation — coalesced around the idea that wolves represented icons of the hated federal government. The wolves, they all-but-screamed, constituted lethal threats to deer and elk, livestock, and ultimately, people. The long, bitter wolf war reached its climax in the summer of 2011, when Congress took the unprecedented act of removing the wolf populations of the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list. In May 2011, the Fish and Wildlife Service, weary of the many problems involved in wolf management (or, rather, public relations management), delisted gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes states, where some 4,400 wolves resided. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming subsequently initiated hunts and the use of government marksmen to reduce wolf numbers from around 1,700 to a much lower level.
The FWS’s proposed delisting of gray wolves across the country is simply the continuation of the agency’s long retreat in the face of wolf hater intimidation. Still, it’s important to understand how the FWS legitimizes its abandonment of wolves. A close examination of the FWS’ proposed rule change is a case study in the politicization of science. The FWS report excels at cherry picking, choosing certain scientific studies while rejecting others. It’s also an excellent example of bureaucratic hand-waving, simply dismissing long established facts whenever they become inconvenient. The final result is like a weird game of scientific Twister: The FWS bends itself into all sorts of contortions to conform to a political agenda.
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June 19, 2013
Banff motorcyclist pursued by ‘massive’ grey wolf along stretch of B.C. highway, takes pictures
Tristin Hopper 2013/06/14 National Post Canada
Last Saturday, Banff mechanic Tim Bartlett was christening a new motorcycle through the Rocky Mountains when he had a rare wildlife encounter that was equal parts terrifying and enchanting. On a stretch of British Columbia’s Highway 93, a massive grey wolf emerged from the trees, lunged at his speeding ride and chased after him at full speed as he pulled away.
The story would have become little more than another legend clanging around the roadhouses of Western Canada if Mr. Bartlett had not whipped a camera out of his top pocket to record the event for posterity; capturing a series of rare snapshots that have since been beamed around the world. The Post’s Tristin Hopper reached him by phone on Friday morning.
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Post by: bearpaw on June 23, 2013, 05:08:58 PM
4 wolves killed after livestock deaths
Kill order remains in place for wolves near Silver Creek
By GREG MOORE Idaho Mountain Express Friday, June 21, 2013
Four wolves—one near Carey and three in the Sawtooth Valley—have been killed in recent weeks due to depredation on cattle and sheep. All were killed by Idaho Wildlife Services on private land.
According to the agency’s director, Todd Grimm, a female wolf was trapped and killed May 29 on the Flat Top Ranch following a complaint by ranch owner John Peavey that he had lost more than two dozen lambs and ewes. Peavey said he protects the bands with people, spotlights and guard dogs, but he was criticized by wolf advocates for allowing his ewes to give birth on the range rather than in sheds.
Grimm said the wolf had had pups this spring, but was not lactating at the time she was trapped and killed.
“Either the pups were no longer nursing or they had already died,” he said.
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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147792 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005147792)
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June 22, 2013
Man vs. Wolf
Loved and hated, the gray wolf finds itself a target for hunters as advocates call for continued protection
Jacob Jones June 19, 2013 - Inlander
Robert Roman cradles a pale wolf skull in his upturned palm. He does not hate wolves, he says, gripping the hollow eye sockets and turning the bleached bone in his hands. Perhaps God just built the wolf too well.
Working along the ragged jawline, Roman runs his thumb against the curved point of each tooth, edged almost like knives.
“These are for cutting,” he says. “These are for ripping.”
With powerful jaws and sharp instincts, wolves prey upon animals many times their size. Long-legged and swift, they run down moose, elk and deer. They tear flesh and crush bone.
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http://www.inlander.com/spokane/article-19423-man-vs-wolf.html (http://www.inlander.com/spokane/article-19423-man-vs-wolf.html)
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Wolf People Center
by YOUNG.KWAK Fri, Jun. 21, 2013 - Inlander
This week, Jacob Jones examines the controversy over wolf management in Idaho. Wolves were driven to extinction in Idaho by settlers in the early 1900s. The federal government reintroduced wolves, who were on the endangered species list, to the state in the 1990s. The photos below are from Wolf People, a center in Cocolalla, Idaho, where visitors can get close to wolves and learn about them. Photos by Young Kwak.
http://www.inlander.com/spokane/blog-8783-photos-wolf-people-c.html (http://www.inlander.com/spokane/blog-8783-photos-wolf-people-c.html)
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Pets, livestock dying as wolf delisting debate continues
By Scott Sandsberry June 16, 2013 Yakima Herald-Republic
When a predator fatally injured her 4-day-old colt one late night two weeks ago, Barb Wolfe was — legally, anyway — helpless to stop it.
Even had she reached her horse pen in time to get off a rifle shot at the attacker, she might not have been able to tell whether it was a cougar, as state officials believe, or a wolf, as Wolfe believes.
Had it been the latter, Wolfe, who lives up a winding canyon south of Wenatchee, would have come face-to-face with a conundrum unique to the Cascades’ eastern slopes.
This is the only area in the United States with a population of resident wolves against which neither landowners nor state wildlife officials can use lethal force to defend a domestic animal.
“I couldn’t even shoot in the direction of a wolf, so basically my hands are tied,” Wolfe said, noting her frustration over “not being able to protect our livestock.”
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Northeast Zone Weekly Hunting Report
ODFW News Release June 20, 2013
Wolves in Northeast Oregon
Wolves are protected by state law and it is unlawful to shoot them. Coyote hunters in northeastern Oregon need to take extra care to identify their target as wolves can look like coyotes, especially wolf pups in the mid-summer and fall. ODFW needs hunters’ assistance to establish wolves’ presence in Oregon; please report any wolf sightings or wolf sign to La Grande office (541) 963-2138 or online.
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June 23, 2013
The Red Queen was right: Life must continually evolve to avoid extinction
By Robert Sanders, UC Berkley June 20, 2013
BERKELEY — The death of individual species shouldn’t be the only concern for biologists worried about animal groups, such as frogs or the “big cats,” going extinct. A University of California, Berkeley, study has found that a lack of new, emerging species also contributes to extinction.
“Virtually no biologist thinks about the failure to originate as being a major factor in the long term causes of extinction,” said Charles Marshall, director of the UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology and professor of integrative biology, and co-author of the report. “But we found that a decrease in the origin of new species is just as important as increased extinction rate in driving mammals to extinction.”
The effects of such a decrease would play out over millions of years, Marshall said, not rapidly, like the global change Earth is experiencing from human activities. Yet, the findings should help biologists understand the pressures on today’s flora and fauna and what drove evolution and extinction in the past, he added.
The results, published June 20 in the journal Science Express, come from a study of 19 groups of mammals that either are extinct or, in the case of horses, elephants, rhinos and others, are in decline from a past peak in diversity. All are richly represented in the fossil record and had their origins sometime in the last 66 million years, during the Cenozoic Era.
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http://tinyurl.com/lejxcs2 (http://tinyurl.com/lejxcs2)
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Pair of Mexican wolves will not be released into the Apache National Forest at this time
JUNE 19, 2013 Sonoran News
PHOENIX – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has determined that a pair of wolves will not be released into the wild at this time. The pair, M1051 and F1126, was brought to an acclimation pen at the Corduroy Creek release site in Arizona on April 26, 2013. After spending over six weeks in the acclimation pen, the Service will transfer the pair back to a Service-approved pre-release facility and will seek opportunities for another release in the future.
Release sites are selected in unoccupied wolf habitat where prey is available and the potential for conflict with humans, livestock and other packs is reduced. The 15-year history of the Mexican wolf reintroduction project has shown that naïve wolves are most successful when released as pairs with pups. The female of this pair was pregnant at the time of transfer to the acclimation pen, however, the pups born to F1126 did not survive.
While the acclimation area had been used in the past by the Rim pack of Mexican wolves, at the time this pair of wolves was transferred to the pen, it was believed that the Rim pack had vacated the area based on the lack of recent production by the pack, and the removal of the alpha female in January in order to harvest valuable genetic material.
However, the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) has confirmed that the Rim pack alpha male, AM1107, is traveling with a new female identified by the IFT as F1305. The Rim pair has been frequenting the acclimation pen and acting aggressively toward M1051 and F1126, suggesting they will defend their territory against them if the naïve pair were to be released.
“After a difficult deliberation during which I weighed the options and evaluated the likelihood that the new pair would succeed in the wild, I have decided not to conduct the release at this time,” said Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, the Service’s Southwest Regional Director. “Initial releases of naïve wolves are always a difficult task. The significant reduction in the pair’s chances for success emphasizes the need to expand the area within which releases of wolves can occur. The Service remains committed to improving this population through initial releases to increase genetic diversity of the population. We will continue to work with partners to identify suitable release opportunities in the future to meet our management and recovery objectives.”
“After consideration of the challenges this pair would face if they were released, the Service made a decision that will give the pair a better chance at survival and afford these wolves an opportunity to contribute to the program in the future,” said Director Larry Voyles of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
For further information, please refer to the Decision Memo on the Mexican wolf website at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/ (http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/) and click on Mexican Wolf News.
Post by: bearpaw on July 03, 2013, 08:21:55 AM
Wolf encounters spark concern in Canada
Jun 22, 2013 by Carolyn Dunn - CBC
It's not the usual roadside attraction when driving in Kootenay National Park in southeastern British Columbia.
At first, Shawn Bond, who happens to be a biologist, thought he was seeing a big dog.
"When we got closer, we realized it was a grey wolf. Obviously, it's very unusual to see something that close to the highway and just kind of loping along, minding his own business," Bond recalled.
Amazingly it was the second sighting in less than a week. Tim Bartlett was cruising the same highway on his motorcycle when a normally skittish grey wolf gave chase.
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June 25, 2013
Wolf hunting season set to open on Idaho Panhandle
by Rich Landers June 25, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Idaho's 2013-2014 wolf hunting seasons begin July 1 in the Panhandle Zone, but only on private land.
Actually, wolf hunting season is open year-round on private lands in the Panhandle, but seasons in the rest of the state take a hiatus during summer.
The wolf hunting seasons that are still open throughout the rest of the state close on June 30 and reopen on Aug. 30.
See details and exceptions in the new wolf hunting and trapping seasons and rules posted on the Fish and Game website.
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The Wolf Wranglers - Where Are They Now?
by Toby Bridges of Lobo Watch June 24, 2013
If the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project is to ever receive the credit and accolades it honestly deserves, it's recognition surely won't have anything to do with being a shining new chapter in the annals of wildlife conservation in America. The residents of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, who have had to live with the disastrous introduction of an entirely non-native wolf, in lieu of a ready source of the native sub-species for true "reintroduction", now fully realize that the project had absolutely nothing to do with wildlife conservation. They also fully realize that the forced introduction of those wolves by the federal government has not resulted in one positive benefit to insuring the health of the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Area ecosystem.
The true accreditation of the western wolf "recovery" project will not be one of praise, except for likely being the greatest act of fraud ever against the citizens of the United States - by the United States government. The orchestrator of this crime, which has now cost the residents of the Northern Rockies billions of dollars, has been the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - and along the way it has had many accomplices - quite a few of which have tended to totally disappear once sportsmen, ranchers, rural residents and others who derive a living from the land or recreate outdoors began to push back - and to become very vocal in opposition.
It began with the passing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, and the unprecedented powers that legislation bestowed upon the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In essence, the agency became the Gestapo of wildlife management, with the authority to seize private lands, to close off public access to public lands, to dictate the use of the land, and to shut down any operation they deemed detrimental to perpetuating a species of fauna or foliage. To support the exercise of that federal power, numerous "environmental" groups and movements began to pop up like mushrooms everywhere, opening the door to the greatest bank robbery of federal funds in history. All of the U.S. taxpayer dollars that flowed into the coffers of organizations like the Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and dozens of others gave a whole new meaning to the coined term "The Green Movement".
To accomplish the takeover of wildlife and wildlife habitat, the USFWS began weaving alliances with state wildlife agencies, new wave wildlife biologists and managers, universities, and elected officials. They all began to sing from the same hymnal, and in short order the "green movement" reared its ugly head, and began whaling about the loss of wildlife and the destruction of habitat - and the need to "re-balance" the ecosystem. Other than their meddling, the followers of these groups had never supported any of the wildlife conservation efforts already in effect, which had brought big game populations back from the brink of extinction to record numbers, to where upland game numbers were likewise at record levels, and waterfowl populations were flourishing. These conservation efforts had been totally financed by sportsmen - not by environmental theorists and academics.
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Wolf chases motorcyclist
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! June 21, 2013
A motorcyclist testing a new bike in Kootenay National Park, Alberta nearly hit a wolf in the roadway, but swerved to avoid the animal. The man turned around and approached that area of the highway with his camera in hand, only to have the wolf jump back onto the highway and began chasing the bike.
The wolf crossed a line of traffic to pursue the motorcycle, and the motorcyclist was able to snap pictures of the animal in hot pursuit, ears flattened against its head, running at full speed. The bike eventually outran the animal, and the motorcyclist appeared to have enjoyed the encounter, likening the wolf to his pet dog that liked to chase bikes. Wildlife managers at Parks Canada took a different view, noting that the animal appeared to be habituated, causing concern for wildlife managers.
Click on the links below for more information.
Banff Crag and Canyon - Read the article here::
http://tinyurl.com/p4vck9r (http://tinyurl.com/p4vck9r)
CBC.ca - Read another news account (with more photos) here:
http://tinyurl.com/k4znt2w (http://tinyurl.com/k4znt2w)
Wolf Watch - by Cat Urbigkit
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/ (http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/)
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June 26, 2013
Montana FWP extends comment period on wolf hunt changes.
The public will have more time to comment on Montana's proposed changes to wolf hunting regulations, because the website through which comments were to be made was down, with comments now due Wednesday.
Billings Gazette; June 25, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/oodcb7l (http://tinyurl.com/oodcb7l)
Post by: bearpaw on July 03, 2013, 08:28:00 AM
States pressed for limits on gray wolves before federal proposal to lift protections
By MATTHEW BROWN and JOHN FLESHER - Associated Press June 27, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Wildlife officials from western states lobbied for strict limits on federal protections for gray wolves before the Obama administration proposed to take the animals off the endangered list across most of the Lower 48 states, documents show.
During private meetings with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state officials threatened lawsuits and legislation as they pressed to exclude Colorado and Utah from a small area in the West where protections would remain in place.
The documents suggest the animal's fate was decided through political bargaining between state and federal officials, said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
The nonprofit group obtained the records through a freedom of information lawsuit and provided them to The Associated Press.
"In simplest terms, these documents detail how the gray wolf lost a popularity contest among wildlife managers," Ruch said.
Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director Gary Frazer rejected the assertion. He said science drove the administration's proposal, and the released documents reflect only a small portion of a years-long review of the legal status of gray wolves.
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Conflicts Rise Between Idaho Ranchers, Gray Wolves
June 26, 2013 By Brian Smith - Magic Valley Times-News
TWIN FALLS, Idaho - As the federal government seeks to pull the gray wolf off the endangered species list, conflicts between ranchers and gray wolves in south-central Idaho are on the rise, with record livestock losses last year.
Gray wolves killed 34 cattle and 79 sheep last year in the Southern Mountain region of the Sawtooth Range, which includes Camas and Blaine counties.
Statewide, they destroyed 90 cattle and 251 sheep, said Todd Grimm, state wildlife services director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In turn, hunters killed 330 wolves in Idaho in 2012, up from 200 the year before.
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Idaho ranchers still waiting on wolf-kill cash
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho wildlife managers have yet to receive federal funding to compensate ranchers for 2012 livestock losses from wolves, as other Western states are also competing for a share of just $850,000 meant to offset sheep and cattle losses from the predators.
The Times-News (http://tinyurl.com/neebwjv (http://tinyurl.com/neebwjv) ) reports Dustin Miller, who heads Idaho's Office of Species Conservation, said the money will eventually be divided between paying ranchers for losses and funding efforts to avoid wolf-livestock conflicts.
In 2011, the program paid Idaho ranchers about $100,000 for livestock losses.
"Unfortunately, we usually have the highest level of depredations in the country, and if it's competitive, we may receive more funding than other states. But we can't be sure," Miller said. "We have no idea what we are going to receive, and I can't guarantee producers who lost livestock . will be compensated at market rates."
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Will federal delisting impact state’s wolves?
WDFW says no, but conservationists concerned
Methow Valley News BY ANN McCREARY Jun 25, 2013
Removing gray wolves from federal endangered species protection – as proposed earlier this month by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – would have little impact on the way they are managed in Washington state, according to Donny Martorello, carnivore manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
But conservation advocates who have promoted recovery of gray wolves in Washington say removing federal protection could jeopardize the “fragile” population of wolves in the Cascade Mountains – including the Methow Valley’s Lookout Pack.
It appears the Lookout Pack may be making a comeback after near extermination by poachers. Wildlife officials have been monitoring two remaining wolves in the Lookout Pack territory, and Martorello said last week that it appears they produced pups this spring.
“We believe there are pups in the Lookout Pack,” Martorello said. “We have photographs of the female before she gave birth and after.” A video captured by a trail camera indicates that the female is lactating, he said.
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Nineteen wolves killed in 2013
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! June 27, 2013
Nineteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming's predator zone thus far in 2013, according to a report from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The agency updates its wolf harvest summary information as new kills are reported, and the current tally is dated June 11, 2013.
For more information on Wyoming wolf management, click on the link below.
Wyoming Game & Fish Department
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx (http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/HUNTING-1000743.aspx)
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Mexican wolf pair will not be released
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! June 27, 2013
Federal wildlife officials have decided not to release a pair of Mexican wolves from an acclimation pen in Arizona's Apache National Forest they've been inhabiting the last two months. The wolves were placed there in preparation for release into what was believed to be uninhabited wolf habitat.
But as it turns out, another pair of Mexican wolves is using the area, and have approached the pen, behaving aggressively toward its occupants. The penned pair will now be placed back into another captive facility, in hopes they will contribute to the population at a later date.
To learn more, click on the link below.
Sonoran News
http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2013/130619/comm-wolves.html (http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2013/130619/comm-wolves.html)
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June 28, 2013
Update on wolves in Idaho's Panhandle
June 28, 2013 (shared by ID For Wildlife)
Update on wolves in Idaho's Panhandle that have either collars or transmitters on current wolves and new pups this year. Jack Hamock asked the following questions and IDFG Biologist Jim Hayden provided the answers:
How many collars/transmitters placed on wolves in the Panhandle since having pups this year?
2 adults
How many were placed on pups?
11 pups
Were all pups located chipped?
No chips; 11 implanted transmitters in the pups
Do you have more collaring/transmitter work planned for this season?
Yep, on-going
Were the transmitters installed gps?
1 gps collar on an adult
How long will these devices installed in these pups transmit with the current power source?
Not sure, probably up to 3 years
What information do you hope to gather from this program?
Survival estimates, territory size for use in population estimates
How will these devices be used in order to meet harvest objectives for wolves in areas that elk are not meeting objectives?
Wolf survival estimates help us understand our impact on wolves, and that provides insight as to how much more response we might expect from a wolf population given further season changes or extra-season control efforts. That in turn helps us determine what we are logically able to do to help under-performing elk populations meet objectives.
Which Packs received transmitters?
Boundary, Calder Mountain, and Marble Creek
What basis was used to determine which packs would receive transmitters?
Availability and prior knowledge (for efficiency)
What are the new Panhandle wolf population estimates now that you have added the pups of this spring to the counts?
No new estimates yet – need more information, but likely not a lot of change.
What method was used to arrive at the number used to answer the previous question?
(known packs?)
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Senate passes bill allowing Ore. to resume killing wolves that attack livestock
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 27, 2013
SALEM, Oregon — The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that puts into law provisions of a settlement allowing the state to resume killing wolves that make a habit of attacking livestock.
The vote Thursday was 30-0.
The House has passed it, and Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to sign it once the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approves other provisions of the settlement.
Oregon has been barred for the past year and a half from killing wolves while the Oregon Court of Appeals considered a lawsuit filed by conservationists.
A settlement was reached in May with the conservation groups, the Oregon Cattlemen's Association and the governor's office.
It creates a new rulebook that makes killing wolves a last resort, and gives ranchers wider rights to kill wolves they catch attacking their herds.
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Investigation continues of 2012 wolf attack at Swedish wildlife park
Radio Sweden June 25, 2013
It may take a long time to find out exactly how a pack of eight male wolves could attack and kill a zoo keeper at Sweden’s Kolmården Wildlife Park last summer. A year after the tragic accident, the police investigation into the tragic incident is far from reaching any conclusions.
The attack happened just an hour after Kolmården, located in eastern Sweden, opened its gates for the 2012 summer holiday season.
The 30-year-old female zoo keeper was alone in the wolf pen when the animals attacked and killed her.
This week, the park welcomes visitors for the 2013 summer season, but prosecutor Jan Andersson tells Swedish Radio that the investigation is complicated and could go on for another year.
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A sheepish wolf
June 28, 2013 Yellowstone Gate
Mitigating conflicts between wolves and livestock, including sheep, is a big part of the work of managing gray wolves around the greater Yellowstone area.
So a viral video from Norway has been making the rounds lately among ranchers in Wyoming and Montana. It shows a wolf making a move against a mother sheep and her lambs, only to get chased off by the mother sheep.
Some commenters suspect it’s because the wolf is hunting alone, without support from the pack. Others figure there must be a different reason why the big bad wolf can’t manage to take on a single sheep with a couple of lambs.
Continued w/video:
http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2013/06/sheepish-wolf/ (http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2013/06/sheepish-wolf/)
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June 29, 2013
Wolf that chased motorcycle in B.C. likely human-habituated, official says
June 29, 2013 By BRETT BERNTSEN for the Missoulian
Every once in a while, a news story comes a long that screams for attention.
An espionage case. A human-rights violation. A political scandal. A wolf chasing a motorcycle?
Believe it or not, the latter held its own among certain crowds recently.
The incident occurred June 8 when Tim Bartlett of Banff, Alberta, took his new Yamaha for a spin along Highway 93 in Canada’s Kootenay National Park.
Half an hour from home, a gray blur shot in front of Bartlett.
“Initially, I thought it was a coyote,” said Bartlett, who was traveling around 90 kilometers an hour at the time. “Then it took a bit of a deviation and I just about hit it.”
Bartlett recovered from the near miss and turned around to find a hulking wolf staring him down. Having photographed a couple of bears earlier, he pulled the camera from his front pocket and started back toward the animal.
But rather than strike a pose, the carnivorous canine gave chase. Bartlett was forced to flee, snapping pictures over his shoulder.
“He would come pretty close, so I would pull away,” Bartlett said. “It went on for a kilometer.”
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http://tinyurl.com/q3zdmr3 (http://tinyurl.com/q3zdmr3)
Post by: bearpaw on July 03, 2013, 08:32:47 AM
Running a trapline: Pursuing a wolf pack requires patience
Thursday, June 27, 2013 By JIM MANN - Hagadone News
KALISPELL - Baited with scent and concealed under forest duff and sticks, the traps are set recently on the likely travel routes surrounding a newly discovered wolf denning area in the Salish Mountains southwest of Lakeside.
The goal: getting a radio collar onto an adult wolf.
But on this particular day and the day after, the traps were empty and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf biologist Kent Laudon will have to return, adjust his tactics and his trapline until there is success.
This is the patient, labor-intensive way of chasing wolves, and Laudon is no stranger to it.
He estimates he has trapped around 80 wolves in his career, which has mostly been centered in Northwest Montana over the last nine years.
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Wolves bring tourists, and money, to Montana
June 30, 2013 Billings Gazette - Editorial
I have just returned from a six-day visit to your lovely state. Excluding airfare, I spent a total of $2,150 for food, lodging, guides, rental car, fuel, clothing and entrance fees for various exhibits. This was an impromptu visit, without my family, for the single purpose of seeing wolves in the wild. I wanted to see wolves before they are gone.
Will I return to Montana with friends and family? That depends on you, Montana. Will there be wolves in your future?
You see, I'm part of a growing trend of what we call wildlife watchers. There are literally hundreds of thousands of us. We are well-educated, well-informed urbanites with expendable incomes and four to six weeks of vacation, where we long to disengage ourselves from our place of work and seek refuge in the natural world. A portion of us are retired, with expendable incomes to visit your state for extended periods and who delight in watching wild America unfold before our eyes. We are your future, Montana.
What are we seeking? Along with countless birds, we seek the big five: wolves, bears, bison, moose and elk.
It is the wolf that brings us (and our money) back to your state year after year. Like the migrating herds, many of us will return year after year to seek out our favorite wolf packs, to watch them grow, play, hunt, mate and to see their offspring flourish under their guidance. And with our return, we dump millions of dollars into your state, year after year.
To us wildlife watchers, the absence of the wolf is the deal breaker. Viewing a wolf and its family, then knowing those wolves will be hunted and likely killed next winter is a deal breaker.
Your call, Montana.
Susan Turnipseed
The Villages, Fla.
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Some may howl, but wolves are here to stay
on June 30, 2013 Yakima Herald
Wolves are on the move in Washington state, but that doesn’t mean they are going away. Three packs already have taken up residence on the east slopes of the Cascades — in the Methow Valley, the Teanaway area of upper Kittitas County and just south of Wenatchee. About a dozen packs reside in Washington, mostly in the mountainous northeastern part of the state.
The wolves can move quickly across long distances. A year ago, one collared female from the Teanaway Pack trekked out of Kittitas County, crossed the Methow Valley and continued into Canada. She was shot and killed in the pigsty of a farm near Kootenay, British Columbia, about 100 miles north of Sandpoint, Idaho.
The wolf’s far-flung destination and eventual demise point to issues that soon may confront humans and their domesticated animals in areas of Yakima County where people co-exist with the wilds. Wildlife officials say eventually wolves will disperse from packs and seek new turf to the south, and even a barrier like Interstate 90 will do little to slow their movement.
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July 1, 2013
Tailoring Wolf “Science” to Justify Political Ends
January 30, 2013 By Jim Beers
Federal government wolf intervention in the Lower 48 United States was and is based on radical federal legislation that abolished historic State authority over all wolves, all grizzly bears and many state black bear populations such as Florida and Louisiana. This 30+ year intervention has established extensive wolf populations in 14 States and begun establishment of wolves through federal protection for wolves in 11 more States. Under current law, wolves can be expected to infest (the correct word) each of the Lower 48 United States in the coming decades. Also under current law, federal legal authority and jurisdiction over wolves (like grizzly bears and black bears in certain states) will never expire: one need only observe how as the federal government “returns management authority” to States like Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, Wisconsin, et al lawsuits to block such returns bloom in federal courts and federal agency wolf standards (10 packs, 500 wolves, whatever) prevent State’s from truly managing wolves in densities and distributions as demanded by ranchers, farmers, dog owners, hunters, and rural families in such States or the federal government simply seizes the authority back, thereby letting the states carry the costs as they hold the federal bag.
The legal authority for this wolf invasion (again the correct word) is The Endangered Species Act. The two subjects of this Act (i.e. “Endangered” and “Species) no more apply to wolves in fact than they apply to Norway rats or domestic cows.
Wolves (like Norway rats) are circumpolar and ubiquitous throughout Asia, Alaska and most of Canada. Wolves also occur in Northern Africa and are currently infesting Europe under a protection and spreading regime imposed by European Union politicians and bureaucrats using tyrannical methods much like those employed in the United States. Labeling them as “Endangered” is a cruel and profane joke.
Wolves (like domestic cows) are merely one breed or race of a larger true “species”. Wolves, again like domestic cows, breed with and produce fertile offspring with coyotes, domestic dogs, jackals (Africa) and dingoes (Australia). Offspring of such cross-breeding, again like domestic cows, display characteristics of each parent and will transmit the blended characteristics (from physical characteristics to behavioral traits) to their subsequent offspring. To expand the classification biology of this animal to a “Species” as “Species” has been historically defined (i.e. a unique animal group capable of producing fertile offspring) or as “Species” was defined or intended in an ESA that would “save” bald eagles and elephants is a travesty.
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http://tinyurl.com/m8nmfyl (http://tinyurl.com/m8nmfyl)
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July 2, 2013
Group opposed to wolf hunting will seek petition signatures for second 2014 ballot initiative
By JOHN FLESHER - AP Environmental Writer July 02, 2013
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Michigan voters may get two chances during the 2014 general election to have their say on hunting wolves.
An opposition group announced Tuesday it will begin collecting petition signatures seeking a referendum on a recently enacted law giving the state Natural Resources Commission authority to decide which animals should be designated as game species that can be hunted. Previously only the Legislature had that power.
Lawmakers approved that measure in response to a petition drive aimed at overturning a separate law enacted last December that changed the gray wolf's status from protected to game species and authorized the commission to schedule a hunt. Gov. Rick Snyder signed both measures.
"It's only fair to allow citizens to weigh in on this important question of wildlife policy," said Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
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http://tinyurl.com/kvh5nks (http://tinyurl.com/kvh5nks)
Post by: bearpaw on July 20, 2013, 11:26:21 PM
Idaho wolf/livestock conflicts rise
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online July 3, 2013
Even though more than 400 wolves were killed in Idaho last year (330 by hunters, and 73 in state control efforts), wolf depredations on livestock in that state reached record high levels in 2012, with 90 cattle and 251 sheep confirmed as killed by wolves.
To learn more about this story, click on the link below.
Magic Valley.com:
http://tinyurl.com/neebwjv (http://tinyurl.com/neebwjv)
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States pushed for lesser wolf protections
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online July 3, 2013
The Associated Press reports that western wildlife officials met privately to request federal officials lessen protections for wolves in western states - specifically in Utah and Colorado.
To read the story, click on the link below.
Read the Associated Press article:
http://tinyurl.com/obf4fwb (http://tinyurl.com/obf4fwb)
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Litter of Mexican Gray Wolf Pups Brings New Hope
Audubon Magazine By Emma Bryce 07/03/2013
Six furry little bundles are aiding the conservation of the endangered Mexican gray wolf. Last month, a female Mexican gray emerged from a short disappearance trailing six pups—a cause for celebration, considering that Mexican grays numbered only 75 in the wild at the start of this year.
Once populous in New Mexico, Mexico, Texas, and Arizona, they’re a subspecies of the gray wolf that is all but extinct in the wild, following a history of poisoning and shooting at the hands of humans protecting their livestock. Now, they’re one of the rarest wolves on the continent—and one of the most endangered wolf species in the world.
The pups were born in Sonora, a northern Mexican state, inside a nature reserve. The state’s Environmental Commission director Oscar Tellez, told Efe, “The birth of these pups is a big accomplishment for the conservation of an extinct species in its natural habitat.”
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http://tinyurl.com/k2jvl4f (http://tinyurl.com/k2jvl4f)
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July 4, 2013
FWS: Wolves No Longer Need Endangered Species Protection
July 3, 2013 Alyssa Carducci - The Heartland Institute
The U.S. Interior Department announced it will remove Endangered Species protection for most wolves in the lower 48 states. The decision comes at the suggestion of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in light of the “successful recovery” of wolves after remaining on the list for over three decades.
One subspecies of wolves, the Mexican wolf located in the U.S. Southwest, will remain listed as endangered, the Interior Department noted.
“From the moment a species requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, our goal is to work with our partners to address the threats it faces and ensure its recovery,” FWS Director Dan Ashe told the media in a statement. “An exhaustive review of the latest scientific and taxonomic information shows that we have accomplished that goal with the gray wolf, allowing us to focus our work under the ESA on recovery of the Mexican wolf subspecies in the Southwest.”
Grey wolf populations are thriving particularly well in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, where ranchers complain about frequent livestock kills. Jon Rachael, state wildlife game manager at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said he believes wolves won’t have any trouble maintaining their populations after federal endangered species protections are lifted.
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July 5, 2013
Anti-wolf group vague on how it spent Utah taxpayer funds
After reading report, lawmakers still are wondering where $300K went.
By Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune Jul 02 2013
A political action group fighting federal wolf management with Utah taxpayers’ money filed a report of its accomplishments this week, but it sheds little light on how Big Game Forever (BGF) spent a $300,000 state appropriation.
The 120-page report, liberally padded with magazine articles and government-produced statistics, describes these efforts in general terms and most of the work described actually occurred before the year covered in the contract, renewing questions about exactly how the money was spent.
Big Game Forever is expected to reap another $300,000 this year — its fourth award of state money — to carry on the fight to shift wolf management from the feds to the states and block wolf introduction in Utah.
For Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, the report buttresses his call for a legislative audit of BGF’s contracts.
"I would like to know what they did to spend the money," said Davis, who says lawmakers should get an accounting before releasing the next $300,000. "There is nothing in here that talks about the current dollars."
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July 6, 2013
Pro-hunting coalition honors biologists whose work helped lead to establishment of wolf season
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 06, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — The Michigan United Conservation Clubs has honored three biologists with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for work that helped lead to establishment of a wolf hunting season in the Upper Peninsula.
The organization is an outspoken supporter of hunting wolves, which some conservation groups oppose and are seeking a statewide vote to stop. The state Natural Resources Commission has scheduled a hunting and trapping season for this fall.
MUCC honored Adam Bump, Brian Roell and Dean Beyer as Conservationists of the Year.
Bump is the DNR's furbearer specialist in Lansing. Roell is a Marquette-based wolf specialist. Beyer also works out of Marquette and is the state's lead researcher on predator-prey relations.
MUCC says all three helped ensure that wolf management decisions would be based on solid science.
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Michigan's Isle Royale wolves disappearing
Even as the state debates allowing wolf hunting, pack on island national park are in danger
Jim Lynch The Detroit News July 6, 2013
Gray wolves are in danger of disappearing from Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park, while these predators in the rest of the Upper Peninsula have experienced a major resurgence.
The situation is coming to a head on both the island and the mainland, where the state’s Natural Resources Commission is scheduled to meet Thursday and expected to decide whether a mid-November wolf hunt for the Upper Peninsula, but not Isle Royale, will proceed.
Lansing-based Keep Michigan Wolves Protected this week announced a new referendum challenge to the state law passed in May that gave the commission that authority. The latest referendum effort comes too late to halt this year’s possible wolf hunt — aimed at decreasing threats to western U.P. residents and domestic pets — but could bar future hunts.
“Michiganders deserve to have their voices heard on the wolf issue, and we hope they’ll have the opportunity to vote on two ballot measures next year to do that,” said Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130706/METRO06/307060026/ (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130706/METRO06/307060026/)
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July 7, 2013
Wolf hunt opponents to launch second signature drive
Jul. 6, 2013 Battle Creek Enquirer
LANSING — A group that opposes a gray wolf hunt says it will launch a second ballot petition drive to stop the proposed hunt after its first effort was thwarted by the Legislature.
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected submitted more than 255,000 signatures in March in an effort to overturn a December 2012 state law that allows the hunting and trapping of wolves.
But in May, lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder approved a new bill that allows the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to add animals to the list of game species.
That action meant Keep Michigan Wolves Protected could still go ahead with a vote on the earlier law, but it would not have the effect of stopping the hunt.
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July 8, 2013
Yellowstone wants curbs on Montana wolf harvest, says new rules could hurt park population
By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press July 08, 2013
BILLINGS, Montana — Yellowstone National Park administrators say a tentative plan to relax gray wolf hunting and trapping rules in neighboring Montana appears aimed at substantially reducing the park's population of the predators.
Wolves regularly cross from the safe haven of Yellowstone into Montana, where wildlife officials want to drive down pack numbers.
Montana wildlife commissioners on Wednesday take final action on proposals to lengthen the wolf season, increase the bag limit and set quotas around the park.
Park administrators say some of the changes would make it too easy to target wolves that live primarily in Yellowstone.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim says the agency will recommend revisions to the proposal to address Yellowstone's concerns. But the wolf quota north of Yellowstone still would exceed what the park wants.
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State lawmakers fund compensation for wolf depredation
by Rich Landers July 8, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The Washington Legislature appropriated $250,000 to a fund for compensating ranchers for livestock injured or killed by wolves.
Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, said the amount “a great first step” for the agency and for the livestock industry, according to the Capital Press.
The direction WDFW is going on preventative measures, he said, will hopefully reduce the impacts of wolves. The budget also provides $750,000 for nonlethal deterrence methods.
Another important change this year is the removal of a $1,500 cap on the value of an animal. Instead, compensation will be based on the market value of the animal. A steer could be worth $600 and a prize bull would be far more, but the owner would need proof of its value, Capital Press reports.
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Wolf tourism in Eastern Oregon
July/August 2013 by Jennifer Margulis - Oregon Business
"Hot diggety, that’s fresh,” exclaims 67-year-old Wally Sykes, a longtime Wallowa County resident whose family used to hunt wolves in Alaska. He points to a pile of wolf scat on the disused forest service road in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Eastern Oregon where we are hiking. Larger than a dog’s, the clumped scat is tapered at the ends and full of reddish elk hair and small bone fragments. Sykes points to the flies buzzing around it. “Can’t be more than 12 hours old, maybe less,” he muses, rubbing the white stubble on his chin and quickening his pace.
Though he grew up shooting woodchucks for fun, Sykes has become an advocate for wolves and other wildlife in Eastern Oregon, the heartbreakingly beautiful region far east of the Cascade mountains that comprises about half the state’s land but has a population of only some 100,000 people, depending how you tally it. The backbone of Eastern Oregon’s economy has historically been mining, logging and agriculture. As mining became almost nonexistent and the timber industry has declined, the region has been reinventing itself in recent years, advertising its natural beauty, outdoor recreation and abundant wildlife to attract visitors.
Sykes — who volunteers as a guide to college kids from Whitman, graduate students from Oregon State University, documentary filmmakers and journalists who want to learn more about wolf behavior and habitat — believes the presence of wolves is good for Oregon’s ecology and economy. He has also been lending a hand as a volunteer to Oregon Wild, a state-based environmental organization spearheading an initiative to prove to business people — including ranchers, farmers, recreation outfitters, hotel owners and other stakeholders — that wolf tourism is one way to attract even more ecotourism dollars and grow the economy in one of the remotest and hardest-to-access parts of the state.
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Post by: bearpaw on July 20, 2013, 11:36:36 PM
Minnesota's wolf population falls to 2,211, a decline of 710 wolves over past 5 years
By STEVE KARNOWSKI - Associated Press July 09, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS — Wildlife managers say Minnesota's wolf population has fallen by about 700 animals over the past five years to around 2,200.
The Department of Natural Resources released the estimates Tuesday from a comprehensive survey conducted over the winter. The survey puts the state's wolf population at 2,211, compared with the 2008 estimate of 2,921 wolves.
DNR officials cite the state's lower population of deer, which are the wolves' main food source, and last season's first hunting and trapping season since the region's wolves came off the endangered species list. Hunters and trappers killed 413 wolves during the season that ended in January.
But the DNR says the wolf population remains well above the state's minimum winter goal of at least 1,600 wolves, and that wolves remain firmly entrenched on Minnesota's landscape.
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Endangered red wolves return to South Carolina historic site where they roamed centuries ago
By BRUCE SMITH - Associated Press July 09, 2013
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Four endangered red wolves have returned to the birthplace of South Carolina, going on display in a zoo where their species freely roamed more than 300 years ago.
The 9,000-square-foot red wolf habitat at the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site on the Ashley River opened to the public on Tuesday. The wolves came to South Carolina about a month ago from the Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, New York, where they were born last year.
It's the first time red wolves will be displayed at Charles Towne Landing, where the Carolina colony was founded in 1670.
The park's Animal Forest natural habitat zoo, created in 1970, displays animals that would have lived along the South Carolina coast when the English colony was founded.
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Red wolf
From Wikipedia
The red wolf (Canis rufus, formerly Canis lupus rufus) is a North American canid that once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States. Based on fossil and archaeological evidence, the original red wolf range extended throughout the southeast, from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to central Texas and southeastern Missouri. Historical habitats included forests, swamps, and coastal prairies, where it was an apex predator. The red wolf is morphologically midway between grey wolves and coyotes, and a 2011 genetic study indicated that it may be a hybrid species between grey wolves and coyotes. Re-analysis of this study coupled with a broader contextual analysis including behavioral, morphological and additional genetic information led to arguments that the red wolf is an independent species but has suffered from significant introgression of coyote genes likely due to decimation of red wolf packs with fragmentation of their social structure from hunting. The most recent comprehensive review (in October 2012) of the genetics studies concluded that the red wolf, eastern wolf and gray wolf were three distinct species.
The red wolf was thought to be extinct in the wild by 1980. 1987 saw a reintroduction in northeastern North Carolina through a captive breeding program and the animals are considered to be successfully breeding in the wild.
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Red Wolves: to Conserve or not to Conserve
by Bob Wayne Canid News Vol. 3, 1995 International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Genetic evidence suggests that the red wolf is a hybrid form, not a distinct species. Should we continue to preserve it?
http://www.canids.org/PUBLICAT/CNDNEWS3/2conserv.htm (http://www.canids.org/PUBLICAT/CNDNEWS3/2conserv.htm)
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July 10, 2013
Montana increases bag limit to 5 for next wolf hunt, except in areas next to national parks
By MATT VOLZ - Associated Press July 10, 2013
HELENA, Montana — Montana Fish and Wildlife commissioners have increased the bag limit to five wolves per person for the state's next hunting and trapping season.
But the commission Wednesday set a quota of seven wolves and a limit of one wolf per person just north of Yellowstone National Park after park administrators expressed concern about the looser regulations.
Commission chairman Dan Vermillion says the limits ensure no long-term threat to Yellowstone's wolf population.
A limit of two wolves was set in one area west of Glacier National Park.
There is no statewide quota.
The commission also approved a longer rifle season that runs from Sept. 15 to March 15.
The trapping season will run from Dec. 15 through Feb. 28.
Montana's wolf population was estimated at 625 at the end of 2012.
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July 11, 2013
Idaho cyclist, witnesses recount frightening encounter with gray wolf on trek to Alaska
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 11, 2013
SPOKANE, Washington — An Idaho man cycling to Alaska suffered a scare after being chased by a gray wolf.
Thirty-five-year-old William "Mac" Hollan of Sandpoint says he also needed the help of friends to thwart a wolf that chased him last week — half-way through his 2,750-mile trip to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
Hollan told the Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/13R78CU (http://bit.ly/13R78CU) ) the wolf charged out of the forest about 60 miles west of Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory.
Hollan — along with his cycling partners and other witnesses — says the wolf made an initial chomp at his pedal. As he peddled faster, the wolf kept pace and nipped several times at his bike packs.
He was finally rescued by a passing motorist and watched inside the vehicle as the wolf ripped his tent bag.
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Wolf chases Sandpoint cyclist on Alaska Highway
By Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review July 11, 2013
Growing up in the Yukon, Melanie Klassen had seen numerous bicycle tourists pedaling the Alaska Highway, but never one with a canine companion running behind him.
“I thought it was odd until I saw the panicked look on the biker’s face – as though he was about to be eaten,” she said in a telephone interview.
“That wasn’t a dog; it was a wolf.”
The cyclist, William “Mac” Hollan, 35, of Sandpoint, verified Klassen’s observation of Saturday’s incident: “At this point I realized I might not be going home, and I began to panic at the thought of how much it was going to hurt.”
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July 12, 2013
New Oregon rule makes killing wolves last resort in protecting livestock
By JEFF BARNARD - Associated Press July 12, 2013
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday adopted provisions of a lawsuit settlement that will make Oregon the only state in the West where killing wolves that attack livestock is a last resort.
Added to provisions already enacted by the Legislature, the rules go to Gov. John Kitzhaber for his signature.
The rules require ranchers to show they have taken non-lethal steps, such as alarm boxes and low strings of fluttering plastic flags known as fladdery, to protect their herds before the state will send out a hunter to kill a wolf. There must also be hard evidence, such as GPS data showing a radio-collared wolf was in the area when a cow was killed, that wolves have attacked four times.
In return, ranchers get new rights to shoot wolves that they see attacking their herd, but only if those non-lethal protections are in place, and attacks have become chronic.
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Michigan canvassers panel approves ballot language for second 2014 referendum on wolf hunting
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 12, 2013
LANSING, Michigan — The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has approved a petition form that a group will circulate in support of having a 2014 statewide vote on whether to allow wolf hunting.
Opponents already collected enough signatures to force a referendum on a law enacted in December designating the wolf as a game animal that could be hunted. But legislators then passed another law authorizing the appointed Natural Resources Commission to place wildlife on the game species list.
The commission added the gray wolf to the list this week and scheduled a hunt for Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. It said up to 43 wolves in seven U.P. counties could be killed.
Following the canvassers' approval of the petition form Friday, opponents also will seek signatures for a vote on that law.
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July 13, 2013
Wolf attack
The Spokesman-Review July 11, 2013
Karla Gitlitz, a rancher of Meeteetse, Wyo., describes a wolf attack on one of her cows.
Link to video report:
http://www.spokesman.com/video/2013/jul/11/wolf-attack/ (http://www.spokesman.com/video/2013/jul/11/wolf-attack/)
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Feds investigate latest shooting death of Mexican gray wolf in Southwest
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN - Associated Press July 13, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — The effort to return the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest has hit another stumbling block.
Federal and state wildlife officials confirmed Friday that a female wolf that was released into the wild in early May was found dead just one month later in southwestern New Mexico.
The animal, dubbed F1108, had been shot. Authorities released no other details and said the investigation was ongoing.
Top officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have long pointed to illegal shootings as one of the challenges to reintroducing Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. Since reintroduction efforts began in 1998, there have been 50 illegal killings documented, with four occurring just last year.
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Wolf Mauls Another Boy to Death in North Kashmir
Free Press Kashmir, Saturday 13 July 2013
A nine-year-old boy was killed on Saturday after a wolf attacked him in north Kashmir, the second such incident in the area in past 24 hours.
Earlier on Friday two wolves entered village Harshunar, Kreeri, in north Kashmir district of Baramulla from a nearby forest and killed a six-year-old-boy.
The attacks by wild animals have sharply increased recently, underlining the Valley's grave man-animal conflict issue.
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July 14, 2013
Motorist has photos of wolf that chased Sandpoint cyclist
by Rich Landers July 14, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
The photos show the wolf that chased the Sandpoint bicyclist in the Yukon last weekend as reported in my outdoors column.
The photos (click “continue reading” below to see them all) were snapped by Pennock, Minn., resident Becky Woltjer, who was in the RV that stopped to rescue William “Mac” Hollan from the wolf that had become obsessed with his bike, nipping and tearing at his rear bike packs even after Hollan dropped the bike and took refuge in the RV.
Alberta resident Melanie Klassen helped chase the wolf away by beaning it in the head with water bottle.
The photos also show Hollan saluting the RVers after the wolf had left and he resumed his Point to Bay bicycle tour from Idaho to Prudhoe Bay with his two cycling companions.
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Alaska Highway cyclists lauded for packing bear spray
by Rich Landers July 11, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
“Credit them for having bear spray,” said Nancy Campbell, Environment Yukon spokeswoman in Whitehorse, referring to a Sandpoint bicycle tourist who, while separated from his companions, was chased on the Alaska Highway by a wolf.
As today's Outdoors column points out, short bursts of bear spray bought Mac Hollan time to be rescued by motorists even though the relentless wolf kept coming back to nip and rip his paniers and tent bag as they raced down the highway.
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Sandpoint cyclist survives tense wolf encounter on Al-Can Highway
by Rich Landers July 9, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
http://tinyurl.com/kkn5fef (http://tinyurl.com/kkn5fef)
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In debate over protecting wolves, public opinion runs deep
By Becky Kramer July 14, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
LAMAR VALLEY, Wyo. – Seeing wolves for the first time left Jimmy Jones awestruck.
Wolves were mythic, larger-than-life creatures to the 59-year-old Los Angeles resident. Yet there they were, two of them, chasing bison at Yellowstone National Park in 2005.
Watching wolves run through a meadow is a sight to behold, agrees Karla Gitlitz, a 35-year-old rancher from Meeteetse, Wyo. Beyond that, she has no kind words for wolves, which she considers ruthless killers.
Wolves have spent the night howling within 200 feet of the house she shares with her husband and 15-year-old son. She’s watched them hamstring cows, and she was heartbroken and furious the day she saw two wolves tugging on a yearling’s intestines.
Two Westerners who cherish the outdoors. Two starkly different views of wolves.
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Get your wolf questions answered: Experts from ID, MT, WA uniting for webcast
by Rich Landers July 11, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
Big game managers from Washington, Idaho and Montana will discuss their experiences managing game animals in areas populated by wolves during a live webcast, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., on July 18.
View the event on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website http://wdfw.wa.gov/ (http://wdfw.wa.gov/) . A video of the webcast will remain on the website for later viewing.
Questions can be emailed in advance or during the presentations to july18event@dfw.wa.gov .
Montana and Idaho have been managing wolves longer than Washington and their experience can provide context to inform the department and citizens on how to confront the challenges that lie ahead for Washington, said Phil Anderson, WDFW director.
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Utah anti-wolf funding to be audited
Posted by Rich Landers July 10, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
When you take sides on wolves, be wary of the slime that accumulates at both ends of a polarized issue.
Even conservative Utah lawmakers are finally taking a look at the questionable decision they made authorizing taxpayer money to be spent by a non-government group in an equally questionable ongoing effort to wrest control of wolf management from the federal government.
Big Game Forever, a Utah-based nonprofit that spun off Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife in 2010, has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in state money during the past four years to evict the gray wolf from the endangered species list. But the group’s founders Don Peay and Ryan Benson have not disclosed where the money goes in their reports to the Legislature and to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
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The Columbia Basin Bulletin
July 12, 2013
Experts To Discuss Effects Of Wolves On Hunting Opportunities In WDFW Live Webcast
Big game managers from Washington, Idaho and Montana will discuss their experiences managing game animals in areas populated by wolves during a live webcast July 18.
http://www.cbbulletin.com/427419.aspx (http://www.cbbulletin.com/427419.aspx)
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Post by: bearpaw on July 20, 2013, 11:49:44 PM
Experts to talk about wolves' impact to deer, elk
by K.C. Mehaffey July 13, 2013 - The Wenatchee World
OLYMPIA — Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials invite the public to a live webcast on Thursday for a discussion on how wolves impact deer, elk and other big game hunting opportunities.
Talking about the impacts wolves had on big game in their states will be Jon Rachel, wildlife manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and Jim Williams, northwest wildlife manager for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. They will also discuss strategies that successful hunters have adopted.
Their two states have had wolves much longer than Washington, and the webcast is an effort to inform citizens and wolf managers in this state about the challenges ahead, a Fish and Wildlife news release said.
Washington’s Fish and Wildlife director Phil Anderson is planning to take part in the discussion.
The webcast will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Fish and Wildlife website, wdfw.wa.gov. Questions can be sent by email to july18event@dfw.wa.gov
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Experts study wolf skeletons for clues into behavior
By Becky Kramer The Spokesman-Review July 14, 2013
The wolf’s skull told a painful story. Teeth were broken and missing; the jawbone infected. An injury – probably caused by a kick to the wolf’s face – had also festered.
Despite poor health, the gray wolf kept his status as alpha male of the Rose Creek pack until he died, probably of septicemia, said Sue Ware, a paleopathologist who works for Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science. A week before his death, tourists in Yellowstone National Park videoed him “hanging off the rear quarters of an elk,” Ware said.
It’s a remarkable story, said Ware, who studies the bones of Yellowstone’s wolves after they die.
“Here’s an animal – the entire front part of his face is infected. How much pain was that?” she said. Yet the wolf still managed to clamp its teeth into a fleeing elk.
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Predators a powerful attraction
By Becky Kramer The Spokesman-Review July 14, 2013
LAMAR VALLEY, Wyo. - Yellowstone tourists are riveted to their spotting scopes, watching a life-and-death scene unfold.
Bison are plunging into the swift-flowing Lamar River to widen the distance between the herd and a lurking wolf. Tensions heighten when a ginger-colored calf balks at getting into the water.
Breathless commentary from the crowd narrates the movements of predator and prey.
“The baby is like, ‘Mom, where are you? Don’t leave me!’ ” “A bunch of bison just chased the wolf away!” “The wolf is back. It’s standing in the way of where the buffalo want to go!”
The standoff ends with two adult bison escorting the calf across the river and the wolf strolling off. A few bystanders applaud the bison, but there’s also sympathy for the black wolf, an alpha female with hungry pups to feed.
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Petition language approved for wolf hunting ban
Monday, July 15, 2013 (WKZO)
LANSING -- Organizers of a petition drive to put a ban on wolf hunting on the Michigan ballot in 2014 have the green-light to move forward with collecting signatures.
The Board of State Canvassers has approved the petition language. The group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected has just over 60 days to collect 255-thousand valid signatures to put the issue to a vote.
State lawmakers approved wolf hunting in the Upper Peninsula after the animals came off the endangered species list.
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July 16, 2013
Man vs. Wolf
Loved and hated, the gray wolf finds itself a target for hunters as advocates call for continued protection
by Jacob Jones July 10, 2013 The Boise Weekly
Robert Roman cradles a pale wolf skull in his upturned palm. He does not hate wolves, he says, gripping the hollow eye sockets and turning the bleached bone in his hands. Perhaps God just built the wolf too well.
Working along the ragged jawline, Roman runs his thumb against the curved point of each tooth, edged almost like knives.
"These are for cutting," he says. "These are for ripping."
With powerful jaws and sharp instincts, wolves prey upon animals many times their size. Long-legged and swift, they run down moose, elk and deer. They tear flesh and crush bone.
"That's a pretty good machine," he says to the skull. "With the teeth and the strength and the size, they're good at what they do."
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http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/man-vs-wolf/Content?oid=2894004 (http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/man-vs-wolf/Content?oid=2894004)
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Editorial: Yellowstone officials must face reality of wolves in Montana
Monday, July 15, 2013 Bozeman Dily Chronicle
Yellowstone National Park officials are understandably concerned about expanded wolf hunts in Montana. Last winter, several well-known park wolves were killed by hunters or trappers just outside the park’s boundaries.
But they also need to face some realities – both biological and political.
Wolf reintroduction has far exceeded everyone’s expectations. It was intended to reestablish the predators in the park – part of their historic range. But, as expected, it has impacted a large area in three states. Initially, federal biologists set a goal of establishing 30 breeding pairs and 150 wolves in each of the three states surrounding the park. Today we have well in excess of 1,600 specimens in the region.
Do the math.
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Wolf forum set for Thursday
July 16, 2013 By Scott Sandsberry - Yakima Herald-Republic
YAKIMA, Wash. — On Thursday evening, state residents will have an opportunity to feed their seemingly boundless interest in Washington’s slowly expanding population of wolves.
That night from 6:30 to 9:30, state wildlife officials from Washington will discuss wolf management with their counterparts from Idaho and Montana — two states who had been dealing with wolves for several years before Washington had any to worry about.
What figures to make Thursday’s panel discussion of interest to Washingtonians is that they can listen in and watch live on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website (wdfw.wa.gov), and even provide questions via email (july18event@dfw.wa.gov).
And, based on recent events, it’s likely some of those pointed questions may come from viewers from Stevens County in the northeast corner of the state.
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http://tinyurl.com/pwslr65 (http://tinyurl.com/pwslr65)
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Oregon Wildlife Commissioners Revise State Wolf Plan
By Aaron Kunz Mon July 15, 2013 Northwest Public Radio
Oregon’s wildlife commissioners revised the state's wolf management plan. It allows Fish and Wildlife officers to resume killing wolves that are a danger to livestock. Ranchers could kill wolves caught in the act of preying on cattle or sheep.
The agreement reflects a year’s worth of compromise from ranchers to environmental groups like Oregon Wild. Steve Pedery is Oregon Wild’s conservation director.
Pedery: “Everyone from the conservation community to the livestock producers to the state wildlife managers are really on the same page right now. And there is really not other state in the country that is in that position on wolves.”
The revisions to the wolf management plan will allow game officers to kill wolves but only as a last resort. The new provisions also require the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to report its actions to the public.
This plan is very similar to Washington’s. In Idaho, ranchers and wildlife managers don’t have as many requirements in order to kill wolves.
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Who killed the Mexican gray wolf? Feds investigate
By Julie Cart July 15, 2013 LA Times
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the killing of a female Mexican gray wolf that had been denning with pups in New Mexico.
The animal, known as F1108, was found in late June shot to death, authorities said. Her pups were assumed to be dead.
The 6-year-old female was born in the wild, captured with her pack and placed in New Mexico's Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
She and a male were released in May and placed in a temporary pen in the Gila National Forest. The male, known as M1133, left the den site and appeared to be returning to Sevilleta, where he was born, when he was recaptured by wildlife authorities.
The female whelped her pups, but signals from her radio collar indicated that she, too, was on the move. F1108 was found dead some distance from the Gila Wilderness.
Federal authorities provided no further information except to say the case is under investigation.
Endangered species protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes were removed last month, but Mexican wolves were recognized as a sub-species and retain federal protections.
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July 17, 2013
Montana’s wolf harvest proposal approved
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! July 16, 2013
Montana hunters and trappers who target wolves will face a longer season and more liberal restrictions in the next harvest, including being able to take up to five wolves. The proposed regulations generated a great deal of controversy at a recent Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission meeting.
Click on the link below for the story.
Helena Independent Record
http://tinyurl.com/mccaokc (http://tinyurl.com/mccaokc)
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Wolf chases bicyclist
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! July 16, 2013
A man on a long-distance bicycle trek along the Alaska Highway was chased and attacked by a wolf earlier this week, despite his attempts to halt the attack by shooting bursts of bear spray in the animal’s face. The man was finally rescued by passing motorists. His harrowing encounter was the subject of several news accounts.
Click on the links below for more information.
Billings Gazette
http://tinyurl.com/luvktb2 (http://tinyurl.com/luvktb2)
Facebook – Point to Bay
https://www.facebook.com/PointToBay (https://www.facebook.com/PointToBay)
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Yellowstone wants curbs on MT wolf harvest
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! July 16, 2013
The Associated Press reports that Yellowstone National Park officials view Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping efforts as an attempt to reduce the wolf population in the national park. To read the story, click on the link below.
Salt Lake Tribune
http://tinyurl.com/n7vy4ug (http://tinyurl.com/n7vy4ug)
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Utah audits anti-wolf campaign
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! July 16, 2013
State lawmakers in Utah are calling for an audit of how Big Game Forever spent a $300,000 state appropriation aimed at getting gray wolves removed from the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species.
For the scoop, click on the link below.
Salt Lake Tribune
http://tinyurl.com/lrhkz9x (http://tinyurl.com/lrhkz9x)
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Democrats Turn Their Sights on Controversial Wolf Funding
Some Democratic leaders in the Utah Legislature are licking their chops over Republicans spending upwards of $800,000 of taxpayers’ money in a questionable effort to delist the gray wolf from the federal endangered species act.
by Bob Bernick - Utah Policy 07/16/2013
http://tinyurl.com/kglanac (http://tinyurl.com/kglanac)
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Post by: bearpaw on July 20, 2013, 11:55:10 PM
2 more wolf pups killed at Flat Top
About 60 sheep reported killed at ranch
By GREG MOORE Idaho Mountain Express July 17, 2013
Two more juvenile wolves were trapped and killed by Idaho Wildlife Services on the Flat Top Ranch last week.
The control action on July 10 brought the number of wolves killed at the ranch near Carey to a total of six, including three juveniles, on four occasions since late May. The actions came in response to four incidents of depredation on sheep flocks that occurred between mid-May and late June.
According to ranch owner John Peavey, the wolves have killed a total of about 50 sheep. However, he said additional lambs have died as the result of their mothers’ being killed.
“We’ve been picking up lambs in the process of starving,” Peavey said.
Continued:
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005148128 (http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005148128)
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Idaho commission funds predator control
Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review July 17, 2013
Programs to control wolves and ravens were funded by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Thursday.
The commission approved animal damage control funds with $50,000 going to control wolves in elk management zones at or below objective.
The panel also designated $12,000 to a Fish and Game raven control project for specified areas as part of an overall effort to keep sage grouse off the endangered species list. Ravens can zero in on the eggs and chicks of the prairie grouse in some cases.
Commissioners set nonresident tag quotas and outfitter nonresident set-aside quotas. They set nonresident quotas of 12,815 elk tags, 14,000 regular deer tags, 1,500 white-tailed deer tags; and nonresident deer and elk tag outfitters set-asides of 1,985 deer tags and 2,400 elk tags.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/me7ryho (http://tinyurl.com/me7ryho)
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Wolf presentation focuses on gray areas
Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review July 18, 2013
State agencies charged with managing wolves that are naturally repopulating their range in Washington are poked like dead meat in every direction by sportsmen, ranchers, wolf-loving zealots and rural district politicians.
Sometimes the wildlife managers are more gun shy than the wolves, which don’t have to suffer the phone calls from legislators, county commissioners or journalists.
Tonight, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are stepping out of the pressure cooker to serve the appetite one faction has for information.
Tapping experts from other agencies that have been peeled, pared and grilled, they will address sportsmen’s concerns about wolves and their impact on big-game herds and hunting.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/mmlxdao (http://tinyurl.com/mmlxdao)
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Wolf captured in Pend Oreille County
by Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review July 16, 2013
A gray wolf — this one black with a tiny bit of white on its chest — was captured in Pend Oreille County Monday morning by Washington Fish and Wildlife Department technicians so the animal could be fitted with a GPS collar and released.
Is the 68-pound yearling female still attached to an existing pack or is it a member of a suspected but unconfirmed new group that would be labeled the Ruby Creek pack?
No one knows. Time will tell.
I've been in contact with Wildlife Department personnel since mid May regarding wolf captures and just happened to be along for one of the few successful captures of the year involving trapping.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/kyxnpml (http://tinyurl.com/kyxnpml)
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July 20, 2013
States' Status Update On Wolf-Elk Relationship: It's Complicated
By Jessica Robinson Fri July 19, 2013 Northwest Public Radio
The presence of wolves may mean hunters can't count on finding elk in favorite hunting spots, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there are fewer elk. That was the message from wildlife managers in three Northwest states Thursday in an online public meeting.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife asked managers from Montana and Idaho to dish out some advice from their experience trying to find a balance among prey like deer and elk, wolves, and hunters.
Jon Rachael in Idaho says his state has found wolves make elk move around more. “You can expect that you're not going to find elk holding tight the way you had in the past as wolves move into Washington.”
Rachael says wolves are taking a toll on the elk population in some parts of Idaho. But over in Montana, wildlife managers say hunters often face bigger competition from cougars, grizzly bears and even black bears.
Washington game manager Dave Ware says so far, his state’s 12 wolf packs haven’t caused any measurable decline in elk and deer populations.
In Idaho and Montana wildlife officials say hunting wolves has been an effective tool in halting the rise of the predator’s population.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/n7rdxy9 (http://tinyurl.com/n7rdxy9)
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Wolf Pups Killed Near Carey Ranch Following Sheep Depredation
by George Prentice on Thu, Jul 18, 2013 Boise Weekly
Officials with Idaho Wildlife Services say they've had to kill a total of six wolves at Flat Top Ranch in the Blaine County community of Carey. Three of the wolves were pups. The killings came in response to four separate incidents of depredation of sheep flocks between mid-May and late June.
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that ranch owner John Peavey said wolves have killed about 50 of his sheep and additional lambs have died because their mothers were killed.
"We've been picking up lambs in the process of starving," Peavey told the Mountain Express.
An official with Idaho Wildlife Services said wolves were still "present and active near the livestock in the area" of the ranch.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Defenders of Wildlife contends that the wolves are drawn to the ranch primarily because ewes are allowed to give birth on the range, rather than in enclosed pastures or sheds.
"We would like to help them avoid going through the same situation next year," Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife told the Mountain Express. "But if nothing changes, they will."
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Oregon governor signs bill allowing state to resume killing wolves as last resort
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 19, 2013
SALEM, Oregon — Gov. John Kitzhaber has signed a bill allowing the state to resume killing wolves that make a habit of attacking livestock.
The governor signed the measure Friday, making Oregon the only state in the West where killing wolves that attack livestock is a last resort.
The measure puts into law provisions of a settlement between conservation groups and ranchers. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted other provisions of the settlement a week ago.
Ranchers will get new rights to shoot wolves that they see attacking their herd, but only if the attacks have become chronic and the ranchers can show they've taken nonlethal steps to try and stop them.
The Oregon Court of Appeals has blocked the state from killing wolves for more than a year.
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Wolf tourism comes to Eastern Oregon
Result is typical split between those who benefit from tourists versus agricultural traditions-
Jul 19th, 2013 Ralph Maughan Wildlife News
With wolf sightings on the decline in Yellowstone, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana as their populations are decimated as a matter of policy, it is hardly a surprise that those who want to see wolves are now beginning to seek out Eastern Oregon where wolf numbers are growing pretty fast. Wolves are also now more accessible to folks who live in Portland, Bend, Eugene, etc.
It appears that many of those who are not in agriculture, especially not in livestock, are enjoying the growing number of wolf tourists. Those who hold to “traditional” agricultural values, find the presence of wolves alarming. This is the same pattern as played out around Yellowstone Park, etc. The livestock industry strives to maintain a stranglehold over the rural and small town economy.
Yes, the livestock folks can be quite aggressive toward those locals who disagree with them. Folks may recall our Eastern Oregon story from 2011. Social conflict disguised as conflict over wolves heats up in NE Oregon.
The details of wolf tourism in Eastern Oregon are discussed in this Oregon Business article.
Source w/links and comments:
http://tinyurl.com/lnzofwb (http://tinyurl.com/lnzofwb)
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Post by: bearpaw on July 27, 2013, 04:04:16 AM
http://youtu.be/aIjH_bX9h0w (http://youtu.be/aIjH_bX9h0w)
Post by: bearpaw on July 27, 2013, 04:15:51 AM
Pro-wolf groups hassle agency; Webcast spotlights hunting
by Rich Landers July 19, 2013 The Spokesman-Review
As if to emphasize the first few paragraphs of my Thursday Outdoors column, seven groups with a pro-wolf agenda, including the Spokane-based Lands Council, petitioned the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife “to stop the indiscriminate killing” of wolves — even though the agency isn't.
See their press release.
If wildlife managers don't give them satisfaction, they plan to appeal to Gov. Jay Inslee.
I'm sure the Stevens County Cattlemen will be at the governor's desk, too.
Any sportsmen's groups out there planning to rattle the guv's cage?
Continued w/links:
http://tinyurl.com/l8wfqwa (http://tinyurl.com/l8wfqwa)
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July 24, 2013
Wolves behind the howls can be ID'd by computer program
Marc Lallanilla - NBC News July 23, 2013
The howl of a wolf in the wilderness may make your spine tingle — it has a similar effect on wolf conservationists, who have struggled for years to accurately analyze the sounds that wolves make.
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in England have now developed a computer program that can identify the signature howl of an individual wolf with pinpoint accuracy.
Just like a person's voice, the howl of a wolf has a specific pitch and volume. But identifying each wolf's howl has been difficult, especially in the wild, where wind and water can muffle and distort the sound. It gets even more challenging when a pack of wolves starts howling in unison.
"They enjoy it as a group activity," NTU graduate student Holly Root-Gutteridge, who led the research, told the BBC. "When you get a chorus howl going, they all join in."
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/n36mlne (http://tinyurl.com/n36mlne)
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Coyotes, Coydogs and Coywolves?
By Ryan Trapani - Catskill Forest Association 7/23/13
It is not uncommon to hear someone remark in our region that they thought they saw a wolf. Although what they saw probably was mostly a coyote. According to Roland Kays of the New York State Museum and researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry (SUNY ESF) eastern coyotes do have some wolf DNA.
According to Kays the eastern coyote is a newcomer in the northeast. Previously our region was inhabited with the coyote’s larger competitor: the wolf. Wolves had been extirpated by land clearing for agriculture and bounty hunting to reduce predation on farmers’ livestock. Shortly after, coyotes began migrating eastward reclaiming territory previously dominated by wolves.
Farm abandonment that has resulted in early successional forest habitat in the last 50 or so years has created conditions conducive to many small mammals such as mice, rabbits, weasels and deer. As many of these prey species became abundant, the opportunity of a predator to occupy this predator-vacant habitat became more feasible. The eastern coyote has adapted to these conditions with shining colors. But is it all coyote?
Some refer to the coyotes as a coy-dog. Researchers conducting DNA and radio collar studies throughout New York State and Mississippi have found that this is not true. In New York State, they did find that eastern coyotes do have some wolf DNA. As the coyote migrated eastward, those coyotes that followed a northern route around the Great Lakes had interbred with wolves in Ontario.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/nx2md7d (http://tinyurl.com/nx2md7d)
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July 25, 2013
Changes in store for Montana's 2013-14 wolf hunt
July 25, 2013 Great Falls Tribune
Montana’s Fish & Wildlife Commission recently approved regulations for the upcoming wolf season.
For the 2013-14 seasons, hunters will have the opportunity to pursue wolves throughout Montana beginning Sept. 7 for archery hunting, Sept. 15 for the general rifle season and Dec. 15 for trapping. The archery only season will close Sept. 14, and the general season will end March 15. Wolf trapping season ends Feb. 28
Wolf hunting licenses cost $19 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. License sales should begin by Aug. 5. Montana trapping licenses are currently on sale for $20 for residents and $250 for nonresidents.
New prospective wolf trappers must attend a mandatory wolf-trapping certification class to use a Montana trapping license to trap wolves and can sign up at fwp.mt.gov. Trappers who successfully completed a wolf trapping certification class in Montana or Idaho in the past do not need to retake one this year.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/lejde9m (http://tinyurl.com/lejde9m)
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Pit Bull And Wolf-Dog Attack, Kill Lambs; Owner Fights Back With Shotgun
July 25, 2013 North Escambia [Florida]
A pit bull and a hybrid wolf-dog are being blamed for the deaths of eight lambs Thursday in Cantonment.
The two dogs attacked and mauled about nine Katahdin Lambs located in a fenced pasture behind a residence on Cooley Road, just off Highway 29, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The homeowner was able to retrieve a shotgun to defend the lambs, Sena Maddison, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said. He shot and killed the pit bull terrier. The hybrid wolf-dog fled from the scene. It was located and captured a short time later by Escambia County Animal Control.
Eight of the lambs died as a result of the dog attack.
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July 26, 2013
Michigan's first wolf hunt will no longer include trapping
By Keith Matheny July 26, 2013 Detroit Free Press
Michigan’s first-ever wolf hunt this fall and winter will no longer include trapping, after the state Natural Resources Commission rejected the use of steel-jaw leg traps on private and public land as part of the hunt.
The commission, for the second time in two months, approved a wolf hunt on July 11 for three zones of the Upper Peninsula. The second approval came in light of the passage of Public Act 21, a bill by Republican state Sen. Tom Casperson of Escanaba allowing the commission to designate animals as game species — a bill critics say was designed specifically to circumvent a petition drive to put the wolf hunt to a public vote.
The hunt approved in May allowed steel-jaw leg traps. But trapping was removed in the second approved hunt.
“The primary reason was just looking at starting conservatively with our approach in how we move forward with implementing public harvest of wolves as a management tool,” said Adam Bump, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ furbearing animal specialist.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/mjgcyke (http://tinyurl.com/mjgcyke)
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Wolf hunt foes raise most in Mich. ballot drives
By DAVID EGGERT, Associated Press July 25, 2013
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Foes of a plan to allow wolf hunting in Michigan have raised the most among groups backing four statewide ballot drives.
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, a ballot committee, reported by Thursday's deadline that it had taken in nearly $568,000 in 2013, much of it from national animal rights organizations.
The wolf group is by far the best-funded of four groups with ballot drives. It already has collected enough signatures for a November 2014 referendum on a law designating the wolf as a game species and authorizing hunts.
Activists are preparing to gather signatures for a second wolf-related ballot initiative after lawmakers moved to make the referendum's outcome meaningless by passing another law. Top donors included the Doris Day Animal League, which has given $200,000, along with the Humane Society of the United States — which kicked in $155,000 and an additional $180,000 worth of in-kind help with consultants, staff salaries and other aid.
Continued:
http://tinyurl.com/mfz5zj7 (http://tinyurl.com/mfz5zj7)
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Post by: bearpaw on July 28, 2013, 09:34:58 PM
Wolf impact on big game herds discussed
Saturday, July 27, 2013 By Garnet Wilson and Dennis L. Clay, Columbia Basin Herald
Recently representatives from Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with Dave Ware, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, discussed the impacts wolves have had on deer, elk and other big game animals in Idaho and Montana.
The discussion was filmed and is available online at www.wdfw.wa.gov/july182013.html (http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/july182013.html)
I haven't seen the entire presentation yet, as it is almost three hours long. However the question about what wolves will do to our big game herds is at the forefront for all big game hunters. The video is worth watching.
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Post by: denali on August 12, 2013, 08:38:49 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-wolf-delisting-on-hold-20130812,0,6991561.story (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-wolf-delisting-on-hold-20130812,0,6991561.story)
By Julie Cart
August 12, 2013, 3:11 p.m.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday took the unusual step of suspending the scientific peer review of its proposal to remove wolves from the endangered species list, saying the process did not meet the agency’s standards.
The problem arose when the service reviewed the list of scientists proposed by a contractor and was able to determine who the experts were by looking at their resumes, even though the names were redacted.
The intent of the independent review process is for specialists to remain anonymous to the agency, according to Gavin Shire, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman.
The peer review of the delisting proposal has been put on hold for an indefinite time, Shire said, adding that he was unsure how or if the delay would affect the delisting timeline.
Last week the peer review process came under fire when the Fish and Wildlife Service sent an email to the outside contractor it had hired to conduct the review, asking if three scientists who signed on to a May letter objecting to the delisting proposal were sufficiently impartial to sit on the review panel.
The three wolf experts were removed.
Shire said the “optics of the situation” require the service to proceed carefully. “The result of this process led to some of the potential selectees feeling that they have been excluded from the process.”
Post by: thatdamguy on August 22, 2013, 08:35:32 AM
http://cryingwolfmovie.com/ (http://cryingwolfmovie.com/)
:yeah:
Post by: mbhayden on August 24, 2013, 07:00:24 PM
Post by: thatdamguy on September 13, 2013, 11:17:52 AM
Bearpaw thanks you for posting all the links to those articles! :tup:
I think anyone who comes across information about the wolves and their impacts should re post for others to see. :twocents:
Post by: denali on November 14, 2013, 02:30:39 PM
#Reps. Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers both signed the letter – along with 73 other members of congress – sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell did not.
#Hastings heads the House Natural Resources Committee and represents part of Okanogan County in the 4th Congressional District.
#McMorris Rodgers represents Ferry and part of Okanogan counties as the 5th Congressional District congresswoman.
#“The full delisting of the gray wolf is long over due,” the letter said.
#The letter supports a proposal submitted in June to remove the delist the gray wolf as either “endangered” or “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. It also opposes listing the Mexican wolf as a separate, endangered sub-species. It is the second letter sent to Ashe.
#The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains in 2009 and in the Great Lake region in 2011.
#Hastings said the current situation has created a confusing management and regulatory scheme that has left some states – including Washington, Oregon and Utah – in the unsustainable and random situation of having wolves listed on one side of a highway and delisted on the other.
#He was referring to U.S. Highway 97 through Okanogan County, where wolves west of the highway are considered endangered and wolves east of it are not even threatened.
photo
Department of Fish and Wildlife
The map shows wolf packs believed to be found in Washington state as of March 2013.
#Overall, Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials believe 14 wolf packs are now present in the state: Teanaway, Wenatchee, Lookout, Hozomeen, Strawberry, Nc'Icn, Boulder Creek, Wedge, Smackout, Salmo, Diamond, Ruby Creek, Huckleberry and Walla Walla.
#Only the Teanaway and Wenatchee packs are outside the 4th and 5th Congressional districts. And the Walla Walla pack is the only one not found in the northeast quadrant of the state.
#State officials culled the Wedge pack in September 2012 after 17 cattle had been attacked in Stevens County.
#“The statutory purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to recover species to the point where they are no longer considered ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened,’” the letter said. "The gray wolf is currently found in 46 countries around the world and has been placed in the classification of ‘least concern’ globally for risk of extinction...”
#“This is a clear indication that this species is not endangered or threatened.”
#The letter expressed opposition to creating a Mexican sub-species.
#“Since wolves were first provided protections under the ESA, uncontrolled and unmanaged growth of wolf populations has resulted in devastating impacts on hunting and ranching and tragic damages to historically strong and healthy herds of moose, elk, big horn sheep and mule deer.
#“This is why we believe it is critical that you reconsider your decision to list the Mexican wolf as a sub-species…”
#The letter also suggests states are better able to manage recovered wolf populations than the federal government.
#The full letter can be read online here.
Post by: returnofsid on November 17, 2013, 05:45:40 PM
I commented, on WDFW Watch's Facebook page, in regards to an article they posted today, which puts those who are pro wolf control into a very bad light, going so far as to describe "us" as products of de-evolution...
Anyway, after my comments, others responded with name calling, immature and rude comments, but no facts. I felt that I responded with facts. WDFW's Facebook admin then threatened to ban me, remove my posts, etc. unless I provided evidence of what I was claiming. After providing such evidence, they removed ALL of my posts, but left the posts of those who'd been responding to me...lol. After contacting them, via Facebook messaging, requesting that if they're going to remove my posts, which were all made in an adult fashion, they should also remove those of the people who were acting so immature. Magically, all of my posts were suddenly visible again...lol.
Anyway, to the part I'm requesting your help with...you know the politics and science involved much better than I do. What are the chances that you could either:
1. Get involved in the discussion
or
2. Give me the information I need to refute the information provided?
Here's a link to the Facebook post...please read the article WDFW has linked, paying close attention to how the article attempts to describe and define hunters as such low lives of the world...
https://www.facebook.com/WdfwWatch/posts/253389628147885?comment_id=894732¬if_t=comment_mention (https://www.facebook.com/WdfwWatch/posts/253389628147885?comment_id=894732¬if_t=comment_mention)
Post by: Sportfury on November 17, 2013, 06:22:26 PM
Post by: sebek556 on November 17, 2013, 06:46:13 PM
Post by: supagoose on November 18, 2013, 01:26:37 PM
Post by: CJ1962 on November 26, 2013, 08:00:04 PM
"Monitoring the actions of our wildlife agencies and keeping the public
informed of issues and policies affecting our native predators
and public lands. "
Post by: returnofsid on November 26, 2013, 08:02:13 PM
This facebook page can't really be associated with the WDFW can it?
"Monitoring the actions of our wildlife agencies and keeping the public
informed of issues and policies affecting our native predators
and public lands. "
It took me awhile to figure it out but No, they aren't actually associated with WDFW. Their further responses, on that same post, made that very clear...
Post by: CJ1962 on November 26, 2013, 08:11:13 PM
https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonFishWildlife (https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonFishWildlife)
https://www.facebook.com/WDFWPolice (https://www.facebook.com/WDFWPolice)
Both say Government organization and have the WDFW logo.
Post by: AspenBud on November 29, 2013, 08:52:31 AM
I got a solution to this problem don't know if it will work but get everyone to not buy a fishing or hunting license for a year and threaten to extend it. I think this will bring WDFW to the bargaining table because they depend on sportsmen.
There's a guy who has a blog arguing for one of the pheasant release areas on the west side to be shut down. His argument? Hunting is dying, not needed, and thereby the site should be changed to be a no hunting, bird watching area. He uses declining hunting license sales to back up his argument.
The problem with the wolf issue is there aren't enough hunters in this state.
Post by: bearpaw on December 28, 2013, 06:21:03 AM
Bearpaw, I'm hoping you can be of assistance...
I commented, on WDFW Watch's Facebook page, in regards to an article they posted today, which puts those who are pro wolf control into a very bad light, going so far as to describe "us" as products of de-evolution...
Anyway, after my comments, others responded with name calling, immature and rude comments, but no facts. I felt that I responded with facts. WDFW's Facebook admin then threatened to ban me, remove my posts, etc. unless I provided evidence of what I was claiming. After providing such evidence, they removed ALL of my posts, but left the posts of those who'd been responding to me...lol. After contacting them, via Facebook messaging, requesting that if they're going to remove my posts, which were all made in an adult fashion, they should also remove those of the people who were acting so immature. Magically, all of my posts were suddenly visible again...lol.
Anyway, to the part I'm requesting your help with...you know the politics and science involved much better than I do. What are the chances that you could either:
1. Get involved in the discussion
or
2. Give me the information I need to refute the information provided?
Here's a link to the Facebook post...please read the article WDFW has linked, paying close attention to how the article attempts to describe and define hunters as such low lives of the world...
https://www.facebook.com/WdfwWatch/posts/253389628147885?comment_id=894732¬if_t=comment_mention (https://www.facebook.com/WdfwWatch/posts/253389628147885?comment_id=894732¬if_t=comment_mention)
I apologize for not finding this till now. Fall is my busy time and I have let a lot of things slide while I have been busy. It sounds like you figured out they are just a bunch of huggers trying to influence the WDFW. I might add, they are being very successful at influencing WDFW.
Keep up the good fight. :tup:
I got a solution to this problem don't know if it will work but get everyone to not buy a fishing or hunting license for a year and threaten to extend it. I think this will bring WDFW to the bargaining table because they depend on sportsmen.
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but first you will never get everyone to be organized at this, and second, Aspenbud is right, declining license sales will likely work against us. The worst thing that happened is when WDFW started getting money form other sources than hunters and fishers.
As long as liberal democrats control the state politics, hunting in this state will continue to decline, they are seeing to that. If people want to see things reverse, then vote for politicians and judges who support guns and hunting.
Post by: haus on December 29, 2013, 08:11:42 PM
As long as liberal democrats control the state politics, hunting in this state will continue to decline, they are seeing to that. If people want to see things reverse, then vote for politicians and judges who support guns and hunting.Them there democrats would be socialists boss, not liberals. Liberals are people who are understanding and tolerant of most anything. Them democrats just hijacked a whole perspective on life in order to paint a less fearsome picture of their true nature.....socialist pig dogs. :)
Post by: Elkaholic daWg on December 30, 2013, 12:35:22 PM
http://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/a-hastings-led-howl-against-protecting-wolves/ (http://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/a-hastings-led-howl-against-protecting-wolves/)
I find it so BS that in the comments some idiot says that Doc Hastings, and Cathy Mcmorris-Rodgers are "pandering to their base" (ya think) while implying that 75% of their constituents (their base )don't agree. If 75% of Wa. are for wolves that SAME 75% + at least another 20% never have had to deal with them so WTH do they know anyway. :stup:
Post by: Dhoey07 on December 30, 2013, 01:12:17 PM
The title of this article is "Study: Wolves Not the Cause of Elk Population Decline in Wyoming" and a direct quote from the article "Of course, wolf predation does affect overall elk numbers" and "We can maintain these elk numbers but we had to severely limit hunting opportunity to do that," he says.
Sounds pretty contradicting to me
Post by: villageidiot on December 31, 2013, 05:35:04 PM
Post by: denali on January 10, 2014, 03:47:03 PM
more push to get WA wolves listed as a distinct population. :bash:
Post by: denali on January 19, 2014, 10:17:48 PM
Wildlife Services, a branch of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, filed an environmental assessment in mid-December that would allow itself to work with not only the state but also tribes on all things wolf in the federally delisted area of Washington, but Cascadia Wildands, Center for Biological Diversity, Western Environmental Law Center, Project Coyote, Predator Defense, WildEarth Guardians, Kettle Range Conservation Group and The Lands Council say it must file an environmental impact statement instead.
“The less-detailed assessment already completed contains significant gaps and fails to address specific issues that will significantly affect wolves and the human environment. The document prepared by Wildlife Services failed to provide data to support some of its core assertions, including whether killing wolves actually reduces wolf-caused losses of livestock. It also failed to address the ecological effects of killing wolves in Washington, including impacts on wolf populations in neighboring states and on nontarget animals — from federally protected species such as grizzly bears and Canada lynx to wolverines, which are now proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act,” says the group in a press release.
In recent years Wildlife Services has been the target of scrutiny by predator advocates and others as well as an ongoing investigation by the Sacramento Bee, which revealed that, in a sense, it’s looking for new markets for its services.
WDFW Game Division manager Dave Ware says that although Wildlife Services isn’t funded to operate in the state, it can work in Washington on a cost-reimbursement basis. An agent did assist WDFW during 2012′s Wedge wolf operation, but only on nonlethal measures as without the environmental assessment, Wildlife Services is not permitted to take lethal action on protected species such as wolves.
But it can remove nonlisted animals. A Wildlife Services sharpshooter was hired to take out diseased members of the Tieton bighorn herd for the state this past year, just like in 2010 with the Umtanum herd of sheep. Both were efforts to keep pneumonia from spreading to other herds.
Ware says that his agency has been talking with Wildlife Services for several years about potential wolf work, but that Wildlife Services realized it hadn’t done an environmental assessment to assist on the often controversial lethal removal front.
“So this EA would allow them to do more work with us,” including nonlethal and lethal, Ware says.
But Wildlife Services would not be flying around in their infamous yellow plane with the dead-wolf stickers and taking action anywhere they wished. Lethal removals would only happen by WDFW’s direction (or the tribes) and in the federally delisted area of the state, Ware says. WDFW has also taken more of a nonlethal stance on wolves since seven members of the Wedge Pack were taken out for repeated livestock depredations.
Ware says that WDFW is “absolutely welcoming” the assistance and hopes to have Wildlife Services on board by this summer.
(Somewhat ironically, his boss recently wrote to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that “the state of Washington no longer needs federal oversight to recover and manage wolves,” but here it appears to actually want a certain kind of federal help managing them.)
The head of another wolf-advocacy group which did not join the press release calling for Wildlife Services to fill out a full-on EIS nonetheless still called for maximum scrutiny of the proposal.
Post by: timberfaller on March 17, 2014, 09:47:40 PM
Liberalism is a disease!
The big city wacko's and greenie's :tree1: have pretty much taken over the Methow Valley :bash: And the "greenest" USFS will be found there also!
I miss the valley, I DON'T miss what it has turned into!!
Post by: denali on April 23, 2015, 07:14:08 PM
April 23, 2015
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced H.R. 1985, the Pacific Northwest Gray Wolf Management Act of 2015 to remove the gray wolf from the “List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and return management authority for the species back to the individual Pacific Northwest states. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) joined Rep. Newhouse to introduce this legislation as original co-sponsors:
“This is a commonsense bill that would allow states to provide a more flexible management program and move forward with the implementation of the gray wolf delisting efforts, which are long overdue,” said Rep. Newhouse. “States are fully qualified to manage gray wolf populations responsibly and are better equipped to meet the needs of local communities, ranchers, livestock, and wildlife populations. Delisting the gray wolf under ESA would allow state wildlife officials to manage wolf populations more effectively.”
Post by: ghosthunter on January 20, 2016, 03:22:19 PM
Post by: CementFinisher on January 21, 2016, 11:52:20 AM
Post by: Bango skank on January 21, 2016, 12:07:16 PM
Post by: denali on March 13, 2016, 11:22:11 AM
TOPPENISH — Yakima County Farm Bureau directors voiced their angst and frustration over governmental land and wildlife bureaucrats last night during a discussion with the state’s contract wolf conflict manager.
Francine Madden joined about half of the Farm Bureau board to talk about bringing producers, environmentalists and state Department of Fish and Wildlife together to resolve issues relating to wolf depredation. Seven of the 15 directors boycotted the meeting.
With half the chairs empty in the back meeting room of Toppenish Eagles Aerie, Madden chose a seat away from Farm Bureau members, setting the initial tone for the evening.
According to Madden, the issue isn’t really about wolves, it’s the “us versus them” perception of rural residents. The professional mediator from Washington, D.C. — who’s being paid $850,000 over two years by the Department of Fish and Wildlife — told Farm Bureau directors they have an “identity conflict” more than a wolf conflict.
The directors agreed there is a lack of trust in state and federal agencies, and that the introduction of wolves is one of the latest assaults on the rural lifestyle.
Organization President Frank Lyall said rural residents don’t believe government bureaucrats and far-removed environmentalists value them or their need to protect their livestock, families and livelihoods.
“It’s a very fundamental right to be safe,” he said. “If government is telling you you’re not allowed to defend your person or property, government doesn’t much value your person or property. You’re essentially being driven from your property.”
After a brief pause, Madden said, “That’s a hell of a way to live.”
Lyall called the effort “rural cleansing.”
John Ashbaugh of Wenas agreed.
“They’re trying to clear the land. They want clear title,” he said, noting he believes government agencies are intentionally driving farmers off the land so they can use it as collateral for the nation’s $19 trillion debt.
Fifth-generation farmer Mark Herke of Taneum said he doesn’t believe anything will change until so-called environmentalists and government officials go to the store and start finding the shelves bare.
“You have 2 percent of the people producing food for 98 percent,” he said.
Don Young of Sunnyside questioned how state and federal agencies continue to come up with money to buy land, but can’t make their requisite payment in lieu of taxes.
“It damages the economic infrastructure of our county,” Lyall said.
Ashbaugh, too, noted the agencies pushing wolf introduction always seem to have money for more and more land acquisitions, but not enough to pay their fair share to municipal governments or enough to maintain lands.
Farm Bureau members said environmental groups and government agencies need to consider local management options a priority.
“We are all professional ecosystem managers,” Lyall said, noting farmers and ranchers have to take care of their land in order for the land to take care of them.
Madden said she believes her efforts are paying off.
“Ranchers are able to share their concerns and the environmentalists are able to hear them,” she said.
Those in attendance weren’t convinced and pointed to problems on the state’s Wolf Advisory Group, the board Madden has been working with.
Last fall, rancher Dave Dashiell of rural Stevens County and the Cattle Producers of Washington walked away from the advisory group because their concerns were being derided by state officials and westside environmentalists.
Farm Bureau Secretary Steve George of Moxee said there’s a “huge inconsistency” in wolf management and the mediation practices.
“We’re putting money into this thing? What a farce,” he said. “We don’t see a lot of pluses here.”
George called the introduction of wolves into Eastern Washington and other areas of the west a “bogus, baloney deal to get people off the land.”
The discussion continued for more than 90 minutes, with Lyall having to get the organization back onto other business.
But before he shifted topics, he reminded Madden:
“There’s a huge power imbalance, and they know how to play the game. We’d just like to split us off the state,” he said, referencing renewed efforts for Washington to split along the Cascade Crest into two separate states.
http://www.dailysunnews.com/news/2016/mar/11/farmers-air-concerns-wolf-meeting/