| The Bulletin of Wolf
Council July 28, 2000 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Schedules Public Information Meetings on the Reclassification Proposal A proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to reclassify gray wolves in the lower 48 states could reduce protections for wolves except in Yellowstone National Park, central Idaho and the southern Arizona-New Mexico borderlands. Below is the schedule for the informational meetings currently scheduled by FWS on the wolf reclassification proposal for in the Midwest, Northwest and Northeast regions. Informational Meetings
Public Hearings
The FWS has scheduled one public information meeting in the Northeast Region at the following location: Orono Maine Visit our special online information section for more information on the gray wolf reclassification proposal, or contact FWS directly at graywolfcomments@FWS.gov to request a public informational meeting in your area. Special thanks to Defenders of Wildlife’s Pacific Northwest Outreach Coordinator Tom Buckley for researching scheduling information. Defenders of Wildlife Proudly Announces the Development of a New Reclassification Web Page Defenders of Wildlife is in the process of developing a web page to generate public responses to the FWS gray wolf reclassification proposal. The creation of www.savewolves.org site will offer downloadable materials to help generate public response to the FWS proposal. We hope to have this up and running by the second week of August. Please visit and provide us with your comments. Register for the Carnivores 2000 Conference Don’t forget to register for Carnivores 2000, Defenders’ conference to be held November 12-15 in Denver, Colorado. Make sure to register early to get the reduced registration rate and participate in ambassador wolf workshops and field trips to the Denver Zoo and Rocky Mountain National Park. There are still exhibit spaces available, so please e-mail carnivores2000@defenders.org or call (202)789-2844, ext. 315, if you’re interested in being an exhibitor. Both for-profit and non-profit organizations are encouraged to set up booths in our exhibit hall. Carnivores 2000 is a three-day conference on carnivore conservation in the 21st century. The conference will bring together scientists, natural resource agency personnel, educators and advocates to discuss predator conservation and biology in North America. Keynote speakers include author Nicholas Evans, and themes include: canid genetics, wolf recovery throughout North America, imperiled cats and much more. For more information, visit the Carnivores 2000 web site. Same- Day Land and Shoot Wolf Hunting Legislation Requested on Alaska Ballot More than 38,000 signatures were presented today to the Alaska Division of Elections to request a referendum be placed on Alaska’s ballot in November to repeal the practice of chasing wolves from airplanes, landing and immediately shooting them. Defenders of Wildlife president Rodger Schlickeisen applauded the Wolf Management Reform Coalition’s efforts to collect the signatures and said, "This level of response strongly indicates Alaskans’ desire to retain a voice in wildlife decisions. Yet again, the citizens of Alaska are saying that they don’t want wolves hunted from airplanes and shot." The effort to have the referendum placed on the 2000 ballot is necessary because, despite a referendum and a gubernatorial veto, the Alaska legislature recently reauthorized same-day airborne land and shoot wolf hunting. The 1996 referendum that banned the practice passed with nearly 60 percent of the vote. "The Coalition’s collection of the more than 38,000 signatures – nearly 15,000 more than required – clearly indicates that Alaskans oppose the unethical and unsportsmanlike practice of same-day, land and shoot wolf hunting" said Schlickeisen. "Their collection of signatures from across the state also reflects that this initiative has a broad base of support." The legislation to be repealed authorizes hunters with a $15 trapping or a $25 hunting license to spot wolves from the air, then land and shoot them immediately. Last year, the legislature also overrode Governor Knowles’ veto of Senate Bill 74, a bill that began to unravel the 1996 citizen’s initiative by authorizing state personnel to revive use of aircraft for wolf control purposes, absent any biological emergency. Based on crude state estimates of 7,000 to 10,000 wolves in Alaska, 1,682, or up to 24 percent, were killed in the 1993-94 season when land-and-shoot hunting was in full effect. This figure set a 22-year record high, but still represents only the count of reported kills, with no way to accurately measure unreported take. "The Alaskan legislature has bucked science, the governor and the will of the Alaskan voters to reinstate this unsportsmanlike practice," said Joel Bennett, Defenders of Wildlife’s Alaska representative. "Now it becomes time for the voters to once again bring common sense and sound wildlife management back to Alaska." Following certification, a newly formed group known as Alaskans for Wildlife will run the campaign to overturn this non-fair-chase legislation. To support this effort, mail contributions to: Alaskans for
Wildlife
Wolflines is a bulletin of Defenders of Wildlife designed to serve wolf organizations and advocates. Bulletins are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily represent the positions of all organizations. © Defenders of Wildlife 2000 |
