| The Bulletin of Wolf
Council September 1, 2000 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gray Wolf Reclassification Proposal Public Comment Period is Now Open The future of gray wolf recovery in the lower 48 states is at stake. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Endangered Species Act gray wolf reclassification proposal is passed, wolves throughout most of the lower 48 states will lose their Endangered Species Act protection and prohibit any future recovery efforts. To learn more about the proposal and what you can do to ensure FWS knows you want to see wolves restored to suitable habitat throughout their former range visit Defenders of Wildlife’s Save Wolves website created specifically to help people comment effectively during the 120 day comment period. The service will accept comments until November 13, 2000. FWS will hold several open houses with slide presentations and public hearings in the Rocky Mountain region to present it’s proposal to the public and provide opportunities for questions and comments. People in this region are encouraged to attend to ensure your voice is heard. Speak up for the wolves!! View a list of FWS open houses and public hearings now. Good News from the Mexican Wolf Recovery Project After a few setbacks, the Mexican wolf is finally making a comeback in the wild. Close to 30 adult wolves and an unknown number of pups in four packs are now roaming the Southwest in Arizona and New Mexico. In Mid-August the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service caught and collared the first male pup to be conceived and born in the wild since the Mexican wolf reintroduction program began with the release of 11 wolves in 1998. Five wolves total have been shot since their release in 1998 and $50,000 in rewards has been offered by DOW along with other organizations and agencies to attain information leading the arrest of these killers. On July 11, 21 year- old James Michael Rogers pleaded guilty to shooting and killing an endangered Mexican wolf in 1998. Defenders of Wildlife will be paying a reward for the information received in this case. Fortunately, illegal killings seem to have subsided in the past year. The Mexican wolf, or el lobo, is the most endangered wolf in North America. This subspecies of the gray wolf, like other wolves, was persecuted relentlessly. Settlers arriving in the Southwest in the late 1800s considered Mexican wolves a threat to the livestock industry and created federal predator control programs. By the late 1950s, the Mexican wolf which once ranged through parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and throughout northern Mexico virtually disappeared from the wild. The last five Mexican wolves known to exist in the wild, a single female among them, were captured in Mexico to establish the captive breeding program between 1977 and 1980 that made the reintroduction effort possible. Update on Wolf Awareness Week 2000 State Proclamations, Events and Planning Wolf Awareness Week is an important vehicle for dispelling misconceptions and educating the public about the role predators play in maintaining biodiversity. It also encourages the public to develop more of a live-and-let- live relationship with all wild species. Defenders continues to work towards getting all 50 states to recognize Wolf Awareness Week this year from October 15 through 21. On the list of participating states so far are Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. If your state is not listed please urge your Governor to recognize the importance of participating in Wolf Awareness Week during the third week of October. Some states such as California, Virginia, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont have never recognized Wolf Awareness Week and need an extra push from constituents. Please send in letters and sample proclamations to the Governor. A sample request letter and proclamation will follow this alert. In celebration of Wolf Awareness Week, Defenders children’s website, Kids' Planet, will feature selected lessons and activities for each day of the week from the wolf curriculum. The curriculum was recently revised to include classroom content standards for each lesson. Wolflines will be posting and promoting regional Wolf Awareness Week activities and events. We encourage you to plan something locally, such as a wolf lecture, and let us know the details. Please e-mail Charlotte Byrne at cbyrne@defenders.org with information on scheduled events in your area. A sampling of planned events follows. -Wolf Week at the Minnesota Zoo The Minnesota Zoo is inviting visitors to "Join the Pack for a Howling Good Time" during National Wolf Awareness Week on October 15th through the 21rst, and discover for themselves what the mystery and fascination of Wolves is all about. "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" will be the special performance in the Zoo Theater at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Free wolf posters and wolf cups (while supplies last) will be available at the zoo’s wolf exhibit during a discussion on the Minnesota Zoo's involvement in the Mexican Wolf project with individuals representing local and national wolf organizations. Family zoo adventure Classes are planned for Sunday and special wolf education classes will be offered to school groups Monday through Wednesday. Call the membership office at 952-431-9304 or 952- 431-9339 for more information. You may also visit their website at www.mnzoo.org or call the "zoo to do" hotline at 952-431-9500. -An Ambassador Wolf Presentation in Pendleton, Washington Wild Sentry, an ambassador wolf group, will give a presentation on wolves, wolf ecology, myths, and wolf/dog hybrids. Ambassador wolf, Koani, and her dog companion, Indy, will also be there. The event will be held on Friday, October 27. - National Wolf Awareness Week 2000 Symposium in Olympia, Washington Defenders of Wildlife, Wolf Haven International and Phoenix Inn Suites will host a National Wolf Awareness Week Symposium on October 21 and 22and. Events will run on Saturday October 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at the Phoenix Inn Suites, 415 Capitol Way N., Olympia, Washington. Sunday morning a guided tour of Wolf Haven International will be offered. See below for Symposium registration options and events. - Symposium Registration; includes Saturday morning welcome and celebration from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with Wolf Haven, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Wolf Education & Research Center AND afternoon speaker sessions from 1:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. COST: $15.00 per individual. - Full Symposium Registration: includes Saturday morning welcome and celebration from 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.; optional lunchtime guided walking tour of Olympia's famed Farmers Market (includes five "market dollars" good toward merchandise or food); afternoon speaker sessions from 1:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.; evening "meet the speakers" catered reception and silent art auction from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m;. Sunday morning guided tour and presentation at Wolf Haven International's wolf sanctuary in Tenino. A hospitality/check-in room will also be available for our Friday arrivals from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. COST: $50.00 per individual (includes a Wolf Haven International Lone Wolf Membership). Guest speakers and presenters include: -Will Waddell of the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium discussing Red Wolf Recovery -Tami Williams of Wolf Haven International speaking on Mexican Wolf Recovery -Dr. Mike Jimenez of the Wyoming U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discussing Northern Rockies gray wolf recovery -Eva-Lena Rehnmark author of Neither God Nor Devil: Rethinking our Perceptions of Wolves -Levi Holt, a representative from the Wolf Education & Research Center (WERC) discussing Idaho Wolf Recovery. Call Tanya or Julie at Wolf Haven International: 360.264.4695 for registration information, M -F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wolf Awareness Week Sample Letter Wolf Awareness Week Sample Proclamation
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 |
