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Great Lakes Wolves Given a Reprieve - For Now
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Background:
Wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio were delisted effective January 27, 2012.
The USFWS argued that wolf populations were "significant" and that disease and humans did not pose a threat to the wolves.
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| Photo credit Diane Bentivegna |
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Minnesota and Wisconsin each held three hunting/trapping seasons before protections were restored in December 2014. Michigan held one hunting season (no trapping season).
During those three years more than 1500 wolves were killed.
The 2014 federal district court ruling put the Western Great Lakes wolves back on the Endangered Species List, classifying wolves as "endangered" in Michigan and Wisconsin and "threatened" in Minnesota.
On January 27, 2015, the Humane Society of the US, National Wolfwatcher Coalition and others petitioned the USFWS to classify Great Lakes wolves as a threatened species. We considered this a reasonable compromise as it would have allowed states the authority to kill problem wolves but not the recreational hunting and trapping of wolves. The petition was
denied
in April 2015.
Meanwhile, in February 2015, the states along with the US Sportsman's Alliance, NRA, Michigan United Conservation Club, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safarri Club, Hunting Dog Federation (and others), joined in appeals of the December 2014 decision.
On August 1, 2017, The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a unanimous decision affirmed the lower-court ruling. The Court ruled that US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regulators failed in their analysis of the Endangered Species Act stating they "failed to reasonably analyze or consider two significant aspects of the rule - the impacts of partial delisting and of historical range loss on the already-listed species."
This means wolves in the Great Lakes remain federally protected - for now - but they are still in the crosshairs.
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Be an Advocate for Wolves
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Lawmakers, hunting groups, federal and state agencies will not stop in their quest to have wolves hunted and trapped across the Great Lakes Region. And, we as advocates can't let them win. Now, is the time to step up and stop the war on wolves.
Everyone reading this message must contact their US Representative and US Senators and we ask that everyone have at least
10 friends and family members contact their
Representative and Senators. Share on your Facebook page; make it "go viral". If you take a stand for wolves, we will make a difference.
You don't need to be a fancy writer. The message is simple: Tell your representative to oppose S 1514 and every other bill that will weaken the Endangered Species Act or remove protections for wolves. Species should not be delisted through Congressional action. Congress should not take away our democratic right to challenge rules and regulations. Congress should not enact laws to circumvent the courts.
Several bills are currently pending in Congress.
S 1514 has already passed through Committee and on its way to becoming law - unless we stop it. S 1514 directs the Secretary of Interior to reissue the final rule published on December 28, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 81666), without regard to any other provision of statute or regulation that applies to issuance of such rule. Such reissuance shall not be subject to judicial review.
Information about the bills along with how to contact your Representative and Senators can be found at our website by
CLICKING HERE. Be strong; Do it for the wolves; Just DO IT!
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Rocky Mountain Wolf Project
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We are proud to announce that we are part of the Coalition helping to guide the work of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project.
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project
aims to improve public understanding of gray wolf behavior, ecology, and options for re-establishing the species in Colorado.
Together we hope to have wolves once again roaming the snow-capped peaks, rim rock canyons, and primeval forests of western Colorado.
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Speak Up for Mexican Wolves
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United States Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft recovery plan for Mexican gray wolves. This plan is critical to the future of wild Mexican gray wolves, a unique subspecies of wolf on the verge of extinction.
Submit Public Comments by August 29th
Hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:
Public Comments Processing
Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2017-0036
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803
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Do you have any spare change?
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What if you could simply donate your spare change from everyday purchases to support the National Wolfwatcher Coalition? Well now you can, because there's an app for that! Wolfwatcher has partnered with a revolutionary mobile donation app called Coin Up. This
short video
explains why we think Coin Up so awesome.
You can make a monthly impact through Coin Up in 3 Easy Steps:
1. Download the (free) Coin Up App from the Apple Store
2. Select National Wolfwatcher Coalition as your charity
3. Link your bank card & set a monthly limit
AIl you do is use your credit card as usual. Coin-up tracks, then, at the end of the month, coin-up adds your spare change and sends your donatation to National Wolfwatcher Coalition.
Currently, you can have one card/account per registration. If you choose to use multiple cards that are from a different bank account you will need to register that card with a different email registration.
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For the latest scientific information, please visit
OUR WEBSITE and while there, you can shop at
OUR STORE
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We 'educate, advocate, and participate' for the long term recovery and preservation of wolves based on the best available science and the principles of democracy. We:
- Educate the public about the important role that wolves play in maintaining healthy ecosystems
- Inform the public about challenges to wolf recovery
- Support measures that promote peaceful coexistence with wolves on the landscape
- Educate the public about the issues in all regions and ways it can effectively participate in the democratic process to promote science-based decision-making about wolves.
All donations, no matter the amount, will be appreciated because they will enable us to:
- Provide educational programs, materials and events
- Participate in conferences, seminars, and consultation with other professionals in the fields of wolf biology, research, conservation, eco-tourism and environmental law.
- Secure a Wolfwatcher Legal Fund to sustain potential engagement in litigation that challenges local, state and/or federal policies that affect wolf preservation.
To DONATE online, please click the link below.
To donate by check or money order, please send your donation to our business office at: National Wolfwatcher Coalition, PO Box 161281, Duluth, MN 55816-1281
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