The following information I received from the International Wolf Center newsletter.
The wolf-the most persecuted symbol of our vanishing wilderness -- is once again caught in a snare of politics and hatred.
Anti-wolf activists from across the west are trying to stir up fear and hatred. Lawmakers across the west are passing new regulations that threaten to wipe out wolves all over again. The state of Idaho and counties in California, Oregon and Wyoming have all passed resolutions, ordinances and laws to stop wolf reintroduction or eliminate wolves entirely.
The state of Wyoming wants to put wolves under the gun. Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioners voted to classify the wolf as a predator outside wilderness areas in the rest of the state. Predator classification means the wolf could be killed at any time by any means and for any reason. In Fremont COunty, prime wolf country right in the southeastern corner of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the county commissioners have drawn 'a line in the sand' when it comes to wolf reintroduction. They have passed resolutions banning wolves and other 'unacceptable species' from the county.
Members of the "Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition" say they are ready to go to war with supports of wolf restoration. They are raising money to file a lawsuit against the federal government to stop wolf restoration. In spite of decades of wildlife science proving otherwise, they claim wolves are vivious "land piranhas" that only kill for sport.
"Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd" claim "wolves have the northern Yellowstone elk herd on the verge of extinction." They see the success of restoring wolves to their place in the wild as the "...greatest ecological diaster in the history of the U.S. - including the Exxon Valdez at Prince William Sound." In an attempt to sow confusion and fear among the public they claim that wolves are "vile agents of biological destruction rapidly transforming the world's first national park into blighted death zone, soon to hold as much wildlife as a Wal-Mart parking lot."
Stirring up unfounded anti-wolf fear like this threatens not only the current level of wolf restoration but also chances for the wolf to reclaim other areas of wilderness.
It is true that for now wolves are still protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act, because it supercedes all local laws. But don't let that fool you, because things are changing. Wolves have reached their minimum population recovery goals and will soon be removed from the endangered species list, losing all of their Federal protections. Wolves will go back to relying on local state laws for the right and protection to run free on their traditional wilds lands.
We can save them. But not if we let the wolf haters and the anti-wolf politicians have their way.
We must prevent a return to our nation's history of persecuting and exterminating wolves. The future welfare of these great predators may depend on what we do now.
