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UPDATE Your help is needed to help wolves today. ENDS JUNE 21ST, 2013

  • by: Kelly Rogers
  • recipient: Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior

HERE IS THE UPDATE AND THE ACTION I RECEIVED TODAY: 



The Obama Administration and USFWS announced its plan to remove the gray wolf from the federal protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states.  Wolves need continued protection to expand into much of their historic range before they are removed from the list. 

 

Few gray wolves presently roam in the vast majority of their former range. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removes federal protections, wolves in the Pacific Northwest, California, the southern Rocky Mountains, and the Northeast will face even more difficult odds than they do already. The proposal places them at serious risk for ever achieving natural recovery. A recovering wolf population isn't static. It spreads as wolves rebound. A blanket delisting will threaten fragile populations that are still trying to make a comeback on the American landscape.

Specifically about wolves in the Northeast, there is evidence that suggests that the gray wolf is trying to make a comeback to parts of this region. Their natural recovery will be significantly hindered if the newly classified 'canis lycaon' is not afforded full federal protections. 

 

Mexican gray wolf recovery has been hampered by rules that severely limit the project's ability to recover the species. Illegal hunting, and at times, excessive removals have also contributed to the slow recovery. The proposed revision to the existing nonessential experimental population designation of the Mexican wolf under the Endangered Species Act is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to ultimately save the species. The proposed revision would allow Mexican wolves to be classified as an endangered subspecies that may be released and dispersed into wider areas in Arizona and New Mexico.  While the proposed rule changes are a significant positive step for the ultimate survival of this unique species, we must temper our optimism with the knowledge that gray wolves may be delisted elsewhere prior to a full recovery.  


 






It is important to note that the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obtain all of the "Structured Decision Making" documents that led to the proposed "National Wolf Strategy" This 'strategy' called for striking the gray wolf from the federal list of threatened or endangered species in the lower 48 states. PEER's statement  goes into further detail.



Now, your action is needed to help wolves.

  

As a result of these developments, we are asking supporters to participate in three easy actions to join us in opposition to these proposals. Stay tuned for another message from us about another opportunity to have input into this decision, when the official public comment period on this proposal opens.

 

1 - We ask that you email Secretary Jewell and your representatives using the links










2- Please participate in the California Wolf Center's "Thunderclap" by signing

    on to join hundreds of thousands of others who oppose this plan. This action expires

on June 21st, so please act quickly.  

 

Talking points may include the following:  

Please feel free to personalize these points with your own concerns, too.  




    1. Sixteen scientists expressed "serious concerns" with a recent draft rule to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 States. They do not believe that the rule reflects the conclusions of their work or the best available science concerning the recovery of wolves. They also do not believe the rule reflects the fundamental purpose of the Endangered Species Act to conserve endangered species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. By law, Endangered Species Act decisions are supposed to be governed by the best available science.


    1. There is a growing body of scientific literature demonstrating that top predators play critical roles in maintaining a diversity of other wildlife species and healthy, balanced ecosystems.


    1. The gray wolf has barely begun to recover or is absent from significant portions of its former range where substantial suitable habitat remains. The Service's draft rule fails to consider extensive suitable habitat in the Pacific Northwest, California, the southern Rocky Mountains and the Northeast. It also fails to consider the importance of these areas to the long-term survival and recovery of wolves, or the importance of wolves to the ecosystems of these regions.



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