The bad Utah bill that proposes killing or removing any and all wolves that enter the state has passed their Senate. Not sure they would choose relocating wolves instead of just killing them outright. The bill now goes to Utah’s House of Representives for a full house vote. If it passes it will be sent to Governor Herbert for signature. This is an outrage.
From WildEarth Guardians:
If passed into law this bill would circumvent Utah’s Wolf Management Plan and violate the Endangered Species Act.
Tell Governor Herbert to kill the bill, not Utah’s wolves. Send your email letter today. Please click on this link and take action for wolves!
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Wolf bill based on myths; endangers our natural heritage
Jan 29 2010 – 4:03pm
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Utah Senator to Wolves….Do Not Enter Utah On Pain of Death (Alert Take Action)
Utah Senator Allen Christensen has introduced a bill, SB 36, that would allow any and all gray wolves that have the audacity to enter Utah’s borders, to be captured and removed or killed. That’s right. He thinks wolves are not compatible with humans. Could a human being be more intolerant? Does he realize how ridiculous this sounds? Wolves don’t read signs, they don’t understand boundaries. Just when I thought wolf hysteria couldn’t get any worse, it does.
Even though this bill would likely be unconstitutional if passed, because federal law trumps state law, Christensen states they would fight it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Sportsmen For Fish and Wildlife and the Cattlemen’s Association’s Utah chapter are supporters of the bill. Big surprise. Apparently the “Sportsmen” and I use that term lightly, will bankroll the court battle, if the bill passes. Here’s a quote from The Salt Lake Tribune, showing the absolute arrogance of this man and the organizations that support this disgusting bill.
“Wolves are out of control, says Utah Sen. Allen Christensen, and the state’s policy should be to kill them. Heck, he did. Went to Canada to bag one. It’s at the taxidermist.
And besides, Christensen says, passing a bill to declare Utah’s policy to destroy or remove all wolves is a simple case of states’ rights.
The North Ogden Republican’s goal is spelled out in SB36, which has caught the attention of legislative attorneys who attached a rare warning that the bill, if passed, probably would be found unconstitutional.
“Will it be a fight? Absolutely,” Christensen concedes. “We have enough money to take it all the way to the [U.S.] Supreme Court.”
The Utah chapters of the Cattlemen’s Association and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife support the bill. The Sportsmen will contribute to litigation costs, says Byron Bateman, president of the Utah chapter.
“We’ve been in the fight from the get-go,” Bateman said, “and we’ll be in it to the end.”
SB36 is for people who enjoy wildlife, Christensen says, adding he knows wolves are wildlife, too. But they were exterminated in this region in the 19th century “for good reason,” he says. “They were simply not compatible with humans anymore.”
I have news for the Senator. Wolves are protected under ESA (Endangered Species Act) in much of Utah and it would be a federal crime to kill a wolf.
An area in Utah east of Interstate 84 and Interstate 15 and north of I-80 is in the northern Rocky Mountain gray-wolf recovery area. This is the only area now where the state has any kind of management jurisdiction. Wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in the rest of Utah.
Anyone who kills a wolf without proper cause in most of Utah still could land in big trouble — to the tune of a $100,000 fine, a year in prison and loss of the gun that killed the beast and the truck the hunter rode in.
BUT, this awful bill, if passed, would supersede Utah’s wolf plan, which is almost as bad as the bill, allowing only two breeding pairs to produce two pups for two consecutive years. Is Utah enamored with the number two? What the heck kind of wolf plan is that?
If this “legislation” passes I will never even fly into the Salt Lake airport again, let alone vacation or buy anything that is remotely connected to the state.
February 10, 2010
Posted in: gray wolf/canis lupus, Wolf Wars
Tags: Utah Wolf Kill Bill, wolf intolerance, wolf persecution
Boulder White Clouds Council
Exposing The Big Game
Footloose Montana
Friends of the Clearwater
Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
Louise du Toit
LUPUSLAETUS
Mercy For Animals
Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance (NIWA)
Predator Friendly®- Because Wildlife Matters
Project Coyote
Project: Wolf
The Nature Conservancy
The Ravensong Group
WildEarth Guardians
Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic-Vote Our Wildlife
Wolf And Wildlife Studies: Jay Mallonee (Independent Wolf Biologist)
Wolf Song of Alaska
Wolves in english ! Les loups en anglais !
WWP's Gray Wolf Page
Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative
Howling For Justice 
It has been a dream of mine to see wild grey wolves, go to Canada or Alaska or visit Yellowstone NP someday. The landscape and wildlife of North America is so diverse and beautiful, but the prominent culture and the treatment of wildlife are a turn off.
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Hi John,
You should include NW Montana in your travels as well. Glacier National Park is truly a wonder and we have wolves. Hopefully Judge Molloy will reinstate their protections.
Going-To-The-Sun-Road was built in the 1930’s cut right out of a ten thousand foot mountain. The mountains were carved by Glaciers. The first time I drove up Going To The Sun to reach the summit at Logans Pass, I had a real case of vertigo, it’s that scary but so worth the view.
I understand what you’re saying about intolerance but it’s still beautiful country and lots of wildlife. If the wolves, grizzlies and mountain lions were only left alone it would be an even better place.
N.
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You’ve got that right John. There are a lot of people that love to hate wild animals/wildlife.
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Hi John, estimates, anywhere from $10 to $30 million additional dollars, have been pumped into communities like Yellowstoe annually, since wolves were re-introduced. Far more people would rather catch a glimpse of a wolf in their natural habitat, than shoot one.
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