I’m re-posting the NIWA ALERT because Howling For Justice is part of the newly formed coalition between pro-wolf groups to prevent any meddling or weakening of the ESA.
Gray wolves are still in danger of losing their ESA protections. This is a grave threat, not only for wolves but for any species protected under the ESA.
We must remain vigilant until this Congress convenes. Then it will start all over again in January with the new Congress, unfortunately.
NIWA website: http://www.niwa.us/
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RED ALERT: From The Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance
A few days ago, Interior Salazar Secretary assured 3 western governors that the Obama administration would help get the bills passed in the next two weeks.
This bill would circumvent the Endangered Species Act (ESA), & remove wolves from it’s protection.It would set a dangerous precedent, by, for the first time, removing an animal from the ESL for political, not scientific reasons. No animal that hunters, ranchers and anti-wildlife forces dislike would ever be safe again.The immediate consequences would be wolf-hunting seasons in Idaho, Montana, & Wyoming, as well as wolf exterminations by the US Wildlife Service.
Almost half of the wolves recently brought back from extinction would be killed, thus reducing them to a remnant, token population, unable to fulfill their biological role in our forests and subjecting them to their possible second extinction.
We are asking you to take 3 actions:
1. Contact pro-environmental Congressmen on the House Committee on Natural Resources, listed below, and ask them to oppose this legislation.
2. Forward it to people who care about wolves.
3. Network with local pro-wildlife organizations & ask them to get on board in this effort (big ones like Defenders of Wildlife, NRDC, etc are already working on it)
Here are important talking points:
• Rather than decimating livestock, wolves are responsible for less than 1% of depredation.
• Rather than reducing elk populations, elk numbers have increased since wolf re-introduction to over one million in the Northern Rockies.
• Scientific studies show that wolves have positive effects on forest health.
• This bill would set a dangerous precedent, subjecting other species in the future to political rather than scientific scrutiny to delist them.Thank you for your efforts. Together, we can successfully defend the wolves.
Nancy Taylor, Co-Chair
Ann Sydow, Co-Chair & Newsletter Editor
Ken Fischman, Vice-Chair
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