Well I guess Ed Bangs is stepping down, after years of trying to delist wolves in the Northern Rockies. Makes absolutely no sense to me to spend all the time and money the feds did to reintroduce wolves only to work twice as hard to turn them over to the states to be hunted. Ed Bangs says wolves are recovered in the Northern Rockies with just 1700 animals in three states, inhabiting just 5% of their historic range? I don’t think so.
“….he decided the science showed that wolf populations had recovered enough to take them off the list of animals protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.“
What science??
The Great Lakes Region has over 4000 wolves, in a smaller land mass with millions more people, yet the puny wolf population in the Northern Rockies has been declared recovered because USFWS, Western politicians, ranchers and hunters say so? Give me a break. Wait until the states get a hold of them and start hunting them. Then we’ll have the double whammy of Wildlife Services’ hunts and State run wolf hunts. That deadly combination killed off 500 wolves in the Northern Rockies in 2009, when wolves were delisted for the second time. Now the states want to up the ante with wolf archery and back country rifle seasons. Does the image of the magnificent wolf full of arrows, to satisfy some trophy hunters blood lust, fill you with anger? How about Idaho’s plan to use baiting , calling, leg hold traps and snares on wolves in their hunts make you feel? Of course Idaho might not wait for wolf hunts, they’ve got the Wolf Emergency Disaster legislation to fall back on. And this is what the USFWS thinks is good for wolves?
Wolves are not recovered. They will never be recovered in the Northern Rockies because as soon as they are delisted the states will hunt them hard and their numbers will drop and we’ll be right back where we were before.
Wolves are not game animals and should not be killed for sport. They are extremely social animals with a love for family and extreme loyalty to their pack mates. Is this what we brought wolves back for, to turn them into rugs on someone’s floor? The USFWS knows the toxic atmosphere existing in the Northern Rockies concerning wolves, yet they think it’s such a great triumph to throw wolves under the bus, watch them delisted in the most underhanded way, in a budget rider for votes, than declare victory? I guess USFWS doesn’t mind the ESA was gutted just to get to wolves. Now any protected animal that’s “politically incorrect” can be delisted in an appropriations bill?
It’s a hollow victory and all the hoopla surrounding Ed Bangs retirement doesn’t change that. Wolves were betrayed by the Obama admin, USFWS and Congress.
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” …Abraham Lincoln
Here’s a puff piece on Ed Bang’s retirement.
Adventures in wolf recovery ending for Ed Bangs as he retires from USFWS
http://www.ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/58888dfc-26c8-59bf-9a5e-d109ba30068a.html
This what wolves are in for. The haters are chomping at the bit!!
Idaho and Montana prepare for wolf hunts
A congressional budget bill rider takes wolves off the endangered species list in the two states. Hunters are happy, but wildlife advocates are outraged.
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Photo: Courtesy All About Wolves
Posted in: Wolf Wars
Tags: Ed Bangs Retires, USFWS lets wolves down, hollow victory, wolves betrayed
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 
Wolves should live free in peace and harmony, stop killing these wonderful animals!!!
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According to the article:
“We’re hoping people can see what kind of circus is going on here,” said Garrick Dutcher, spokesman for Living With Wolves, a documentary film project that captured the rituals and habits of a pack of wolves in the Sawtooth Wilderness. “I’m not aware of any time when an animal was a cause for a state emergency disaster declaration. I mean, that’s when the National Guard gets called in, right? It’s really just a call to arms, a rallying cry, for wolf haters.”
This is absolutely deplorable behavior….and Dutcher’s comment, right on. Theatrics are not necessary, unless the objective is to perpetuate the cycle.
Humans stake out their comfortable little niches within a landscape, and proclaim omnipotent rule. The wolf, for centuries has defied dominion , and is a constant reminder to mankind that he can not conquer all. While certain people are intent upon extermination because they crave a visceral thrill.
I read an article where Governor Otter only signed the “furricane bill” so that he would be able to maintain his authority to “handle problem wolves” should they need to be put back on ESA protections. It was my understanding that he already has this authority. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I really have to call him out on this, it’s almost as if he takes personal offense to the wolf’s very presence, seeing this as an insult to his masculinity. Predator against predator. Rival against arch rival, Otter VS Wolf. Human insecurities have lethal consequences, while closed minds eventually create calloused hearts. My question is, what innate part of himself does he really loathe and associate with the wolf?
Under the “big tent” of Idaho, circus is the first word that came to my mind, this is for sure. Dance clowns…dance. Why not sell pop corn and cotton candy while they’re at it?
No doubt that things will only become progressively more “ugly” as the time allotted for Salazar to reissue his statement arrives and the bloody slaughter begins. Someone on a federal level needs to step up and corral the hysteria, and lasso those that fuel it. But I don’t really see President Obama telling Otter or any other Governor, for that matter, to snap out of it. This is where the National Guard can be better put to use.
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As for those such as Mr Gillett who believe that: “These Canadian wolves are the most cruel, vicious predators in North America.”
Look in the mirror, look around you and open your eyes, it is man, not wolf or any other predator. Humans are the only species gifted with conscience and reason. Yet make a conscious choice to harness their potential good to further malicious intent, while savoring the suffering of others.
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The wolves of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River Valley in Montana is under attack by Montana Wildlife Officials (contract killers). They want to eliminate 60% of wolves in that area to increase the number of elk in that region. Please take the time to look at this and add your voice of disgust to the proposed killings.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/2783181
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Just a thought to anyone in the Missoula Montana area… There is a Wildlife Society group on campus at the University of Montana that meets every week for students to get involved with research opportunities, current event discussions, and speakers from all sorts of disciplines discussing their work in the field studying wildlife. If anyone is interested, I can set you up with some contact info to speak with the president of the Wildlife Society to possibly get in there one week to discuss some of these issues and get more people involved.
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Great idea Terrence, we definitely need to organize. We depended on the big orgs to represent us for too long and they let us down big time. Now the grass roots wolf movement and the three non-settling groups will lead the charge for wolves.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Never did like Ed Bangs… gee wonder why? Rational minds must prevail over such insanity.
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Lauren….At one time he showed some compassion for wolves as in the Nova Online interview he did in 2000. Since that time he seems to have changed and made very flip remarks about wolves. Many wolves have been killed under his watch. I’m glad he’s retiring..just worried who will replace him?
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Oregon’s wolves’ will remain protected on the state’s endangered species act:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/04/what_the_federal_delisting_for_wolves_means_for_oregons_packs_ranchers.html#incart_mce
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Here’s something to think about:
Elk in the northwestern states were not officially being counted until the 1970s. During that time there were no wolves in the region. The states have set their elk management numbers based on those counts in the 70s and that is why they complain about the wolves taking so many elk in the region. Wolves didn’t return to the scene until the mid 90s and didn’t really establish populations till around 2004-5. You would think that the elk “management” numbers would need adjusting downward to reflect the presence of the apex predator, but instead, the “management” numbers of elk have steadily INCREASED with the growing wolf population giving the fuel to the fire to claim wolves are killing all the elk. The last official elk estimates in the tri-state area is upwards of HALF A MILLION ELK!!!!!! Real danger of loosing all the elk here in the region, isn’t it? You want sources for this information? I’ll gladly provide it…
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Terrence…all we have to do is look at the RMEF numbers. They were trumpeting their elk success story in 2009 with their 25th anniversary. Elk numbers were up all over the country. Montana’s elk population increased by 66% to 150,000. As you said there is no elk shortage and frankly even though I love elk and think they are beautiful animals the haters have managed to steal the show with their endless whining about elk. If we’re talking about elk we’re not talking about what’s best for wolves. We have to “out elk” them and change the subject. We all know wolves are NOT killing all the elk and in fact elk numbers are over inflated. Wolves are certainly not killing all the livestock and are barely a blip on the predation list. Domestic dogs and coyotes were the number one killers of livestock in the 2006 NASS numbers, wolves were behind vultures concerning predation of cattle. This is all a huge smokescreen to distract us from the real issue, the importance of apex predators to the health of our ecosystems. That’s what the public needs to be educated about. Everything is interconnected.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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True. It’s funny to see all those anti-wolfers whining about how wolves are going to extinguish elk and hunt children.
Perfectly reasonable people, these wolfers.
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Yeah Loua…they can’t stop talking about elk, it’s an obsession.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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I found this video over 3 years ago. By far my favorite video created about wolves. Listen to the words of the song and tell me it doesn’t fit here. I have even sent messages to the group “Celtic Women” to find out who wrote the lyrics and what their motivation was. I never received a response… you be the judge.
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I love it too Terrence…it’s posted on the front page of the blog.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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