Oh is it time for a change. I feel like a broken record. Wolves aren’t killing all the elk, wolves kill very few livestock, wolves have strong social bonds, wolves have lost half their genetic diversity in the last century. How many times have I repeated these facts since I started the blog? Yet the hunts push forward, now on two fronts, the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes. Wildlife Services continues to kill wolves, we’ve lost our court cases, Congress and the President betrayed wolves. a rancher heads the Interior and the savagery continues. It makes wolf advocates tired. BUT of course I haven’t given up, just taking a break to work behind the scenes. That’s why I haven’t been posting much in the last couple of months. But I’m still here and engaged in the battle. Sometimes you have to change tactics and shift gears.
Keep on trucking everyone, we can do this!!
Top Photo: Stock
Bottom Photo: Walla Walla Pack wolf pup courtesy ODFW
Posted in: Wolf Wars
Tags: Shifting gears, changing tactics, taking a break but not really, wolf wars
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 is exausting, just thinking of the horrors that mankind inflicts on others. We have to keep trying though to what avail, I am not sure.
Very sad, all that has happened.
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exhausting! sorry for the spelling error
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I am in the same position – Tragically It’s not only wolves but the entire natural world that’s under siege, and yes it is exhausting to keep bashing our heads against the walls of stupidity, short-shortsightedness (sitedness?) and greed. So I, too, have begun exploring different takes and tactics.
Although not about wolves, here are 2 links to consider. The first, about Fernbank Science Center, (http://www.examiner.com/article/fernbank-science-museum-betrayed-all-teachers-fired) ended up creating enough turmoil and pressure to (it seems) actually reverse the bad decisions of the school board. I found that out today.
So, maybe our words aren’t always falling on deaf ears.
The subject of the second link is possibly controversial but might just be the beginning of the kind of ‘thinking outside the box’ that the world is in need of. (http://www.examiner.com/article/is-promoting-wealth-the-key-to-saving-the-planet-slowing-population-growth). Everything is so interconnected that it may take a holistic and sweeping change of consciousness to make any real difference in the specifics.
Maybe there is still hope – I’m not giving up, either.
Thank you for all your passion, dedication and energy on behalf of wolves and the planet.
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Right! The growing human population is threatening everything, particularly animals and the wilderness. How many more elk will be needed for the extra hunters, how many more cattle will be squeezed into factory farms to feed the world. Wise voices are saying we need to abandon the anthropocentric (the belief that humans are above all other animals) and move to a biocentric outlook, where all live is interconnected and all live is inportmant
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We may have facts and justice on our side but what are they when fighting huge wealthy organizations, e.g., the NRA, National Cattlemen’s Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation? Those groups simply like to hunt and kill, and they have a whole list of talking points of why wolves deserve to die. Big money has a loud voice in political discourse. Hate is beyond reason.
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Sweet little one! Run,run a fast as you can! The’re coming, with dogs,clubs,shotguns,traps,bait have. I forgotten anything? Probably, nothing. they won’t use.The big bad governor from Wisconsin and his. Texas Czar will have their harvest. For. A preachers son you suck! May you reap what you sow. Hi! I wish I or someone knew what to do with nitwits. This governor nitwit is trying to change public grounds to private grounds and a four month harvest. I personality suspect that gov.walker will have his own harvest to pay back all the rich 1%’res. I could be wrong, I guess. I doubt it.
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THIS is why I just spent a long time on the phone trying to convince a rep. of the WWF that many former contributors, myself included, will not support them until they reverse their wussy policy of “letting the states decide” about delisting! Please call these people (800-960-0993) and let them know that their actions have been cowardly and counter productive. The secretary will record and pass on your comments.
How can they expect donations if they opt out of the process and leave the decisions up to the likes of Butch Otter or Ken Salazar? Those two are fools leading fools.
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Nabeki, though this is the craziest plan I’ve come up with I might as well go for it. I decided to compete for wolves in the Alaska snowboarding circuit. I plan to represent not just wolves but other wildlife programs as well. I’m going to climb this insanely high mountain, watch me. I don’t care if this is nuts or that it hurts, I’m doing this for the things I love. http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt257/bleveplant/P6250357.jpg?t=1340654787
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Don’t give up. Work smarter, not harder. There will come a day.
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It is time for all forms of direct action and confrontation. These killers subvert the will of the American people. Who will stand against their torture and blood lust? Who has the courage? It takes more than being Facebook warriors. Put yourself between the killer and the victim.
Remember, Idaho doesn’t even incarcarate people for animal abuse…nor child abuse nor wife abuse in most cases…it is all related.
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Wolves are not the problem. Hysterics is the problem, hysterics among anti-wolf minds and their lies, distortions and myths. Wolves are not having a significant depredation impact on wildlife or ranching. Less than 1% (.0048 %) of stock is killed by wolves in Montana and ranchers are reimbursed. Wolves are not harming elk or deer populations. Elk populations in Montana, in general, have been going up for years now with increasing wolf populations, from 89,000 in 1989 to over 140,000 plus now.
The rider political shenanigans of delisting the wolf, by Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester and Idaho Representative Simpson (all ranchers) in April 2011, opened a Pandora’s Box and it is spreading state to state. It is time to re-list the wolves. They should be managed regionally or nationally, not micro-man-managed locally, not by vocal-local-yokels, not by hostile FWP agencies, not by sportsmen groups, not by ranchers. Wildlife agencies and newspapers should be educating these stubborn minds, at least trying to, instead of going along with them.
This rigid kill, kill, attitude of MT FWP, ID, WY, USFWS, USDA Wildlife Services is going to endanger them as a species again. In fact what is going on is a similar replay of the past with the union of ranchers, hunters, wildlife agencies. Wolves would stabilize themselves, and mutually stabilize with ungulate herds and other wildlife. Wolves have an ancient beneficial relationship to their prey and the general flora and fauna ecology. Nature can handle it best without human interference.
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I think it is extremely important that we all continue to work very hard to get the facts out there to counter the myths promulgated by RMEF (http://www.cascwild.org/rocky-mountain-elk-foundation-fewer-10-gallon-hats-and-more-10-pound-brains-needed/) and others. Please keep putting the word out and organizing.
Bob Ferris
Cascadia Wildlands
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I don’t always read all the posts, but the title of this one caught my attention. I’m always interested in alternative approaches, because the ones we’ve been employing sure ain’t working! Facts, good, science, and compassion mean nothing to these psychopathic murderers. I think Raven is right: It is time for all forms of direct action and confrontation. By shutting down every legal avenue whereby we could effect change, they have backed us into a corner, and hopefully will come to regret it. Now I’m going to check out Birdpond’s links. Always looking for new ideas!
“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” –Martin Luther King Jr
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We have to keep speaking up for the wolves and talking to those in the middle who are not informed. We won’t change most ranchers, big game outfitters or a lot of hunters so let’s stress about them. It’s doubtful wolves will be relisted. Obama’s USFWS has shed their hands of them & doesn’t want them back. Note that Rep Mike Simpson is a dentist from Blackfoot ID. He has a full sized stuffed wolf in his D.C. office. If anyone is in the D.C. area, it would be helpful to have a photo of the wolf with Simpson or at least a staffer beside it.
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Sorry, I meant to say let’s NOT stress about them (ranchers/big game outfitters/some hunters). Rather, work on educating the public that will listen.
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As soon as I had finished reading your Blog, I remembered that I had not done ‘my donations’ on Care2. They have 2 daily actions, and this is the second one:
Are You Ready to Be Fearless?
In the face of today’s countless social issues, too many philanthropy groups, government groups and nonprofits lack a sense of urgency and the willingness to take bold, fearless steps to do good in the world. If we’re going to keep up with the complexities of todays’ challenges, we need to rethink traditional models of action and be fearless! For today’s Secondary Action, pledge to be fearless in the way you make a difference and enter to win an iPad.
Here is the link: http://www.care2.com/dailyaction/homepage.html
I am going to read it now, before I go to bed.
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Sorry, I meant let’s NOT stress about those we can’t change.
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FEEDBACK: Are You Ready to Be Fearless?
This site is Sponsored by: The Case Foundation and they are looking for new ideas. If you can, write-up your idea, not more than 1000 characters as once you have signed, they ask for your idea. I had to logoff as I was fresh out of any ideas.
Oh you can also stand a chance of winning an iPad if you enter before the 13th of July.
That should get you all thinking – good luck.
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We all deplore what is happening to the wolves and other animals when the well-funded and well-armed killers get turned loose. So we e-mail, phone, write, donate, and sponsor. What I see little of is network news attention to what is happening. Why is the fate of the wolves not being covered–along with the terrible methods of killing them? It’s hard to believe that more people would not get onboard if they knew the truth. Makes me wonder if the networks also fear the NRA and their unholy
brethern.
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As someone who is on the front lines, and who has been battered and who has dealt cowboy justice, I’d say if you think people are not standing up to the thugs – then get yourself to rural ID/MT or WY & try it yourself.
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When you come into rural areas where there are gun-packing rednecks & lawmen who are unsympathetic to anyone that looks like a greenie – you need to be totally self reliant. Bring a cell phone that works in the middle of nowhere (most don’t), drive a 4WD vehicle to deal with back roads and be sure to have rugged tires so you don’t get flats (often there’s no place to get one fixed). Bring money for bail in case you get railroaded or if you are unwise enough to break the law and get charged with domestic terrorism (like if you left a gate open or wrote “free our public lands” on a sign). It’s another world out here.
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I know some people in Alaska doing trap-hunting where they go out in groups of 10+ and destroy traps and snares in the woods and near parks. It’s nice to know that others are willing to face prosecution to do whats right.
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Just be smart, whether one or ten.
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Keep up the pressure it is the only thing to do. I will NOT accept anything else god dam it.
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Anybody watch Ed Schutlz on MSNBC ? He hates the NRA. I’m not a computer savy person. Is there someone out there that can tweet or e-mail him? How about Cooper Anderson of CNN.
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Nabeki, I have been saying this for awhile, we need to unite. There are so many wolf and other wildlife groups out there fighting for the same thing but we are not united. The ranchers and hunters ARE united. We need to band together and form an impenetrable wall of advocates. Please contact me via Facebook and I will be happy to share more thoughts on this. Thanks for all you do!!
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