Gone But Not Forgotten, WDFW Holds Hearing On Wedge Pack, October 5 – 6

Washington state biologists collar Wedge Pack alpha male. The collar ultimately led the sharpshooters directly to his pack!

UPDATE: October 8, 2012

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the link to the WDFW hearing on the Wedge Pack. This clip includes the public comments.

http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012101005

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The brutal aerial gunning of Washington’s Wedge Pack is much on the minds of wolf advocates. The dead bodies of eight wolves were recovered and have been examined,  including two of the four pups (the two remaining pups are unaccounted for.)

WDFW is holding a public hearing on the issue, October 5-6 in Olympia, Washington.  The hearing will be televised.

From the Seattle Times:

Wedge Wolf Pack: Watch commission meeting here Friday

Posted by John B. Saul

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will be getting an update Friday afternoon on the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, including the department’s recent decision to eliminate the Wedge Pack in the northeast corner of the state.

We will carry TVW’s live video of the meeting here starting at 1 p.m. Friday when Nate Pamplin, the department’s assistant director of the wildlife program, and Steve Pozzanghera, director of the region where the pack was killed, will brief the commission.

The commission will take public comments starting at 3:15 p.m. The department says the livestock industry and conservation organizations will be represented at the meeting.

The original meeting site has been changed to accommodate a larger crowd. If you’re attending, head for the Columbia Room inside the Capitol Building. Visit this site for directions.

READ MORE: http://seattletimes.com/html/edcetera/2019325690_wedge_wolf_pack_watch_commissi.html

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FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION MEETING

October 5-6, 2012

NOTICE OF LOCATION CHANGE
Legislative Building – Columbia Room – 416 Sid Snyder Avenue SW Olympia WA 98501 
First Floor

1 PM

2012 Wolf Plan Implementation Activities – Briefing 
Department staff will provide a comprehensive briefing on the implementation of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan for 2012.

– Summary – PDF format (16 KB)

Staff Report:
Nate Pamplin, Assistant Director, Wildlife Program
Steve Pozzanghera, Region 1 Director3:00 P.M.

BREAK

3:15 P.M.7. 2012 Wolf Plan Implementation Activities – Briefing – Continued
Department staff will provide a comprehensive briefing on the implementation of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan for 2012.

PUBLIC INPUT (This item only)

Staff Report:
Nate Pamplin, Assistant Director, Wildlife Program
Steve Pozzanghera, Region 1 Director

http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2012/10/agenda_oct0612.html

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Please attend this vital meeting to support the fallen Wedge Pack wolves, who were were sacrificed for public land grazing and the Diamond M Ranch.

The wolves had every right to roam free on that land,  not constrained by entitled cattle rancher’s,  who have the nerve to graze their cattle on the American people’s land and expect a predator free landscape, when they are the intruders there, not the wolves. If they don’t want to tolerate our native predators they can pull their cattle off our land. The killing of wolves for agribusiness must stop!!! Thousands of wolves have died since their reintroduction to the Northern Rockies because of cattle and now the same, tired scenario is playing out in Washington state.

Wolves trump cows on public land!!

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Biologists looking for Wedge wolf pack survivors

by GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News

Bio | Email | Follow: @gchittimK5

Posted on October 3, 2012 at 7:51 PM

Updated yesterday at 8:26 PM

State biologists are still monitoring the Forest Service roads once roamed by an ill-fated wolf pack.

Fish and Wildlife officials say they have no reason to believe any members of “The Wedge Pack” of wolves survived after sharpshooters in helicopters shot six of them last month.

But, to be sure they are installing cameras and other measures to see if there are any survivors or new wolves moving in.

Meanwhile, veterinarians have examined the bodies of eight member of the pack that were either shot or found dead in area.

READ MORE

http://www.king5.com/news/environment/Wildlife-agents-looking-for-Wedge-wolf-pack-survivors-172584191.html

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Wedge wolf, if you are out there, run for your life

Posted by John B. Saul

September 28, 2012 at 5:14 AM

http://seattletimes.com/html/edcetera/2019283422_wedge_wolves_take_this_advice.html

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Senator calls killing of Colville wolf pack ‘serious failure’

http://www.king5.com/home/State-Senator-criticizes-killing-of-Colville-wolf-pack-171947181.html

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Photo: Courtesy King5dotcom

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Washington Wolves

Tags: ban aerial gunning, Wedge Pack slaughtered, WDFW,  Governor Gregoire,  public land grazing, Colville National Forest, retire grazing allotments, Olympia Washington hearing, justice for Wedge Pack

Wedge Pack Slaughter Hangs Like A Pall Over Washington State….

This is a do-over of my previous post in which I got a few facts wrong. The alpha pair is dead, effectively ending the Wedge Pack.  Yes, a few wolves got away, it was estimated there were either 8 or 11 wolves in the pack but killing off the alpha pair will cause those wolves to disband. And what about the pups? Were they killed?

 This is a very dark week for Washington state, 6 wolves killed in three days. I have no doubt other wolves will fill the Wedge Pack’s territory and it will be rinse and repeat of this situation if cows are still grazing in the Wedge unprotected.

End grazing leases and kick these ranchers off our public land. That is the only solution to this, not pandering to them and using taxpayer dollars to kill native wolves. Badly done WDFW, badly done!!

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Environment Northwest

Wildlife agents finish job of eliminating wolf pack

by GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News

Bio | Email | Follow: @gchittimK5

Posted on September 27, 2012 at 3:02 PM

Updated today at 7:00 PM

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The collar around its neck was supposed to lead biologists to a better understanding of how an alpha male wolf leads its pack.

Instead, that GPS collar is what sharpshooters in a helicopter used to track down and kill the followers of the Wedge Wolf Pack in northeast Washington state. And on Thursday, after leading most, if not all, members of its young pack to their deaths, the alpha male was shot and killed.

http://www.king5.com/news/environment/Wildlife-agents-kill-alpha-male-in-wolf-pack-in-NE-Wash-171607141.html

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Photo: kewlwallpapersdotcom

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Washington Wolves

Tags: Wolf warriors, Wedge pack pogrom, wolves died for nothing, welfare ranchers, public land grazing, Governor Gregoire, WDFW, aerial gunning, Diamond M Ranch

Wedge Pack Wolves Caught On Camera, January 2012. Continue To Oppose Their Slaughter!!

Wedge Pack wolves caught on video,  January 2012.

Please light a candle for the five fallen Wedge Pack wolves who were sacrificed on the altar of the sacred cow. Continue to advocate for the 3 to 6 wolves that remain.  Demand the killing be called off!!

Below is a form letter posted in the Spokesman – Review, composed by the Center For Biological Diversity meant for Washington Governor Gregoire.

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Pro-wolf groups stir up ranks to protest killing of Wedge Pack

 Sept. 26, 2012 12:03 p.m.  

Spokesman – Review

ENDANGERED SPECIES — Pro-wolf groups aren’t all standing by as Washington Fish and Wildlife staffers try to eliminate the cattle-preying Wedge Pack in northern Stevens County. Here’s a form letter being promoted by the Center for Biological Diversity:

Dear John,

The killing will be carried out on the public’s dime using marksmen on the ground. If that doesn’t work, these wolves will be shot from helicopters.Only seven wolf packs live in Washington state — but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has ordered the entire Wedge pack killed in response to cattle depredations. That includes at least eight wolves.

Washington’s wolf management plan clearly states that, to avoid cattle losses, non-lethal measures must be taken first to protect livestock. In this case only minimal actions were taken to avoid wolf-livestock conflicts. The state should not reward irresponsible ranchers by killing wolves that are only acting as wolves do.

Please call Gov. Christine Gregoire now at (360) 902-4111 and tell her you do not support killing the Wedge pack when ranchers have not done their part to protect cattle.

Then let us know you got through to the governor’s office by clicking here. A sample call has been provided below:

“Hello, my name is ________________ and I live in ________________, Washington. I’m calling to ask Governor Gregoire to stop the killing of the Wedge pack by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. I’d also like to state my opposition to state-run wolf killing, particularly in cases where ranchers have not done everything they can to avoid losing livestock. Can you please tell me the governor’s position on this issue?

[Wait for explanation]

“Thanks, that’s good to know. I still don’t believe the circumstances justify killing the Wedge pack. These animals are endangered, and killing them should always be viewed as a great loss. The kill order should be permanently revoked.”

[Offer the staffer your address or zip code, and thank them for their time.]

 http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2012/sep/26/pro-wolf-groups-stir-ranks-protest-killing-wedge-pack/

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Videos:  YouTube WDFW

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Washington Wolves

Tags: public land grazing, Wedge Pack, 5 wolves slaughtered,  welfare ranching, Governor Gregoire, WDFW, aerial gunning, cattle, Diamond M Ranch, Washington state