Will You?

This post is dedicated to all wolves who’ve suffered and continue to suffer brutal, senseless deaths in the name of blood sport and agribusiness.

The brutal war against America’s wolves wages on?

Will you be silent?

Will you fight for them?

Will you allow this to continue?

Will you organize in your hometown?

Will you hold a protest?

Will you work to end public land grazing?

Will you write letters to the editor?

Will you write to the Infamous 81 US Senators  who voted to delist wolves in the Northern Rockies via budget rider?

Will you tell those Senators you WILL NOT VOTE FOR THEM on November 6 because of their betrayal? 

Will you boycott all wolf states that hold trophy hunts or kill wolves for agribusiness?

Will you boycott Yellowstone National Park to send Wyoming a message?

Will you spread this message to everyone you know?

Will you be a true Wolf Warrior?

Will you?

Minnesota

Minnesota: Court rejects bid to block wolf hunt

Associated Press

Posted:   10/10/2012 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:   10/10/2012 07:26:03 PM CDT

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21741958/court-rejects-bid-block-minn-wolf-hunt

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Trapped doomed wolf

Wisconsin

Wolf hunt to start Monday

Updated: Thursday, 11 Oct 2012, 5:53 PM CDT
Published : Thursday, 11 Oct 2012, 5:53 PM CDT

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local/green_bay/wolf-hunt-to-start-monday

Hearing on use of dogs in wolf hunt will be Dec. 20

By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 6, 2012

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/hearing-on-use-of-dogs-in-wolf-hunt-will-be-dec-20-2q74b6b-172979611.html

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Wisconsin and Minnesota

Wisconsin, Minnesota ready for first wolf hunts

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and TODD RICHMOND | Associated Press – Wed, Oct 10, 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-minnesota-ready-first-wolf-hunts-175306321.html

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Stand up for wolves! This photo made the Los Angeles Times! (Mato Woksabe)

Michigan

Michigan State Representative Proposes Wolf Hunt

by Outdoor Hub Reporters on August 21, 2012

submitted by: Agnieszka Spieszny

http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/michigan-state-representative-proposes-wolf-hunt/

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Fox Mountain wolf pups 2008 (Mexican Wolf Inter-agency Field Team)

New Mexico

Wanted Mexican gray wolf on the run in NM captured

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS Associated Press

Updated:   10/10/2012 07:14:31 PM MDT

http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_21747896/gov-martinez-relocate-mexican-gray-wolf-pack

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Gov. Martinez: Relocate Mexican gray wolf pack

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS Associated Press

Posted:   10/11/2012 03:05:16 AM MDT

http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_21747896/gov-martinez-relocate-mexican-gray-wolf-pack

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This is the hate wolves face

Montana

On the hunt in wolf country: Expanded Montana season begins Monday

7:13 AM, Oct 11, 2012

 http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20121011/LIFESTYLE05/310110010/On-hunt-wolf-country-Expanded-Montana-season-begins-Monday

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Wolf trapped waiting to die

Idaho

Idaho’s wolf hunt season now open all year

By Kimberlee Kruesi

The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) staff

Sun, 07/22/2012 – 8:23am

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/07/22/idaho-s-wolf-hunt-season-now-open-all-year

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Senseless Slaughter

Wyoming

Wolves in Wyoming Go from Endangered to Hunted

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/national-news/38301-wolves-in-wyoming-go-from-endangered-to-hunted

Open Season in Wyoming Threatens Wolf Recovery

08 OCTOBER 2012, 8:56 AM

http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-october/open-season-in-wyoming-threatens-wolf-recovery

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USFWS

Feds opt not to extend special protection to Mexican gray wolf

Posted Oct 11, 2012, 11:37 pm

Cale OttensCronkite News Service

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/101112_mexican_gray_wolf/feds-opt-not-extend-special-protection-mexican-gray-wolf/

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Wedge Pack alpha male being collared, the collar allowed sharpshooters to find and kill his pack .  Then they shot and killed him.

Washington

Killing entire wolf pack is in nobody’s best interests

Published: October 12, 2012

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/10/12/2725979/killing-entire-wolf-pack-is-in.html

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Oregon Weneha wolf killed by poacher

Oregon 

Court Stays Execution of Two Oregon Wolves

SALEM, ORE Oct 06, 2011

http://www.oregonwild.org/about/press-room/press-releases/court-stays-execution-of-two-oregon-wolves/?searchterm=imnaha

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California

Journey In California, The First Wolf  Confirmed In The State Since the 1920’s

And then there’s Journey (OR-7). The One Bright Spot In This Miserable War On America’s Wolves

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon Wild Talks Wolves On AM Northwest

Wildlife and Wildlands Advocate Rob Klavins stopped by KATU-TV’s AM Northwest to talk about Journey and Oregon’s wolves.

http://www.oregonwild.org/about/press-room/press-releases/oregon-wild-talks-wolves-on-am-northwest

Calif. agrees to study protections for gray wolf

JASON DEAREN, Associated Press

Updated 5:35 p.m., Wednesday, October 3, 2012

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Calif-agrees-to-study-protections-for-gray-wolf-3917467.php#ixzz29AmZ5vLU

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Photos: Photobucket, USFWS, ODFW, Wolf Wallpaper, Flickr Commons

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Idaho wolves, Montana wolves, Wyoming wolves, Minnesota wolves, Wisconsin Wolves, Michigan wolves, Oregon wolves, Washington wolves, California wolf

Tags: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Mexican gray wolf, Fox Mountain alpha captured, Fox Mountain pack, Wenaha Pack wolf poached,  wolf trapping torture,  OR-7, retire grazing leases, stop killing wolves, Wedge Pack gone, Wyoming predator zone, boycott wolf killing states, Imnaha Pack

Wild Mexican Gray Wolf Pups (USFWS)

US Representative Raul Grijalva Speaks Out For The Fox Mountain Pack….

Mexican gray wolf  (USFWS)

Lets give US Rep. Raul Grijalva D-NM a hand. In a letter addressed to Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director USFWS,  Rep Grijalva took the USFWS to task for their handling of  Mexican gray wolf recovery or lack thereof and the fate of the Fox Mountain wolf pack.

Click here to read Representative Grijalva’s letter.

He pointed out removing the Fox Mountain alpha female from the wild was the wrong thing to do when there are no new releases of Mexican gray wolves planned. He raises concerns that by attempting to remove this wolf mother serious injury or death could befall her, her pups or other pack members.

In 2006 the Hon Dah Pack was decimated when USFWS intervened.

12-Wolf Pack Is Down to Two

May 25, 2006
By Tania Soussan

http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/462778nm05-25-06.htm

Taking a breeding female from the wild, when there have been no new releases of Mexican gray wolves since 2008, is absurd. The Fox Mountain pack is just one of six breeding pairs living wild.

Mexican gray wolves are the most critically endangered land mammals in North America. Their present day genetics descend from just seven wolves who were saved from poisoning and death during the tragic gray wolf extermination of the 1900’s. The wolves are in-bred because of this.

Remember the Mexican gray wolf female who was shot when she bred with a dog. The poor little wolf probably couldn’t find another male wolf to mate with. Wolves are social animals, so she was seeking out the company of other canines. She lost her life because of it and her pups were also killed.

From the LA Times:

Rare Mexican Wolf shot for mating with dog

Posted by Graham_Land in Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, 20 Dec 2011

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week ordered the death of a female Mexican gray wolf after the animal was discovered hanging around a group of domestic dogs.

The lone 4-year-old female was shot and killed in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest on Wednesday after she was apparently attracted to domestic dogs at a private residence. The female had earlier this year mated with a dog and given birth to a litter of five hybrid pups. Four of the pups were euthanized and the fifth has not been found.

 The five-year Mexican wolf reintroduction program has so far failed to recover the animals, and more wolves are being held in captive facilities than are free in the wild. Wildlife biologists say that when female wolves fail to find a male wolf as a mate, they pair with domestic dogs, producing wolf-dog hybrids that are usually put down by wildlife authorities.”

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There are so few Mexican grays in the wild, last count just 58, that it’s a miracle they even find each other to breed. As with all wolves in the lower forty-eight and around the world they suffer from severe persecution, poaching and the heavy hand of state and federal controls.

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Visit Lobos of the Southwest for further information.

Congressman Grijalva Sends Letter to Director Tuggle of the Fish and Wildlife Service

Arizona Congressman Speaks Up in Support of Mexican Gray Wolves, August 16, 2012 (posted 08/23/12)

http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/news/754/51/Congressman-Grijalva-Sends-Letter-to-Director-Tuggle-of-the-Fish-and-Wildlife-Service

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Increase Wolves’ Genetic Pool by Releasing More to Wild

By Michael Robinson / Conservation Advocate Center for Biological Diversity

Wed, Aug 22, 2012

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/22/opinion/increase-wolves-genetic-pool-by-releasing-more-to-wild.html

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KEEP THE FOX MOUNTAIN ALPHA FEMALE WILD!!

Mexican gray wolf and pup (National Geographic Wallpaper by Joel Sartore)

Continue the pressure to save this alpha female from a life in captivity. It looks like they’re ignoring our pleas and are still trying to catch her.

“Service spokesman Tom Buckley said the agency would not change course and allow the wolf to remain in the wild, despite the ongoing public pressure.”

Taking this mother from the wild is wrong!! Either remove the cattle from the wolf recovery area or  recover these critically endangered wolves in a cow free zone, where they don’t face continual persecution over cattle. This is why after 14 years the wolf program has been a failure. It’s the same story repeating itself, wolves are either poached or get in trouble over cattle.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again, expecting a different result.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park would be perfect for the wolves. No ranchers, no cows and lots of mule deer. Is that too sensible of a solution?? Of course people have been calling for this for years but sadly it’s fallen on deaf ears.

This appeared in the Albuquerque Journal

Wolf Will Live, But Maybe Not In Wild

By Rene Romo / Journal South Reporter on Thu, Aug 16, 2012

LAS CRUCES – Conservationists were thrilled when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week rescinded a two-day-old order to kill a Mexican gray wolf blamed for killing four cattle in recent months, but they continue to press federal officials to let the wolf remain in the wild.

Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said removing the Fox Mountain pack’s alpha female, the mother of at least four pups, is bad policy for a recovery project that has only 58 wolves in the wild in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.

Fish and Wildlife’s acting regional director rescinded the kill order on Aug. 10 after the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., stepped forward and offered to house the alpha female for the rest of her life.

Service spokesman Tom Buckley said the agency would not change course and allow the wolf to remain in the wild, despite the ongoing public pressure.

Before the first release of wolves in a national forest in Arizona in 1998, federal officials projected there would be 100 wolves in the wild by the end of 2006. However, illegal shootings and strict management of cattle-killing wolves have slowed the population’s growth.

Removal, Robinson said, “will have the same results ecologically on the wolves that are remaining as if they killed her.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office in Albuquerque was inundated by hundreds of phone calls and emails protesting the Aug. 8 kill order, the first such order issued by the Service in four years. Killing the wolf, advocates said, would decrease the wolf pups’ chances for survival.

Federal agents on Wednesday afternoon were continuing the efforts they started last week to capture the Fox Mountain alpha female.

READ MORE:

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/16/news/wolf-will-live-but-maybe-not-in-wild-2.html

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KEEP CALLING AND EMAILING.

Don’t give up on her. We need increased pressure on USFWS to do the right thing!!

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US Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Office: 505-761-4748 or 505-363-2797

USFSW Regional Director Tuggle: RDTuggle@fws.gov

White House (202) 456-1111

Senator Tom Udall (202) 224-6621, (505) 988-6511 or (505) 346-6791

Senator Jeff Bingaman (202) 224-5521 or 1-800-443-8658

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (505) 984-8950 or (202) 225-6190

Congressman Martin Heinrich (505) 346-6781 or (202) 225-6316

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Photo: National Geographic Photo by Joel Sartore

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Mexican Gray Wolf

Tags:  Keep her wild, no legholds, retire grazing leases, remove cows near den site, Fox Mountain Alpha Mother, USFWS, Dr. Tuggle

KEEP THE FOX MOUNTAIN WOLF MOTHER WILD!!!

Mexican gray wolf and pup (National Geographic Wallpaper by Joel Sartore)

Continue the pressure to save this alpha female from a life in captivity. It looks like they’re ignoring our pleas and are still trying to catch her.

“Service spokesman Tom Buckley said the agency would not change course and allow the wolf to remain in the wild, despite the ongoing public pressure.”

Taking this mother from the wild is wrong!! Either remove the cattle from the wolf recovery area or  recover these critically endangered wolves in a cow free zone, where they don’t face continual persecution over cattle. This is why after 14 years the wolf program has been a failure. It’s the same story repeating itself, wolves are either poached or get in trouble over cattle.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again, expecting a different result.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park would be perfect for the wolves. No ranchers, no cows and lots of mule deer. Is that too sensible of a solution?? Of course people have been calling for this for years but sadly it’s fallen on deaf ears.

This appeared in the Albuquerque Journal

Wolf Will Live, But Maybe Not In Wild

By Rene Romo / Journal South Reporter on Thu, Aug 16, 2012

LAS CRUCES – Conservationists were thrilled when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week rescinded a two-day-old order to kill a Mexican gray wolf blamed for killing four cattle in recent months, but they continue to press federal officials to let the wolf remain in the wild.

Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said removing the Fox Mountain pack’s alpha female, the mother of at least four pups, is bad policy for a recovery project that has only 58 wolves in the wild in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.

Fish and Wildlife’s acting regional director rescinded the kill order on Aug. 10 after the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., stepped forward and offered to house the alpha female for the rest of her life.

Service spokesman Tom Buckley said the agency would not change course and allow the wolf to remain in the wild, despite the ongoing public pressure.

Before the first release of wolves in a national forest in Arizona in 1998, federal officials projected there would be 100 wolves in the wild by the end of 2006. However, illegal shootings and strict management of cattle-killing wolves have slowed the population’s growth.

Removal, Robinson said, “will have the same results ecologically on the wolves that are remaining as if they killed her.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office in Albuquerque was inundated by hundreds of phone calls and emails protesting the Aug. 8 kill order, the first such order issued by the Service in four years. Killing the wolf, advocates said, would decrease the wolf pups’ chances for survival.

Federal agents on Wednesday afternoon were continuing the efforts they started last week to capture the Fox Mountain alpha female.

READ MORE:

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/16/news/wolf-will-live-but-maybe-not-in-wild-2.html

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KEEP CALLING AND EMAILING.

Don’t give up on her. We need increased pressure on USFWS to do the right thing!!

===

US Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Office: 505-761-4748 or 505-363-2797

USFSW Regional Director Tuggle: RDTuggle@fws.gov

White House (202) 456-1111

Senator Tom Udall (202) 224-6621, (505) 988-6511 or (505) 346-6791

Senator Jeff Bingaman (202) 224-5521 or 1-800-443-8658

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (505) 984-8950 or (202) 225-6190

Congressman Martin Heinrich (505) 346-6781 or (202) 225-6316

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Photo: National Geographic Photo by Joel Sartore

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Mexican Gray Wolf

Tags:  Keep her wild, no legholds, retire grazing leases, remove cows near den site, Fox Mountain Alpha Mother, USFWS, Dr. Tuggle

TAKE ACTION: Keep The Fox Mountain Alpha Female Wild…

Mexican Gray Wolf Pups (Lobos of the Southwest)

UPDATE: August 14, 2012

As of today I’m hearing the alpha female of the Fox Mountain Pack is still free.  The concern is are they laying leg hold traps to catch her? This would be a dangerous situation for her  pups or other members of the pack. We don’t need any of the wolves sustaining leg injuries.  I sincerely hope this is not the case and that a solution is being devised to keep this important breeding female wild.  Please keep your phone calls and emails coming.

The following callous statement by “Officials” was reported in the Albuquerque Journal on August 13th, 2012.

‘Calls to Service spokesmen were not returned, but officials have said the wolf is of low genetic value to its species and constitutes a risk to cattle owners.”

That’s the mindset we’re dealing with, pathetic. How about this is a critically endangered wolf mother and CATTLE CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO HER SURVIVAL Get cows out of the wolf recovery area. Retire grazing leases!

Every Mexican gray wolf is important to the recovery of the species!

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We were all relieved to hear the kill order on the Fox Mountain alpha female had been rescinded but disturbed she would be separated from her pups and spend the rest of her life in captivity, never to see her family again.  This is not acceptable. Without this mother present, the Fox Mountain pack could disband leaving the pups orphaned or worse.  It’s not uncommon for this to happen when one of the alphas is lost, either by death or capture. It will put tremendous pressure on the alpha male to keep  his growing family fed.  Wolves are highly social animals so you can imagine how they will react to the loss of their matriarch.

Please keep the phone calls and emails coming. The important contacts  are listed below,  provided by WildEarth Guardians.

Tell them to keep this mother wild and remove the cows from the den site vicinity.  Grazing leases must be retired in the wolves recovery area  to give these animals a fighting chance.

Just a few short years ago wild Mexican gray wolf numbers dropped to dangerous levels due to poaching. Their numbers have climbed back up to an anemic fifty plus but still far below the recovery goal that was  promised by 2006. Here we are six years later still fighting the same forces that want to  stop Mexican gray wolf recovery dead in its tracks. If the pack disbands, the loss will be immeasurable. These wolves are the most endangered animal in North America. Removing a successful breeding female from the wild, over a few cows, is egregious.

FROM WILDEARTH GUARDIANS

Please call the White House, New Mexico Senators Udall and Bingaman, and New Mexico Congressional Representatives Luján and Heinrich now to keep the Fox Mountain mother wolf in the wild, and demand that cattle be restricted from the pack’s den area.

White House (202) 456-1111

Senator Tom Udall (202) 224-6621, (505) 988-6511 or (505) 346-6791

Senator Jeff Bingaman (202) 224-5521 or 1-800-443-8658

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (505) 984-8950 or (202) 225-6190

Congressman Martin Heinrich (505) 346-6781 or (202) 225-6316

Please politely tell them:

• The Fox Mountain pups need their mother and to be left unmolested in the wild of the Apache National Forest. Like any youngster who loses their mother, those pups will suffer, and the mother will suffer in captivity. Removing members from a pack causes trauma for all the pack’s members, and can even cause packs to disband, studies show.

• Fewer than 60 Mexican wolves roam the wild, and the Fox Mountain pack contains one of only six breeding pairs identified. Removing this wolf is biologically harmful and a huge waste of taxpayer money.

• The livestock owner has been compensated for his losses.

• Livestock owners within the territory of the Fox Mountain pack should immediately either temporarily remove all livestock from the vicinity of the pups’ den, or use electric fencing or herders to manage cattle by day, and barns and corrals to secure the animals at night.

http://wg.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=9201.0

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Let’s work to keep this wolf mother wild to raise her puppies, lead her family and continue to  contribute to the important recovery of Mexican gray wolves!!

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This video was taken  in the late seventies. It’s believed to be one of the last wild Mexican gray wolves “captured from northern Mexico before the species went extinct in the wild.”  Click here to read more.

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Photo: Courtesy Lobos of the Southwest

Video: You Tube Courtesy  ricklobello 

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Mexican Gray Wolf

Tags: Mexican gray wolf alpha female, Fox Mountain Pack, New Mexico, USFWS, retire grazing leases,  keep her wild, take action

Another Tragic Loss for Mexican Gray Wolves, Something MUST Be Done!!

Wichita, Kansas 1997

“Gathering strength in a Kansas zoo, a litter of Mexican wolves boosts hopes of restoring this subspecies of the gray wolf to New Mexico and Arizona.”

UPDATE: The Mogart Pack alpha male has been found alive. Good news!!

Most Recent Missing Mexican Wolf Found–And He’s Not Dead

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Here we go again. The alpha female of the Mexican gray wolf Mogart pack has been found dead in New Mexico, her mate missing. I’m angry and frustrated by the constant bad news coming out off the Southwest. The war on wolves continues.

Mexican grays are becoming inbred due to their small gene pool and tiny numbers. We’re now down to 37 Mexican gray wolves in the wild. There is a $60,000 reward on the head of the last poacher’s head.

What will it take for SOMEBODY TO TALK? A million? Two million? Whatever the price, it needs to be paid. The drip, drip, drip of dead wolves in the Southwest is a crime of major proportions and it’s not going to be solved until someone starts giving up the poachers.  IMO this is a carefully orchestrated operation. The scum poachers know what they’re doing, killing off one of the alpha pair, effectively disbanding the pack. Is the alpha male dead as well?

Were these wolves collared? If so, who has access to the radio receivers to track the wolves? What progress has been made in the tragic killings of the Hawks Nest wolves?

USFWS, is charged with not only recovering the gray wolf but protecting them. The paradigm on how they manage these critically endangered animals needs an overhaul. Open up new territory, such as Grand Canyon National Park, where there is a solid prey base for wolves and NO CATTLE.

USFWS, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!! What you’re doing is not working. Time is of the essence. AND RELEASE MORE WOLVES!!

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Mexican gray wolf found dead in NM; 4th this year

By SUE MAJOR HOLMES / Associated Press

Posted: 10/26/2010 04:16:37 PM MDT

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_16438639?source=most_viewed

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Center For Biological Diversity
For Immediate Release, October 27, 2010

Lawsuit Launched Over Long-delayed Protections for Mexican Wolf, Giant Palouse Earthworm, Spring Pygmy Sunfish and Oklahoma Grass Pink Orchid

Program for Protecting Imperiled Species Remains Mired in Missed Deadlines, Bureaucratic Foot-Dragging

WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its failure to respond to petitions to list four species: the Mexican wolf, giant Palouse earthworm, spring pygmy sunfish and Oklahoma grass pink orchid. The four species join 91 others listed in an earlier lawsuit over the agency’s failure to make timely decisions for species that desperately need protection.

“The program for listing species under the Endangered Species Act is broken. Every day of delay means placing the Mexican gray wolf, giant Palouse earthworm, spring pygmy sunfish, grass pink orchid and dozens of others at increased risk of extinction,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. “Under Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lacks any sense of urgency for plants and animals facing the prospect of disappearing forever.”

The agency frequently claims it lacks sufficient resources to list more species. Congress, however, has increased the budget for listing species from $3 million in 2002 to more than $10 million in 2010 with little increase in the rate of species listings. To date, the Obama administration has not substantially increased the pace of species listings by the Fish and Wildlife Service. It did finalize protection for 51 species in Hawaii, but in the conterminous United States has only finalized protection for one plant and only proposed protection for 16 species. Because it takes at least one year to finalize proposed listings, these 16 will likely be the only species protected in all of 2011. Under the Clinton administration, by contrast, the Fish and Wildlife Service listed 498 species for an average rate of 62 species per year.

“We had hoped to see serious reform of the Fish and Wildlife Service under Secretary Salazar, but instead it’s only been more foot-dragging and delay,” said Greenwald. “Meanwhile, species that badly need protections provided by the Endangered Species Act are facing increased habitat loss, the effects of climate change and other threats to their survival.”

Background on the species
The Mexican wolf was listed as an endangered subspecies of the gray wolf in 1976, but in 1978 all gray wolf subspecies’ listings were consolidated into a species-level listing for all gray wolves in the lower 48 states. Although it does receive some protection from listing of the gray wolf overall, a separate listing as a subspecies or distinct population would compel the government to develop a modern recovery plan for the Mexican wolf, which is declining toward extinction as the government delays again and again. Today, only about 42 Mexican wolves survive in the wild. The Center filed a petition to list the Mexican wolf on Aug. 11, 2009. The Fish and Wildlife Service issued an initial positive finding, but has failed to make the 12-month finding determining whether listing is warranted.

The giant Palouse earthworm is a native of the Palouse prairies of eastern Washington and Idaho, which have been plowed and paved. Today it occupies just 3 percent of its former range. It has been found only five times in the past 110 years, including this year when University of Idaho researchers found two live specimens on a prairie near Moscow, Idaho. The earthworm was first petitioned for protection in 2006. After that petition was rejected by the Bush administration, the Center and allies petitioned again on June 30, 2009. The following month, the Obama administration reversed course and agreed to consider the new petition, but is now late on making a 12-month finding.

Discovered in 1937, the spring pygmy sunfish was twice presumed extinct during the 70 years it has been known to science. It is limited primarily to headwater springs in the Tennessee River watershed and historically occurred in three small disjunct spring complexes (Cave, Pryor and Beaverdam springs), separated by up to 65 miles. Two of the three populations have disappeared. The Cave Springs population was extirpated in 1938 due to inundation by the formation of Pickwick Reservoir; the Pryor Springs population disappeared by the late 1960s, most likely due to dredging and chemical contamination; and the single remaining native population occupies only roughly five river miles within the Beaverdam Springs complex. The Center and fisheries biologist Mike Sandel petitioned to list the sunfish November 24, 2009. The Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to make a finding on the petition.

The grass pink orchid occurs in wet prairies and open savannahs, where it requires frequent burning and is under threat from forces like habitat destruction for urban and agriculture sprawl, livestock grazing and fire suppression. It once occurred across 17 states from Minnesota to Texas and across to Florida, but is now believed to survive in only eight: Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The petition was submitted by Douglas Goldman, a concerned scientist on May 28, 2008. The Fish and Wildlife Service issued an initial positive finding, but has failed to make the 12-month finding determining whether listing is warranted.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/listing-delays-10-27-2010.html

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Nat Geo Wallpaper, Photo Joe Sartore

Posted in: Mexican gray wolf, Wolf Wars

Tags: Stop poaching wolves, Mogart Wolf Pack, wolf wars, get cattle out of the Gila, retire grazing leases