Judge Molloy Supports the States

After days of waiting, Judge Molloy finally reached a decision on September 9th. The judge said FWS violated the Endangered Species Act when it kept wolves protected under it in Wyoming while delisting the wolves elsewhere. In addition, FWS numbers for a viable wolf population are political and not based on science. Therefore, the wolves should be hunted. The wolves will bounce back even if over 30% of their population was killed! (Typical Montana)

That's the judge's decision--Exterminate the gray wolves.

Target: Gray Wolves

With no decision made yet by Judge Molloy regarding the Northern Rocky gray wolves, the hunt in Idaho began yesterday. So far, 3 wolves have been killed. Molloy could still approve an injunction which would stop the current hunt in Idaho and prevent the hunt in Montana which is set to begin September 15th.

In Idaho alone over 9,000 tags have been sold. In Montana over 3,000 tags.

It's hard to tell what Molloy will decide. Just last week in Dillion, Montana, gray wolves killed 120 sheep in one raid! The ranch was left to one person, the owner's son, to supervise. The owner boasted that his ranch has been there for 50 years and the wolves were "intruders." (WOW! A whole 50 years. The wolves have been there for how many thousands? The ranch is the intrusion.)

In Montana, Ed Bangs, the Helena-based U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional wolf recovery coordinator said that the wolves are already being culled. With 23 percent of gray wolves in Montana being killed each year by the following:

10% By "agency control"
10% Illegally
3% Accidentally, such as by vehicles

Back in Idaho the stupid hunters are now boasting about their kills with photos of themselves with a dead wolf. Here are a couple news sites with photos.
KOMO
LA Times

Idaho to Kill 50% Wolf Population

Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) wants to kill 518 gray wolves in the state out of the 1,000 that live there. This is 8 times the recovery goal and the wolves are increasing in population by 20% annually (too bad we don't have the same rules about invasive species). Hunters will be used to "manage" wolves (just like the buffalo). The focus areas for hunting will be where invasive livestock have taken over and in the Lolo Elk Zone where the number of elk is decreasing by 13% each year. IDFG puts a good portion of the blame on the wolves (what a surprise), saying that other predators such as, black bears and mountain lions kill elk too, but when the wolves are "managed" the elk numbers will increase. This decrease in elk has caused a decrease in hunting ($$$)

So, the mindset of the European settlers lives on in Idaho.

Gray Wolves are Back to Judge Molloy

On June 2, 2009, Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of conservation groups challenging the decision to delist the wolves. But, once again the arrogant MT FWP, who are kneeling to ranchers, is out to stop them. The case is once again in the hands of Judge Donald Molloy.

FWP news release, "FWP will also oppose any preliminary injunction requests that seek to reinstate federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the northern Rockies."

"Montana’s wolf population is growing and is well protected by Montana law and well-managed under the state’s federally approved wolf conservation and management plan, [b.s.]" said Joe Maurier, director FWP in Helena. "Montanans have worked hard for more than a decade to recover wolves and FWP will work equally hard to ensure that wolves in Montana are managed under a highly regarded and science-based state plan." (livestock interests are the basis of the plan.)

U.S. Wolf History & Present Day

In Europe wolves were almost extinct by the time settlers arrived on this continent. At this time there were an estimated 250,000 wolves in the now lower 48 states alone. The settlers brought the same mindset as they had in Europe, wolves are evil. Manifest destiny led the way and the rest is history and present.

Just 10 years after the Mayflower landed the Massachusetts Bay Colony began offering rewards for killing wolves. The wolf was the enemy just like all Native peoples and wildlife. The wolf was made into a scape goat for the uncontrolled, power hungry settlers. (sounds like today) The settlers over-hunted deer. So, they blamed the wolf for low deer populations. (just like today)

In the 19th century the good ol' ranchers came to the west for cheap, abundant land they could destroy with their invasive cows (again with the cattle) Things didn't go so well. This non-native species (the cows. not ranchers. too bad it wasn't both.) began dying of diseases. Again the wolf was falsely blamed. Now for killing livestock. It wasn't long before livestock began replacing the wildlife wolves eat; buffalo and deer. So, fearing wolves would kill the livestock a campaign went out to exterminate the wolf. Professionals working for the livestock industry (no not FWP this time) would use various methods to kill wolves including laying strychnine-poisoned meat in up to 150 mile lines!! When wolves began to be hard to find, they were searched out and killed in various ways: set on fire, shot, poisoned, clubbed, trapped, and inoculated with mange! Good ol' Montana takes credit for killing over 80,000 wolves in 25 years.

In the 1970's less than 1,000 wolves remained in the lower 48. Today there are only 50 Mexican wolves, 100 Red wolves in the wild and between 7,000-11,000 gray wolves in Alaska as well as more than 5,000 in the lower 48 (no where near 250,000) with about 15,000 of these in the Greater Yellowstone Area

Now once again history repeats itself with a rancher, the Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar removing the gray wolves from the endangered species list. So, the killing of wolves continues for the same reason as the past--power hungry, immature, people.

Contact Obama and tell him to put the gray wolf back on the endangered species list.

More wolf history

Montana Sets Wolf Quota

The number is set at 75.

“Today, we can celebrate the fact that Montana manages elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, ducks, bighorn sheep, and wolves in balance with their habitats, other species, and in balance with the people who live here,”said FWP Director Joe Maurier. What a bunch of BS! Send him an email and let him know it is.

What Montanans think about this.
Most of the 180 public comments submitted to the commission said the proposed range for the wolf quota of 26-165 was too low. (what a surprise)

For more info. Check out the HelenaIR

MT Wolf Hunt This Fall

FWP has set the wolf quota to (get this) 26-165 !! FWP representatives had wanted it to be 0-207. (that zero is NOT a misprint)
Why 207? They were afraid the wolves would become listed again!
But, FWP commission said no to 207 and wanted the lower number because although the commission believes it’s biologically defensible, they weren’t sure it sends the right message — that Montana intends to maintain healthy wolf populations.

Something to take into consideration..

Federal standards require Montana to maintain 100 wolves in 10 breeding pairs. The state prefers a minimum of 150 wolves in 15 breeding pairs to ensure they don't fall under federal management again.

(They're like kids whose parents took away a toy for misbehaving then later gave it back. So, now they try to get away with as much as they can without going too far.)

Comments on the quotas will be taken until June 19th email FWP

Quotes are from an article in the HelenaIR

Call for end to USDA's wildlife killing agency

That's the title of an AP article I just found.
This is good news for wildlife and all of us who are sick and tired of the Department of Livestock slaughtering native species!

The article is from last week and states that "115 environmental groups signed onto a recent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to abolish the U.S. Agriculture Department's Wildlife Services."

Currently tax payers are subsidizing a "$100 million program that kills more than 1 million wild animals annually, a program ranchers and farmers have defended for nearly a century as critical to protecting their livestock from predators."

Who oversees Wildlife Services? APHIS (surprise surprise)

What are some stats from this program? In 2007 121,524 carnivores were killed at the request of ranchers. As well as, "Hundreds of thousands of other animals, including ravens and raccoons, also are killed through the program." Black bears and endangered gray wolves are also among these according to the article.

Carol Bannerman, a spokeswoman for the USDA says that when they are given a request they review each individual project "and move ahead only if there would be no long-term negative impact on the environment." What does this mean? Like they haven't had a "long-term negative impact on the environment." The whole industry is a negative impact. They've been killing buffalo and wolves for 200 years to get land for their livestock.

As stated in 1874 by U.S. Representative Conger,
"They (buffalo) eat the grass. They trample upon the plains upon which our settlers desire to herd their cattle and their sheep. They range over the very pastures where the settlers keep their herds of cattle. They destroy the pasture."