Throw 'Em To The Wolves.
The Bush/Cheney administration has officially stripped the northern Rockies gray wolf from the endangered species list.
Without this federal protection, the wolves are left to state management. Under current state law, 70-80% of the wild wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies could be killed. That's 1,200 animals out of 1,500, leaving as few as 300.
They would be killed by traps, including leg-holds and snares.
They would be killed with poison-laced bait. Because wolves are adept at avoiding poison they can smell, they are often killed with "wolf-getters," bait-loaded springs that fire a sodium cynanide pellet which mixes with saliva to form lethal cyanide gas.
They would be killed in hunts. Aerial gunning, already allowed in Alaska and now to be introduced in Wyoming, is a barbaric practice that allows men to chase wolves into the open and shoot them from low-flying airplanes. They are either shot from the air, dying slowly and in agony, or they are chased to the point of collapse and claimed when the hunters come to land. They die exhausted and without a chance to escape. This is how it happens in Alaska. This is what it looks like.
Wolves are finally returning to their natural range. Their recovery, possible only through federal protection, has been spectacular, but is not complete. Full recovery requires healthy populations linked across a wide area, and the delisting threatens that link gravely. This cannot be allowed to happen. It is far too soon.
This is not a lost battle. The past decade has seen remarkable strides in the wolf's recovery. When I was 15, there were no wolves in the lower 48. With continued support the wolf can and will once again take its rightful place in our wilderness.
The key is support.
The delisting has not taken effect yet; it will not take effect until 30 days after the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes the final rule in the Federal Register.
We've got until March 20 to stall this, to stop it, to bring these people to their senses.
Defenders of Wildlife have established a fund that will allow their legal experts to stop this obscenity. Donations can be made here.
Right now, they need at least $150,000 by March 20th. A paltry amount. I suspect that to stop this, they will need a great deal more.
I know I asked you to give last year. Together, we were able to donate over $2,000 to the Bailey Carnivore Fund, which works at the local level to educate ranchers and to help reduce conflicts between humans and predators. I am asking again, this time for the legal team, because the need is pressing.
It made a difference last year. It will make a difference again this year. And we will just have to keep doing this year by year until we either enter an administration that will respect the wolf, or until the wolf has reached a stable, sustainable population.
Defenders of Wildlife need the money right now, so I just called the President's Council line and donated $2,200, the amount raised by last year's auction. I figure if I do another set of auctions I can make that much back, and possibly be able to donate more. Any extra will be donated to the Bailey Carnivore Fund, same as last year.
I don't know yet what I'll be offering. I want to make some lower-priced products available. Prints and note cards are a strong possibility. I would like to do shirts and certificates for the Morningstar Hall Carnivore Guild. I am considering auctioning off a custom box slot, in addition to painting a couple. Any other suggestions are welcome; I'm certainly open to ideas.
You have warning this time. If you want to donate straight-up, do it. If you want to bid, start saving. If you want to contribute something for auction or direct sale, or you know someone who might, think about it for a day or so. I will be putting up another post about that shortly, where we can discuss what sorts of things I'm looking for, and what you would like to donate.
But most of all, I would like you to spread the word. Make people aware that America's most magnificent predator has been stripped of its protection, and let them know how they can help.
Read more about the reintroduction of wolves in the northern Rockies here.
Take action here to write to lawmakers on various wolf-related topics.
Donate here.
It does make a difference. It makes a difference immediately. I got off the phone after making my donation, and less than half an hour later I reloaded the donation page and saw that the number had gone up. By about $2,200.
This is real, people. Let's make a difference.
Without this federal protection, the wolves are left to state management. Under current state law, 70-80% of the wild wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies could be killed. That's 1,200 animals out of 1,500, leaving as few as 300.
They would be killed by traps, including leg-holds and snares.
They would be killed with poison-laced bait. Because wolves are adept at avoiding poison they can smell, they are often killed with "wolf-getters," bait-loaded springs that fire a sodium cynanide pellet which mixes with saliva to form lethal cyanide gas.
They would be killed in hunts. Aerial gunning, already allowed in Alaska and now to be introduced in Wyoming, is a barbaric practice that allows men to chase wolves into the open and shoot them from low-flying airplanes. They are either shot from the air, dying slowly and in agony, or they are chased to the point of collapse and claimed when the hunters come to land. They die exhausted and without a chance to escape. This is how it happens in Alaska. This is what it looks like.
Wolves are finally returning to their natural range. Their recovery, possible only through federal protection, has been spectacular, but is not complete. Full recovery requires healthy populations linked across a wide area, and the delisting threatens that link gravely. This cannot be allowed to happen. It is far too soon.
This is not a lost battle. The past decade has seen remarkable strides in the wolf's recovery. When I was 15, there were no wolves in the lower 48. With continued support the wolf can and will once again take its rightful place in our wilderness.
The key is support.
The delisting has not taken effect yet; it will not take effect until 30 days after the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes the final rule in the Federal Register.
We've got until March 20 to stall this, to stop it, to bring these people to their senses.
Defenders of Wildlife have established a fund that will allow their legal experts to stop this obscenity. Donations can be made here.
Right now, they need at least $150,000 by March 20th. A paltry amount. I suspect that to stop this, they will need a great deal more.
I know I asked you to give last year. Together, we were able to donate over $2,000 to the Bailey Carnivore Fund, which works at the local level to educate ranchers and to help reduce conflicts between humans and predators. I am asking again, this time for the legal team, because the need is pressing.
It made a difference last year. It will make a difference again this year. And we will just have to keep doing this year by year until we either enter an administration that will respect the wolf, or until the wolf has reached a stable, sustainable population.
Defenders of Wildlife need the money right now, so I just called the President's Council line and donated $2,200, the amount raised by last year's auction. I figure if I do another set of auctions I can make that much back, and possibly be able to donate more. Any extra will be donated to the Bailey Carnivore Fund, same as last year.
I don't know yet what I'll be offering. I want to make some lower-priced products available. Prints and note cards are a strong possibility. I would like to do shirts and certificates for the Morningstar Hall Carnivore Guild. I am considering auctioning off a custom box slot, in addition to painting a couple. Any other suggestions are welcome; I'm certainly open to ideas.
You have warning this time. If you want to donate straight-up, do it. If you want to bid, start saving. If you want to contribute something for auction or direct sale, or you know someone who might, think about it for a day or so. I will be putting up another post about that shortly, where we can discuss what sorts of things I'm looking for, and what you would like to donate.
But most of all, I would like you to spread the word. Make people aware that America's most magnificent predator has been stripped of its protection, and let them know how they can help.
Read more about the reintroduction of wolves in the northern Rockies here.
Take action here to write to lawmakers on various wolf-related topics.
Donate here.
It does make a difference. It makes a difference immediately. I got off the phone after making my donation, and less than half an hour later I reloaded the donation page and saw that the number had gone up. By about $2,200.
This is real, people. Let's make a difference.