This letter to the editor by Roger Hewitt, a regular reader and commenter to this blog, appeared in today’s Missoulian. Way to go, Roger!
The wolf is politically managed in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Wisconsin and other states, not scientifically or compassionately, but by a set of minds that are wolf jihad-minded, who intend to marginalize the wolf and other predators in the mistaken belief that nature needs to be controlled by man instead of lived with in a sharing attitude. It is being managed by a set of minds that go forward in their brutal management rationalizing it by claiming basically two false facts
• Myth 1: That wolves are harming elk populations which are, to the contrary, up in the states mentioned and other states. Elk populations are up 37 percent in Montana, from 89,000 before wolf re-introduction to more than 141,000 elk now, and elk populations are up in the Bitterroots contrary to popular beliefs (myths); and elk numbers have stabilized in Yellowstone at historic normal levels contrary to popular beliefs.
• Myth 2: The stock depredation by wolves in Montana is at 0.002 percent – 67 cattle in 2012, and it has been 67-80’s range.
Sheep depredation is 0.1 percent. So, the elk and stock depredation arguments are myths. What Fish, Wildlife and Parks is doing is farming elk, which the agency claims is 55 percent above desirable population. But the FWP and sportsmen and ranchers are of the same mindset, anti-predator and somewhat anti-wildlife unless it is a recreational killing opportunity. Predators are something to control-manage-dominate, not something to live with, not part of balanced ecology, which reflects our heritage, our prevalent mindsets that live against the environment not with it.
Roger Hewitt, Great Falls
Exposing the Big Game 
I’ve seen rancher & hunter interests’ comments around; everything about them is to promote hatred of wolves and paint themselves as protectors of cows, sheep, etc. These people are walking LIES of the worst kind, bred into existence by the public’s addiction to burgers, etc. Shame on the human race, seriously; wolves and all other wildlife so deserve to be left alone to manage nature in the ways required of them for balance. People screw everything up in the most idiotic, cruel, cowardly ways. The shame cannot be expressed in words.
Well done Roger! Sometimes people get mixied up in small details but you didn’t.
My direction is to discover all the reasons behind delisting. In my sad trip down that path of discovery, I have uncovered things that are on an international nature. The wolves are, as they were 100+ years ago, in the way of ‘progress’. The President is committed to that progress in the form of oil pipelines including Keystone XL. Along with those pipelines there will be super highways. There will be gas pipelines and fresh water pipelines, our oil, gas and fresh water, sold to the highest bidder. Huge powerlines sending energy to hubs, again, sold to the highest bidder and resold to us or to corporations abroad. Wolves are the visable part of the tragidy. By delisting them, then declaring them fully restored, the problem of ESA in the way of progress is solved. Now they can gear up to ram those super-corridors through.
So the next question is, what does America get for depleting our supplies and sending them overseas? That depends on the world economy. If they need fresh water, Nestle, for example’ will provide it. Nestle is a Swiss company that will suck the last drop of water out of your community aquifer, as they have done in the recent past in several places. Has obama sold his soul to the Devil? Maybe? Someone had to give the nod to restart this program. Canada is in neck deep in the tar sands. NAFTA/SPP is the root of the problem and goes back to the Clinton Era.
So what about the wolves? All we have to do is go back little over 500 years in American history. To see how the gov’t treated Native people and animals. Slaughter, infect with disease and put the few that survived in reservations and zoos. The word ‘wild’ seems to upset them. Be it “wild Indians’ ( historically] or wild wolves now?
Because the KXL has caused much upset in the Native and the wolf community, it is to our advantage to join forces politically to fight this so called progress. Both in Canada and the US. No matter if it is ranchers or Wall St. Bankers and speculators, it’s about greed. I would find it hard to believe FWS doesn’t know the truth by now. But their boss wants results, not truth. And it’s a difficult supreme court for a wolf to catch an even break.
Way to go, Roger! So well written and to the point. It is great that they published your letter.
Please everyone that posted here take the time to comment in the comment section in the Missoulan under roger;s comments. Currently there are number of hostile comments that need to be repudiated.
Louise, I went and looked because of your request ,you’re right there are 7 comments against Rogers article . I’m puzzled why I don’t see yours there ?
Reblogged this on Carinas space.
Reblogged this on Coalition for American Wildbirds.