http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/rare-wolves-get-more-area-roam-southwest
Rare wolves in the American Southwest will be allowed more room to roam but some could be marked for death if they prey too heavily on elk and deer prized by hunters, under a rule issued by federal officials on Monday.
The rule revising management of the fewer than 100 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico stems from legal challenges by the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, which argued U.S. wildlife managers failed to properly protect the so-called Mexican wolf.
The federal government’s new management plan for the endangered Mexican wolf, which is one of the most imperiled mammals in North America, enlarges the acreage it can occupy without relocation and expands the area where captive wolves can be released into the wild, according to a statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
U.S. wildlife officials also declared the Mexican wolf was a separate subspecies to the gray wolf found elsewhere in the United States. That ensures Mexican wolves would not be included in a proposal by President Barack Obama’s administration to remove gray wolves in states outside Alaska from the federal endangered and threatened species list.
The Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that 300 to 325 Mexican wolves would be needed in the U.S. Southwest for the animals to be considered recovered and stripped of protections under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Conservationists argued the revisions were still insufficient to guarantee the Mexican wolf would make a strong comeback and said a minimum of 750 were needed for the animal’s long-term survival.
They also took aim at a rule unveiled on Monday that gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service more leeway to allow state wildlife agencies and others to kill Mexican wolves.
The rule change would allow such killing of the predators to protect livestock and other domestic animals or to prevent what the service called “unacceptable impacts” on elk and deer herds valued by hunters.
“This is very worrisome,” said Michael Robinson, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “These wolves were subjected to a ruthless extermination campaign to the point where they nearly went extinct.”
Exposing the Big Game 
This is another example of livestock industry-led destructive “wolf management.” We have been dealing with this issue here for decades, and nothing changes–as long as the cowboy-ranchers rule. As soon a a poor wolf “leaves a designated area” ( what?), the livestock/hunters are laying in wait. And, also hunting them in so-called “protected areas” as well.
Again, No Peace, No Justice while the Public Lands Ranching Industry exists.
http://www.foranimals.org
Political Management of Wolves and other Wildlife, Dirty Politics
Regarding the delisting of wolves and undermining of the ESA, spring of 2011, and another currently (January 2015) proposed rider by Midwestern politicians and WY politically delisting wolves, rider attached to a must pass appropriation bill, with backroom dark politics involved. It is pointed out that we (wolf conservationists) expect this from republicans but it is extremely disappointing to see from democrats. So, what are we to do? What is the lesser evil? Generally, we currently have trouble with republicans, especially the likes of red state governors and republican state legislatures. It is really not a surprise from blue dog democrats such as Max Baucus and Jon Tester of Montana. They are first of all blue dog, pork barrel politicians playing to a very red, colloquial population. Furthermore, Tester is a farmer, and Baucus was a rancher, then (2011 senator now ambassador). Baucus, I heard, lost a dog to wolves. Wyoming and ID are deep red as is MT. We, wolf conservationists are disappointed in Obama, Dan Ashe of USFWS, Sally Jewell of Interior. Sarah Palin as governor of Alaska (R) was having wolves shot from helicopters to support ungulate populations (colloquial mythology). How would things be with McCain-Palin, or Romney-Ryan? I have seen repeatedly references to the “Obama administration’s” proposals for delisting wolves we would have and will see much worse from republicans who essentially conduct a war on wildlife, wilderness and public lands. Much, much worse! So, we cannot just vote against all these democrats:That would be to cut our nose off to spite them. Answer, we have to, to the extent we can, hold our senators and representatives accountable and let them know how we feel about what they did. Politicians are generally sleazy and will wheel and deal and “:get things done” often without principle. How do you know a politician or lawyer is lying? Their lips are moving. We must keep an eye on them. We should promote the abolishment of the rider congressional tool. It is a way to get things done without public and media scrutiny, a sneaky and sleazy congressional tool of backroom politics. It is generally republicans trying to undermine ESA and EPA and manage threatened or endangered wildlife, especially the predators at the state level which usually results in political management and management by conservative state wildlife agencies and hunters and trappers. State management is a republican mantra whether we are talking wildlife, public lands, national forests or impact of extraction industries; and this mantra is essentially anti-conservation.
Thanks, Roger. Those damn riders are the worst thing ever! I’ll bet Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren would make mincemeat out of them.
Rodger, I appreciate your knowledge and your articulate message. I would like to see you forward this information to every Democratic elected official in our congress. Thank you!
Reblogged this on Coalition for American Wildbirds.
As long as the world eats meat in massive quantities, politicians will put them first. People have to step up themselves too and get a clue as to what is going on beyond their own backyards and dinner plates. Obama and crew, for Democrats, have been a HUGE disappointment. They don’t have a clue about the environment, and only put a priority on human needs. This Administration is practically dismantling all that had been accomplished for the environment and wildlife in the past.