Spring 2009 Wolf Teacher Newsletter: Special Edition
Dear Friends,
Despite his relatively good enviro record, our new Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, has aligned himself with the anti-wolf forces and reinstated the Bush wolf slaughter in the northern Rockies. Wolves will be stripped of their endangered species protection, and nearly-unlimited license-to-kill rules will be the managment plans of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Due to intense pressure from a vocal minority of elk hunters, states will be allowed to kill wolves anytime there's a declline in elk numbers, anywhere in the region, even if overall elk numbers are healthy.
Management policies are ignoring the trophic cascade effect, whereby the presence of wolves keeps habitat helathy by naturally controlling deer/elk overpopulations and the resulting degradation of forests, meadows and streams. Instead, they see the cash crop potential in wolf trophy hunting.
Wolves now number around 1500 in the norhtern Rockies, but if current license-to-kill rules stay, their numbers could plunge to 400 -not enough to maintain the helathy gene pools that good science recognizes. And, as has been proven in the past, trophy hunting leads to disrespectful attitudes, overkill and possible extinction.
Please write, call, or email President Obama and Secretary of Interior Salazar and tell them to do the intelligent thing for wolves and our kids eco-heritage, and keep endangered species protection for wolves. YOUR INPUT MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO POLITICIANS!!
With the arrival of spring, we've resumed wolf teachings at schools, camps and libraries, plus the outreach table at festivals. Mission:Wolf, with wolf Maggie and wolf/husky Abraham, took to the road in April for a western program tour. Highlight was an appearance with trophic cascade expert, Bill Ripple, at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. We still have dates available for their Northeast October tour. Contact us to schedule.
To help us continue to inspire respect for wolves, make a purchase from our Wolf Shoppe fundraisers. Or, send your donation check, in any amount, made out to "Wolf Teacher/Pam Brown" (for tax-deductable purposes to "APNM" - Animal Protection of New Mexico), and send to Wolf Teacher/Pam Brown, 166 Wittenberg Rd., Bearsville NY 12409.
For Wild,
Pam
