Anti-Wolf Crowd Packs Hall

 

January 22, 2004

 

By John Nelson

 

Steering Committee, Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, Inc. 

 

flypole@earthlink.net

 

Kooskia, Idaho - A large crowd gathered in City Hall Saturday night.  Between 400 and 500 packed the City Hall on the Clearwater River.  They came from miles around and many stood at the back of the room, five deep. Some waited in line for 20 minutes to get into the meeting. The meeting was aimed at concerned citizens that are being impacted by wolf predation on domesticated livestock and on Idaho's wildlife. Volunteers were asked to help participate in upcoming fundraisers and events for legal fees. 

 

The Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition  (formerly the Central Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition) announced that they are prepared to file a law suit against U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (USFWS) / Defenders of Wildlife. 

 

Many sportsmen are considering boycotting the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for not upholding its obligation to protect wildlife in Idaho, yet still charging outrageous prices for license and tags with no game to hunt, in wolf populated areas.

 

Idaho Department of Fish and Game has requested from the legislature an additional increase in 2006. IDFG was denied the increase in 2004. 

 

Law-abiding citizens are now being forced into civil disobedience as was told to me by numerous people in attendance that plan on shooting, trapping and use of poison to control wolf populations. The more deadly illegal poison 1080 has already been used in Central Idaho and was very effective at killing wolves.

 

There’s an enormous misconception about delisting of wolves. During the Coalition’s presentation it clarified the due process of delisting and the timely manner it will take.

 

If delisting occurred today it would still take three to five years before anything would be implemented, wolves would be taken off the endangered list and placed on the threatened or protected list.  

 

This would give the ranching industry some flexibility to kill wolves pursuing or killing livestock.

 

Our wildlife -- which works as a buffer between domesticated livestock -- continues to be depleted by wolves, which will in turn, turn their attention much more on the ranching industry and domestic livestock.

 

(USFWS) will hold the tri-states Idaho, Montana and Wyoming hostage for years.

 

This will leave the tri-states' wildlife unprotected and continue to let the wolf population multiply, going unchecked and out of control and expanding their range.

 

Delisting does nothing for wildlife that are being decimated by wolves at an alarming rate.

 

What is needed is wolf control.

 

I am not referring to placing the 90 percent of females reproducing on a thirty-day supply of birth control pills, nor am I talking about placing condoms on the males.

 

It’s time for lethal control methods, such as target rifles, traps etc.

 

15 wolves were planted in 1995 and 20 more in 1996 in Central Idaho, with the non-indigenous, non-essential and experimental Canadian Gray Wolf populations.

 

(USFWS) estimates wolf populations in Idaho are currently at 350.

 

At a recent meeting held in Boise, Idaho, steering committee member Jack Oyler asked a regional director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, "How many wolves are in Idaho?"  The response, "800 to 1000," confirms Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition's assertions.

 

The Nez Perce Tribe monitoring of wolves has been a disaster.

 

Less than 50 wolves have tracking collar devices.

 

The Coalition has always disagreed with (USFWS) reports of 284 wolves, and estimates of wolf populations at 700-1000. 

 

Biologists (scientists) from Alaska, Siberia, Russia and Canada (where these wolves came from) have told us -- and documented -- an annual population rate increase of 34-36 percent.

 

Biologists are telling us that 90 percent of all females in wolf packs start reproducing at 22 months old.

 

Pro-wolf advocates say that only the alpha females in a pack breed, which is a blatant lie. To further compound the situation, some females are reproducing two litters per year. 

 

Ed Bangs, wolf coordinator for the lower 48 states made brief mention of hybrids in the Summary of Public Comments, but he did not address the survey of those Idahoans licensed to raise wolves or Wolf/dog hybrids in captivity. 

 

That survey revealed a substantial number of licensees had -- either inadvertently or otherwise -- released wolves, and wolf/dog hybrids into Idaho's forests. 

 

Offering these same animals equal protection with the Canadian transplants, illustrates a willingness to populate the three states with anything that looks and sounds like a wolf and encourages the continuing illegal release of pen reared wolves and wolf/dog hybrids.

 

The Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, has recently obtained DNA test results that confirm beyond doubt that the Canadian transplants are not indigenous to Idaho, Montana or Wyoming -- they are an exotic subspecies and a much larger predator.

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Solicitor's ruling that, under Endangered Species Act rules, only the same subspecies may be reintroduced that existed originally. 

 

While (USFWS) has perverted the taxonomists' questionable claim that there may really only be five or fewer subspecies of wolf rather than the 24 that were originally identified and classified. 

    

We know that delisting wolves will take three to five years. 

 

We know that many wolves have not been collared for years.

 

We know that 90% of all females are reproducing. 

 

We know that no one can accurately say where wolves are, or how many they are or what they are doing.

 

We know that wolves are the ultimate predator in North America; they are not even surpassed by the Grizzly Bear.

 

We know that pre-introduction science and the mandates of Congress were ignored. 

 

We know that about 1,000 wolves exist in Idaho. 

 

We know that they kill 24,000 elk per year not including "surplus killing reflex "of elk calves. 

 

We know that our elk herd, a renewable resource, has not renewed itself since 1997, and that wildlife managers were acutely aware of this.

 

We know that in 1999 unit 28 near Yellowstone Park, 500 cow elk permits were issued. Last year a drawing for a few youth tags were issued. 

 

We know that wolf numbers expand at a 34% to 36% annual rate. 

 

We know that wolves will become 4,300 wolves and kill 104,000 animals per year by the promised delisting in 2008.

 

We know that in 1997 Yellowstone’s elk herd was 19,500, and that currently only 7,300 remain, leaving the age structure of elk cows an ancient 15 years old.

 

We know that 60% of all wolf kills are elk calves, making the tri-states the largest abortion clinic in the continental United States.

 

We know that wolves between one and two years of age will disperse from packs and will average 500 miles -- and have been known to travel 750 miles -- to establish new territories.

 

We know that wolves will not self-regulate their numbers and likely will not do so in the future, but will instead expand their range. 

 

We know that the Clearwater elk herd, one of Idaho’s largest, is in a “Predator Pit” to become extinct. 

 

We know that Idaho sportsmen and women directly contribute $680 million into the state economy and that dollar amount has dropped considerable three consecutive years and will continue. 

 

We know that numerous small rural businesses have collapsed.

 

We know that wolves will concentrate on one game herd until they are seriously depleted “Predator Pit” disperse and find another.

 

We know that we have been censored by the mainstream media calling attention to our total annihilation of wildlife in the tri-states the past five years. 

 

We know that the Environmental Impact Statement clearly emphasized that Idaho's economy would not be impacted, hunting opportunities would not be impacted, and rural communities would not be hurt. If wolves started decimating game herds, (USFWS) would intervene and remove wolves.

 

That hasn’t happened yet and never will.

 

We know that Tom Bergerud, lead wolf biologist from British Columbia, Canada, said, “I’ve watched herd after herd of caribou go extinct across Canada by wolves.” He was in McCall, Idaho, in August 2002, [testifying] before the Idaho Department of Fish & Game Commissioners. 

 

We know that the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, Inc. predicted five years ago the severe consequences of the non-indigenous wolves in Idaho. 

 

Would the first person please step up to the plate and prove our prediction wrong? 

 

http://www.centralidahowolfcoalition.com/

 

http://www.usa4id.com/ciwc/

 

Idaho Department of Fish & Game

 

http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/

 

USFWS' Ed Bangs on wolves:

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wolves/bangs.html

 

According to Ed Bangs, northern Rockies gray wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the program "has exceeded all our hopes. [The wolves] are doing great."

 

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/wolf/wolfrecoveryprogram061400.html

 

Contact Mr. Ed Bangs: ed_bangs@fws.gov or 406-449-5225 ext. 204. He's the "Federal wolf recovery coordinator," based at Helena, Montana -- in charge of all federal wolf management in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

 

The pro-wolf crowd:

 

http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/newbiologists.htm

 

The 'biggie' pro-wolfers: Defenders Of Wildlife http://www.defenders.org