Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Help us run more ads like this one that ran in the Washington Post Express today.

Service delays national delisting…for now – We were all surprised and greatly relieved on Monday when the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was delaying indefinitely its premature national gray wolf delisting proposal (see our press statement). Hopefully, the delay means that the Obama administration is rethinking its position. Perhaps the 112,295 (and counting) email messages our wolf supporters have sent to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell haven’t fallen on deaf ears. Or maybe it was convincing letters from independent biologists, the American Society of Mammalogists and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent to agency officials in the past week that made the difference. Whatever it was, we need to keep the pressure up to ensure that this isn’t just a temporary reprieve. Wolves still need federal protection to recover in vast areas with excellent habitat, such as the Pacific Northwest, northern California and the southern Rockies. You can help us secure a brighter future for wolves by supporting our latest outreach efforts, including an advertising campaign that launched today in the Washington Post Express!

Meanwhile, our colleagues at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit demanding information from 2010 meetings between state and federal agencies regarding wolf biology and management. Their efforts may help reveal the motivation behind the premature delisting of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and shed light on current plans to abandon wolf recovery nationwide. As PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch said, “By law, Endangered Species Act decisions are supposed to be governed by the best available science, not the best available deal.” We couldn’t agree more, and Defenders Executive Vice President Don Barry emphasized that point on the air recently when he had the chance to discuss the importance of maintaining the integrity of the ESA and protections for gray wolves. Listen to his interview with KTVA near Los Angeles:

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Bill sponsors and supporters join Gov. Inslee for the signing of critical wolf funding legislation in Washington.

Gov. Inslee signs wolf funding bill — Washington ranchers will soon have more resources at their disposal to help wolves and livestock coexist, thanks to the state legislature. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill this week that is expected to raise more than one million dollars for nonlethal wolf conservation management efforts and compensation for livestock producers.  Champions of the bill included Representatives Hans Dunshee and Kristine Lytton and Senators Kevin Ranker and Christine Rolfes.  Defenders regional wolf conservationist Suzanne Stone was present at signing and added, “This is a great example of the benefit of working collaboratively to tackle conflicts instead of just fighting over them.  This legislation is a win for wolves and for ranchers.” Thanks to all our colleagues and supporters in Washington and across the country who helped get this key piece of legislation passed and signed!

Oregon livestock losses highlight need for nonlethal deterrents – According to the latest update from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state’s wolves have been getting into more trouble with livestock. Last week, OR-4 of the Imnaha pack was implicated in the death of a yearling cow, and at least one Umatilla wolf was involved with the death of four sheep. Overall livestock losses to wolves are still extremely low in Oregon, as well as across the rest of the West. But these incidents provide an important wake-up call for ranchers in the region who are turning their animals out on pasture this spring and summer. Using proactive strategies and nonlethal deterrents is essential to minimizing livestock losses in wolf country. Often all it takes is a few guard dogs, a range rider or portable fencing to ensure that livestock and wildlife can safely coexist. Such measures will be vitally important as wolves continue to expand into areas where they have been absent for nearly 80 years.

Discover wolves in North America – A new series called “North America” premiered on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, and of course wolves were featured prominently. Watch these incredible clips of wild wolves chasing bison and caribou, engaged in the perennial showdown between predator and prey:

The lone male wolf known as OR7 will receive immediate protections under the California Endangered Species Act.

OR-7 gets state protections – OR-7, California’s lone wolf, can breathe a sigh of relief. On Wednesday, the state Fish and Game Commission voted 3-0 in favor of moving forward with a petition to list gray wolves under California’s Endangered Species Act. That means wolves will get immediate protection while Department of Fish and Game completes a full status review.

For the time being, OR-7 and any other wolves that might wander in California are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as well. But those protections are likely to disappear if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues a delisting later this year. Additional protections are needed to ensure the long-term recovery of wolves in the Golden State. Read our press release here.

California Department of Fish and Game will now conduct a thorough status review, and a final listing decision will be made next year.

Wedge Pack backlash – Apparently, we’re not the only ones who think Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife acted hastily to remove the Wedge Pack last week. State Sen. Kevin Ranker, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee, openly criticized the department and a local rancher for not working to find a better nonlethal solution. Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a public meeting this afternoon to figure out what went wrong. You can stream the meeting live from the Seattle Times’ website starting at 1 p.m. Pacific.

Wood River rancher pitches in for reward – Setting differences aside is the key to good collaborative partnerships. At our year-end meeting last week for the Wood River Wolf Project, the Flat Top Ranch offered to match Defenders with $500 for a reward in connection to the poisoning of two dogs in the area. Ranch owner John Peavey says there are better ways to deal with wolves than resorting to poison. “The introduction of wolves has presented our community with many challenges,” said Peavey. “We must meet them within the framework of our laws. Those responsible need to be brought to justice.” (Read more in the Idaho Mountain Express and NBC News.)

Flat Top is the same ranch that lost sheep last spring to wolves because of lambing practices that prevented the use of nonlethal deterrents. Since then, our Wood River Wolf Project team has been helping the Flat Top herders implement nonlethal strategies to successfully protect their sheep from predation.

The hunt is on – Hunters are making quick work of wolves across the Northern Rockies, where the season is now open in three states. The first wolf was killed in Wyoming on opening day on Monday, and another five had been killed as of Wednesday afternoon. As of yesterday, seven wolves had been killed in Montana, including one near Glacier National Park where the season is now closed. Twenty-three wolves have been killed so far in Idaho, bringing the grand total for season to 36 in the three states.

Fencing will help Yellowstone-area landowners coexist with free-roaming bison.

This week it got a little easier for landowners outside Yellowstone National Park to coexist with bison.

On Monday, Defenders of Wildlife, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club launched an incentive program to assist with bison fencing efforts in the area. This program is designed to support recent steps by Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks and other state and federal agencies to allow more bison to roam outside Yellowstone National Park. Through the program, landowners in the Gardiner and Hebgen basins concerned about potential bison impacts can get reimbursed for 50 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing fencing, up to $1,000 per landowner, to keep bison off private property.

Bison often travel beyond park boundaries in search of food, particularly during harsh winters. Until recently, bison were simply hazed back inside the park, shot on sight, or shipped to slaughter (1,600 bison were slaughtered in 2008 alone). But in the last couple of years, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and state and federal agencies have agreed to let bison roam beyond the park boundaries. Additional changes may soon create year-round bison habitat outside the park. Montana’s wildlife agency just held two public meetings in the north and west gateway communities to Yellowstone National Park to gather public input on its proposal to expand habitat available by bison outside the park by around 350,000 acres! Public support for this proposal appeared to outweigh opposition at these meetings.

The slaughter of bison outside Yellowstone National Park has long been a dark spot on America’s wildlife conservation heritage. The recent changes allowing bison places to roam outside the park are critical steps toward managing bison like other wildlife. However, these efforts could fail if they are not accepted by local communities. The resources Defenders and our colleagues are providing for fencing could go a long way toward increasing tolerance for bison where it is most needed by helping concerned landowners protect their property from potential damage.

“Our goal is to increase tolerance for bison in these important habitat areas,” said Jonathan Proctor, Rockies and Plains associate for Defenders of Wildlife. “Offering this incentive will allow us to engage constructively with landowners who may have concerns with free-roaming bison on their properties.”

To learn more about the program, check out our promotional poster and read our full press release.

See recent coverage in the Billings Gazette and Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

The lone male wolf known as OR7 may be in trouble if federal protections are removed for wolves in the Pacific Northwest.

There are about 50 wolves in the Pacific Northwest that range between Washington, Oregon and northern California, but only a tiny handful of them are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. That’s why Defenders and 23 other conservation groups sent a letter to President Obama today, asking his administration to maintain those protections until the population has fully recovered.

When Congress delisted wolves in the Northern Rockies last year, wolves in eastern Washington and eastern Oregon lost their protection as well. But wolves in the western portion of those states are located outside of the Northern Rockies “distinct population segment” and thus still remain listed under the ESA. However, another anticipated delisting from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could strip federal protections for gray wolves across the entire lower 48, including the Pacific Northwest.

There are currently two packs in Washington—the Lookout and Teanaway packs—that reside in the western portion of the state. A lone male wolf has also spent the last eight months traveling between southwest Oregon and northern California. These are the only known wolves in the Pacific Northwest that are currently protected under the federal ESA.

“Wolves have made an incredible comeback in the Rockies, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on wolf recovery in the West,” said Pamela Flick, California program coordinator with Defenders of Wildlife. “Californians deserve the chance to see wolves returned to their former habitat in our state too, and maintaining federal protections across the Pacific Northwest is the best way to make sure that happens.”

Defenders and our colleagues are urging the Fish and Wildlife Service to create a new distinct population segment for the Pacific Northwest to maintain federal protections until wolves have fully recovered. While Oregon and Washington already have plans in place to restore wolves, protection under the federal ESA will commit additional resources to wolf recovery in the region. It also provides an extra safety net in case either state starts managing wolves too aggressively. Both Oregon and Washington have done a reasonably good job so far, but wildlife managers are under increasing pressure from anti-wolf extremists to limit wolf numbers.

In California, however, wolves could be without any safety net whatsoever if federal protections are eliminated. Defenders is working closely with California Department of Fish and Game to come up with a solid state management plan, but it’s still a ways off. The state is currently considering adding wolves to the state endangered species list, but there’s no guarantee of such protections.

We must act now to prevent this unwarranted delisting, before it’s too late. Wolves in the Pacific Northwest need full protection of the federal ESA to give them the best chance to recover.

Click here to read the coalition’s full press release.

Montana approves aggressive wolf hunt – Despite a great turnout from wolf supporters at their meeting yesterday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission approved more aggressive wolf hunting regulations for the upcoming season. Many Montanans expressed particular concern about the potential impacts of allowing widespread wolf trapping both at the meeting and during the official written comment period. The editorial board for the Missoulian called the proposal “cruel and unnecessary,” and Defenders has repeatedly brought attention to the risks to rare, non-target species such as lynx and wolverine that could easily get caught in a wolf trap. Yet the Commission ended up ignoring these comments all the same.

In the bigger picture, Montana’s decision amounts to an unwarranted escalation of their wolf-killing efforts in just the second year since delisting. The state appears to be myopically focused on driving wolf numbers down without legitimate justification, rather than maintaining the population currently on the ground. Some radical hunters and ranchers insist that a more aggressive hunt and fewer wolves will mean more elk and fewer livestock losses. But there’s no scientific evidence to show that’s the case. With fewer than 100 cattle lost to wolves in 2011 out of 2.5 million, it’s unclear that simply killing more wolves will make any difference anyway. We’d much rather see the state take a lead role in promoting nonlethal deterrents and better animal husbandry practices to prevent livestock losses before they occur.

Read our full press release here.

Guard dogs and people must work together to protect sheep.

Wood River Team springs into action – Our Wood River Wolf Project team had to spring into action last week when four sheep were lost to wolves near Ketchum, Idaho. This particular migrating band of more than 1,000 sheep had only one guard dog with it and no herder when the incident occurred, highlighting the importance of human vigilance. While a team of barking guard dogs can occasionally ward off a wolf attack, a lone dog does not provide much of a deterrent, especially if human help isn’t nearby. So to avoid any further losses, our team spent several nights following the band and staying with the sheep at night. They shined lights and fired cracker shells to warn off wolves and other native predators, while searching for sign of wolves during the day. By doing so, our project team was able to prevent further losses. The rancher also agreed to put more livestock guarding dogs out with his sheep and have his herders keep closer watch over their flocks. Unfortunately, a kill order has been issued for Wildlife Services to remove wolves in the area, but the rancher has rescinded his request and asked to put a collar on the wolf instead.  Having a collar will help our field technicians track wolf movements so they can warn ranchers when wolves are near their sheep.

According to Suzanne Stone, the Wood River Wolf Project coordinator, while the situation wasn’t ideal, this incident shows how we can  protect both sheep and wolves if ranchers and wildlife managers work cooperatively toward that goal. We also got some great publicity this week in Ag Weekly, thanks to Public News Service, with a story that highlights the expansion of the project this year countywide. Listen here:

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Ranchers in Blaine County who are looking for help protecting their livestock from wolves and other wildlife can now call our new hotline at 1-8-555-WOLVES.

Idaho slouching toward open season – Wolves can now be hunted somewhere in Idaho any day of the year. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission decided last week to open wolf hunting on private land in the panhandle the day after the previous hunting season officially closed in two districts. This is just the latest in the state’s attempts to drive wolf numbers down toward the federal minimum requirement of 100 to 150 wolves per state. They already allow wolf hunting and trapping for most of the year statewide, and an individual will be able to kill up to 10 wolves per person this coming fall. If Idaho continues down this path, it won’t be long before they declare a year-round open season on wolves.

Rocky Mountain Director Mike Leahy told the Coeur d’Alene Press:

“No other native animal is intentionally driven down to such artificially low numbers, especially one that Americans have worked so hard to restore. Black bears and mountain lions aren’t hunted year-round even though there are far more of them, and wolves shouldn’t be either.”

Oregon wolves cover more ground – Oregon’s nascent wolf population continues to grow slow and steady with individual wolves showing up in places they haven’t been in nearly a century. The lone male wolf known as OR-7 has recently journeyed more than 100 miles south of the border, making it all the way to California’s Butte County for the first time. Meanwhile, according to the Confederated Umatilla Journal, OR-14 has become the first documented resident of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon. Wolves have been seen in the area before, but OR-14 is the first collared wolf that has actually been tracked and confirmed. The Umatilla tribe has already reached out to Defenders to learn about nonlethal wolf management, and we have helped  their biologists deploy wildlife cameras to learn more about wolves in the area. They are thrilled to have wolves back on their land and intend to do what they can to help protect the animals.

Massive funding cuts, sweeping policy changes endanger wildlife nationwide

Vegetative buffers like these are crucial for giving animals a place to rest and take cover across America’s vast farm landscapes.

The U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee approved a version of the 2012 Farm Bill late last night that includes $6 billion in funding cuts and damaging policy changes to key wildlife conservation programs on America’s working landscapes.

The 2012 Farm Bill eliminates direct payments to farmers, which also eliminates the long-standing provisions known as “conservation compliance” that require farmers receiving subsidies to take modest measures to protect soil, water quality, wetlands and grasslands. Proposed legislation would replace direct payments with expanded crop insurance without any compliance requirements to protect native plants and animals that rely on farm land for their survival. Thus, farmers would receive additional subsidies for plowing under critical buffers such as wetlands, river banks and sensitive riparian areas that provide refuge for native wildlife and prevent pollutants from entering our waterways.

Salmon are just one species that’s severely affected by pesticide poisoning.

Two specific changes to pesticide regulations within the Farm Bill would make it much easier to seriously harm or kill wildlife as well. One provision (Section 10016) would allow weaker, existing pesticide regulations under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act to trump Endangered Species Act protections, overriding the recommendations of the federal government’s own scientific experts. Another provision (Section 10017) would waive the Clean Water Act, allowing pesticides to be dumped directly into our waterways and wreaking havoc on aquatic life up and down the food chain.

Several more changes to forest policy (Sections 8301 – 8304) would shamelessly exploit the danger of wildfires and harmful pests as an excuse to allow extensive logging in designated “critical areas” that could cover more than 15% of our national forests with almost no environmental review or public involvement.

Here’s what Defenders’ President Jamie Rappaport Clark had to say about the bill:

“Each year we lose more than a million acres of vital wildlife habitat to cropland. Now, in addition to slashing funding for wildlife conservation, Congress is asking the American taxpayer to subsidize even more habitat destruction with no strings attached. Expanding crops into environmentally sensitive lands does almost nothing for our food system but has disastrous consequences for our nation’s wildlife and water quality. We also shouldn’t be poisoning our waterways for the benefit of pesticide manufacturers and Big Ag, or giving the logging industry unfettered access to our national forests.

“There are ways to ensure we have sustainable agriculture and forestry without sacrificing our most cherished natural assets, but this is definitely not it.”

Read our full press release here.