Wolf Hollow

As I said in an earlier post, I visited Wolf Hollow over the weekend. Now for anyone that doesn't know, Wolf Hollow is a non-profit organization set up “to offer a place where people could view and learn about wolves, in hopes that visitors might be inclined to help preserve the species in the wild.” (source is http://www.wolfhollowipswich.com/found.htm). A visitor is treated to an educational lecture about wolves and their environment as well as environmental and policy issues affected these creatures.

Although I really enjoyed the presentation, there was the requisite bash of the Bush Administration and also the state governments of Idaho and Montana. As I recall what I heard, there is a move to move the Gray Wolf off the Endangered Species Act which this foundation opposes and they also urge visitors to oppose hunting by air in Alaska (basically tracking animals by air (helicopter) and then landing and shooting the animals). Without all the facts everyone started nodding like the Bush Administration has started a national Jihad against the Grey Wolves. So I had to see what was up.

So I started surfing the Internet. Interestingly I came across a US Fish and Wildlife Service press release back in July 24, 2006 that denied the a petition submitted by the State of Wyoming asking for the removal from the list of endangered species the Gray Wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. Link is here. Seems strange that such a hostile administration would deny such a petition. Wolf Management efforts are on-going in Idaho and Montana and I would think that having enough wolves that they no longer need protecting under the Endangered Species Act would be a cause for celebration. But according to the Defenders of Wildlife Website, what is really desired is for continued efforts to restore wolves to the lower 48 states as well. But I don’t see the current efforts in Idaho and Montana as working against this goal. As a matter of fact I think in this instance, it is a good thing for the federal government to get uninvolved in this area and rely on the state and local governments to enforce what is needed within the state. Isn’t removing such federal mandates good as the Federal Government is not known for is efficiency? And it is those state and local officials that need to manage the wolf population and do so (in my opinion) with minimal impact to the wolves if they are not causing a threat to the ranchers in the area. I would think the locals would know whether or not the elk population was being threatened by wolves and the ecosystem of the area was being upset. What I don’t get is the accusation that the administration is somehow politically motivated in its efforts to de-list the wolves from the Endangered Species Act. What possibly would they gain by such a move? I actually think the wolves would prosper more being away from the Federal Government’s intentions.

Some links with additional info:

http://www.fws.gov/

http://www.defenders.org/index.php

As for hunting a wolf via helicopter and running it to ground from the air and then shooting it. What a senseless act. But then again I have never understood trophy rooms with the heads of dead animals on the walls. This isn’t to say I am not a big supporter of hunting (I am), it just seemed rather senseless to me to have a head of a gazelle or something on a wall. I guess I feel I am not a supporter of what hunting has become if it is somehow sport to chase a wolf down to exhaustion from the air and then land and shoot it (just for kicks). You can sign the on-line petition to end aerial gunning of wolves here.