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New Logo Full [[link removed]]
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May 2020
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WOLVES ARE ESSENTIAL
SPEAK UP FOR MEXICAN WOLVES
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is soliciting input from the public as
it begins preparing a supplemental environmental impact statement (sEIS) on its
revision to the 2015 rule on management of the nonessential experimental population
of Mexican wolf.
Background
The FWS used Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act when Mexican wolves were
reintroduced in 1998, designating the Mexican wolf as "experimental, non-essential."
This addressed livestock industry opposition to the wolves by allowing for their
live removal and their killing in limited circumstances.

A follow-up 2015 management rule compelled through a petition and lawsuit by Center
for Biological Diversity restricted the circumstances for some wolf removals but
broadened dangerously other loopholes for removing wolves. A new lawsuit resulted
in a 2018 court ruling that the many provisions for removing wolves and the minimal
number of wolf releases were not based the best available science and failed to
conserve the Mexican wolf.
The revised Mexican wolf 10(j) rule that will be issued next May should be based
on updated genetic and population analyses. It should include a detailed genetic
rescue plan based on releases of well-bonded family packs from captivity into the
wild. Currently, the captive population holds more genetic diversity than the wild
population, and the proven effective way to infuse those genes into the wild population
is by releasing entire family groups of wolves - a method that was successful in
releases from 1998 to 2006 but was later abandoned.
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HOW TO COMMENT (DEADLINE JUNE 15th)
Comments can be submitted ELECTRONICALLY [[link removed]]
Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2020-0007,
which is the docket number for this Notice of Intent. Hard copy comments can be
submitted by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2020-0007,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/PERMA (JAO/1N), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041- 3803. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 15,
2020
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TALKING POINTS
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First, explain why wolves are important to you.
Then use one or more of the following points:

* Only 163 Mexican gray wolves survive in the wild in the U.S., and their genetic
diversity is perilously low. This reintroduced


population of Mexican wolves is essential to the conservation of the subspecies
overall, because without it the subspecies would likely go extinct in the wild.
FWS should designate and protect the population as essential.

* There should be no artificial "cap" or maximum number of Mexican wolves in the
wild with a requirement that wolves over that number be removed from the wild,
and moreover FWS should no longer pledge to remove wolves from the wild based on
their crossing of any arbitrary political or jurisdictional boundary.

* Research has shown that wolves have minimal impact on ungulate populations and
actually benefit the species that they prey on; wolves should not be killed for
predation on elk or deer.

* Permittees using public lands for grazing must be required to have a person present
on the allotment to deter wolf predation and must be required to remove or render
inedible the carcasses of livestock that die of non-wolf causes before wolves scavenge
on such carrion and localize in close proximity to vulnerable live domestic animals.

* The killing of any Mexican wolves should be restricted to the extremely rare case
whereby they pose a threat to human safety. Moreover, live removals should not be
permitted in cases in which ranchers did not have a person present to deter predation
or did not remove non-wolf-killed livestock carcasses, or in which the wolf had
previously scavenged on such a carcass, or where a depredation occurred south of
Interstate 10 where connectivity to the tiny wolf population in Mexico is critical,
nor in cases in which wolves merely crossed a political or other arbitrary boundary.

* More wolves from the captive breeding programs need to be released into the wild,
and they should be released as part of families, not with pups removed from their
parents.

* Most wild wolves utilize public lands and there have been 50 wolves known to have
been caught in private traps, resulting in death, limb amputations and other injuries.
In addition, over 100 wolves have been unlawfully shot, and the few people who have
been caught have claimed to have mistaken the wolf for a coyote, and gotten away
with the crime. FWS should no longer allow so-called accidental trapping or shooting
of Mexican wolves.
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WASHINGTON WOLVES NEED YOUR HELP
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For years the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been killing wolves
for the livestock industry including entire packs: the Old Profanity Territory
pack in August 2019, the Sherman pack in 2017 and the Profanity Peak pack in 2016.
Most have been killed because of one livestock producer with poor


animal husbandry practices.
Earlier this month, Conservation groups petitioned [[link removed]]
the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for rules limiting when the state can
kill wolves over livestock conflicts.
The Commission will meet on 6/10. Use this CONTACT FORM [[link removed]]
to tell the Commissioners, enough is enough! Ask that they develop a science based
plan that includes non-lethal measures to reduce wolf conflicts. Tell them you
support the petition and ask that they stop the killing of wolves on our public
lands.
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THANK YOU!
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Without YOU, our loyal supporters, the National Wolfwatcher Coalition would not
exist. We are appreciative of your support throughout the past years and look forward
to your continued support in the future!
For the latest scientific information, please visit OUR WEBSITE [[link removed]]
and while there, you can shop at OUR STORE [[link removed]]
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Our mission:
We 'educate, advocate, and participate' for the long term recovery and preservation
of wolves based on the best available science and the principles of democracy.
We:

1. Educate the public about the important role that wolves play in maintaining healthy
ecosystems
2. Inform the public about challenges to wolf recovery
3. Support measures that promote peaceful coexistence with wolves on the landscape
4. Educate the public about the issues in all regions and ways it can effectively
participate in the democratic process to promote science-based decision-making
about wolves.
All donations, no matter the amount, will be appreciated because they will enable
us to:

* Provide educational programs, materials and events
* Participate in conferences, seminars, and consultation with other professionals
in the fields of wolf biology, research, conservation, eco-tourism and environmental
law.
* Secure a Wolfwatcher Legal Fund to sustain potential engagement in litigation
that challenges local, state and/or federal policies that affect wolf preservation.
To DONATE online, please click the link below.
To donate by check or money order, please send your donation to our business office
at: National Wolfwatcher Coalition, PO Box 161281, Duluth, MN 55816-1281
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DONATE NOW [[link removed]]
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National Wolfwatcher Coalition
www.wolfwatcher.org [[link removed]]
[email protected]
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National Wolfwatcher Coalition | PO Box 161281 | Duluth | MN | 55816-1281