Newsletter

Wolfwatcher News Updates

PBS-TV, NATURE: "River of No Return"

For those who may have missed it, the "River of No Return" was broadcasted via PBS this week. Central Idaho's Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness is the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 States and home to numerous species of wildlife, including wolves, which have just returned after 50 years of near absence. A young couple, Isaac and Bjornen Babcock explore this wilderness in a touching, true story that portrays wolves in an accurate manner. We strongly encourage you to share the full version (via link above) with your friends and family.

Important Legislative Update:

Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 was passed in the House of Representatives. Among several dangerous proposals, the bill requires federal agencies to open nearly all public lands to hunting--including national parks. It would also allow recreational off-road vehicles to invade federally designated Wilderness Areas -- something that has never been allowed before. It would also open the door to new logging, mining and extraction of fossil fuels in these special places. Now, this legislation moves on to the Senate. Although it has been suggested that the Senate will not approve the bill, we shouldn't take for granted that this issue is over It is supported by a juggernaut of powerful interests like the National Rifle Association (NRA). We will keep you posted.

Red Wolves of the Southeast

The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission ended its comment period re: a proposal for night-hunting of coyotes within the critically endangered red wolf's five-county recovery area. We await news as to the Commission's final decision on May 3rd, and will pass it along as soon as it is made available.

To read the National Wolfwatcher Coalition's official statement to the Commission, please visit: NWC Official Statement to the NCWRC. To learn more about red wolves, please visit the Red Wolf Coalition's website and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Red Wolf Recovery Program's website and blog, Return of the Red Wolf, Tails from the Swamp

Wolves of the Northern Rockies:

Montana's wolf hunting season ended in February. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will be hosting its next public meeting on May 10th re: next year's hunt. Preliminary reports suggest that plans are being made for a more aggressive hunting season in the state. Montana has killed 166 wolves in this year's hunt.

Idaho's wolf hunting season continues into June. Thus far, Idaho has killed 377 wolves (254 shot, 124 trapped or snared).

Wyoming has ended its public meetings re: its wolf season setting proposal. Written public comment will be accepted until April 23rd. The final vote will take place on April 25th in Casper. The year-end objective would be 170 wolves remaining in the state next December.

A Special Brown Bag Lecture Alert

When - Wednesday, May 2, from 12- 1pm

Where - Community Building, Glacier National Park in West Glacier
Why - The public is invited to join Dr. Cristina Eisenberg present "The Complex Food Web of Fire, Aspen, Elk and Wolves in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park" - which focuses on the impacts of predator presence on prey behavior and how the food chain interacts with fire to shape vegetation communities in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Wolves of the Southwest:

Our friends at Lobos of the Southwest report that the majority of voters in New Mexico and Arizona support the Mexican wolf reintroduction; polling has shown 69% support in New Mexico and 77% support in Arizona. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, however, continues to put a freeze on more releases of captive wolves in the wild. Releases of captive wolves are desperately needed to prevent another extinction in the wild; the number of wild wolves must increase to reduce their vulnerability to inbreeding, natural catastrophes, disease, and other threats. Much work is being down right now to encourage USFWS to do the right thing soon! Visit Lobos of the Southwest for details about how you can help.

Wolves of the Pacific Northwest:

Researchers at Oregon State University say they have more evidence wolves help keep deer and elk populations in check, to the benefit of many plant species. An analysis of 42 past studies from across North America, Asia, and Europe suggests that wolves play a key role in limiting the size of elk, deer and moose populations. "When you remove wolves, the herbivore populations erupt in the absence of their native predator. At that point they can cause adverse ecological affects by eating themselves out of house and home," says Bill Ripple,an ecologist at Oregon State University and one of the paper's authors . To learn more about the details of the study, please visit: Loss of Predators in Northern Hemisphere Affecting Ecosystem Health

Exciting New Developments in the

World of Wolf Conservation

The Wolf Conservation Center in partnership with Wildearth.TV, allows "wolfwatchers" to visit and observe the private lives of four breeding pairs of critically endangered wolves via unobtrusive cameras in and around anticipated den sites at the WCC. This is pup season and you may want to tune in to enjoy the magical glimpse of newborns wolf pups and their proud wolf parents!

Visit ~ Wolf Conservation Center's WildEarth.TV Wolf Cams

Howls for now from the,

National Wolfwatcher Coalition

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