November 2010 Northern Rockies Wolf Action Alert!

©2006 Larry Allan, courtesy Sierra Club Library

Wolves Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

The wolf is in danger of getting thrown off the Ark. And you have to ask yourself, which species will be next?

Wolves are being unjustly blamed for killing too many elk. Wolves eat elk. They’re supposed to. But they typically hunt weak or diseased animals. And elk numbers in the region have increased 18% since wolf reintroduction.

Wolves are being unjustly blamed for massive livestock losses. Wolves aren’t the main threat to livestock in our region. They aren’t even among the leading causes of livestock losses. Weather, disease, and even dogs kill far more livestock than wolves.

Why... blame wolves?

Because you can scare people into acting and voting irrationally using wolves as the “boogie monster.”

It’s time for our political leaders to use facts, not fairy tales.

Members of Congress have drafted several pieces of legislation that would bypass the Endangered Species Act and dodge a court ruling by removing protections for wolves. Special interests are attempting to weaken the Endangered Species Act, setting a dangerous precedent that could lead to more native fish, wildlife and plants being wrongly stripped of their endangered species protections.

Please speak up for wolves — we REALLY need your help! Here’s how:

Contact Your Senators and Representatives TODAY!

U.S. Senate Representative: http://www.senate.gov/
Switchboard (202) 224-3121

U.S. House Representative: http://www.house.gov/
Switchboard (202)224-3121

Next, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper opposing Congressional efforts to bypass the Endangered Species Act.

For email addresses for newspapers, please click here

Here are some talking points:

• We all want to see wolves recovered in the northern Rockies with responsible state management of wolves. Those decisions should be made in accordance with the Endangered Species Act, based on the best available science, not politics.
• Congress should not give in to special interests who are using wolves to try and weaken the Endangered Species ActÑour safety net for fish, plants and wildlife on the brink of extinction.
• Congress should not be managing wildlife species by speciesÑthis will only further polarize the issue, while starting a domino effect that could lead to losses of more endangered native animals and plants .
• If we are serious about our moral commitment to share the planet with our fellow inhabitants, we should not start throwing species off the proverbial ark.
• Instead, the US Fish & Wildlife Service should bring all stakeholders to the table to work together to resolve the conflicts.
• The states need to work together to develop sound, science-based management plans for wolves that provide for a healthy wolf population. This is a necessity for legal delisting.
• The return of the gray wolf to the northern Rockies is a remarkable achievement in wildlife restoration and an Endangered Species Act success story.
• Wolves have a long history in the West and are part of our unique Western heritage. They are being unjustly blamed by radicals with a hidden agenda to gut all of our country’s endangered species protections
• Elk & Wolves: Contrary to popular myth, most elk herds in the northern Rockies are thriving. Elk numbers in the region have increased 18% since wolf reintroduction. Today, there are almost 400,000 elk in the northern Rockies and only about 1,700 wolves.
• Livestock & Wolves: Livestock lost to wolves represent less than 1% of total livestock losses in wolf country. Disease, coyotes, domestic dogs, and even winter weather kill many times more cattle and sheep than wolves.

For more information visit www.westernwolves.org.

We’re on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64164473477&ref=ts

For more information contact Sierra Club’s Missoula field office at 406-549-1142