Stop Wolf Killing in the Northern Rockies

Tell your House representative to oppose the slaughter of wolves in the northern Rockies!

Wolves After more than a decade of conservation efforts and millions of federal dollars, wolves are finally returning to the northern Rockies. The Bush administration has announced that it will remove wolves from the endangered species list and allow the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana to wipe out nearly 80% of all the wolves remaining in the Northern Rockies. These actions would put wolves back on the brink of extinction after years of recovery.

The Wyoming Plan allows anyone to kill any wolf that wanders outside a small area in the northwest corner of the state. The plan would even target animals that live for most of the year in Yellowstone National Park but only wander out in the winter in search of food. Scientists have warned that a few thousand wolves are necessary to ensure the long-term survival of the species, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuses to listen. The agency has even developed a backup plan that could allow most of the current wolf population to be killed. This would be a devastating blow to the northern Rockies because wolves not only bring in $35 million each year in tourism to local communities, they also help restore the natural balance by controlling elk and deer herds.

Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV) and several of his colleagues wrote a letter last December urging the Bush administration to stop actions promoting senseless wolf killing. Other members of Congress must join this appeal before it's too late. We need to tell Congress to oppose the Bush administration's plans and make sure wolves are protected in the northern Rockies!

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Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Stop Wolf Killing in the Northern Rockies

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to express my deep opposition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to remove gray wolves from the federal endangered species list. The federal action would allow the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana to kill 1200 of the 1500 wolves remaining in the northern Rockies and push the species back towards extinction.

The Wyoming Plan allows anyone to kill any wolf that wanders outside a small area in the northwest corner of the state. The plan would even target animals that live for most of the year in Yellowstone National Park but only wander out in the winter in search of food. Scientists have already warned that a few thousand wolves are necessary to ensure the long-term survival of the species, but the Bush administration has chosen to ignore the science and a solid majority of Americans who support wolf recovery efforts. The administration has even developed a contingency plan that will allow most of the current northern Rockies wolf population to be killed even if lawsuits are successful in keeping wolves on the endangered species list.

A 2006 study by the University of Montana found that wolves in Yellowstone bring $35 million tourism dollars to the local economy each year, yielding more than $70 million in added benefit to communities in the northern Rockies. More importantly, the park's natural balance has been restored because wolves prevent an overpopulation of elk and deer from overgrazing vegetation and threatening the health of streams and creeks.

I urge you to join Congressman Nick Rahall and several of his congressional colleagues in urging the Secretary of the Interior to stop these unwarranted actions to promote senseless wolf killing. Wolves are an integral part of the northern Rockies and plans to kill most of them in the region would be a huge setback to years of wolf recovery.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 25, 2008

Background Information

Wolf recovery is now threatened after years of hard work restoring them to the northern Rockies

The Bush administration has just issued a rule permitting states to kill wolves affecting elk herds in any way in the northern Rockies. In the past, wolves could not be killed just for preying on elk and deer populations unless states could demonstrate that wolves were the primary cause of a population decline in the elk or deer herds. The new rule, however, allows states to establish management objectives that would exclude wolves from important areas, or kill wolves just for traveling through native elk populations on elk feeding grounds.

This latest move is part of a coordinated plan to resume large-scale wolf slaughters. The federal government, for example, recently approved Wyoming's plan to kill most wolves in the state once the animals are delisted from the Endangered Species Act, which was announced on February 21, 2008. Federal wildlife officials have already approved wolf management plans from Montana and Idaho, the only other two northern Rockies states with wolf populations.

The Wyoming plan allows anyone to kill any wolf that wanders outside a small area in the northwest corner of the state. The plan even targets wolves that live for most of the year in Yellowstone National Park and only leave the park in the winter in search of food. Federal approval means Wyoming will be allowed to shoot and trap 250 of the approximately 350 wolves currently living in Wyoming once they are removed from the endangered species list.

Back from the Brink

Wolves in the lower-48 states were listed as a protected species under the Endangered Species Act in 1973 after many years of persecution nearly wiped them out. Without wolves, the Northern Rockies saw unnaturally large populations of elk proliferate and overgraze natural areas. Streams and creeks, once cold, clear, and full of fish, grew muddy from soil erosion. Without wolves, park rangers in Yellowstone were forced to shoot elk to control the population. Other wildlife species were also affected by the unnatural imbalance created by the absence of wolves.

After years of planning and study, federal officials released sixty-six gray wolves from Canada into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. They prospered and multiplied, and today their offspring are thought to number around 1500, spread across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Benefits of Wolves

A 2006 study by the University of Montana found that tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park to see wolves brought $35 million annually to the region's economy, which yields more than $70 million in added benefit to communities in the Northern Rockies. Elk populations are now healthier, streams run cold and clear again, and other wildlife populations are back in balance.

In the face of this unparalleled recovery progress, the Bush administration is turning its back on gray wolves by approving seriously flawed state plans. These plans fail to guarantee that wolf populations are strong enough to perform their important ecological role and avoid genetic bottlenecks brought on by inbreeding. According to more than 200 scientists who commented on the delisting proposal, several thousand wolves are needed in the northern Rockies to ensure their long-term survival. Once on the verge of recovery, the future of America’s wolves is now hanging in the balance.

TAKE ACTION TODAY -- tell your representative that you oppose the slaughter of wolves in the northern Rockies!