“Important Update on Wolves in Congress

Folks,

Congress released their spending bills for the next year. Good news and bad news. The good news is that Congress knows that WOLVES are the priority. Only two issues were listed in the spending summaries for US Fish and Widlife Service. Wolves was one of the two. Here is the language:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – The FWS is funded at $1.5 billion in the bill, a cut of $28 million below last year’s level. Funding for mitigation fish hatcheries is restored, which returns $28 to the economy for every federal taxpayer dollar invested. Wolf monitoring and livestock loss programs are continued.

Now for the bad news.

While this shows Congress is hearing that wolves is a top priority, much better wolf language was stripped out of the bill at the last minute. Word from multiple sources is that Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island and the White House removed language that would have stopped lawsuits for pending wolf delisting in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Here is what happened.

The Republican controlled House of Representatives sent bipartisan wolf language intended to stop the litigation and return wolves to state management. Key house members fought for this language. (See language below)

The Senate stripped out this wolf language at the last minute. We have been told that Senator Klobuchar from Minnesota was the only Democratic Senator to ask for this language to remain in the bill. Here is where the Senate missed the boat. The wolf issue can’t be fixed by just paying for livestock kills. The issue can’t be fixed by “monitoring” wolves. The only way to fix the issue is to stop the litigation and return wolves to true state control.

It is time for Sportsmen to ask their Democratic Senators to deliver. Where was Michigan’s Senator Stabenow? Where was Minnesota’s Senator Franken? Where was Wisconsin’s Senator Kohl? Why is the White House listening to Rhode Island instead of Senator Klobuchar from Minnesota?

Rhode Island? It is time to start listening to the people of each state affected by the growing wolf problems. It is time to acknowledge that out-of-state special interests should not dictate wildlife management in our states. Don’t they get it?  Sportsmen can be trusted. The states can be trusted. America’s hunters and outdoorsmen have shown tremendous patience. Have we shown too much patience?

Why doesn’t the White House Support state management? Why doesn’t the White House support protection of all wildlife? Why does USFWS want to spread the destructiveness of unmanaged wolves across America?

It is time for sportsmen to take a stand. Help us reach the goal of 100,000 signatures on our petition. We need an army of sportsmen in this fight. The system is failing America’s wildlife. Each one of us need to make clear that the future of wildlife, hunting and our outdoor heritage is OUR priority.

Here is the text of the wolf language that was stripped by the US Senate:

Sec. 119. Hereafter, any final rule published by the Department of the Interior that provides that the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the State of Wyoming or in any of the States within the range of the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment of the gray wolf (as defined in the rule published on May 5, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 26086 et seq.)) is not an endangered species or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), including any rule to remove such species in such a State from the list of endangered species or threatened species published under that Act, shall not be subject to judicial review if such State has entered into an agreement with the Secretary of the Interior that authorizes the State to manage gray wolves in that State.”

Ryan Benson
Big Game Forever

Thanks for the update and continued fight Ryan and Big Game Forever. We do need an army of sportsmen to ban together and fight this serious issue. – Hunters Against PETA