Wolves return to endangered species list is a bad idea
I have nothing to say that makes any difference in the “re-listing” of wolves as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. A northern California District Court judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit by three animal rights anti-hunting groups challenging the legality of the latest DListing of wolves. His ruling stated that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to show wolf populations could be sustained in the Midwest and portions of the West without protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The details in the ruling stated “the Service’s analysis relied on two core wolf populations to delist wolves nationally and failed to provide a reasonable interpretation of the ‘significant portion of its range’ standard.”
A whole lot of gobblygook. His ruling listed all wolves in the lower 48 as endangered except for wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The reason for this is that the legislatures from those states were able to push through a bill that removed the wolves from the ESA Endangered list years ago. Oddly enough something that didn’t happen for the Great Lakes states.
OK, OK - I got to stop because I’ll just get myself all worked up. Makes me think of one of Bill Murry’s lines from “Stripes”: and then depression set in.
It’s like a day of icefishing – full of frustration.
This is anything but good for wolves. In our North American model of wildlife management, it has been proven time and time again that having a vested interest group for a species is key to the species long term well-being.
A vested interest group will seek to protect and enhance the habitat that a species needs to survive thus ensuring its survival. Hunters have always proven to be the most effective vested interest group for any species.
The ESA and the judge’s decision fail to recognize this decision placed wolves in direct conflict with landowners and ranchers once again with solutions. Conflict between humans and wolves is a loss for all and historically worse for wolves, if you care about wolves.
And most that live around here care a lot more for their cattle, pets, and their fellow Wisconsinites that are losing cattle and pets than they do wolves. It also ends any effective management of wolves in the Great Lakes states, because counting isn’t management.
We know all this. And I bet this isn’t the first place you heard about wolves being re-listed last week. I had to go down to the Madison area this past weekend. I had to do a lot of muttering of cuss words under my breath down there while sitting at red lights to survive it. And what is there to do for a hunter who finds themselves trapped in Madison for 24 hours?
Go to Cabela’s. Which is just what I did and I found some ammunition that I needed. The wife wandered off and left me alone almost long enough to buy another gun. Just before she reappeared to save me (so glad she did too) from doing that, I struck up a conversation with a few gents doing the same thing I was. “What do you guys think of wolves being re-listed?” “Wolves are re-listed?” One guy responded. The rest didn’t know either. I bet that Cabela’s sell as much stuff to non-hunters as hunters. I also bet many of you were thinking of going to a bar, not Cabela’s.
And how would you even know there are bars down there with appetizers like firecracker shrimp and bacon wrapped bourbon glazed dates with 12 varieties of the finest flavors of scotch and 60 types of beer?
Maybe you could slip me the name of a place like that in case I ever need want some firecracker shrimp. But here in lies the problem, and we all know this. It’s not just the anti-hunting crowds in the areas of the state that most of the Wisconsin residents live. It’s that even the people, who are sympathetic, didn’t know or care. They’re concerned with traffic lights, what lane to be in, what’s the best dog park to go to, firecracker shrimp, etc.
When they go outside at night to walk their dogs before bed they hear the singing of tires on the highway, honking of horns, sirens, and the neighbors loud music unlike many of us who hear wolves howling.
For the time being, this is our red light, without firecracker shrimp or anything to wash it down.
THROUGH A
DECOY’S
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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN
