Gray Wolf To Be Removed From Endangered List In New Federal Government Plan

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The federal government is planning another attempt to remove gray wolves in the Great Lakes region from the endangered species list.

An assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Thomas Strickland, says the department will release a proposal by April and hopes to make a final decision by the end of 2011.

Biologists say the wolf has made a strong comeback from near-extinction in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The government has tried three times in the past seven years to remove federal protections and return management of the region's wolves to the states – most recently in 2009. But federal courts have overruled the decisions in response to lawsuits by environmentalists and animal rights groups.

Officials say they believe the new plan will withstand court challenges.

Comments

[Max Shaw]

03:07 PM on 12/17/2010

The outstanding arrogrance and selfishness of some people knows no bounds it seems...

[SukiTheCat]

01:58 PM on 12/15/2010

remove it so those A************** can go hunt and put it back on?

[gregory57]

07:49 PM on 12/14/2010

We're all endangered. Unless Humans start regarding the earth as something more than a source of potential wealth and power no legislation will save us, or our brother, the wolf. It's all posturing.

[Master-T]

03:07 PM on 12/14/2010

Like hell they are. We're going to fight this harder than ever.

[birdlady5]

02:21 PM on 12/14/2010

If the wolves have recovered to a point where they are sustainable then they should be delisted, as that is the whole point of the ESA. However, many states in the great lakes region are very hostile to wolves and even basically plan to eradicate them if allowed. This is why they should remain listed in the ESA until states agree to PROPER management plans. Wolves are extremely important to the ecosystem and need to be included in state management plans.
The argument by many hunters that they are killing off all the elk and deer has also proven time and time again to be false. They actually help to keep the populations healthier and prevent their prey animals from basically eating themselves out of house and home.

[gfirmin57]

01:49 PM on 12/14/2010

This is great news for troglodytes looking for something else to kill.

[SweetJudith]

02:23 PM on 12/14/2010

YES!!!! They have killing our wildlife on the brain.. Salazar and his group of killers!!!!!!!!!!

[niko73]

12:18 PM on 12/14/2010

I love gray wolves. I was born and raised in Salmon, ID just a few miles away from the release into central Idaho. I was one of the very few locals who supported the reintroduction.

However, it’s about time the wolves came off the list. It’s all about the integrity of the ESA. When we continue to lobby for an animal to stay on the ES list even though it’s more than passed its recovery goals, we ruin the integrity of the Act.

We need to play by the rules, folks. If you support the ESA, then support it the way it was written. ES protection is temporary. When a species recovers, it gets removed.

Refusing to follow the ESA has consequences. This opens the door for politicians like Pombo to contend that the Act is being abused. He can say “Look, this act is being abused as a permanent protection measure. Agencies ignore the very recovery goals that they develop. It needs to be changed.” He was close to gutting the Act during the Bush administration. Any more abuse on our part, and the next politician might have more luck next time.

Support the ESA, or damage its credibility. Let the gray wolves go and they’ll continue to do fine. Force the wolves to stay on the list even though they’ve met the definition of recovery, and you will taint the Act, make it vulnerable to change, and it will hurt ES in the long run.

[niko73]

12:24 PM on 12/14/2010

Let me just add the delisting should be contingent upon GOOD recovery plans by the states.

[HLL]

11:01 AM on 12/14/2010

"I think think we should breathe life into the Endangered Species Act; and take the wolves back into Yellowstone, and restore the salmon in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest."
~ Bruce Babbitt, U.S. Sec. of The Interior


We can help ☮ ♥ =^..^= ♥   ☮ ♥

Defenders of Wildlife ~ Save America's Wolves:
http://action.defenders.org/site/PageServer?pagename=savewolves_homepage

PETITION ~ care2 site ~ Save Gray Wolves:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-gray-wolves/

Facebook ~ Save the Gray Wolves:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2436123157

Wolves ~ Defenders of Wildlife:
http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/index.php

"Historically, wolves roamed throughout the lower 48 states, but centuries of misconceptions and hostility toward the species led to intense human persecution. These factors coupled with habitat loss effectively wiped out the species throughout most of the country during the 21st century…"

[SweetJudith]

02:25 PM on 12/14/2010

Sharing on facebook, HLL.........

[HLL]

03:51 PM on 12/14/2010

My friend, I've tried twice now, to give you a more extensive list with more links, but for reasons past understanding, they aren't being posted. So I guess these will have to do. There are so many more, but you are an angel for posting even these ☮ ♥

[HLL]

09:52 AM on 12/15/2010

Would you give me a link to your facebook page? I can post the links directly to you there! It just occurred to me!! Amazing what a night's sleep can accomplish ☮

[rougebaisers]

03:40 AM on 12/14/2010

Arrogance of humans determining what creatures can live or not.

[PartyOfMaybe]

01:41 AM on 12/14/2010

I can't wait to hunt a Michigander Gray Wolf

[LintLass]

02:40 AM on 12/14/2010

Big man, eh?

[rougebaisers]

03:41 AM on 12/14/2010

I assume your comment is in jest? Just in case it isn't let me offer this. Go ^^&*^)(&* yourself.

[HLL]

10:51 AM on 12/14/2010

♥ ☮ ♥

[Revolutionary56]

12:43 AM on 12/14/2010

The reintroduction of the Mexican Grey Wolf into New Mexico and Arizona has been hamstringed from the outset. The ranchers of that area, and their powerful lobby, have taken dead aim on the program by way of spreading fear and misinformation. They have slaughtered, illegally, countless wolves.....including Alpha males and females. What needs to happen to give these amazing animals a chance is simple: Rescind all grazing permits on public land. No more giveaway leases to the ranchers. Wanna raise cattle? Do it on your own land and on your own dime.

[SpoonPlayer]

02:24 PM on 12/15/2010

Agreed, "Welfare Ranching" sickens me. I can't think of any greater abuse of our public lands.

[goodluckflower]

11:19 PM on 12/13/2010

This is annoying. It doesn't say how many wolves there are now or what the projected impact might be or anything like that. News articles with no useful information bug me.

[rougebaisers]

03:42 AM on 12/14/2010

I hope a few wolves have a few who took them off the list for DINNER.

[cadawa]

11:11 PM on 12/13/2010

Someone with power and deep pockets wants to exploit their habitat and the Endagered Species Act is in the way. More money for them and less untrashed planet for us. We'll find out when the memos are released.
Wolves are necessary to maintain a healthy ecosystem. It's not just a matter of having a few here and there. Like most top predators, life is precarious and they are subject to die offs for any number of reason.
There are a lot of strategies for ranchers and others to live with them that have been developed over the years.
What is the difference between a Democratic Adminstration and the GOP again?

[rougebaisers]

03:42 AM on 12/14/2010

Precisely. It always comes down to some miserable humans greed.

[temenos]

10:23 PM on 12/13/2010

"Ever occur to you why some of us can be this much concerned with animals suffering? Because government is not. Why not? Animals don't vote."

Paul Harvey

[rougebaisers]

03:43 AM on 12/14/2010

I hate most humans.

[gfirmin57]

01:52 PM on 12/14/2010

Reminds me of that line from Barfly--I paraphrase:

WANDA: Don't you hate people?
HANK: No. I just feel better when they're not around.

[anothervoter]

10:16 PM on 12/13/2010

Get that chopper ready Sarah!