In February, the US Fish and Wildlife Service revealed a frightening 20% decline in wild wolf numbers-only 42 Mexican wolves remain in the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico. If this dire situation continues, it will lead to the second extinction of Mexican wolves in the wild.
We must act now to make sure that it doesn’t.
Here is what you can do:
WRITE TO SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR KEN SALAZAR and tell him:
1. A 20 percent decline in this population is unacceptable. We want wolves to survive and thrive in the southwest.
2. The US Fish and Wildlife Service took a step in the right direction in 2009 when they decided to leave wolves charged with livestock depredations in the wild and to reassert agency authority over the Mexican wolf project. The current situation points to a clear and urgent need for additional changes.
3. To immediately and aggressively recover Mexican wolves from the brink of extinction, the Fish and Wildlife Service must:
* Give Mexican gray wolves greater endangered species protections
* Release more wolves into the wild and bolster the genetic fitness of the population
* Bring the criminals killing our wolves to justice
* Write a new science-based Recovery Plan. Clearly, the outdated 1982 plan is not working.
Address for Secretary Salazar:
Ken Salazar
U.S. Secretary of the Interior
1849 C. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Email: exsec@ios.doi.gov
Please copy your letter to Congress-click here for a list of AZ and NM members of Congress
WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Talking points, a sample letter to the editor, and contact information for editors of southwest papers are below. Additional letter writing tips and contact information for editors can also be found on our website at: http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php?page=letters-to-editors.
In writing your letter, please emphasize why Mexican wolves and their recovery are so important to you and to our wild places.
Your letter should open by referencing a recent article (see our press section), i.e. “I’m writing in response to the 4/9 article in the [name of paper],” and then go straight to your message.
BELOW ARE SIMPLE TALKING POINTS TO EMPHASIZE:
There are only 42 Mexican Gray Wolves left in the wild in the United States, putting them on the brink of a second extinction.
This decline is not through any fault of the wolves, who have done everything needed to survive in the wild; they have formed packs, had pups, and successfully hunted native prey. The decline is human-caused and must be human-remedied.
The Fish and Wildlife Service must:
* Give Mexican gray wolves greater endangered species protections
* Release more wolves into the wild and bolster the genetic fitness of the population
* Bring the criminals killing our wolves to justice
* Write a new science-based Recovery Plan because the outdated 1982 plan is not working.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is operating under a flawed 28-year old recovery plan that does not include recovery criteria, does not incorporate modern science, and has done little to protect the Mexican Wolf. This long-term mismanagement threatens the very existence of the species.
It’s time for a new, modern Recovery Plan that will bring Mexican Wolves back from the brink of extinction and restore a healthy wild wolf population.
HERE ARE SOME GENERAL SUPPORTIVE TALKING POINTS THAT CAN ALSO BE INCLUDED:
* Wolves are beautiful animals that belong in Nature.
* Wolves are a benefit to the West.
* Wildlife biologists believe that once they are fully restored, Mexican wolves will improve the overall health of southwest ecosystems – just as the return of gray wolves has resulted in numerous positive changes in Yellowstone National Park.
* Wolves have done what’s needed to survive in the wild: they have formed packs, had pups and successfully hunted native prey.
* The overwhelming majority of southwest residents support the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf.
SAMPLE LETTER (This is intended to give an example only-please write your own letter in your own words)
Dear Editor,
I’m responding to the article about Mexican gray wolves published on April 9, 2010. The latest population count has found there are only 42 of these wolves in the wild, making it the most endangered mammal in North America. This isn’t surprising when you consider the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is relying on a recovery plan developed 28 years ago that lacks modern science and simple recovery criteria.
Wolves have done what’s needed to survive in the wild. They’ve formed packs, had pups and successfully hunted native prey. But they need our help to get more than a toehold in the wilds of the Southwest. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can help them by developing a modern recovery plan that uses the best available science and prioritizes wolf recovery.
While the recovery plan is being developed, the Service must immediately begin supplementing the wild population with new releases. Bolstering the genetic fitness of the wild wolves is a critical concern.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Newspapers’ editorial contacts:
Arizona Daily Star letters@azstarnet.com
Albuquerque Journal: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Arizona Daily Sun: http://news.azdailysun.com/opinion/letter_submit.cfm
Las Cruces Sun-News letters@lcsun-news.com
Santa Fe New Mexican http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SendLetter/
Silver City Sun News hwise@scsun-news.com
White Mountain Independent: postmaster@wmicentral.com
New York Times: letters@nytimes.com
LA Times letters@latimes.com
