APRIL 2018
Colorado Wolf AND WILDLIFE CENTER
HELP WOLVES BACKBACK HOME HELPBRING BRING WOLVES TO COLORADO! HOME TO COLORADO!
RockyMountainWolfProject.org This April, all contributions to the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project will be matched ROCKYMOUNTAINWOLFPROJECT.OR – donate today to receive a custom shirt, hat or one-of-a-kind book.
his April, all contributions to the Rocky Mounta
Dr. Kristen’s CPR Class Every month CWWC has our friend Dr. Kristen teach a class to our staff on subjects that pertain to wolves, dogs, and animal care. Some subjects that were taught in the past include arthritis in animals, animal acupuncture, anatomical differences between wolves and dogs, and first aid. This month we had a hands-on (and fun!) lesson on CPR in our vet room. Our “patient” did so well!
AZ Daily Sun: Judge’s ruling could mean Mexican wolves allowed to roam north of Flagstaff http://azdailysun.com/news/local/judge-s-ruling-could-mean-mexican-wolves-allowed-to-roam/article_2eaee923-ee0e-5a17-9791-ee346767f5ea.html
A male Mexican gray wolf that was temporarily captured by an interagency field team during annual counts in early 2016 is released back into its home territory in the White Mountains.
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The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization certified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for this logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The contents of the material we include in our newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views of Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. We collect information from sources that are from other organizations, the web, news feeds, and/or other sources. We choose articles that are in the related field of education and conservation.
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Photo courtesy of Mexican Wolf Inter-agency Field Team
Conservation groups are hoping that a federal judge’s ruling will mean Mexican gray wolves will be allowed to venture north of Interstate 40 and expand in number beyond a current target of 325 animals. The ruling, issued recently by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps, orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revise a management rule for the endangered wolves that was approved in 2015. That rule established the 325-animal population objective and established wolf recovery habitat boundaries, beyond which Mexican wolves would be captured and returned. A total of about 114 wolves now roam the defined area that spans eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, with I-40 forming the northern edge. But the rule received harsh criticism from Zipps, who said it failed to further the recovery of the species. “By failing to provide for the population’s genetic health, (the Fish and Wildlife Service) has actively imperiled the long-term viability of the species in the wild,” Zipps wrote. She said the rule only ensures the short-term survival of the species and specifically called out the rule’s territory boundary as an “insufficient geographic range” for the wolves. The ruling was encouraging for groups like the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council that have long worked to expand the wolves’ range north of Flagstaff. “I think it gives us the strongest grounding to move forward with what the science says, and it says the Grand Canyon and that region is absolutely critical to be a part of this recovery,” said Kelly Burke with the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. An expansion of designated recovery habitat into southern Colorado, northern New Mexico and the Grand Canyon region was part of a draft recovery plan for the wolves that was never finalized. The unfinished plan also estimated a minimum population of 750 animals would be needed for the wolves to no longer be at
risk of extinction. Emily Renn with the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project said she’s hopeful the Fish and Wildlife Service will come up with a proposal that more closely mimics that draft plan. The animals’ average home territories cover 250 square miles, so it makes biological sense that in order for them to be recovered and genetically viable they need more space to spread out, Renn said. She also criticized the population cap of 325 animals, which she said doesn’t make any sense for recovering an endangered species. Zipps’ ruling suggests that provision will need to change in the rule revision process. The judge called the number arbitrary and capricious and without basis in the facts in the record. Zipps’ ruling is especially pivotal for Mexican wolves because of the length of time such federal management plans end up being in effect, said Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity. The current plan has several of what Robinson called “poison pills” that, if carried out long term, could very well drive the Mexican wolf further toward extinction, Robinson said. Now, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to change course, he said. Zipps’ ruling could also be consequential for lawsuits that have been filed against the Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2017 Mexican wolf recovery plan, which incorporates many elements of the 2015 management rule. “Many of the same failings the judge recognized with respect to the 10(j) rule are equally applicable to the recovery plan,” said Timothy Preso, an attorney for Earthjustice who argued the case. Earthjustice is also arguing one of the challenges to the recovery plan. Zipps’ order doesn’t establish any specific guidance for how the Fish and Wildlife Service must change its Mexican wolf management rule, but it gives the agency 30 days to come up with a proposed deadline for publishing a revised rule “or other remedial action.” COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 3 |
A Biologist’s Perspective on Wolf Restoration By Mike Phillips - Science Advisory Team - Rocky Mountain Wolf Project P.O. Box 913, Denver, Colorado 80201 · Phone: 406-599-5857
WOLF CONSERVATION CENTER
Please Take Action to Protect Denali Wolves http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51421/p/dia/action4/ common/public/?action_KEY=24703
March 30, 2018 - Alaska officials issued an emergency order closing the wolf hunting and trapping season on state land adjacent to the eastern boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve over concerns that excessive kills may destabilize this iconic wolf population. Photos* posted April 3, 2018 by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) show a man armed with an AR15 semiautomatic rifle displaying ten wolf carcasses outside Denali. The state of Alaska has allowed Denali wolves to be decimated by hunting and trapping for decades. And although The National Park Service’s (NPS) primary purpose is “to protect intact the globally significant Denali ecosystems,” the agency failed its mandate by permitting hunting and trapping of wolves along the park’s boundary. For several years now, there has been a notable decline in the number of wolf sightings in Denali National Park and Preserve. Wolves in Alaska are not protected under state law or by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). New research indicates that wolf mortality rates in Alaska’s Denali National Park have recently spiked to worrying levels, with the lowest estimated wolf density recorded this year since monitoring began in 1986. Meanwhile, the percentage of sightseers who actually spotted a wolf, according to random surveys*, had dropped from 45% to just 5%. It’s time for the state to make changes. It’s too late for too many wolves, but perhaps their legacy is to mobilize us to establish a no hunting/trapping buffer adjacent to Denali National Park and Preserve!
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BACKGR O U N D Wolves in Alaska are not protected under state law or by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Thus, despite the fact that hunting and trapping are illegal within the Denali National Park itself, wandering wolves are often vulnerable as soon as they slip across the park’s boundary. New research indicates that wolf mortality rates in Alaska’s Denali National Park have recently spiked to worrying levels, with the lowest estimated wolf density recorded this year since monitoring began in 1986. This unprecedented decline of the Denali wolf population began in the winter of 2007, when about 10% of the entire park population was killed by trappers and hunters northeast of the park. Continued hunting around the park’s borders is directly related to Denali’s native wolf population dropping from an estimated 143 wolves in fall 2007 to only 57 in fall 2015. Meanwhile, the percentage of sightseers who actually spotted a wolf, according to random surveys, had dropped from 45% to only 5% percent as of last summer. The National Park Service’s (NPS) primary purpose is “to protect intact the globally significant Denali ecosystems.” But, it seems park managers as well as officials for the Alaska Board of Fish and Game have no credible plan for fulfilling this central mission.
Recently I spoke in Carbondale and Aspen about restoring the gray wolf to the public wildlands of western Colorado. Some have claimed that my presentations were misleading. They were not. I stuck to reliable facts and concluded with an important truth: coexisting with wolves is a straightforward affair. This is hard for some to accept. The centuries old myth that the wolves are marauding beasts that exercise their predatory desires at will is powerful and widely believed. But the myth is as wrong as it is strong. When considering wolf restoration five issues deserve attention: human safety, depredations on livestock, predation on native prey, ecological consequences, and natural recolonization. Overwhelming evidence indicates that wolves pose an infinitesimal threat to humans. Wolves are shy and retiring around people and avoid them. Encounters between the two are rare and overwhelmingly not threatening. Lightning strikes, bee stings, riding mountain bikes, and countless other daily occurrences represent much greater threats to human safety than wolves. If wolves are restored to western Colorado some will kill livestock, but not many. Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho support about 6 million cattle and 1 million sheep of which an average of 117 and 235, respectively, are killed annually by the state’s 1,500 wolves. Considering just Montana, the state supports about 2 million cattle and 450 thousand sheep of which an average of 50 and 65, respectively, are killed annually by about 500 wolves. The western half of Colorado supports about 500 thousand cattle and 175 thousand sheep. If wolves were restored there and depredated on livestock as they do in Montana, 99.99% of the cattle and 99.97% of the sheep would not be involved in depredations. We must acknowledge that some depredations go undetected and in some very specific situations wolves can modestly inhibit weight gain by livestock. Compensation payments for wolf problems could justifiably be adjusted upward to account for both. Ranchers have always been challenged to promote the survival of livestock and proper weight gain before sending animals to slaughter for profit. But for the vast majority of them, wolves do not add to that challenge. Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho support robust deer and elk populations, albeit much smaller than Colorado’s, and longstanding abundant hunting opportunities. Data collected by those states reveal that the approximately 1,500 wolves that live there have not diminished general hunting opportunities. Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates that the state supports over 700,000 deer and elk after hunters have annually killed an average of about 85,000 of them. A wolf can maintain good
health by consuming an average of 10 lbs. of food per day. Consequently, 250 wolves could be expected to annually consume the equivalent of 2,500 adult elk and 7,500 deer. This represents less than 2% of the state’s elk and deer population that exists after hunters have killed their fill. While wolves might impact hunting opportunities in some specific areas, there is no reason to believe that a wolf population in western Colorado would disrupt existing, generally abundant hunting opportunities. Wolves could actually benefit hunters by making game more wary and a greater challenge to kill. Wolves could also help curb the spread of diseases, like chronic wasting disease (CWD), that compromise the health of game herds and someday may threaten humans. Notably, the Center for Disease Control recommends against consuming the meat of elk and deer that harbor CWD. Re-establishing the wolf is a step toward restoring an important part of Colorado’s natural balance, which is a useful term for describing the ecological consequences of wolves. Reliable studies indicate that when wolves are common enough for long enough their predatory activities can stimulate a trophic cascade that promotes ecosystem health. Natural balance can also refer to the presence of all native species as originally arranged by nature. There is wisdom in this arrangement. While fully understanding this wisdom may be difficult, it is wrongheaded to deny it. It is also wrongheaded to deny the importance of each species to it. As the father of wildlife management, Aldo Leopold, opined: “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” Restoring the wolf to the public wildlands of western Colorado represents intelligent tinkering. Some claim that wolves are naturally recolonizing western Colorado, but they are not and probably will not. The distance from northwestern Wyoming is too great and there are far too many mortality hazards along the way for a sufficient number of wolves to wander to Colorado, find one another, and give birth to enough puppies to give rise to a population. Notably, wolves that do wander into Colorado are fully protected under the Endangered Species Act. This means that nearly all management actions that might be useful for resolving wolf-related conflicts would be prohibited by federal law. If wolves were reintroduced, however, the federal law could be relaxed and useful management acts employed to resolve problems. Reintroduced wolves are easier to live with than naturally occurring ones. Facts like those above support the claim that co-existing with wolves in western Colorado would be a straightforward affair. All that is lacking is a willingness to accommodate the species. COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 5 |
WHAT
Lecture/Open Discussion/Silent Auction
WHERE
Antlers Hotel® Heritage Room 4 South Cascade Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903
• UPCOMING CWWC EVENTS •
Full Moon and Full Moon Feeding Tours
WHEN
APRIL 2018 Full Moon Tour 4/28 - Check in at 6:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 4/27 & 4/29 Check in at 3:45 pm
June 8th, 2018 5pm–9pm
TICKETS/INFORMATION ($10.00 per person)
MAY 2018 Full Moon Tour 5/26 - Check in at 7 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 5/25 & 5/27 Check in at 5:45 pm
719.687.9742
SILENT AUCTION INFO
RMWP.auction.event@gmail.com
SILENT AUCTION REGISTRATION
JUNE 2018 Full Moon Tour 6/23 - Check in at 7:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 6/22 & 6/24 Check in at 5:45 pm
www.32auctions.com/rmwpauction2018
Magic Restored: Reestablishing the Gray Wolf to Western Colorado Schedule of Events:
5:00-5:30 pm Meet and greet with wolves
Mike Phillips, conservation biologist
5:45-7:30 pm Lecture with Mike Phillips, a biologist who was instrumental in the return of Gray Wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Area. He is also a Project Leader for the wolf restoration effort from its inception and focuses on imperiled species recovery.
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7:30-8:00 pm Q&A about wolves and restoration. Presentation of RMWP’s short films; Chorus of Colorado; Meet the Real Wolf; and The Wolf Returns to Yellowstone. Refreshments provided.
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8:00 pm Book sales and signing – Awakening Spirits: Wolves in the Southern Rockies by Richard P. Reading, Brian Miller, Amy L. Masching, Rob Edward and Michael K. Phillips. Silent Auction bidding ends
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May 6, 2018 · 9:30-11:30am WOLF MEET & GREET
AUGUST 2018 Full Moon Tour 8/25 - Check in 6:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 8/24 & 8/26 Check in at 5:45 pm
May 13, 2018 · 9-11am · Mother’s Day
SEPTEMBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 9/22 - Check in at 6 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours: 9/21 & 9/23 Check in at 3:45 pm
June 8, 2018 · 5-9pm · Magic Restored June 17, 2018 · 9-11am · Father’s Day October 28, 2018 · 4-6pm · Howl-O-Ween November 22, 2018 · 9-11am · Turkey Toss December 24, 2017 · 9-11am · Winter Wonderland
Visit wolfeducation.org/calendar for more information
OCTOBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 10/20 - Check in 6 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 10/19 & 10/21 Check in at 3:45 pm NOVEMBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 11/24 - Check in at 4 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 11/23 & 11/25 Check in at 3:45 pm Prepare for a minimum of 2 hours. Reservations are required 719.687.9742 - Full Moon Tours, Full Moon Feeding Tours and all Special Events are PRE-PAY.
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9:00 pm SilentAND auction winners announced | 6 | COLORADO WOLF WILDLIFE CENTER and end of program! N
JULY 2018 Full Moon Tour 7/28 - Check in 7:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 7/27 & 7/29 Check in at 5:45 pm
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ADOPTION CORNER
ADOPTION CORNER
Available from TCRAS · Teller County Regional Animal Shelter
Available from San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society
tcrascolorado.com · 719.686.7707 · NO-KILL shelter in Divide, Colorado
slvaws.org · 719.587.woof (9663) · Non-Profit NO-KILL Shelter
Bailey
AGE: 5 y 2 m 4 d SEX: Female/Spayed Black Retriever/Mix Hello.. My name is Bailey. I am looking for a quiet home and people that will give me the time to adjust. I am very shy, but am getting better everyday. All I need is understanding and time. I know my house manners. I walk well on a leash. Please come and meet me and let’s be friends.
Cody
We rescued mellow, mellow Cody 2 weeks ago. His tail was almost infected off. Our veterinarian amputated the rest and removed some cancerous tumors, the type that won’t spread quickly and can be easily cauterized when we notice a small one. He is neutered, about 5 years old and will have many happy years. Please invite this sweetheart to be part of your family.
Sissy
SEX: Female/Spayed Brown/White Domestic Shorthair/Mix *Declawed front*! I am a very sweet older gal that loves attention. I was an only cat, but my best friend was a heeler dog so I am used to being with a dog. Please come on by and say hello.
ADOPTION FAIR Saturdays 11am-5pm at the Petco in Colorado Springs at 5020 N. Nevada
Mother’s Day with the
WOLVES! May 13th 9-11am
· Wolf Tour · A Flower for Moms · Snacks $30 adults $15 kids 12 & under Prepay Event
Reservations 719.687.9742
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center