Are Hunters Good Wildlife Stewards When It Comes To Wolves? Not According To This Study A new study likely to be controversial in some quarters suggests that hunters are not especially good wildlife stewards when the wildlife in question are wolves. While hunters long have been seen as conservation advocates for a wide range of species, when it comes to wolves the study by two University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers would seem to indicate that the only good wolf is a dead wolf in the hunter's mind. “Hunters were some of the least tolerant of wolves among our respondents, and the closer you got to wolf range the less tolerant they were,” said Adrian Treves, a professor in the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Professor Treves and a colleague, Kerry Martin, took up a research project beginning in 2001 to survey hunters and non-hunters on attitudes toward wolves. One issue the two noted in trying to explain the perceived intolerance of hunters was that hunters often view wolves as competition for deer and other game.
Salt Lake Tribune Extols Value of wolves Value of wolves Feds must maintain some oversight Jun 10 2013 The image of the government declaring “Mission Accomplished” is etched in Americans’ minds, and not in a good way. The U.S. The FWS has concluded the current number of gray wolves in the lower 48 states no longer qualifies it for listing under the Endangered Species Act, but rightly recommended the Mexican gray wolf remain listed as an endangered subspecies. The FWS will open a 90-day comment period on the proposal to seek additional scientific, commercial and technical information. Advocates for delisting the wolf say management decisions should be made at the state level, not by federal agencies, now that the reintroduction process is complete. Ranchers are compensated for livestock predation by wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The recovery of the gray wolf in the West is a dramatic success story. Like this: Like Loading...
Stalled Recovery Grey wolves have returned to Yellowstone National Park, raising hopes that the area’s ecosystem has bounced back. But the reintroduction of these mighty predators isn’t enough to enable a full recovery, scientists say. In the early 1900s, wolves largely vanished from Yellowstone. After wolves came back in 1995, elk numbers dropped. To find out if the ecosystem passed this test, the team measured willows at four sites in northern Yellowstone from 2001 to 2010. Even after 10 years, willows in the fenced plots without dams didn’t reach the 2-meter mark, the authors report. The study suggests that “effects of wolves alone were insufficient to restore riparian ecosystems,” the team writes. Source: Marshall, K.N. et al. 2013. Image © Dgrilla | Shutterstock.com
What real public information about wolves looks like Hard information about wolves or anything else does not come from rants- Discussion of politics and many other things, including wildlife, seems to have broken down. Instead of discussion, people yell. Very importantly, a number soldier on, citing scientific evidence and even providing footnotes. Norman Bishop in Bozeman is that kind of person. Bishop is giving a talk in Bozeman Feb. 11. Here it is, footnotes and all. The wolf issue: What science suggests; the players, and our role.By Norman A. I will briefly sample a few recent studies, many of which were enabled by wolf restoration, that may inform the issue of wolf management in the greater Yellowstone area. It may be useful to put three issues in perspective before we move on to the science that suggests a fresh look at our relationship to wolves: livestock depredation, human safety, and effects on big game hunting. About 2.6 million cattle, including calves, live in Montana. * What might be happening to the Clarks Fork elk?
News - Study of Yellowstone Wolves Improves Ability to Predict Their Responses to Environmental Changes Press Release 11-251 Study of Yellowstone Wolves Improves Ability to Predict Their Responses to Environmental Changes Methods developed in this study may ultimately improve predictions of wildlife responses to environmental changes in various ecosystems December 1, 2011 A study of the wolves of Yellowstone National Park recently improved predictions of how these animals will respond to environmental changes. The study, which was partially funded by the National Science Foundation, appears in the Dec. 2, 2011 issue of Science. Part of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, researchers tracked changes in various characteristics of wolves living in the national park between 1998 and 2009. The project also involved using a new model to compare data collected on Yellowstone wolf characteristics to environmental conditions through the years covered by the study. Study results indicate: The National Science Foundation provided funding to all of this paper's co-authors: Daniel R. Get News Updates by Email
National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. has Beef With Mexicans… …Mexican Wolves, that is. Some people are never satisfied. Although there are only around 75 individuals remaining on Earth, the “Cattleman’s Beef Association” wants the government to remove the Mexican wolf from the federal list of endangered species and turn their “management” over to hostile states… NCBA, PLC call for full delisting of wolves nationwide National Cattlemen’s Beef Association | Updated: 06/10/2013 The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) expressed support for the proposal by the U.S. The wolf, placed on the list of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) over three decades ago, has far surpassed FWS recovery goals across the country, according to NCBA President and Wyoming rancher, Scott George. “It’s time to turn management over to the states,” said George. “We appreciate FWS’ recognition that the gray wolf is recovered,” George stated. Like this:
How dogs can walk on ice without freezing their paws Scientists in Japan have solved a long-standing veterinary mystery: how dogs can stand and walk for so long on snow and ice without apparent discomfort, and without freezing their paws. Scientists at Tokyo's Yamazaki Gakuen University wondered why dogs do not seem to feel the cold in their paws, even though the paws have less insulating fur than their trunks. The paws have pads containing a high fat content, which freezes less easily than other tissues, but they also have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, which means they should lose heat easily. In humans exposed to frigid temperatures, vasoconstriction occurs in the extremities to reduce the blood flow and resultant heat loss, and ensure the blood returning to the rest of the body does not cool too much. The research team, led by Dr. The counter-current heat exchange system prevents the body cooling and ensures the paw temperature stays within reasonable limits. The paper is published in the journal Veterinary Dermatology.
STOP WOLF HUNTS: #WOLFFOLKS !! ALL CONTACT INFO : USFWS > COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT!!!!! Wolves were rescued from the brink of extinction in the 1970s. But in 2011 they lost endangered species protection and states started "managing" them. Since then 1,703 wolves have been slaughtered in just five states. Information the wolf hunters and trappers don’t want to believe and don’t want you to know MYTH: There are plenty of gray wolves in America...over 100,000. FACT: There are likely fewer than 7,000 gray wolves left in the entire lower 48 states. The gray wolf's long-term survival is at stake. Read more below, and in letter from 16 of the nation's top scientists, sent May 21, 2013 to Sally Jewell, Secretary, Department of the Interior. Source: Population estimates from state wildlife agencies MYTH: Wolves kill lots of cattle, lead to lower birth rates, and are causing cattle ranchers to go out of business. To be specific, according to the USDA there were 3,992,900 cattle deaths reported in 2010. MYTH: The elk population has been declining, due to wolf depredation.
Yellowstone National Park Editor's note: The following story was produced by the University of Wyoming communications staff. The mere presence of wolves, previously shown to affect the behavior of elk in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, is not potent enough to reduce the body condition and reproductive rates of female elk, according to new research published Tuesday. The research, led by recent University of Wyoming Ph.D. graduate Arthur Middleton, provides the most comprehensive evidence to date refuting the idea that wolves are capable of reducing elk calf recruitment indirectly through predation risk. “Elk respond to wolves, but less strongly and less frequently than we thought,” says Middleton, who for three years closely followed the Clarks Fork elk herd west of Cody, Wyoming, along with the wolf packs that prey on it. Working as part of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit -- a U.S. To read the article summarizing the research in Ecology Letters, visit this site.
Letter From Wolf Scientists to Sec. Sally Jewell May 21, 2013 Secretary Sally Jewell Department of Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 CC: Dan Ashe, Director U.S. Dear Secretary Jewell, As scientists with expertise in carnivore taxonomy and conservation biology, we are writing to express serious concerns with a recent draft rule leaked to the press that proposes to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 States, excluding the range of the Mexican gray wolf. We find these proposals problematic both in terms of their scientific support and their consistency with the intent of the statute. 1) Removal of the gray wolf from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife The gray wolf has barely begun to recover or is absent from significant portions of its former range where substantial suitable habitat remains. protected “where found”. While Chambers et al. Respectfully, Bradley Bergstrom, PhD Valdosta State University Valdosta, Georgia Phil Hedrick, PhD Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona