| Yellowstone
Wolves Latest Victim of American "Justice" Audubon and Farm Bureau lawsuit wins one for the defilers In case you haven’t heard, the wolves at Yellowstone National Park face certain death at the hands of the U.S. "justice" system as personified by one federal judge, the Farm Bureau and the National Audubon Society. In a stunning setback to wolf recovery in Yellowstone and Idaho, a federal judge in Wyoming has ruled in favor of a Farm Bureau/Audubon Society lawsuit to remove or kill 160 wolves that have successfully reestablished themselves in their native habitat. Judge William Downes ruled on December 12 that the federal government illegally reintroduced Canadian wolves as an experimental, non-essential population in Yellowstone and Idaho. Judge Downes approved the Farm Bureau/Audubon request to remove all wolves, although his order has been stayed pending appeal. This decision marks a sad day for the wolf restoration program, which is ahead of schedule and below budget, with fewer livestock depredations than anticipated prior to recovery. If this defiler’s ruling stands, all the wolves trapped in Canada and their offspring born in the U.S. will have to be trapped and removed or shot. Part of the deal between Canada where the wolves were originally trapped for transplanting and the U. S. is that we can’t give them back. That means they will be sent to some other state that wants them or destroyed. There may be other options for the wolf, including full protection under the Endangered Species Act or Congressional action, but those options will not be considered unless there is a large outpouring of public support for the wolf program. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is asking the American people to help. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper expressing support for wolf recovery, and write to your Congressman or woman. Decisionmakers must know that the public supports the wolf program. Here's some points the coalition says you might want to make: •Wolf recovery is going great. It's ahead of schedule and below budget. Wolves are playing an important role in restoring Yellowstone's ecological balance. Twenty thousand people have delighted in seeing wolves in Yellowstone in the past two years, and these exciting viewing opportunities has boosted the region's economy. •Livestock depredations have been few, and ranchers' concerns have been fully addressed. Only one out of every 25,000 livestock losses in Montana are due to wolves; domestic dogs kill 200 times more livestock than wolves in Montana. The few wolves that have attacked livestock have been aggressively controlled by federal agents, and ranchers have been fully compensated by Defenders of Wildlife. •The American public - and a majority of residents in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho - supported wolf recovery. Farm Bureau politicians are selfishly attempting to subvert this clear public mandate. The Farm Bureau's "me first" agenda must be rejected. Yellowstone wolves should be fully protected under the Endangered Species Act. Please send a letter to one or more of these major regional newspapers: Casper Star Tribune, Box 80,Casper, WY 82602, fax: 307-266-0568 Jackson Hole Guide, PO Box 648,Jackson, WY 83001,fax: 307-733-7841. Jackson Hole News, Box 7445Jackson, WY 83002,fax: 307-733-2138. Bozeman Daily Chronicle, PO Box 1188,Bozeman, MT 59771, Fax: 406-587-7995 Billings Gazette, PO Box 36300, Billings, MT 59107. Missoulian, PO Box 8029,Missoula, MT 59807,fax: 406-523-5294 Helena Independent Record, PO Box 4249,Helena, MT 59604,fax: 406-447-4052 Livingston Enterprise, PO Box 665,Livingston, MT 59047,fax: 406-222-8580 The Montana Standard, Attn: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 627, Butte, MT 59703,fax: 406-496-5551 Idaho Statesman, Attn: Letters to the Editor, Box 40, Boise, ID 83707, fax: 208-377-6449 Idaho Falls Post Register, 333 Northgate Mile, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, Fax: 529-9683 Spokane Spokesman Review, Attn: Letters to the Editor, PO Box 2160, West 999 Riverside, Spokane, WA 99210, fax: 509-459-5482 Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, Rocky Mountain News, 400 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80204. Salt Lake Tribune, Public Forum, 143 South Main, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, fax: 801-521-9418. For more information, contact Tim Stevens: tstevens@desktop.org Posted 2/12/98...indy
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