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Editor's Note: In 1998 the International Wolf Center invited concerned organizations to submit a position statement on the status of wolves
for distribution on its web site. A new request for current statements has gone out to these and other organizations and statements will
be updated as they are received. (return to list of Organizations)
The International Wolf Center uses the tool of education to support wolf survival. We teach about the wolf, its associations with other species and its dynamic relationship with humans. We believe that the adoption of a sound wolf management program by the State of Minnesota is critical to the continued survival of wolves in this state, and will influence wolf recovery efforts elsewhere in this country and the world.
In the debate over the wolf's future in Minnesota, the Wolf Center will serve as a source of accurate, objective information on the wolf and its impacts on the human and natural worlds. The Center will provide information through its site on the World Wide Web, through publications, educational programs and exhibits and its information resources staff.
An overriding goal in these efforts is to help ensure an informed citizenry which will promote a management plan encompassing these objectives:
- survival of a healthy wolf population in the state, and
- the effective and humane management of wolf-human conflict.
In addition to presenting factual information, the Wolf Center will offer individuals, agencies and organizations the opportunity to share their ideas, concerns and positions, leading to the development of a plan. The Center will report on various management proposals presented by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, offering the public opportunities to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The survival of the wolf in Minnesota and elsewhere in the world depends on public support for management decisions grounded in fact and sound scientific practice. When armed with accurate information, Minnesotans will help determine a management formula allowing wolves and humans to live in reasonable proximity and peace. To that end, the Center seeks to promote an open dialogue fueled by fact and resulting in an effective wolf management plan which is supported by a public majority.
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