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Invited Statements from Concerned Organizations

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)

Izaak Walton League

Members of the Izaak Walton League have long recognized the timber wolf's value and place in the ecosystem, and have endorsed its protection. For instance, in 1965 we were a leader in seeing that the wolf bounty was repealed, and in 1972 supported Endangered Species status for the wolf. However, we also supported the wolf being moved to the Threatened list in 1978.

For those of you who don't know who we are, we're one of this country's oldest environmental groups. Although not all our members are sportsmen or -women, a majority are avid hunters and anglers. Many of our members live in rural areas or smaller towns, a number of them in wolf country.

• We support de-listing the wolf because the goals of the Eastern Timberwolf Recovery Plan have been met. Lost in this debate is that the recovery of the wolf in the Midwest is a true success story for both the ESA and the wolf, and we believe that a successful de-listing will be important for wolf reintroductions elsewhere, and for reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act.

• We want to see the Federal depredation program continued, even if the state resumes control of the wolf. Per-animal payment should be increased to fair-market value for farmers who have suffered livestock loss.

• State wolf management activities should be financed from the state's general fund, not the Division of Wildlife's normal funding source, which is primarily from hunting licenses and excise taxes on hunting equipment. It simply isn't fair to expect hunters alone to fund what may end up being an expensive program.

• The Izaak Walton League feels it is too early to be talking about wolf control. At this point, we are not opposed to the possibility of limiting wolf numbers, but if and when that decision is made, it must be based on good biology, not fear or ignorance. For instance, we know that the last two severe winters were the primary cause of the deer population decline, not wolves. Given normal winters, our deer herd will rebound within two or three years to the level of just a few years ago, a level that provided high hunter success rates. Hunters of the previous generation used to demand that hawks and owls be killed because they preyed upon grouse, pheasants and ducks. Thankfully, hunters outgrew that. We need to ask ourselves if that same attitude is as outmoded when applied to wolves and deer.

• Concerns of parents with small children living in wolf country are understandable, but need to be put in perspective. People need to know that if they or their pets are attacked, they can take appropriate defensive measures without fear of arrest or fines - - similar to how we handle confrontations with black bears. However, we also need to keep in mind that wolves have attacked no one in Minnesota, and less than a handful of people in all of North America. Yet the black bear is responsible for at least 23 human deaths, and over 500 attacks -- including at least two attacks in Minnesota. Yes, we hunt the black bear, but no one is demanding we routinely kill them just because they may pose a threat.

• We support the professionals within the Department of Natural Resources, but are concerned about the DNR's inability to stand up to the Legislature on controversial resource issues. Unfortunately, we'wre already seeing self-serving politicians and pundits using the wolf issue to their advantage, stirring up an "us" versus "them" mentality. Our support for the delisting of the wolf will likely be contingent upon some resolution to this problem, one where legislators swayed by emotion impose policies that fly in the face of scientific wildlife management.

These policies were adopted in spirit and principle at the quarterly board meeting of the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League on January 16, 1998. Authority for representing the League on official groups debating this issue was given to the Duluth McCabe Chapter President.