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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)

Sierra Club et al.

SIERRA CLUB (NorthStar Chapter)
HOWL (Help Our Wolves Live)
F.A.T.E. (Friends of Animals and Their Environment)
HUMANE SOCIETY OF AMERICA

According to law, a species can be removed from the endangered species list only when it no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The determination that the species has "recovered" must be based on scientific data and objective evidence. We feel that more wolf research is needed before any final decision is reached regarding the delisting of the Gray Wolf in Minnesota.

Furthermore, if delisting of the wolf is to be nationwide or cover a large geographic region, as it appears is the intent of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, then the recovery of the wolf in Minnesota must be viewed in the context of the status of the Gray Wolf throughout it's historic range and the long-term prospects for the wolf in other areas outside of Minnesota. The ESA was drafted to allow species to recover, not just in one state, but as a national resource. There is no doubt that the wolf is still extinct throughout most of its former range, including areas where recovery teams have recommended re-introduction.

Although much has been learned regarding the wolf as an individual and its pack behavior, little is known about Minnesota wolves as a population. Most of the information we have is extrapolated from Dave Mech's collared wolves of the Superior National Forest in the Ely, MN area where wolves have complete protection. This research has been paid for by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Forest Service.

If the current Minnesota population estimate of 2,200 wolves is accurate, it is no credit to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or to the Minnesota State Legislature. DNR officials have always claimed, against all evidence, that the wolf was not endangered in Minnesota and that they did not want to assume management responsibility unless there was a "sport" hunting and trapping season.

We believe that, before the wolf is delisted:

1. A scientific population assessment should be completed. Past studies have depended heavily on estimates, extrapolation, and DNR "opinions", that have been self-serving, promoting the goal of a sport trapping season in Minnesota.

2. In 1997, 216 wolves were killed by federal trappers in response to confirmed complaints from 93 Minnesota farms, out of an estimated 7,200 farms in the wolf range. An independent study should be undertaken to determine why so few farms within wolf range (less than 2 percent) suffer wolf damage. Where the problem is poor husbandry, farmers should be required to "clean up their act". All farmers should receive assistance for the first confirmed wolf complaint, but subsequent compensation should be denied to farmers who fail to make reasonable improvements to protect their animals.

3. The delisting of the wolf in Minnesota should occur only in the context of the wolf's continued success regionally and nationally. Wolves reportedly are migrating from Minnesota to Wisconsin, Michigan, and the Dakotas, where they are still listed as "Endangered". The impact of delisting on the recovery of those populations must be assessed.

4. The large number of illegal wolf kills and DNR's failure to identify the offenders must be investigated. There has been no state funding for law enforcement to reduce the number of illegal wolf kills, estimated to be 250 to 400 wolves annually.

5. We oppose public hunting and trapping of wolves. Data indicates that indiscriminately killing wolves for "sport" is not an effective or reasonable method of depredation control nor does it encourage public respect for this species. There is no evidence that a hunting/trapping season is needed to protect humans or the state's deer population. In all the history of North America, there is no documented case, nor oral tradition among Native Americans, of a wolf killing a human and only one confirmed attack in Canada by a lone wolf behaving strangely. Just as with dogs or other animals that attack humans, that specific animal should have been removed, but that does not support a wholesale hunting/trapping season. The state's deer population is artificially high, often to the detriment of other species. Wolves as a territorial predator species will tend to limit their own numbers to stay in balance with their prey species and in response to competition from other wolves. Studies indicate wolves do not compete with hunters for young healthy deer but rather improve the herd by removing the old, weak, and sick. Therefore, we oppose any wolf control based on continued maintenance of the state's already inflated deer populations.

6. We favor a restricted livestock depredation control program subject to regulations that favor the wolf, and occurring only after scientific verification that the loss was caused by wolves. The target of control should be the depredating wolf, not all wolves in the area, nor wolves in general. According to the Animal Depredation Control (ADC) mission statement, depredation control is to prevent losses and protect farmers, while inflicting the least amount of impact on the species. The object of control is not to retailiate against wolves nor to impress farmers by killing large numbers of wolves.

7. We believe there should be promotion of non-lethal predator control techniques including the use of guard dogs and fencing. Non-lethal control methods have been ignored for too long. It is time that ADC should begin to phase out lethal control methods in favor of more ethical forms of depredation control.

8. We do NOT support preventive control trapping (ie. killing wolves before losses have occurred). The majority of wolves in Minneosta that live near, even on farms, do not attack livestock.

9. An emergency relisting clause must be included in any wolf regulations, which assures the wolf would be relisted immediatedly should the wolf population faced any ecological or biological disaster, or if an epidemic (such as parvo virus, lyme disease, mange, heartworm, etc.) spreads in the wolf population. Given the present lack of support in Washington for the ESA, and the already slow listing process, assurance must be secured that the relisting of the wolf in an emergency will not be long and difficult, but immediate.

10. Educational programs should be implemented in areas where wolf/human conflicts exist. These should include information to help people understand wolf behavior and how to react to it; refute unfounded "scare campaigns" regarding potential wolf attacks on humans; and recommend common-sense personal actions people living in the wolf range should take to protect their families and their pets.

THE MINNESOTA WOLF IS NOT JUST A MINNESOTA STATE ISSUE!

The ESA was not designed to bring back populations so states could propagate species for recreation revenue, but rather to maintain species and enrich the biodiversity of our nation. We are aware that whether wolves re-establish themselves in the contiguous 48 states will depend on biological factors and also minimizing wolf/human conflicts. The national and international community will watch to see if Minnesota indeed ethically protects the wolf. We must insist the Federal government not turn management over to the states until the states are willing to live up to this responsibility.

Sierra Club is the nation's oldest environmental organization whose purpose is: "To explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives." Over 13,000 Minnesotans are Sierra Club members.