We always know that sounds suspicious. Nevertheless, if he does have an sick relative, I wish them the best recovering.
Bud Fazio to move to Albuquerque to work on fish. AP
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I will go out on a limb and say this was not voluntary!
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
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Ralph, the link doesn’t work.
As an aside, when did Bud transfer from the eastern Red Wolf project in the Carolinas? I know he’s a dedicated recovery professional so the whole thing sounds unlikely, regardless of where he was working.
I fixed the link.
Thanks, Ken.
Salle-
I had some contact with Bud when he transferred out to the Mexican Recovery Program in late Spring Early Summer 2009. I think he told me he was wolf coordinator for 7 or 8 years in the Carolinas. I haven’t talked to him in months so I can’t speak to the reason why he left. I’m sure dealing with the Catron County folks wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Now that MR wolf hater Steven Pearce has been re-elected we can expect ridiculous anti wolf proposals. People need to contact the western senators to make sure nothing passes in the Senate
What do you want to bet that he will be replaced with someone with a background working for APHIS Wildlife Services. Am I too cynical?
There’s a precedent. Brian Kelly came from a background in Wildlife Services (sic) to be Mexican wolf recovery coordiantor.
Sorry. Coordinator. Typing fingers don’t work so well.
I wouldn’t bet a dime against your guess there, Ken. We’ve seen it happen too many times already this year.
As for Brian Kelly, I recall meeting him after he was successful in advancing the Red Wolf project via a very public-inclusive campaign to get the ball rolling and then he was replaced by Bud when he moved on to the Mexican Gray Wolf recovery project. I wasn’t aware of his WS background but I did admire his finesse in public policy procedure and that he used it effectively in a pro-wolf policy development precess. (Lest we forget, one of the NR Gray Wolf recovery heroes – IMHO – is Carter Niemeyer who also came from a WS background and now has a book soon to be released about his experience. And then there is Rick Williamson who is also an ambassador for nonlethal management techniques – and developer of many of those techniques, is still a WS agent.) They are not all anti-wolf but the majority of the WS gang of “managers” are. I suspect that the shift to USFWS was due to their distaste for WS activities and priorities.
Maybe Bud wasn’t into the manner of operations foisted upon him by he powers that be, whomever they may be – possibly the Salazar office… The Mexican Gray Wolf recovery area is really close to southern Colorado where he has a big ranching interest don’t forget.
Well, I agree with Ralph, it may not be voluntary… considering all the other reassignments taking place in the world of wolf management professionals, especially state and fed. The article doesn’t say much and the two links within the article take you to some waaay off-topic sites. I’d like to know more about this. Like I said above, I know Bud well enough to know that there could easily be something else prompting this shift. Perhaps it has something to do with the way the Mexican Gray Wolf recovery program has been handled prior to Bud’s transfer there… and the associates, (both state, local and other) he had to work with… or maybe pressure from above in the USFWS.
I’m guessing that the changes he might have been working toward were not welcome by the welfare ranchers.
I’m sure you’re right about that. See my comments above.
Any wolf reintroduction program that puts radio collars on over 50% of the wolves is doomed to fail. The collars really handicap wolves as small as the Mexican Wolves and make it easy for poachers and Wildlife Services to locate and kill them.
I spent some time on the ground in the Arizona and New Mexico Mexican Wolf recovery area and feel that it would be better habitat for Gray Wolves than Mexican Wolves, since the main prey available is elk. If the area was good habitat for Mexican Wolves, they should have done well in spite of poaching, considering the large number of wolves released.
Larry- This is a difficult issue for sure. I asked several people in the Mexican Wolf program why they allow people to have access to these signals. He told me there are ranchers that are cooperating with the program and as a matter of goodwill try to alert them when wolves are in the area. This opens up the whole issue of people that are not receptive having access too. There has been way to much compromise so far, the problem is that you want people to cooperate and show goodwill but at what price?