A dozen Democrats want positive changes in Mexican wolf program
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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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Great news!
But it really is incredible how no republicans are in this (or similar) bills. What do they stand for (rhetorical question, I don’t need answers)?
I was just over in Arizona for Thanksgiving. Phoenix and Tucson are growing so rapidly and tourism is so important to Arizona and New Mexico that it seems like these states would be money ahead if the preserved the Gila-Mogollon Rim area as a sort of wildlife park. They could keep the ski area at Sunlight as a focus point but treat most of the rest as a wildlife preserve. Albuquerque and El Paso are also within easy driving distance from this area. It might become such a popular retreat from the summer heat, especially in Arizona where it is regularly over 110 degrees in the summer.
All the saguaro cactus are protected in Arizona. They have the sense that natural beauty is important to the state’s economy and welfare. It seems like there would be greater efforts to preserve the Mexican Wolf that may never again live anywhere else.
A lot of the grazing in the Gila-Mogollon Rim area is sparse and I cannot believe it is that valuable.
Not all democrats are in favor of wildlife protection as the ones in this story are. Just look at the Democrats in the Great Plains region towards the Yellowstone area Gray Wolves. They are trying to make hunters happy by doing everything in their powers to delist Gray Wolves so that the hunters can take down as many as possible in years to come.
It seems to me if they wanted to help employment, they might seek aide for hard pressed Fish and Game Departments who are overrun with deer, elk, moose and pronghorn poachers.
I’m thinking more and more that some shortages of ungulates in areas are just as likely a poaching issue than predators or poor habitat.
Interesing to note (smartly) they don’t get into the whole gray wolf delisting fiasco, but rather say someting needs to be done for the Mexican wolf subspecies. Does this open the door for a separate listing/delisting scenario that keeps them on the list, while the NRM DPS gets different treatment?
Here is the letter sent to Salazar on12/1:
http://www.mexicanwolves.org/uploads/Mexican%20Gray%20Wolf%20Letter%20Final.pdf