Wolf at the Door?

Longtime Denver Post writer, Ric Soulen, opines in his Colorado Journal that the recent decision to relax restrictions on killing wolves in the Northern Rockies is, “completely insane and without any scientific reasoning or humane sense at all and is being perpetrated for obvious political gain.”

We’d like to commend Ric for one of the most succinct summaries of wolf politics we’ve seen in ages. Click here to read his post.

Scientists protest proposed species rule

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.- More than three dozen scientists have signed a letter to protest a new Bush administration interpretation of the Endangered Species Act, saying it jeopardizes animals such as wolves and grizzly bears.

The new reading of the law proposed by Interior Department Solicitor David Bernhardt would enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect animals and plants only where they are battling for survival. The agency wouldn’t have to protect them where they’re in good shape.

The proposed changes would “have real and profoundly detrimental impacts on the conservation of many species and the habitat upon which they depend,” said the letter, signed by 38 prominent wildlife biologists and environmental ethics specialists.

It [the letter] was being sent this week to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and leaders of congressional committees that oversee the department.

Read the rest of this Associated Press wire story By John Flesher by clicking here.

Hunting in our National Parks? Is Nothing Sacred?

In an article on NewWest.net today, columnist George Wuerthner opines about pending proposals to allow the public to tote rifles into Rocky Mountain National Park to help kill elk that are over-stripping the Park’s plant communities. Here’s the intro by journalist Todd Wilkinson, followed by a link to the article:

Taking aim at proposals to open two national parks to hunting, based on the premise that it can be an effective tool in reducing high elk numbers, columnist George Wuerthner says his “On The Range” column it would be a grave mistake and open a Pandora’s box of negative consequences. Wuerthner says he has nothing against hunting but that it might be time to restore some four-legged hunters who could do the job more compatibly with the natural goals of the National Park Service. Are Colorado and North Dakota ready for wolf reintroduction? – Todd Wilkinson

Click here to view the article by George Wuerthner.