From
Big Game Forever Blog » Blog Archive » Wolves coming to Washington
Sportsmen of America,
Please take 30 seconds today and send a message to the Washington Fish and Game Commission. Simply click here to send an automatic email using our automated system. It only takes 30 seconds. It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s free. We need sportsmen from every state to help counter the efforts of the anti-hunting community to force unmanaged wolves into the entire state of Washington.
A nation of Anti-hunters will likely send over 10,000 messages in support of this unsustainable plan or something even more extreme. For example, last year, even in the face that failure to manage wolves on Unimak Island Alaska would lead to extirpation of the nation’s last remaining Island caribou herd,
the anti-hunting community sent 90,000 emails. This campaign was carried out in an effort to stop the state
of Alaska from removing 7 wolves needed to save this important caribou herd. The herd continues to decline due to efforts of USFWS to stop any wolf management on Unimak. Sportsmen of America can remain silent no longer.
Here is why Washington sportsmen need our help. The proposed one-dimensional wolf plan includes no protection for elk, moose, bighorn sheep, deer or other wildlife populations. The proposed plan sets the recovery goal even higher than Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, even though Washington state has less than half the elk to support a wolf population of any of these states. The plan requires 15 breeding pairs and 150 wolves. Remember on average, it takes almost 3 packs to find one qualifying “breeding pair” due to the strict definition of “breeding pair.” This could mean over 40 packs and 280 wolves to even meet the delisting criteria. Under the plan, these numbers must be maintained for 3 years for delisting to be considered in Washington, because Washington has a limited elk population, this criteria is NOT attainable for 3 years nor is it sustainable for wildlife in Washington. What is clear is that this plan will be very bad for elk, moose, wolves and our outdoor heritage. Additionally, there is NO guarantee that delisting will actually occur even if criteria are met. This plan will fail for all the same reasons that the one-dimensional wolf plans failed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. What is clear is that this plan will be very bad for elk, moose, wolves and our outdoor heritage.
Washington sportsmen have asked for the help of Big Game Forever. Please take 30 seconds to ask the Washington State Big Game Commission to support an 8 to 10 pack limit with no 3 year requirement. Simply click below to send an automatic email in support of responsible wildlife management in Washington. Forward this email to your hunter friends as well. We need all support we can get. Protection of our nation’s wildlife resources and our outdoor heritage depend on every sportsmen in America supporting sound wildlife management the right of the State of Washington to carefully regulate wolves now and in the future.
Ryan Benson
TAKE ACTION-
Big Game Forever - Protecting Big Game Abundance for Future Generations
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If you can spare 10 bucks, become a member of Big Game Forever
Sam
