conservation 路 education 路 preservation
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
VIP TOUR Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Michelle’s first full moon tour with Cody · Another awesome fire that Mike made...
Finally a little snow. Kekoa in his beautiful coat!
my bear
A NICE NOTE WE RECEIVED: Thanks for taking the time out of your day to call and speak with me! Thanks also for what you do everyday and for being the inspiration for me to be a voice for these amazing animals and all wildlife and animals everywhere! Once again the newsletter and website are awesome! Thanks, Tim Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Chris and Debbie Lamb from Ottawa, Canada spent some time with Tala, Na’vi and Keoka. The only purpose for them to come to Colorado was to see the wolves. The were greeted and welcomed with sweet Tala kisses.
Na’vi and Tala whispering sweet nothings
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Obama’s Choice to Lead Interior Dept. Has Oil Sector and Conservation Credentials WASHINGTON — President Obama on the Energy and Natural Resources nominated Sally Jewell, the chief executive Committee, said she was not yet ready to Ms. Jewell, of Recreational Equipment Inc., to lead the judge Ms. Jewell’s credentials. “I look forward would represent Interior Department, with a vow that she will to hearing about the qualifications Ms. Jewell a different model, balance the agency’s sometimes conflicting has that make her a suitable candidate to run a corporate mandates to promote resource development such an important agency, and how she plans and preserve the nation’s natural heritage. to restore balance to the Interior Department,” executive with If confirmed, Ms. Jewell, a former oil Ms. Murkowski said in a statement. experience in company engineer and longtime advocate Ms. Jewell will also face scrutiny from both resource for conservation and outdoor recreation, environmental and conservation advocates exploitation and will take over a department that has been who will want to know about her approach to conservation embroiled in controversy over the regulation the preservation of public lands. of oil and gas on public lands and in the Gulf Ms. Jewell, a native of the Seattle area and of Mexico and Arctic Ocean. She also will a graduate of the University of Washington be the steward of hundreds of millions of acres of public with a degree in mechanical engineering, has been a lifelong lands, from the Everglades of Florida to the Cascades of outdoors enthusiast. As a child she sailed in the Puget Sound Washington State. and camped throughout the Pacific Northwest, according to Ms. Jewell, 56, who also had a 19-year career as a commercial a 2005 profile in The Seattle Times. banker, took over as chief executive of REI in 2005. The In 2011, she introduced President Obama at the White company, which is based in Kent, Wash., just south of House conference on “America’s Great Outdoor Initiative,” Seattle, has since grown to nearly $2 billion a year in sales. noting that the $289 billion outdoor-recreation industry is She is in line to replace Ken Salazar, who has led the source of 6.5 million jobs. the department since the beginning of the Obama Ms. Jewell and her husband, Warren, have made political administration. contributions of nearly $100,000 since the mid-1990s, While introducing Ms. Jewell at the White House, Mr. almost exclusively to Democratic candidates and causes. Obama alluded to the tensions that have divided the Interior She contributed to two groups that supported the successful Department’s mission for decades. He said that she is an 2012 effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington expert on energy and climate change issues as well as an State. avid outdoors woman and a former oil company worker in The Interior Department post has traditionally gone to a Oklahoma and Colorado. politician from the Western United States, like Mr. Salazar, “She knows the link between conservation and good jobs,” a former senator from Colorado. Under President George the president said. “She knows that there’s no contradiction W. Bush, Gale A. Norton, a former attorney general of between being good stewards of the land and our economic Colorado, and Dirk Kempthorne, a former governor and progress, that, in fact, those two things need to go hand in senator from Idaho, served in the position. hand.” Douglas W. Walker, a former chairman of the board at REI Ms. Jewell spoke briefly, saying she was humbled and and a climbing partner of Ms. Jewell’s, said she is an avid energized by the appointment and looked forward to climber, kayaker and sailor who has climbed Mount Rainier meeting the senators who will vote on her confirmation. in Washington State and Mount Vinson in Antarctica. She can expect sharp questioning during those hearings Mr. Obama referred to her South Pole adventures. about her approach to resource development — oil, gas “And when Sally is confirmed, I’m willing to bet that she and minerals, but also solar and wind power — on public will be the first secretary of the interior who frequently hikes lands. Republicans in Congress have criticized the Obama Mailbox Peak in her native Washington State and who once administration for holding back public lands from oil and spent a month climbing mountains in Antarctica,” he said, gas leasing and for imposing overly restrictive regulations on “which is just not something I’d think of doing, because it hydraulic fracturing and other extraction methods. seems like it’d be cold, and I was born in Hawaii.” Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the senior Republican Stephanie Clifford contributed reporting from New York. Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Federal Agent Caught Torturing Neighbor’s Dog While on Duty It doesn’t get much more twisted than this
Federal trapper Russell Files was arrested for felony cruelty after he set steel-jawed traps to ensnare his neighbor’s dog, Zoey, for coming into his yard. And he did it while on the government’s dime. Send your Congresssional Representative a message and let them know you want an end to funding for government-sponsored animal brutality. A neighbor and police found Zoey exhausted and covered in blood. Zoey had broken 22 teeth trying to bite her way out of two leg-hold traps. Sadly the Zoe incident is not an isolated example of cruel behavior by employees of the rogue agency with its misnomer name: “Wildlife Services.” Late last year another employee, Jamie P. Olson, tortured coyotes while on the federal clock. Please join us in demanding that Congress eliminate funding for this agency within U.S. Department of Agriculture. Help us seek justice for Zoey, for coyotes
and all the other animals that are targets of hatred and intolerance. Stand for compassion and tell Congress that we don’t want our precious tax dollars to pay for this kind of violence and corruption. According to the Sacramento Bee, Agent Files clocked in as “on duty” when he set the traps in his front yard to capture Zoey. This secretive federal agency spends hundreds of millions of tax dollars to kill millions of animals – from grizzly bears to wolves to pet dogs – every year. Their arsenal is truly astonishing: poisons, guns, snares, dynamite, planes, and traps. They kill purportedly to benefit those in agribusiness. But their anachronistic ways must be relegated to the shadows like other long-gone injustices. Call on Congress today. Ask it to defund the perversely-named “Wildlife Services” because taxfunded animal torture is unacceptable in a modern society.
a fun day in the snow
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
coyote contest kill - Adin, California Galvanizing a grassroots force of more than 25 wildlife conservation and animal protection organizations to oppose this hunt - representing more than 1 million Californians - comes on the heels of our success in helping stop a coyote contest hunt in New Mexico. Legislation has just been introduced there to ban contest hunts statewide. This is great news. The sad news is that we weren’t able to stop this contest hunt in California because the law allows this wanton abuse of our wildlife. Nor do we know how many coyotes died at the hands of 250 eager contestants because the law doesn’t require them to report the body count. Sponsors boasted that the event was “enjoyable” and “successful.” A silver belt buckle was awarded to the team with the biggest body count. We worked closely with a reporter documenting the event but it was tense going; he and his 13 year old granddaughter were met with open hostility and harassment. We promise this: on behalf of the coyotes who died needlessly, we will not stop working for a better way, a better day for coyotes. With your voice, your support and your heart, we will work to end the heartless persecution of our native Song Dogs.
www.projectcoyote.org
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
HSUS Sues USFWS & Salazar Over Great Lakes Wolves Delisting! HOWLING FOR JUSTICE - The Humane Society of the United States, Born Free USA, Friends of Animals, Help Our Wolves Live (HOWL) and Their Environment are suing the USFWS and Ken Salazar over the delisting of gray wolves in the Great Lakes, which includes Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. They are demanding the wolves be placed back on the Endangered Species List. We’ve all been waiting for this news. HSUS filed an intent to sue back in October 2012 but we haven’t heard much about the lawsuit since then. This is very welcome news! “The Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups filed a lawsuit to restore federal protections for gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region that were lifted last year. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the District of Columbia against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, said the decision to take wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan off the endangered list threatens the animals’ recovery throughout most of their historic range. At one time, the animals roamed nearly all of North America” Minnesota and Wisconsin rushed to hold wolf hunts soon after the USFWS delisted them. Minnesota’s actions were particularly egregious since their state plan previously included a five-year moratorium on wolf hunts if wolves were ever delisted. But in an underhanded move, the Minnesota state legislature went to work and trashed the 5 year moratorium, paving the way for almost instant wolf hunts. Adding insult to injury both states ignored the pleas from Native Americans, namely the Ojibwe people, to stop the wolf hunts. A few tribes closed their reservations to wolf hunters but because many of their reservations are fragmented the majority of the tribes weren’t able to do this and so had to watch helplessly as their brother wolf was slaughtered. Wisconsin’s bear hounders were chomping at the bit to hunt wolves with dogs and the state’s DNR went along with it. Thankfully it was challenged in court and an injunction was issued to stop the hunting of wolves with up to six dogs per hunter. Recently that injunction was lifted paving the way for the horrible practice to be carried out by 2014. Relisting wolves is the only way to stop the slaughter. Hunters have been whipped to near frenzy by right-wing crazies, who’ve demonized wolves, blaming them for everything under the sun, including eating children at bus stops. The irony is wolves are the least dangerous of the large carnivores that inhabit North America, with just two controversial fatalities in the last 100 years. Hunters OTOH kill almost a hundred people a year in hunting accidents and wound another 1000. An 11 year old boy in Oregon was wounded at a bus stop but it wasn’t by a wolf, a hunter accidentally shot him in the leg while he waited for the school bus. We can only hope this lawsuit will be successful and wolves in the Upper Peninsula will once again be placed back on the Endangered Species list where they belong. They should stay there until the climate of hate and persecution is stamped out and the yahoos who want to inflict pain and suffering on these vital apex predators have died out. I would give that about another fifty years!
We applaud HSUS and the other environmental groups. Wolf advocates have watched in horror as over 1000 wolves have been tortured, brutalized and killed in five state wolf hunts, since August 30, 2012. Minnesota’s hunt killed 413 wolves quickly. Wisconsin slaughtered 117 of the iconic predators and Michigan is moving with lightning speed to establish a wolf hunt.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Standard Tours
One-hour educational tour of the sanctuary. 10 am, noon and 2 pm Tuesday-Sunday $10 per adult 路 $7 per child
Feeding Tours
Enjoy this one-hour educational tour while your guide feeds the wolves! Learn about hunting, howling and hierarchy and communicate with the pack in a group howl! $20 per adult 路 $10 per child Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Photo Tours
Interact with 2 of our wolves for up to 15 minutes while a CWWC photographer captures your interaction! $100 for up to 4 people 路 $50 per additional person MUST BE 18 OR OLDER
Youth FOX Photos
Your child will have their picture taken with our red fox! $75 for up to 4 children (must be 8 or older)
VIP Tours Interact with 4 of our wolves for up to 30 minutes! $150 for up to 2 people 路 $50 per additional person ADD ON a Photo Tour for an additional $75 MUST BE 18 OR OLDER
Walk on the Wild Side
What could be better than a guided nature walk in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with a wolf? $75 per person Reserve for Thursday & Sunday
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 719-687-9742
FULL MOON TOURS
Wear warm clothes and good boots. Bring a camera and flashlight. Cocoa and coffee will be provided. $25 per adult · $15 per child 8-12 · No kids under 8 MARCH 23 · 5:00pm check in 5:30pm meet and greet one of our wolves Tour starts immediately after and lasts approx 1 hour NOTE: Reservations will not be guaranteed until we reach our minimum requirement. Please call to put your name on the list!!
FUTURE FULL MOON TOURS: April 27 · May 25 · June 22/23* · July 20/21* All CWWC tours have limited space and we have a no-cancellation policy from May-October
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 12 Mother’s Day with the Wolves June 16 Father’s Day with the Wolves
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 719-687-9742
In The News Oregon Wolf Meets His End in Idaho
Wolf OR16 was only one year old, but showed an urge to explore far beyond his age. He was born in Oregon and was part of the Walla Walla pack, but eventually struck out on his own, crossing hundreds of miles into Washington State. He then swam across the Snake River and ventured into Idaho, all the while being tracked by researchers homing in on his GPS collar. But as we all know, Idaho isn’t a great place to be a wolf these days and sadly, after only 33 days on Idaho soil, OR16 was tracked by a hunter on the Boise National Forest outside of Lowman and legally killed during Idaho’s wolf-hunting season. OR16 was an amazing animal. Wolves disperse into new areas all the time—these movements help keep wolf populations healthy and growing—but OR16’s journeys were extraordinary, even by wolf standards. His loss is even more tragic as researchers were gleaning tons of information on wolf behavior from the GPS and telemetry signals being emitted by his collar. OR16 is the second Oregon wolf killed as part of Idaho’s wolf hunts. A year ago, OR-9 was illegally shot by an Idaho hunter. Wolves are relatively new to Oregon;
Wolf OR16 wakes after receiving his GPS collar in Oregon’s Union County on November 1, 2012.
recent census data shows the population slowly climbing to 53 last year. Idaho’s wolf management practices have been taking a devastating toll on wolves in the northern Rockies since their Congressional delisting in 2011. In their latest move, the state has allocated $50,000 to kill wolves in order to inflate elk numbers for hunters.
FOOTLOOSE MONTANA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting trap-free public lands for people, pets and wildlife.... NEEDS YOUR HELP! We need help with our imminent billboard campaign. We are looking for: 1. High-resolution photos of black labs out in the field 2. High resolution photos of someone out hunting with their dog(s) 3. I deas for catchy slogans. We have some ideas, but your ideas are welcome! We need to think about communicating a variety of messages to Montanans: trapping is not fair chase, trapping is cruel, trapping is indiscriminate, recreational trapping on public lands harms us all and poses a threat to others who share these lands, trapping harms our wildlife, etc. Please let us know what you think would work best. We need brevity and clarity. And we need to hit people in the gut and appeal to their values. www.footloosemontana.org
GOT
MEAT?
We are in need of meat (and monetary donations!) We can take your freezer burned or old meat. We can’t take meat that is spoiled, seasoned, or spiced or fish with bones. 719-687-9742
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
looking for a forever home A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself
Snickers
RAY
My name is Snickers. I am a young boxer mix who has been at TCRAS since November. I have a sweet personality and promise to bring lots of love to my new home. I am a good boy and will ask you to go outside when I need to. I love to play and climb on top of my doghouse to get a better view of everything going on. I get along with some other dogs, so if you have new friends for me please bring them with you if you are interested in bringing me home. I love to chase cats, so it would be best if my new forever home did not have any. Come see me soon...I am ready to go home! Call TCRAS, the no-kill shelter in Divide, at 719686-7707 for more information or checkout our website to see all the available animals! www.tcrascolorado.com
Ray is a young BLIND black lab. Our knowledge of him goes back 2 years when he was at a rescue about to be euthanized. He has had several homes since. The man who had him last lost his trailer home and had to give him up. He is now living at our shelter and running free here and sleeps inside our shelter managers home at night. Our shelter manager makes sure he knows where his food and water is. He was thin when we got him several weeks ago. He is very gentile and loving and needs a special forever home. SLV Animal Welfare Society 719-587-woof (9663) · www.slvaws.org
PRIVATE SHELTER - MONETARY DONATIONS NEEDED BADLY
A hundred years from now, it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of animals and the creatures on this earth.
Vieques Humane Society - Vieques, Puerto Rico, a small island located off the mainland’s east coast, for many years offered no veterinary or animal rescue services. During the early 1980’s, a handful of concerned immigrants from the states and a few local residents took a serious interest in improving the welfare of the animals. They began by feeding the island’s multitudinous strays and soliciting the help of veterinarians from Puerto Rico to sterilize them. By 1987, the Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue, Inc. was officially established as a non-profit organization. Today they still offer the only veterinary services on the island and have developed strong community based programs. See available dogs at www.viequeshumanesociety.org · CWWC will help you cover adoption fees - 719.687.9742
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
The World of Wolves iPad app featuring The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is NOW AVAILABLE on iTunes. Also on iTunes, download the free CWWC app for your iPhone or iPad
FREE fact-filled app about wolves
working together to make a difference “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” ~ Immanual Kant
Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org
www.aza.org www.projectcoyote.org
“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” www.bornfreeusa.org
~ Martin Buber
Mexican Grey Wolves www.mexicanwolves.org
www.defendersofwildlife.org
For current wolf articles and to be a voice through knowledge
Wild Earth Guardians
www.wildearthguardians.org
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Newsletter Designed By Melissa Macis Freelance Graphic Designer smallspaceorganizer@gmail.com Information presented on this newsletter is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/ image credit is requested. Some of the documents in this newsletter may contain live feed references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that CWWC does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org