Colorado Wolf
AND WILDLIFE CENTER MARCH 2017
NAKAI
A note from Project Coyote
CERTIFIED BY THE
The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization certified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for this logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The contents of the material we include in our newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views of Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. We collect information from sources that are from other organizations, the web, news feeds, and/or other sources. We choose articles that are in the related field of education and conservation.
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March 1 marked the opening day of the Georgia Coyote Challenge, a coyote killing contest implemented by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) to “encourage the taking of coyotes from March to August.” As pointed out in Project Coyote’s science letter to the Governor and the DNR, signed by eighteen of our Science Advisory Board members, this state-sanctioned kill fest is “nothing more than a wildlife killing contest (WKC), tempting participants to kill coyotes for a chance to win a lifetime hunting license.” According to the Georgia DNR, the Georgia Coyote Challenge is important for achieving wildlife management objectives, especially to boost game species’ populations. As made clear in Project Coyote’s letter, there is no credible evidence that indiscriminate killing of coyotes effectively serves any wildlife management purpose. Read more here. Please take a moment to call and/or write Georgie Governor Nathan Deal and urge him to immediately put a stop to this ecologically unsound and ethically indefensible kill fest (talking points below): Georgia Governor Nathan Deal Phone: (404) 656-1776 Submit your comment to the Governor online: http://gov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-governor-domestic-form TALKING POINTS: (please be respectful and personalize your message): • State clearly that you oppose the “Georgia Coyote Challenge,” a defacto coyote killing contest implemented to “encourage the taking of coyotes from March to August,” and that you urge the Governor to put an immediate stop to this ecologically unsound and ethically indefensible kill fest. • Killing contests serve no wildlife management function. Coyote populations that are not exploited (e.g., hunted or trapped) form stable family groups that naturally limit populations through defense of territory and the suppression of breeding by subordinate female members of the family group. Indiscriminate killing of coyotes disrupts this social stability, resulting in increased reproduction and pup survival. Read more here and here. • Coyotes play an important ecological role in helping to maintain healthy ecosystems and species diversity. As the top carnivore in some ecosystems, coyotes provide a number of benefits, including regulating the number of mesocarnivores (such as skunks, raccoons, and foxes), which in turn helps to boost biodiversity as well as song and ground bird populations. Read more here. • Coyote killing contests perpetuate a culture of violence and send the message to children that life has little value and that an entire species of animals is disposable. • Coyote killing contests put non-target wildlife, companion animals, and people at risk. • The Georgia Coyote Challenge is cruel and inhumane. Coyote pups born this spring will be orphaned and left to die a slow and painful death when their parents are shot. • For those of you who live outside the state of Georgia, please consider whether you want your tourist dollars to go towards supporting this type of state-sanctioned ecologically unsound and ethically indefensible type of program. • Remember to include your name, address, and email address to ensure that your comments will be counted in the official record. PLEASE SEE PROJECT COYOTE’S WILDLIFE KILLING CONTEST FACT SHEET FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. projectcoyote.org
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Earth Day Event
at The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
April 22, 2017 · 5-7 PM $30 per adult, $15 per child
Learn about environmental issues and what you can do to help Meet our wolves during a tour Howl with the wolves
Wolf missing in California spotted in Nevada By Peter Fimrite Updated 7:11 pm, Friday, March 24, 2017
The first wolf spotted in northwest Nevada in nearly 100 years was confirmed Friday as being part of a seven-member pack that vanished last year from its stomping grounds in California. The Nevada Department of Wildlife used scat to determine that the lone male wolf was genetically related to the toothy group known as the Shasta Pack, which disappeared from southeastern Siskiyou County in the past year, mystifying state biologists. Chief State Game Warden Brian Wakeling told the Associated Press on Friday that the wolf was seen in early November near Fox Mountain just west of the Black Rock Desert, where the annual desert gathering known as Burning Man is held about 20 miles from the California state line. A conservation lab at the University of Idaho confirmed that the wolf droppings came from the offspring of a gray wolf couple that gave birth to five puppies near Mount Shasta in 2015. It was the first pack of timber wolves, as they are also known, to establish itself in California since at least 1924. Wolves had not been verified in Nevada since 1922. None of the seven wolves in the Shasta Pack — all sport distinctive black coats — had been seen since May 2016, when researchers confirmed the presence of a single juvenile. It’s unclear whether this was the same animal seen in Nevada. Nobody knows what happened to the other members of the pack. Pete Figura, a senior environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it is possible they all migrated to a new region, but added it is unusual for an entire pack to completely abandon its breeding grounds. There was speculation that the muscular predators might have been killed, but it was impossible to know because none of the
animals was wearing a radio collar. Some ranchers in Siskiyou County had threatened in the past to employ the “three S’s” — shoot, shovel and shut up — if any of the sharp-toothed meat-eaters got near their livestock. The Shasta Pack is believed to have killed and eaten a calf in November 2015, the first reported case of livestock predation by wolves since their return to California. That was also the last time the entire pack was known to be together. The presence of Canis lupus in Nevada is another milestone in the steady movement of wolves across the Western United States. Up to 2 million gray wolves once lived in North America, but Europeans, fed by big, bad wolf myths, drove them to near-extinction in the lower 48 states. Then, in the mid-1990s, 66 Canadian wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in an attempt to bring the apex predator back. They have since spread across the Rocky Mountains, into Washington, Oregon and California. Roughly 5,500 wolves now live in the United States. The first wolf to enter California was OR-7, a radio-collared animal from Oregon that crossed the border in late 2011. He created a sensation when he traveled 2,500 miles through seven counties. Then, in 2013, OR-7 returned to southwestern Oregon, where he found a mate. Now almost 8, he has had litters of pups for three consecutive years and is the leader of the Rogue Pack. Besides the Shasta Pack, two wolves were confirmed in Lassen County last summer. The male was identified as the son of OR-7, but so far there is no evidence of any pups. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
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Congress Votes To Kill Protections For Wolves, Bears On Alaska Refuges The only thing standing in the way of the GOP-backed measure becoming law is Donald Trump’s signature
WASHINGTON — With the stroke of his pen, President Donald Trump could allow for bears, wolves and other predators to once again be hunted in Alaska’s national wildlife refuges. Following in the footsteps of their House colleagues, Senate lawmakers approved a measure to repeal an Obama-era rule that largely banned hunting of Alaska’s most iconic predators on more than 76 million federal acres. The Republican-sponsored legislation would undo the Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule, ultimately opening the door for the state to resume aggressive predator control tactics, including shooting bears and wolves from airplanes and killing cubs and pups in their dens.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) was among those who spoke out against the measure to repeal the FWS rule, saying the hunting community must embrace ethical standards when it comes to managing wildlife. “While shooting sow grizzlies with cubs may be legal, I suspect the public will never view it as ethical,” he said. “And I have to wonder what good old [Theodore Roosevelt] would have to say about recent decisions to allow unlimited bag limits on black bear cubs, or baiting of bears or shooting female grizzlies with cubs?” Fish and Wildlife did not immediately respond to The Huffington Post’s request for comment. In a blog post published to HuffPost in August, on the day the wildlife protection ruling was finalized, former FWS Director Dan Ashe pointed out that this new rule would stop Alaska’s Intensive Management Law, with which the Alaska Board of Game had “unleashed a withering attack on bears and wolves that is wholly at odds with America’s long tradition of ethical, sportsmanlike, fair-chase hunting.” Environmental groups blasted the Senate’s decision to strip away protections for Alaska predators. In a statement, Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, said that in passing the resolution, Congress failed not only bears and wolves but “the American people who support balanced, scientific management of our National Wildlife Refuge System.” “This warped resolution condones extreme practices to kill carnivores and their young, and is a disturbing abdication of federal authority over public lands and resources owned by all Americans,” she said. “President Trump should veto this threat to wildlife and our natural heritage.” Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said killing predators in such a “cruel, unsportsmanlike fashion is outrageous.” “Senate Republicans have shown just how mean-spirited and petty they are with this vote,” he said in a statement. The National Rifle Association is among the groups that have supported abolishing the Obama-era protections. Last month, Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, called the Obama administration’s rule a “last-minute attack on outdoorsmen.”
The Senate passed the resolution by a 52-47 party-line vote. It was adopted last month by the House, so the measure now heads to Trump’s desk for final approval. During their testimony on the Senate floor, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) described the rule, issued in August by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as an example of federal overreach that restricts Alaska’s ability to manage its own fish and game. Murkowski called it “bad for Alaska, bad for hunters, bad for our native peoples, bad for America,” as well as a “direct attack on states’ rights.” Although the rule deals specifically with non-subsistence predator control, Sullivan spoke extensively about Alaska’s critical subsistence hunting and fishing. “You might prefer your meat wrapped in cellophane at the grocery store. That’s fine,” he said. “But I ask that you don’t criticize the thousands of Alaskans who have to hunt for their food and who value hunting as a deep part of their culture.” Under the current rule, predator control is not allowed on Alaska’s 16 national wildlife refuges “unless it is determined to be necessary to meet refuge purposes, is consistent with federal laws and policy, and is based on sound science in response to a conservation concern.” The law also bans specific hunting methods on Alaska refuges, including killing bear cubs or adult females with cubs, baiting brown bears, taking bears using snares and traps, and aerial shooting of bears and wolves. By Chris D’Angelo - a writer for The Huffington Post | 4 | COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
Mother’s Day with the
WOLVES! May 14th 9-11am
· Wolf Tour · A Flower for Moms · Snacks $30 adults $15 kids 12 & under Prepay Event
Reservations 719.687.9742
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 5 |
CONSERVATION CORNER
“This breaks my heart. Wildlife conservation can be a tough job. What’s so devastating about the vaquita is that it could go extinct with the majority of the world having no idea this beautiful animal even existed. But I refuse to give up hope. We’ll fight on. ” Leigh Henry - Senior Policy Advisor, Species Conservation & Advocacy
The Vanishing Vaquita By Beth Shemo The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), which means “little cow” in Spanish, is the smallest and most endangered of the 128 marine mammals alive today. Because they are shy and rarely seen, the species wasn’t discovered until 1958, and a little over half a century later, we are on the brink of losing them forever. Vaquitas have the most restricted range of any marine cetacean, living only in the northern end of the Gulf of California. They eat ocean fish like the Gulf croaker, bronze-striped grunt, and squid. They weigh up to 120 pounds, and are 4-5 feet in length. They have gray bodies with pale gray or white bellies and a dark ring around their eyes and lips. They use sonar to communicate and navigate the Gulf waters. One threat to the vaquita is incidental death caused by fishing gear. Nearly one out of every five vaquita gets entangled and drowns in gillnets set for sharks,
rays, mackerels, and chano, and are also killed by commercial shrimp trawlers. The biggest threat, however, is rampant illegal gillnets set for an endangered fish called the totoaba, which is in high demand for its swim bladder. The swim bladder of the totoba is highly prized as a traditional health food in China and other Asian markets, and can be sold on the black market for thousands of dollars. They are dried and smuggled out of Mexico to China, often through the United States. According to Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, a cetacean expert at the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change in Ensenada, Mexico, the demand has so far proved impossible to control, with criminal organizations now controlling the totoaba fishery. The vaquita porpoise is critically endangered, with only about 30 individuals remaining in 2017, down from 200 individuals in 2012. In 1993, the Mexican govern-
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ment created the Upper Gulf of California Reserve to protect core vaquita habitat. The Mexican government also initiated a plan of monetary compensation to fishermen who relied on this area to make their living. In 2016, an agreement between Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and former US President Barack Obama permanently banned gillnets throughout the vaquitas’ range. Despite these efforts, the vaquitas continue to decline and may become extinct as soon as 2018. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the only way to save the vaquita from extinction is if the Mexican government bans all fisheries within vaquita habitat and fully carries out the ban through law enforcement. Economic alternatives must be found for the fishing communities to have more sustainable livelihoods. The US needs to immediately stop trans-border shipments of totoaba products, and China needs to end the illegal transport
and sale of totoaba products. All three governments must take action immediately. Mexico’s National Institute of Fisheries (INAPESCA) and WWF Mexico established an international committee of experts to further develop and implement vaquita-safe fishing technologies. In a last-ditch effort to save the species, scientists will attempt to capture an unspecified number of vaquitas in October of this year for breeding purposes. “We wish we could leave them in the wild,” says Jonas Teilmann, a cetacean biologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, “But right now there’s no other way to stop their extinction.” Sources: World Wildlife Fund, The Marine Mammal Center, and Science magazine.
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ADOPTION CORNER
Available from TCRAS · Teller County Regional Animal Shelter
Available from San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society
tcrascolorado.com · 719.686.7707 · NO-KILL shelter in Divide, Colorado
slvaws.org · 719.587.woof (9663) · Non-Profit NO-KILL Shelter
Muttley
7 month old Male/Neutered Brown/White Mixed Breed, Medium (up to 44 lbs fully grown)/Mix Are you looking for a new hiking or running buddy? Look no further, my name is Muttley! I am a very energetic pup that is looking for a new person or family to call my own. I do need a little work with my manners, but not to worry I am very smart. I would love to go on adventures in woods or for nice long strolls in the parks. If you would like to come and get to know me, it would be my pleasure.
Sidd
2 year old Male/Neutered Black Domestic Shorthair/Mix Hi. My name is Sidd. I came in as a stray so not a lot is known about my life before TCRAS. I used to be an outside cat, but I am really liking being an inside cat. I love to be petted. I am a great talker, but I listen well and can keep a secret. I love laying in the sun or a warm lap. Please come and meet me, I will be waiting for you
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Bobby. 1 year old chow mix. Gets along well with other dogs. Sweet, quiet dog. Neutered. 45 lbs. Plays on a Little Tikes playground with a 5 month old puppy.
Champagne. 25lb 2 years old, spayed wonder heeler mix. She loves to play with other dogs and can do loopty loops in the air.
Winnie is bird watching at Petco. 1-2 years old, spayed, plays with other dogs. 45 lbs. Sweet pup.
Dodger Dodger. 3 year old Anatolian Shepherd/border collie mix. Loves to ride in the car and look out the windows. Very sweet, affectionate. Needs lots of room to run, likes to play with other dogs. Neutered. 80 lbs.
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Orchids Get a Bad Rap Submitted by Katie Geist, CWWC Staff Member
Orchids bring images of steamy jungles and wet humid places. Because of this they get a bad rap that they are fussy and difficult plants to grow at home. So can you grow orchids in a semi-arid high altitude environment like Colorado? Yes, you can if you treat them right and choose orchids that don’t mind our boring and sometimes crazy weather. Some interesting orchid facts: There are more than 25,000 documented species of orchid, and scientists are finding more every day. Orchids have a symmetry similar to human faces. Some orchids strangely resemble creatures from the animal kingdom. The size of orchids depends on the species. They can be tiny as a penny or extremely large, weighing couple of hundred pounds. Orchids can live on the ground, attached to woody plants or under the ground. Bond between orchids and certain species of insects is tight and highly specialized. Due to high specialization of pollination, extinction of insect means extinction of orchid (there is no one else who can pollinate it in the wild). Vanilla is one of the best known and widely used flavors. It is extracted from the pod of Vanilla planifolia, which is a species of orchid. Orchids are very old plants. According to the fossil evidences, orchids have existed on the planet around 100 million years. I recently visited Peru, and hiked the 27 mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in the high Andes Mountains. We were hiking at elevations from 8000 ft. up to 14,000 ft. Incredibly orchids were growing at these high elevations. So what kind of orchids can you grow and how do you care form them? Most orchids will grow in Colorado, but some are easier than others. Here’s a recommended list from an orchid class I recently took. If the Latin names are scary, check them out online, or go to a plant store that specializes in orchids. There is a great one in Louisville, CO. I also like our local orchid store in west Colorado Springs. Phalaenopsis. This is the orchid that you frequently see in the grocery stores for sale. The like to be evenly moist, need moderately bright light and aren’t too picky about humidity. Neofinetia Hybrid. These orchids like very bright light (east window), even moisture and 40-50% humidity. Phalaenopsis-type Dendrobium. These prefer to dry out between waterings, east windows, and 30-4-% humidity. Cattleya. They are similar to the dendrobiums except they want higher humidity.
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Here are some basic considerations for growing orchids at home. WATER - both frequency and quality. Know how much and how frequently your orchid needs water. Water them in your sink by running water through the pot to moisten the potting medium. Don’t get the tops wet! LIGHT - grow lights are great! East windows are preferred by many orchids. Southern and western exposure may be too much light. Temperature – find out if your orchid needs cool, intermediate or warm growing conditions when you purchase it. HUMIDITY – you can use a small humidifier near your orchids. You can also place them in a tray with gravel and add water to the tray. Be sure that the water doesn’t reach the bottom of the pots. Air movement – orchids like a breeze, so use a ceiling or oscillating fan. POTTING MEDIA – orchids like to be repotted yearly. They do not grow in common soil. Instead they need a media such as bark or sphagnum moss. Orchiata bark is a great choice that I used to repot all of my orchids. FERTILIZER – do it weakly weekly (1/2 strength in the summer, ¼ strength in winter). Choose a balanced water-soluble fertilizer (20-20-20) made especially for orchids. One of the joys of gardening is to jump joyfully into the unknown. Yes, some plants will die, some will struggle and make it, and some will be great successes. The key is to not be afraid and to take a chance. So give orchids a chance no matter where you live.