NOVEMBER 2014 newsletter

conservation 路 education 路 preservation

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center NOVEMBER 2014

Shunka & Darlene

= LOVE

Sam, NaVi & Tala enjoy a 19 degree afternoon

Wolf hatred has spread west to Washington State On November 7th, we learned that the alpha female of the Teanaway pack was shot and killed, throwing the entire pack’s future into jeopardy. Disturbingly, the killing may have been intentional and a criminal investigation is underway since wolves in Washington State are protected under both state and federal law.

Fear and demonization of wolves is like a virus.

Defenders of Wildlife and our conservation partners are offering a reward for any information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the wolf ’s killer.

There are barely 60 known wolves in the entire state of Washington. With the tragic loss of the alpha female, the fate of the Teanaway pack is now uncertain. This is a major blow to wolf recovery in the Pacific Northwest.

– Defenders.org

Our 1st stage of Wiley and Mia’s castle.

They will be living in royalty.

Watch as the stages develop. Courtesy: Brian Siebell of Weststar Masonry

Gray wolf reported at Grand Canyon for first time in decades

By Rory Carroll (Reuters) - A gray wolf was recently photographed on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona in what would be the first wolf sighting in the national park since the last one was killed there in the 1940s, conservation groups said on Thursday.

There was no immediate word from the National Park Service on whether it had authenticated the sighting, but a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Charna Lefton, said the agency was sending a team to try to capture the animal in question.

The wolf in the photos, which have not been viewed by Reuters, was wearing what was believed to be an inactive radio collar, according to those who have seen the pictures.

The images were taken by a park visitor who shared them with conservation activists and park staff, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, which made the findings public.

Any wolf roaming the vicinity of the Grand Canyon, located in north-central Arizona, would be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. If confirmed to be a western gray wolf, as suspected, it would presumably have traveled hundreds of miles south from the Northern Rockies, where the animals were

reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s.

A separate population, from a subspecies known as the Mexican gray wolf, is known to inhabit southeastern Arizona and western New Mexico, hundreds of miles in the opposite direction from the Grand Canyon.

But the animal pictured on the canyon’s north rim appeared larger in size than a typical Mexican wolf.

Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the group wanted to publicize the sighting to prevent the animal from being mistaken for a coyote and possibly shot as a result.

The sighting comes as the Obama administration is weighing a proposal to lift Endangered Species Act protections for all wolves but the Mexican gray subspecies, even in states where wolves are not currently known to have established a presence.

Grand Canyon park ranger A.J. Lapre told Reuters he was not aware of the Park Service taking a position on the reported sighting.

He added that a park visitor over the summer had reported losing a pet dog-wolf hybrid on the northern side of the canyon and that the animal had since been spotted but was not believed to be wearing a radio collar.

Endangered Earth: Could We Double Our Wolf Population?

Center Report: 350,000 Square Miles of Potential Wolf Habitat - It’s time to think bigger about wolf recovery A first-of-its-kind analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity identifies 359,000 square miles of additional habitat for gray wolves in the lower 48 states that could significantly boost the nation’s 40-year wolf recovery efforts. Habitat including areas in the southern Rocky Mountains, on the West Coast and in the Northeast could double the wolf population to about 10,000.

Monday’s report follows the incredible news last week that a gray wolf, likely a wanderer from the northern Rockies, has been spotted on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim; it also comes as the Obama administration moves to strip Endangered Species Act protection from wolves by the end of the year.

“There’s still so much more room for wolves in the lower 48 states,” said the Center’s Amaroq Weiss. “Rather than pulling the plug on wolf recovery before the job is done, we ought to be looking at ways to bring these animals back.”

This year’s annual Turkey Toss was a blast!

The day started out with the perfect Meet and Greet with our ambassador wolf, Keyni, followed by flying turkey meat to the wolves and coyotes, and cornish game hens for our fox families. We ended the tour with a big group howl and remembering to give thanks on this day. We are thankful to all of those who speak up for the voiceless- those that sign petitions, write letters, attend meetings, share on Facebook, and especially to those that have been on the ground trying to save our Nation’s wolves. We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and we hope to see many of you at next year’s Turkey Toss.

How Colorado Wolf and Wildlife is making the public aware in Colorado. Please support us in getting our message out through Pay Pal. Check out our page about this on our website. www.wolfeducation.org

Lika

Drew and Keara

The New Mexico Game Commission unanimously adopted a rule change that gives itself authority to thwart Mexican wolf reintroduction The change gives the Game Commission power to deny applications for permits to keep wolves and other carnivores on private land for purposes of recovery or reintroduction. Presently, two organizations in the state holding lobos as participants of the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan are on private land. It also makes it easier to kill these endangered wolves without persecution.

We attended this hearing and have to say that it is utterly discouraging. Why do they even hold meetings? We believe that it is just formalities and they already have made up their minds. It was also disheartening to see the disrespect to native tribes and people that were also in attendance.

Enormous thanks to all who were able to stand for wolves at the meeting.

We regret your howls were not heard...

It’s all about the money unfortunately.

Darlene at the podium

NM Final hearing on the MG proposal

DECEMBER 5 路 6 路 7 Standard Full Moon Tour Meet and greet Keyni our ambassador wolf before the tour. Tour starts immediately after and lasts approximately 1 hour.

One Saturday night a month!

Full Moon Feeding TouR This tour combines our FEEDING TOUR with our FULL MOON TOUR. The Friday before and Sunday after our Full Moon Tours.

ADULTS: $25 (13 years+)

CHILDREN: $15

(8-12 years) No kids under 8

Wear warm clothes & good boots.

Bring a camera and a flashlight Check wolfeducation.org for dates and check-in times

Join us for a special holiday celebration Sunday, Dec. 21st 9am to 10am Festivities will include: breakfast burritos with the wolves and a meet & greet with Keyni - our ambassador wolf $25 adults kids 12 & under

FREE!

RSVP early.

Space is limited!

719.687.9742

RSVP 719-687-9742 路 www.wolfeducation.org Divide, CO 80814

With Lawsuit Pending, Feds Cancel Idaho Predator-killing Derby BOISE, Idaho · Nov 24th In response to a lawsuit from conservation groups, the Bureau of Land Management has decided to cancel a permit allowing an anti-wolf organization to conduct a “predator derby” on more than 3 million acres of public lands near Salmon, Idaho.

As lawyers for the Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, Project Coyote and Defenders of Wildlife were preparing to file a request to stop this year’s derby on BLM lands, the agency decided to withdraw its decision to allow “Idaho for Wildlife” to conduct a contest to kill the most wolves, coyotes, and other species over three days every year for five years, beginning Jan. 2, 2015.

“We’re so glad that the deadly derby has been canceled this year,” said Amy Atwood, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, who represents the Center, Western Watersheds Project and Project Coyote. “These sort of ruthless kill-fests have no place in this century. We intend to pursue every available remedy to stop these horrible contests.”

News of BLM’s decision came from an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, which is representing the BLM in the groups’ litigation, who conveyed the news just as attorneys for the groups were preparing to file a major brief to stop this year’s hunt.

“BLM’s first-ever approval of a wolf hunting derby on public lands undercuts wolf recovery efforts, so it’s good they cancelled this permit,” said Laird Lucas, director of litigation at Advocates for the West, which represents Defenders of Wildlife.

The hunt would have allowed up to 500 participants compete to kill the largest number of

“

We’re so glad that the deadly derby has been canceled this year

” wolves, coyotes and other animals for cash and prizes. Contest organizers are hoping to expand their contest statewide.

“It’s hard to imagine a more objectionable event than an award-laden killing festival,” said Travis Bruner, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. “Let’s all hope that this is the beginning of the end of such activities.”

Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in 2011 following many years of recovery efforts in central and eastern Idaho, where public lands are supposed to provide core refugia in the face of aggressive hunting and trapping in Idaho.

“Killing wildlife for fun and prizes on public lands that belong to all Americans is not only reprehensible, it is also a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine and contravenes Idaho Fish and Game’s policy condemning killing contests as

unethical and ecologically unsound,” said Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of Project Coyote. “It is high time the BLM acknowledges that wildlife killing contests are not an acceptable ‘use’ of public lands.”

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 800,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Western Watersheds Project works to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in the West through education, public policy initiatives and legal advocacy.

Project Coyote (ProjectCoyote.org) is a national non-profit organization promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy.

SLV Animal Welfare Society Austin Border Collie (BC) mix, 10 weeks. BC’s are the most intelligent and trainable of all dog breeds.

Axel, Border Collie mix, 10 weeks. BC’s are the most intelligent and trainable of all dog breeds

Nikolai. 100 lb German Shepherd pup less than 1 year old great disposition.

German Shepherds are among the most trainable dog breeds.

Chewey Basset Beagle on left.

Cheerio Beagle Terrier on right.

Brown dog is adopted.

CWWC will pay you $200 towards the shipping to a qualified home from the Vieques Humane Society

teller county animal shelter My name is Tilly. I am a 7 year young gal looking for a home to call my own. I am an easy going cat who is a bit set in her ways. I am mellow and love a good head scratching. I am not the type to follow you around, demanding attention, however, I do love my people time and enjoy a warm lap to nap in. I love to watch everything going on around me and hope you have a nice cozy windowsill for me to sit and watch all that goes on outside.

Those squirrels sure can be entertaining. I hope you consider giving a gal like me a chance, we could become best friends!!!

My name is Paris and I’m a typical husky girl with a lot of energy and am quite the talker! I am house trained and I am learning to how to be a lady. I am hoping my new family will continue my training. I am eager to learn, just waiting for the right person to have the patience to teach me. I am also looking for an active home because I am not the couch potato type. I have a very special adoption fee, please contact TCRAS for details!

Adopt SLV Animal Welfare Society 719.587.woof (9663) www.slvaws.org Non-Profit Shelter Monetary Donations Needed

TCRAS the no-kill shelter in Divide, CO 719.686.7707 tcrascolorado.com

working together to find loving forever homes

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. www.viequeshumanesociety.org

TO: _______________________________________________________________________________ FROM: ____________________________________________________________________________ FOR THE AMOUNT OF: _________________________________________________________________ AUTHORIZED BY: ______________________ EXPIRES: _____________________________________ Excludes holidays and special events · Please mention you have a gift certificate when making reservations Year round tours by reservation only: Tues - Sun 10am · 12pm · 2pm + 4pm in the Spring and Summer

GIFT CERTIFICATE

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center Gift Certificates Make the Perfect Gift for Every Animal Lover...

Dedicated to educating the public about wolves, wolf dogs, foxes, and coyotes. Although these elusive animals are not often seen in the wild, through our guided tours you will have the opportunity to view them in the most natural setting possible. You will have the chance to view some of some of the endangered species that live at the Center.

719.687.9742 · www.wolfeducation.org P.O. Box 713 · Divide, CO 80814

The Holidays are here!

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center

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

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.

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

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.

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