Enact Emergency Protections for Gray Wolves and Alexander Archipelago Wolves

October/2021

Our erasure of wolves through the years, notably from 1850 to 1925, was thorough, with government-sanctioned eradication programs nearly wiping out wolves in the western United States. Ranchers believed wolf populations should be destroyed for the threat they posed to valuable livestock, and by 1950 the extirpation of the American gray wolf was near complete. To hear a wolf howl was a rarity. By the 1960s wolves were finally protected under the predecessor law to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and in 1974 wolves were granted protection under the ESA, paving the way for their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995; today over 7,000 wolves can be found in the contiguous U.S.

Unfortunately, with the finalization of a delisting rule, on November 3, 2020, wolves lost their shelter under the ESA, despite the fact that they occupy just 10 percent of their former range in the continental United States and barely 6 percent in the contiguous United States. Their protections were lost, but the hatred for the species remains fierce. Delisting ignited a new war on wolves—a war utilizing methods to “remove” wolves as cruel and inhumane as strategies applied in the early 1900’s, and for the exact reason: livestock protection. Sanctioned, once again, by government officials void of any moral compass.

For more information on our present situation please visit this page.

We thank you very much for speaking out on behalf of wolves and participating in our tweetstorm. Please close your Twitter window prior to tweeting and open this page on your browser for ease of tweeting. Tap “TWEET THIS” to send each tweet. Please note that throughout this tweetsheet one particular tweet (Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves…) is repeated. A different photo was added to each, therefore there is no need to worry about repeating the exact tweet, and winding up in Twitter prison!

Relist Wolves Tweets  

1. Poaching is a significant source of wolf mortality and serves as yet another example of how politics shaped by human hostility intrude into wolf management. Please provide emergency #ESA protections for #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves pic.twitter.com/R9gHwS09Qh  TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/7SsXTkh0kS  TWEET THIS

2. Individuals who illegally kill wolves often face no/minimal consequences for their actions from sympathetic state mgmt authorities. This lack of accountability incentivizes additional cryptic wolf killing. Provide emergency #ESA protections @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS  

3. Gray wolves in the western United States merit urgent consideration and #ESA protection. #SaveOurWolves #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS   pic.twitter.com/QIzlTeoKjY TWEET THIS

4. Legal removals of wolves, although often posited to increase “social tolerance” among local communities, is proven to be correlated with increased levels of poaching. #RelistWolves @POTUS  @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #SaveOurWolves TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves   pic.twitter.com/mkPLRVBs4m TWEET THIS

5. The Federal Wolf Recovery Plan is itself an inadequate regulatory mechanism as it sets recovery targets that are below minimum viable population thresholds and thereby promotes overutilization. Provide emergency protections under the #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland  #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

6. By allowing for a population of as few as 450 wolves in the Northern Rockies states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, the Federal Wolf Recovery Plan fails to provide for a minimum viable population of wolves. #RelistWolves @POTUS  @SecDebHaaland enact emergency protections! TWEET THIS

7. Human persecution is the primary threat to wolves. Efforts to recover wolves presumed human understanding had evolved to appreciate the gray wolf as “an important & necessary part of natural ecosystems,” this has not proven to be the case @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

8. Please provide emergency #ESA protections for America’s #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS  #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves   pic.twitter.com/7dZ7gnKLs0 TWEET THIS

9. The reality of 2021 wolf management in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho very much fulfills the risk of extirpation identified by Wayne and Hedrick (bit.ly/WolfGenetics27). Please provide emergency protections for #wolves under the #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves. TWEET THIS

Please thread 10/1 and 10/2:

10/1. Creel et al (bit.ly/WolfMortalityRate) found that an anthropogenic mortality rate of about 25% typically yields a declining population and observed that wolf populations in Idaho and Montana showed indications of instability. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #SaveOurWolves TWEET THIS 

10/2. Existing liberal hunting and trapping policies in both ID and MT reduced year-end wolf populations by 40-50% in 2019, close to double the level of anthropogenic mortality a healthy wolf population can withstand @POTUS  @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS 

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/bEU2dUYkQI TWEET THIS

11a. Given the potentially severe effects & stochasticity of disease outbreaks on wolf recruitment & therefore population trends, disease must be viewed as a serious threat to the continued persistence of wolf populations decimated by “management” practices @POTUS #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

11b. Given the potentially severe effects & stochasticity of disease outbreaks on wolf recruitment & therefore population trends, disease must be viewed as a serious threat to the continued persistence of wolf populations decimated by “management” practices  @Interior #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

Thread:

12/1. Politicized management in ID, MT and WY has focused on reducing wolf populations to the minimum previously required by @USFWS to avoid returning the species to #ESA protection which is insufficient to ensure the persistence of the species @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS 

12/2. State laws in ID, WY, MT not only jeopardize wolf populations within their states but they also jeopardize rangewide wolf recovery because they impair the ability of dispersing wolves to establish populations in their historic ranges @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

 Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/1RYUJompPb TWEET THIS

Thread:

13/1. Wyoming’s unsustainable wolf management plan classifies wolves as “Trophy Game” status in the NW corner of the state only, and “Predatory Animal” status (entailing no limitations on killing) across the vast majority of the state @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

13/2. In Wyoming’s Predatory Animal area, wolf killing is unrestricted, and does not require a license, can occur year-round, without bag limit, and without restrictions on killing method @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/0zY7tO8xkT TWEET THIS

13/3. This complete derogation of wildlife management responsibility by the state of Wyoming creates a killing zone across 85% of the state where wolves are effectively eliminated. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/IpPtaZx5Xn TWEET THIS

14. A bill (“Animal cruelty-snowmobiles,” H.B. 288) introduced in the Wyoming legislature to amend state animal cruelty statute banning the practice of using snowmobiles to run down canids, shamefully died in committee. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland pic.twitter.com/zvW4rzFgeL TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/c2Ty6HQQi9 TWEET THIS

15. In #Wisconsin a third of the state’s #wolves were killed earlier this year after losing #ESA protections, and in less than three days! #SaveOurWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves pic.twitter.com/OgltXdhpro TWEET THIS

16. New research paper raises tantalizing questions about the value of #wolves in #Wisconsin, especially as western states plot their 21st century re-extermination: bit.ly/3oWTpY7 #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland pic.twitter.com/RhLUHW0fKs TWEET THIS

17. Politics have too often interfered with the recovery of #wolves. Nowhere is this more apparent than in #Idaho and #Montana. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland https://t.co/zU0xZSYVxr TWEET THIS

18. “If we are to preserve #wildlife and find true co-existence, it’s urgent to begin a much more serious process of managing the human population, not wildlife.” #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland https://t.co/k1jatiQmiz TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/sXQvFLPxMF TWEET THIS

19. “Nonsensical anti-wolf bills are what we get when we have legislators making wildlife management policy. Leave wildlife management to the biologists, not the politicians.” #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland https://t.co/wqmlnx9ve6   TWEET THIS

Thread:

20/1. Under a new law, private contractors and hunters in #Idaho will be authorized to kill more than 90 percent of the state’s #wolves. #WhatsWrongWithIdaho #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland pic.twitter.com/fjr1bYWcsW  TWEET THIS

20/2. Backed by an array of misinformation and fearmongering, the state legislature stepped over experts at the #Idaho Fish and Game Department and rushed to pass this horrific wolf-killing bill @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves pic.twitter.com/UFarDTcWEu  TWEET THIS

20/3. This bill, which has no grounding in science or public values, demonstrates that Idaho can no longer responsibly manage its wolves. The time has come for @USFWS to step in and abide by their obligations and #RelistWolves now! @POTUS @SecDebHaaland pic.twitter.com/0zY7tO8xkT  TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/n0MbBYf6sS  TWEET THIS

21. Scientists say @GovGianforte’s anti-wolf, anti-grizzly policies in #Montana have no scientific basis. The prominent group with 1,500 yrs of experience condemn Montana’s new laws targeting wolves: https://t.co/UUmP7DilXj #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland  TWEET THIS

22. Three @YellowstoneNPS wolves killed in first week of Montana hunt. The Biden Administration must provide emergency protections for these wolves under the #ESA. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland https://t.co/KeqW7qR0qM  TWEET THIS

23a. Yellowstone’s Junction Butte Pack, the most viewed in the world, lost three of its 27 wolves—two female pups and one female yearling. Hunters have until March 15 to slaughter more #wolves. Please provide emergency protections under the #ESA. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland  TWEET THIS

23b. Wolves, born and raised in Glacier/Yellowstone National Parks, where hunting is not allowed, have become habituated to humans (who don’t represent danger) can now be slaughtered once leaving the safety of the parks! How abhorrent @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/FQ2KsGubUE  TWEET THIS

24. Seven respected former wildlife commissioners, all hunters, condemn Montana governor & lawmakers for their callous, unscientific promotion of wolf slaughter. #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland pic.twitter.com/f9ItIkM0IE  TWEET THIS

25. Montana Wolf Policies Are Destroying State’s Reputation As Beacon For Wildlife Management: https://t.co/OgG4ZAlAFV #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #SaveOurWolves  TWEET THIS

26a. In Montana, state laws seek to achieve an 85% wolf population reduction, to the 150-wolf floor, through liberal hunting/trapping regulations & the institution of wolf bounties. This minimum is insufficient to ensure the persistence of the species @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS

26b. In Montana, state laws seek to achieve an 85% wolf population reduction, to the 150-wolf floor, through liberal hunting/trapping regulations & the institution of wolf bounties. Again, this minimum is insufficient to ensure the persistence of the species @POTUS #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/U5ieXNhhZ7  TWEET THIS

27. In Idaho, newly-passed S. 1211 strives to reduce the state wolf population by 90%. Hunters with wolf tags can now trap/snare/shoot unlimited numbers of wolves and pups! @POTUS @SecDebHaaland Enact emergency measures! #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS

27b. Shame on @USDA_APHIS defending preemptively killing wolf pups after @WhiteHouse officially acknowledged that new policies in Montana & Idaho may warrant restoring #ESA protections for that very population of wolves @POTUS
@SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves
https://t.co/G9DlnbUQMU TWEET THIS

28.  A new state law in Idaho provides that wolves may be treated like predatory wildlife; setting a year-round wolf trapping season on private lands; any individual may purchase an unlimited number of wolf tags to hunt, trap, or snare wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS

28b. Monetizing the killing of wolves is counter to sound wildlife management and ethics. Yet Idaho officials are allocating $200,000 to be divided into bounty payments for those who kill ID wolves through next summer. bit.ly/3j1psoj #RelistWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland TWEET THIS

Thread

29/1.  Since 2012 Washington state has killed 34 wolves that were listed as endangered under state law. In killing wolves, the @WDFW says it’s relying on a state wolf plan adopted in 2011 and guidance from a separate protocol crafted in 2016. #RelistWolves @SecDebHaaland @POTUS  TWEET THIS

29/2. Neither Washington state’s plan nor the protocol contains requirements or enforceable provisions as to when wolves may be killed over livestock conflicts. #RelistWolves @SecDebHaaland @POTUS pic.twitter.com/1YqncA2kwT  TWEET THIS

29/3.  Rather than continue to work with better alternatives, @WDFW insists on killing wolves to appease livestock owners. This approach does nothing but fuel a pointless cycle @POTUS @SecDebHaaaland #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/gk6KULQsmK  TWEET THIS

Please enact emergency protections for our #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves pic.twitter.com/oEMGlYHLNy  TWEET THIS

30. Let @POTUS, @SecDebHaaland and your members of Congress know that you value wolves, science, and resilient ecosystems. Wolves need continued federal protection if they’re to survive and fully recover. Take action here: RelistWolves.org #RelistWolves #SaveOurWolves TWEET THIS

31. Nearly 80 years after a federal extermination campaign that almost led to the extinction of gray wolves, we cannot tacitly endorse the same practice at a state level. Do not allow cruel and inhumane policies to destroy an #ESA success story @POTUS @SecDebHaaland #RelistWolves  TWEET THIS

Alexander Archipelago Wolf Tweets

1. The wolf mgmt program in GMU-2 Alaska, particularly on POW Island, is a scorched earth policy reducing a unique wolf to unacceptable levels slating them for #extinction. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves under the #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/1YteAa5aOF  TWEET THIS

2. .@adfg_seak no longer adjusts reported harvest with unreported and illegal kill estimated to be as high as 50% of the reported take @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS. Provide emergency #ESA protections for #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves pic.twitter.com/LJ1SnjX5it  TWEET THIS

3.  #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves are isolated and cannot be rescued naturally by dispersal. #Extinction is imminent due to poor mgmt that has lead to severe inbreeding depression @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS necessitating emergency #ESA protections. pic.twitter.com/lWTlFLjyyB  TWEET THIS

4. .@adfg_seak adopted a DNA-based method of determining population estimates, used the method to sample a larger area of GMU2 without any reliable means to test it’s accuracy/reliability Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland 1/ pic.twitter.com/bhQdE19b2O  TWEET THIS

4/2. 2/ Accuracy is further diminished as those samples are based on data from approximately 40% then extrapolated to the entirety of GMU-2, including areas that do not sustain #wolves. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/NKZ6RIRHdT  TWEET THIS

4/3. 3/ Upon extrapolation more error and uncertainty are introduced as @adfg_seak assumes the total area functions as a single contiguous land mass rather than an archipelago @POTUS @SecDebHaaland Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves #StopExtinction pic.twitter.com/Ne3zqwGKkK TWEET THIS

4/4. 4/ Historical data on the presence/ absence of wolves shows that only POW, Kosciusko, and Dall islands were sufficiently large to sustain permanent packs of #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS  Protect under #ESA pic.twitter.com/MhnalIKbeu TWEET THIS

Thread

5. 1/Alaska constitutional authority requires the state to manage ALL wildlife using long-term sustained yield principles. @adfg_seak has shown time and again that this policy is reserved for ungulate species. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS TWEET THIS

 5/2. 2/This sort of mismanagement serves to eliminate the proliferation of a sustainable wolf population. #Extinction through inbreeding is imminent without emergency #ESA protections for #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/1YteAa5aOF TWEET THIS

6. The wolf trapping season (11/15-12/15) incredibly allows *no limit* on the number of wolves that may be taken; hunting season, open to residents and non-residents alike, allows a take of an astonishing 5 wolves. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland TWEET THIS

7/1. 1/Recent research (bit.ly/GenomicInferenceAAwolf) argues that wolves in SE Alaska are highly inbred, with similar patterns as wolves on Isle Royal, MI. a population founded by just several individuals! Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves under #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS TWEET THIS

7/2. 2/ This research demonstrates just exactly how poorly the #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves have been “managed.” Provide emergency #ESA protections for SE Alaska #wolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS before the season begins. TWEET THIS

8. Combine severe inbreeding depression and poor (bordering on negligent with zero moral compass) wolf management, add to the mix habit loss, #climatechange and illegal take—the future for #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves spells #extinction @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS TWEET THIS

9. 1/The population estimates provided by @adfg_seak are not plausible. Between 2015 & 2016 the population of #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves more than double! No wolf population enumerated over the size of GMU2 has ever increased that much in one year @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS TWEET THIS

9/2. 2/And again between 2018 and 2019 we see a population increase of nearly double and after a reported “harvest” of 25%! This just is not possible! Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves under #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS TWEET THIS

9/3. 3/All these estimates do NOT include illegal take, nor do they include death from disease, accidents, etc. Please provide emergency #ESA protections 4 #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS prior to the season! #StopExtinction pic.twitter.com/Ne3zqwGKkK TWEET THIS

10. .@forestservice disregarded NFMA regulations requiring them to maintain or restore the ecological integrity of ecosystems/watersheds in the plan area, including maintaining species composition and diversity @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves TWEET THIS

11. Though @POTUS recently announced the intention to restore the #RoadlessRule on the Tongass, and end large-scale old growth timber sales, no deadlines for the implementation of these @forestservice initiatives was offered. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @SecDebHaaland TWEET THIS

12. .@forestservice failed it’s mandate to “assist in maintaining long-term sustainable wolf populations,” as required in the Tongass Forest Plan. Please provide emergency protections for #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/LJ1SnjX5it TWEET THIS

13. The wolf’s low numbers, mismanagement of trapping, damage from past/future national forest logging, as well as private/state mature & old growth logging, #climatechange, and inbreeding depression, continue to threaten the #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves. @POTUS @SecDebHaaland TWEET THIS

14. The only regularly monitored population of #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves is found on Prince of Wales Island. Over the past 15 years, the POW wolf population has suffered a decline of at least 60%. Protect under #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/NKZ6RIRHdT TWEET THIS

15. An unprecedented 165 #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves were killed during the 2019-2020 trapping season after state/federal wildlife managers ignored the recommendations of their wolf management program. Protect under #ESA @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS #StopExtinction TWEET THIS

16. Hunting and trapping occur at unsustainable levels on POW, with illegal killing accounting for as much as half of human-caused mortality. Please provide emergency protection for #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @POTUS @SecDebHaaland @USFWS pic.twitter.com/lWTlFLjyyB TWEET THIS

17. Habitat loss & #climatechange are causing wildlife populations to become smaller/fragmented/isolated. Additional pressures such as hunting/trapping further reduce abundance, resulting in a cascade of negative outcomes @POTUS. Protect #AlexanderArchipelagoWolves @SecDebHaaland TWEET THIS

Twenty-eight | The imminent extirpation of Alexander Archipelago Wolves from Prince of Wales Island, Alaska:

Please feel free to send these tweets off as often as you like, but allow 24 hours before doing so as Twitter does not allow identical tweets to be sent within a 24 hour period.

Thank you, once again, for your participation!

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