For Immediate ReleaseContact: Rob Edward
(303) 447.8655 ext 2#-Door remains Open for Wolf Recovery in SW Colorado-
Sinapu, a group dedicated to restoring large carnivores to the Southern Rockies, today hailed a decision by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to include significant portions of western Colorado in a new "distinct population segment" or "DPS" for wolves in the Southwest. Calling the plan "the awkward stepchild of competing interests," Rob Edward of Sinapu indicated that the plan keeps the door open for wolf restoration in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, while closing the door on other regions.
The plan divides the lower forty-eight states into three "distinct population segments" for the purposes of managing wolves. Wolves in each segment will either maintain their former classification as "endangered" or will be immediately reclassified to "threatened" status, a lower level of protection. Parts of the country not included in one of the three distinct population segments will see the species completely removed from federal protections. In a departure from the original draft of the plan, a significant portion of Colorado and Utah will be included in the Southwest Distinct Population Segment, which includes New Mexico and Arizona.
"Ultimately, the plan is just so many lines on a map unless the government acknowledges what the world's top wolf biologists have been saying for many moons now, that the Southern Rockies is the mother lode for wolves," said Edward. "Now is the time to return wolves to the hunting grounds of their ancestors, to restore the balance of nature to the wild Southern Rockies." Edward indicated that even the government's own studies show that the Western Slope of Colorado's Rocky Mountains could support nearly 1,000 wolves. "The job of wolf restoration is not complete, and the Southern Rockies represent the biggest bit of unfinished business," said Edward.
"Members of the scientific and policy communities are just now completing the most comprehensive assessment of the Southern Rockies with regard to wolves," said Edward, "and two things are abundantly clear. First, the Southern Rockies represent a vast swath of the United States where wolves can and should be filling their ecological role. Second, absent an active reintroduction program, the region will probably remain devoid of wolves for decades to come." Edward pointed-out that although a few solitary wolves may be migrating into northwestern Utah, much of the landscape between southern Yellowstone National Park and northern Colorado is extremely inhospitable to wolves. "Wyoming's Red Desert doesn't lend itself to safe passage," he said.Edward called the national wolf policy a new chapter in the debate over wolf restoration. "We've finally moved out of the limbo stage," said Edward. "Now we can get down to the tangible planning elements, taking the steps necessary to reclaim our wild western heritage." Edward underscored the importance of a government effort to reintroduce wolves to the region.
"The Southern Rocky Mountains are a mother lode for wolves," said Edward. "We're glad to see that the government heard our voices, the voices of thousands of people across the country who insisted that the job of wolf recovery is not complete until wolves again roam the Southern Rockies." Although the plan does not specifically mandate that wolves be restored to southwestern Colorado, Edward believes that the legal mandate will flow from this plan. "We are prepared to work closely with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to begin thoughtful movement toward a recovery plan. We're also prepared to go to court should we meet resistance."Edward was careful to point-out that the Southwestern DPS, in which approximately two-thirds of Colorado (south from I-70) falls, also includes the Mexican Wolf Recovery program. "The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must now meet the challenge of renewing their commitment to Mexican wolves while becoming proactive about restoring wolves to the Southern Rockies. The last thing we want to see is a replication of the mistakes made in the Mexican Wolf Recovery program," said Edward, referring to what he called an overly aggressive and heavy-handed approach to managing wolves.
"We now expect the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to begin developing a recovery plan for wolves in the Southern Rockies, and we are ready to assist in that process, said Edward. "The time has come for the government to act on behalf of future generations. Our children and grandchildren deserve a future where wolves roam the landscape. If the government fails to take the initiative, then the conservation community will make the next move. We'd rather see a cooperative endeavor than a litigious one."For more information on the National Wolf Reclassification Proposal, visit: http://midwest.fws.gov/wolf/fnl-rule/index.html
Rob Edward, Director
Carnivore Restoration Program
Website: http://www.sinapu.org
303.447.8655 (voice)
Sinapu, named after the Ute word for wolves, is dedicated to the restoration and protection of native carnivores and their wild habitat in the Southern Rockies, and connected high plains and deserts.