YERC in the New Yorker
Gray wolf conservation is an ongoing controversial topic in the West. The New Yorker article, Killing Wolves to Own The Libs? by Paige Williams, features a quote from the letter sent to Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, in response to the unregulated killing of wolves in Idaho. Chief scientist for YERC, Robert Crabtree, helped draft this letter that urges federal intervention on wolf regulation. The article details the tense division between wolf conservationists and the anti-wolf supporters who believe that the apex predator has no right to its traditional habitat.
New Idaho regulations allow hunters and trappers the opportunity to kill wolves in unregulated, unlimited numbers in a wide variety of ways that violate “fair chase” principles that many hunting regulations rest on. Killing pups in dens, using motorized vehicles, and night vision goggles are all legal methods to help kill wolves in Idaho. Additionally, bounties have been placed on the head of each wolf. Williams goes on to explain that the Foundation for Wildlife Management (F4WM) effectively pays members of the organization to kill wolves by refunding them $1000 dollars for the money spent chasing the predator.
Williams goes on to mention chief scientist Crabtree and eight other ecologists letter, “cited the activities of F4WM—“No other game species is being managed with these eradication tactics and there is no similar lucrative bounty for any other species in the state”—and reminded Haaland of long-standing federal guidance that allowed her agency to declare an emergency if a state changed its “regulatory framework to authorize the unlimited and unregulated taking of wolves.” Haaland did not respond directly to the letter, but did write a column in USA Today displaying shock at the killing of 20 wolves outside Yellowstone National Park and issued a warning of possible federal protection policies.
William’s article is a reminder of the deep divide in ideals, both political and ecological, between stakeholders in the West. Many views (on both sides) can be seen as skewed versions of reality that interfere with science-based solutions. Williams goes on to explain that wolves go weeks without eating and elk are at record populations in the state of Idaho. Additionally, there are effective ranching practices that mitigate the interactions between wolves and livestock. The lack of intervention through the Endangered Species Act could set a precedent for other states with like-minded attitudes towards wolves, thus encouraging a second age of wolf-extermination after successful, science-based rehabilitation efforts.
YERC’s WildNET program works towards data-driven conservation and coexistence with wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Learn more here.