To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
STOP PLAYING POLITICS WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES
Scienctists, not politicians, must determine what's protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. We demand that Grey Wolves be returned to the Endangered Species List and that Congress be barred from making any legislation related to delisting.
Why is this important?
For the first time in history, Congress recently passed legislation (hidden in the Budget bill) that stripped Endangered Species Act protections for one particular species, putting politics above sound science and our national commitment to conserving America's wildlife.
Wolves were reintroduced into areas of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, under the Clinton Administration and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Since then, studies on area elk and wolves find that weather and hunter harvest affect elk declines more than wolf predation. Wolves often enhance prey populations by culling weak and sick animals from the gene pool, leaving only the strongest animals to reproduce. But many western politicians, such as Idaho Governor Butch Otter, despise wolves and want to eradicate them to placate the hunting and ranching lobbies. This provision has set a terrible precedent that could be regarded as an invitation to strip protections for any other endangered species that a politician finds inconvenient to protect. Grizzly bears, salmon, whales, polar bears, and Florida manatees and panthers are just examples of those that could be at risk
Wolves were reintroduced into areas of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, under the Clinton Administration and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Since then, studies on area elk and wolves find that weather and hunter harvest affect elk declines more than wolf predation. Wolves often enhance prey populations by culling weak and sick animals from the gene pool, leaving only the strongest animals to reproduce. But many western politicians, such as Idaho Governor Butch Otter, despise wolves and want to eradicate them to placate the hunting and ranching lobbies. This provision has set a terrible precedent that could be regarded as an invitation to strip protections for any other endangered species that a politician finds inconvenient to protect. Grizzly bears, salmon, whales, polar bears, and Florida manatees and panthers are just examples of those that could be at risk