Great Letters to the Editor in Southwest Papers!
Here are some compelling, heart-felt letters to the editor supporting Mexican wolves that were published in the past few months:
From the White Mountain Independent
February 2, 2010
Wolves were shot, poisoned and trapped into extinction
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to a recent article in your editorial section Jan.
15 “Why wolves roam no more.”
The Mexican wolves are “no more” as they were shot, poisoned and trapped into extinction in the southwest at taxpayers expense, using bounties, to benefit ranchers. The last six in existence were found in Mexico. The wolves were not injected, they were reintroduced. They had
a workable relationship with elk for thousands of years prior to Europeans coming here.
In a meeting held at the Pinetop Game and Fish Office May 27, 2009, I learned there are only 52 wolves in New Mexico and Arizona.They are on the decline again, due to poisoning, trapping and shooting. As a result, they are on the endangered species list. A victim of special interests such as elk hunting vendors and ranchers. Wolves attack the old and infirm. Elk hunters attack the top of the line. Therefore, hunters kill out the DNA that now will no longer get passed on. As a result, this activity is out of balance with the natural world. It appears ranchers and elk hunters are primarily interested in their narrow slice of it all. Not the big picture.
If you are interested in more objective information, contact defendersofwildlife.com or contact the local Game and Fish Office and attend their next meeting regarding wolves.
PATRICK STOCKS
Show Low
From the Arizona Daily Sun
February 12, 2010
To the editor:
The article in Saturday’s Daily Sun, “Federal count of Mexican wolves drops by 10,” is bad news for this native Arizonan subspecies of wolf. As there were only 52 of these animals living in the wild last January, this new count represents a loss of 20 percent of the total Mexican wolf population living in the wild. It is more imperative than ever that the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service quickly craft an updated plan, based on sound science, to ensure the recovery of this subspecies that they have identified as “one of the rarest land mammals in the world.”
One issue plaguing the recovery of this wolf over the past 11 years is the illegal shooting of these animals by anti-wolf individuals. These people are criminals who feel their fanatical hatred of wolves outweighs the views of the majority of Arizona/New Mexico citizens who support restoring his key predator to its historic habitat. I urge the FWS to increase its focus on the apprehension and prosecution of these criminals. And I encourage readers who support the protection of the Mexican wolf to contact Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, P. O. Box 1306, Albuquerque NM 87103 to express your support for the recovery of his magnificent animal in the Arizona wilderness. Your letter, e-mail or phone call could help drive the changes needed if the lobo is to survive.
STEVE ROBINSON
Flagstaff
From the Arizona Daily Star
February 13, 2010
Save the wolves
Re: the Feb. 6 article on “Mexican wolf populations dipping.”
Congratulations on your article that raises the alarm on the critical number of wolves remaining in the Southwest despite the strong support of the majority of residents of Arizona and New Mexico.
Wolves are responsible for less than 1 percent of cattle deaths in Arizona.
They should remember that wolves are the wild cousin of man’s best friend and an amazing example of animal society.
Wolves have survived in the wild, formed packs (families, mind you), had pups and cared for them. The Mexican wolf is part of the Arizona environment. The reintroduction program is not working. Wolf managers must work with ranchers to prevent cattle loss. Killing wolves is not the answer!
MIREYA LANDIN-ERDEI
Bullhead City
From the Arizona Daily Star
February 16, 2010
Fingers crossed for Mexican wolves
Re: the Feb. 7 article “Mexico to place 5 wolves near AZ.”
The majority of Arizonans support Mexican-wolf recovery, according to polling, and it’s encouraging that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in favor of the release in Mexico. Wolves are part of our heritage in the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. They do a lot to improve ecosystems and make nature healthier. That’s good for me and my kids and all of us. I’ve got my fingers crossed for this new population in Mexico.
MELISSA KALOGERAS
Oro Valley
From the Arizona Daily Star
February 18, 2010
Better recovery plan needed for wolves
Re: the Feb. 7 article “Mexico to place 5 wolves near AZ.”
We Arizonans and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be supporting the establishment of wolves in Mexico. They are part of our shared heritage and culture, and we sure have work to do, with only 42 wolves on this side of the border. Our wolves need stronger protection, a better recovery plan than the 28-year-old one (typed on a typewriter!), and they need this second group in Mexico. We need to end the irrational fear of wolves and appreciate that wolves are nature’s wildlife managers.
LUCIA BARTON
Retired, Tucson
From the Santa Fe New Mexican
March 1, 2010
There are only 42 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild in the United States, a 20 percent decline in just the past year. They’re the most endangered mammal in North America, and something needs to be done to prevent them from going extinct. This decline is not through any fault of the wolves, who have done everything needed to survive in the wild; they have formed packs, had pups, and successfully hunted native prey. The decline is human-caused and must be human-remedied.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must give Mexican gray wolves greater endangered species protections, release more wolves into the wild and bolster the genetic fitness of the population, bring the criminals killing our wolves to justice. It must also write a new science-based recovery plan, because the outdated 1982 plan is not working.
EVALINDA WALRACK
From the Arizona Daily Sun
March 11, 2010
Wolf Return Connects Us to the Natural World
To the editor:
Saturday’s headline in the Arizona Daily Sun, “North Rim wolf revival?” (March 6), renewed my hope that a door might be opening for the return of the Mexican gray wolf to the northern part of our state. There are few sounds in the wild that evoke more deep-seated emotion in humans than the plaintive howl of a wolf. It is time that this endangered subspecies return to its historic range here in northern Arizona. Scientific research has clearly shown the benefits of a proper predator prey balance to the restoration of wilderness. But what it may not be able to document is the deep emotional or spiritual need in all of us to stay in some way connected to our natural world. The lobo is part of that world. It belongs here.
STEVE ROBINSON
Flagstaff
Many thanks and congratulations to all these talented and dedicated letter writers-your letters make a big difference in the effort to protect and recover our lobos!
To write your own great letter to the editor, click here for letter writing tips and editorial contacts.
For talking points specific to the recent population decline to include in your letter and more editorial contacts, click here.
