Great Letters to the Editor in Southwest Papers!
Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper is an excellent way to raise awareness about the Mexican gray wolf situation and the management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Surveys of newspaper readers show that the letters page is among the most closely read parts of the paper. It’s also the page policy-makers look to as a barometer of public opinion.
Several excellent letters written by lobo supporters have been published in the past month!
From the Arizona Daily Star, December 13, 2010
DELISTING MEXICAN WOLVES IS A MISTAKE
Re: the Dec. 7 article “AZ agency backs end to US wolf protection.”
I would like to thank Congressman Raul Grijalva for his support in saving the Mexican wolves.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission wants to take the wolves off the Endangered Species Act. This would be a big mistake. As a wildlife enthusiast, the thought of losing the wolves here in Arizona is disheartening.
Wolves play a big part in the ecosystem of the Southwest, and they are already close to being extinct. There are only 42 left in the wild. Let’s not lose anymore.
TRACY ROBERTS
Teacher, Tucson
WOLF ‘RECOVERY PLAN’ PURE POLITICS
Re: the Dec. 7 article “AZ agency backs end to US wolf protection.”
The recent article in which the Arizona Game and Fish Commission supports delisting the Mexican wolf is stunning.
The argument that somehow lifting the few protections in place would help recovery is laughable. This policy, if enacted, flies in the face of science and is predicated on pure politics.
More than 77 percent of Arizona citizens support additional protection for this declining and valuable species.
One can look at Yellowstone National Park to see huge benefits to the ecosystem by the presence of a hardy wolf population.
We must be vocal supporters of Rep. Raul Grijalva’s efforts to thwart this flawed and pernicious plan.
SANDRA HEATER
Business owner, Tucson
From the Arizona Daily Sun, December 20, 2010
ARIZONA’S WOLVES NEED A BREAK
To the editor:
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for America’s gray wolf population, and things just got a lot worse for Arizona’s endangered Mexican wolves as well.
— Nov. 29: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar apparently made a back-room pledge to Western governors by supporting congressional efforts stripping endangered species protection for America’s wolves. If successful it will be the first time congress amended the Endangered Species Act to remove federal protection for any species.
— Dec. 2: Eight Western Caucus members introduced a brazenly anti-wolf bill in Congress, the so-called “State Sovereignty Wildlife Management Act,” designed to eliminate endangered species protection for all gray wolves, including the fewer than 50 Mexican wolves struggling to return to Arizona’s wildlands.
— Dec. 5: The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s director of the wolf recovery program lobbied the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to endorse congressional efforts to eliminate federal protection for wolves. These are the very animals Arizona’s director is supposedly charged to restore. In a 4-1 vote, the state commission agreed to advocate removal of Endangered Species protection for this imperiled species.
As some politicians and bureaucrats continue to ignore the majority of Arizona residents who support Mexican wolf recovery, America’s most endangered mammal faces greater threats to its survival. If you’re concerned about your wolves, a species essential to restoring healthy, sustainable wildlands in Arizona, go to www.mexicanwolves.org and see how you can help prevent a “second extinction” of this rare, intelligent, beautiful and increasingly threatened subspecies.
KIM CRUMBO
Director, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council
Flagstaff
Many thanks and congratulations to these talented and dedicated letter writers-your letters make a big difference in the effort to protect and recover our lobos!
Click Here for letter writing tips and editorial contacts to help you write your own great letter to the editor.
