WildEarth Guardians Contest and New Website

An important message from Carol Norton at WildEarth Guardians: Name the Middle Fork Pack

Dear Friends,

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently refers to New Mexico’s Gila National Forest Middle Fork’s Mexican wolves as “Alpha Male 871” and “Alpha Female F861.”

We want to change that—participate in our naming contest and name a wolf.

Since time immemorial, humans have named wolves; people have named wolves out of respect and even out of fear. We name them to honor their individual identity and transcendent spirits. Let’s recognize their perseverance and endurance with inspirational names rather than by sterile numbers.

WildEarth Guardians offers this chance to name two iconic wolves in the West.

AM871 (featured in our photo at right) is self-described as:

“I’m top dog in the Middle Fork Pack. I started it with AF861 after I left the Aspen Pack. We live in the Gila National Forest, in New Mexico. People who own cows think we don’t belong here and persecute us. I have escaped so far though I did lose a leg in one of those terrible leghold traps. I met AF861 in 2006 and we’ve been together since.”

Let’s give AM871 and AF861 the real names they deserve. Participate in our naming contest. Initial entries due no later than July 10. See full contest details here.

For the Wolves,

Carol Norton
Associate Director
WildEarth Guardians
cnorton@wildearthguardians.org

P.S. Visit WildEarth Guardians brand new “Wolf Den“, home of the Mexican wolf in the Gila. Learn more and connect with wolves, and then take action to protect these beautiful carnivores. If a million people interact with wolf den, we believe 50,000 will write a letter and 5000 will show up at a rally. We can make it better for wolves.

A “howling” thanks to our wolf friend organizations who are also advocating for the release of more Mexican wolves into the wild:

Animal Protection of New Mexico

Center for Biological Diversity

Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

Lobos of the Southwest

National Wolfwatcher Coalition

New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club

The Southwest Environmental Center

Trap Free New Mexico

White Mountain Conservation League

Photo credits: AM 871: Mexican wolf Interagency Team. Carol Norton courtesy of WildEarth Guardians