Fish and Game Commission:Decision on Whether Or Not To List Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) As A Threatened or Endangered Species

Beth Katte

Decision: We are going to wait another 90 days. And when we reconvene in Fortuna California (closer to the cow folk) and take some more public input (because over 60 largely pro-wolf talks was not enough) then we will have a decision.

How does one animal (OR-7) not constitute an endangered population? Any first graders out there that can help us with the math? One minus one is how much? How many meetings do we need to look and see that the number one- the indivisible one -one is the loneliest number that you'll ever be.....

Three Dog Night- One (Is the loneliest number)

So in honor of the intrepid ray of hope OR-7 the song you all know but you probably never remembered the band name of- the appropriately named Three Dog Night!!!

Wolf Rally Speech by Amaroq Weiss of Center For Biological Diversity

All kidding aside the rally and commission meeting was bittersweet. Encouraging to see the dominating presence of wolf advocates, including ranchers, and their excellent speeches. And disappointing because the commission and the CDFW "scientists" who provided the recommendation not to list h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶d̶s̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶e̶s̶ insist on ending up on the wrong side of history. I am left shaking my head at their decision making process. They seem that they want to respect the process of a "stakeholder's group" and that protected status will somehow limit options available to them... or we can't protect something that does not have a reproductively viable population currently. A lot of hooey to me. We did that for wolverines, Guadalupe fur seals, and condors- all of which, like wolves, are highly mobile animals that can traverse thousands of miles. Give wolves protected status even if they do not have reproduction going on here. Provide financial recompense towards livestock losses. Provide impetus for ranchers to engage in non-lethal deterrents. 

Chuck Bonham and Eric Loft were the two CDFW people that somehow came up with this untenable position. They asserted that wolves in California will not face significant dangers from people. What?? There are loads of people, yes even in California, that would love to shoot wolves. The only reason wolves recolonized the areas in our country that they did was because of protected status. They also asserted several times in their premeditated defense that although wolf habitat was available in the state- mainly in the north part of the state and the sierra- wolves were heavily dependent on ungulate prey, especially elk. And because tule elk are still recovering in the state prey availability is an issue. As I pointed out, in my brilliant speech, there are well documented populations of wolves in southeast Alaska and British Columbia that subsist primarily on marine resources. Wolves are opportunistic predators that will subsist on jack-rabbits, salmon, seals- whatever is available. In California we have huge and growing populations of feral pigs, especially in the central part of the state, wolves could be an effective culling agent for these invasives and this would greatly expand potential wolf habitat. Wolves in Eurasia regularly kill huge Russian wild boar so they should handle our pigs. Additionally, and this may offend some horse lovers, there are feral populations of horses in California and Nevada that the U.S. is looking for ways to control their population...hmmmmm Wolves are not the most effective predators of horses, but they would be the most logical predator save we bring back North American lions...

At the conclusion of the meeting one of the commissioners did volunteer that wolves would eventually be listed in California, just not today. Sigh....

Here is my speech, it totally rocks:

In several states where wolves have been restored a significant anti-wolf rhetoric and propaganda machine has taken root.

In many people's minds wolves have been conflated into symbols of government over-reach.

In their want-on destruction of wolves and other predators these states have betrayed an implicit trust that the American people have granted them to restore these animals. Living with wolves should not be seen as a burden but a privilege.  

If other states lack the political will-power, creativity, and gumption to co-habitate with wolves then please allow California the opportunity to do so.

Commission I beseech you grant endangered species status to wolves in California. 

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California Wolf and California Beaver: Two Keystone Species Trying to Make A Comeback

One is a predator, one is a herbivore. One is terrestrial, one is amphibious. Beaver and wolf might not be the most immediate bedfellows that you can imagine, in fact a wolf will- given the opportunity- eat a beaver. So why am I talking about wolf on a beaver blog? Well you might notice I talk about a lot of stuff besides beaver on this blog. Because beaver are a foundational keystone species whose actions have huge implications for threatened wildlife, habitats, water systems, agriculture, and policy: I do not think I am overstepping my cause by talking about all sorts of tangential subjects. Beaver ecology does not invite a myopic view of the world. Indeed the trophic cascade involving reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, willows, elk, beaver, and songbird is well known- even if beaver might have got a little short thrift in their role in benefitting the Yellowstone watersheds. And ultimately when we look at the story of wolf in North America we see a lot of parallels to the story of beaver in North America.

Tlingit Beaver Clan House. link

Both wolf and beaver have two of the most widespread geographic ranges of all North American land mammals.

Both wolf and beaver featured significantly in the culture of native Americans.

Both wolf and beaver were relentlessly hunted and culled with the migration of Europeans into North America. The wolf due to its depredations on livestock and the beaver for its pelt.

Modern peer reviewed studies on beaver and wolf ecology posit both species as foundational keystone species. Animals that have a disproportionate benefit to the health of the ecosystems in which they occur.

Despite the known benefits that both animals offer a persistent mythology, false presentment of facts, and general propaganda machine has besmirched both wolves and beaver.

Both beaver and wolves are territorial. They will drive out, and potentially kill, intruders. They reproduce once a year. In this manner populations of both species are largely self-regulated. I.E. hunting/trapping by humans is not needed.

As keystone species with huge geographic ranges it is logical to assume that beaver and wolf shaped the ecological landscape of North America more than any other large native mammals (save humans).

Despite the claims of nay-sayers (usually with vested interests) when Europeans first ventured out into a continent full of beaver and wolf what did they find? Were ungulate herds diseased, malnourished, and low in number? Did beaver and wolf reproduce to plague like proportions? Were fish stocks barely holding on? Were salmon being thwarted by the impoundments of beaver?

Bison skulls for fertilizer. mid 1870's

In all instances NO... the amount of bison, pronghorn, and elk on the great plains is stuff of American lore. 30-60 million bison. 40-60 million pronghorn. 10 million elk. All these herbivores despite a population of up to 2 million wolves in North America. Salmon, lamprey, and steelhead just spilling out of our rivers- supporting unique native cultures in the Pacific Northwest that assumed permanent settlements due to the abundance of fish. The same waterways that housed up to 60-400 million beaver in them. All these animals doing just fine not despite of beaver and wolf, but because of them.

That beaver and wolf deserve a place in North America- we hold these truths to be self evident.

Please take a minute of your time to sign the prewritten email to CDFW who are aiming to not list wolves in CA as threatened. Although they wanted this emailed by April 3- do it anyways to make your voice heard. Center for Biological Diversity.

Help Protect Wolves in California (follow link!!!)

In addition please consider signing this prewritten email directed to the CA water board by American Rivers:

Tell the California Water Board: Restore Flows in the San Joaquin River (follow link!!!) 

So San Joaquin Delta. Laura Cunningham 2010

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