"Red Wolf" restoration scandal

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darenative

Twelve Pointer
1. Judge Boyle appointed David Rabon's (USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator) co-author, Dr. Chamberlain, as a court expert. Simply amazing, given the facts we now know regarding David Rabon/Kim Wheeler/Red Wolf Coalition/USFWS.

Amazing isn't the first thing that comes to mind....I'm thinking more along the lines of conflict of interest.

Is it common for someone giving expert testimony to have a direct financial interest in the issue? I thought this was generally discouraged... for obvious reasons.
 
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BR549

Twelve Pointer
North Carolina' Coyote Problem Solution!!!

1. Judge Boyle appointed David Rabon's (USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator) co-author, Dr. Chamberlain, as a court expert. Simply amazing, given the facts we now know regarding David Rabon/Kim Wheeler/Red Wolf Coalition/USFWS.

Amazing isn't the first thing that comes to mind....I'm thinking more along the lines of conflict of interest.

Is it common for someone giving expert testimony to have a direct financial interest in the issue? I thought this was generally discouraged... for obvious reasons.

Finally - A solution to the Red Wolf Hybridization issue!!

Ms. Wheeler - How much would the RWC be willing to fund?

It goes with USFWS David Rabon's current adaptive management plan of "Killing" Coyotes which the Red Wolf Recovery team has been quietly doing for years.

So Ms. Wheeler, I'm certain you would support this effort??


http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/utah-dwr-offers-hunters-10000-contracts-coyotes/
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
"So, who's counting all of those wolves? Actually, no one is counting wolves."

This is a very informative article regarding wolf population counts and their impact on game animals that is very relevant as NC wrestles with these same issues. Let me first be very clear, that in no way am I implying that the NCWRC is a party to any of the bogus numbers as the article suggests has happened out west. I do hope we can learn from the western "experiment".

Jett Ferebee

LOBO WATCH Sportsmen Taking Charge of Predator Problems
Editorial News/Press Release April 8, 2014



While Big Game Herds Continue To Dwindle - Federal &
State Wildlife Agencies Hide Real Wolf Numbers


A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report claimed that overall wolf populations in the Northern Rockies (made up of the entire Northwest corner of the country) have dropped 6-percent since 2011. But, have they really? Sportsmen and sportsmen based wildlife conservation groups aren't buying the recent numbers. Many would like to know, if wolf numbers are down, then why haven't big game numbers grown?

Wildlife managers and researchers have come to use the term "predator pit" when referring to an area where predators have pulled prey populations down so low that recovery of those populations becomes impossible, unless there is a drastic reduction in the number of wild carnivores. The situation results from how predators affect prey numbers in two different ways. One is the manner in which predators, especially wolves, kill far more adult prey animals than needed to survive, commonly referred to as "surplus killing". The second is the destruction of the prey age class, due to the loss of newborn young of the year.

The loss of that recruitment can be either due to outright killing of fawns and calves in the spring (with excessive surplus killing), or due to the stress predators (especially wolves) place on pregnant females in winter, causing them to abort their fetuses. In the classic predator pit situation, a rising number of predators results in a constant decline in prey numbers, with the average age of surviving prey animals becoming older and older with each passing year - to the point that reproductive growth becomes impossible and the prey base begins to die off from old age.

This accurately describes the situation in much of the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming today - a problem that is now beginning to spread into Oregon and Washington.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, populations of elk, moose and other big game had recovered well from the record lows of the early 1900s, and by the mid 1990s many areas of the Northern Rockies boasted record wildlife populations. Through all of that recovery from the market hunting era of the late 1800s, there were still viable populations of mountain lions, black bear, and in some areas even a few grizzlies. The only missing predator was the wolf, or so claimed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. America's sportsmen had poured billions of dollars into modern conservation projects, many of which took decades to accomplish, and they had been rewarded with an abundance of game. So much so, that during the 1980s and 1990s many hunters and wildlife viewers joked that "The Good Ol' Days Are Now!".

Against the wishes of the vast majority of sportsmen in this country, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing wolves back into the Northern Rockies in 1995. As wolf numbers quickly grew, thanks to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, the dynamics of the predator to prey ratio likewise quickly changed. When the first 31 wolves were dumped back into Yellowstone National Park (1995-1996), close to 20,000 elk made up the northern Yellowstone elk herd. Today, there are more than 400 wolves within the Greater Yellowstone Area - and the northern Yellowstone elk herd, which is one of several herds in the region, has plummeted to fewer than 4,000 remaining animals. Those that have managed to survive the constant pursuit of wolf packs, some of which are now known to number 20 or more adults, have become a very geriatric herd. In 1995-96, the average age of that elk herd was around 4 years of age, today the remaining animals are an average of 8 to 9 years of age. Calf recruitment in the spring is presently in the single digits.

Yellowstone's elk herds are dying. And so are the elk herds in many other areas of western Montana, northwestern Wyoming, and the northern half of Idaho. The area is definitely well into a predator pit situation - and the elk aren't the only big game that's now quickly disappearing. Moose, which were once plentiful in the Northern Rockies, have become nearly non-existent. In fact, within Yellowstone National Park, they could probably qualify as an "Endangered Species". Likewise, throughout the entire region, mule deer, bighorn sheep and mountain goat populations are also in serious decline - and the major problem is wolf depredation.

Sportsmen and others who are concerned about the future of wildlife in this once wildlife rich region of the country are now beginning to organize to take on those who seem to have one goal in mind - and that is to put an end to sport hunting. Who are the enemies?

In the eyes of many who have witnessed this wildlife disaster, topping the list is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We now know that when Congress denied funding for capturing Canadian wolves and transplanting them into Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, USFWS literally stole the money needed for the project from the excise taxes sportsmen paid on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing gear, through what is known as the Pitman-Robertson Act. These funds are to be used exclusively for wildlife habitat and fisheries improvement. USFWS helped itself to somewhere between $60- and $70-million dollars to finance several unauthorized uses - including the funding needed to dump wolves back into the Northern Rockies ecosystem.

Right there with USFWS is a long list of anti-hunting "environmental" organizations, including the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, and a few dozen others. These groups have learned to use wolf impact on big game populations as a tool to put an end to hunting. Without a surplus of big game, there's no need for hunters. It's that simple. And one former upper echelon USFWS division chief, who blew the whistle on the theft of millions from Pitman-Robertson funds, also says that USFWS has entered into under-the-table agreements with the environmentalists - those who want more wolves, and fewer hunters.

As absurd as it may sound, several of the state wildlife agencies which sportsmen have funded and supported since those agencies were founded have also bought into all the lies, deceit and theft that has now been associated with the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project. As these same sportsmen learn more about all that's wrong with introducing non-native, non-endangered Canadian wolves into Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, upper management within a couple of these agencies continues the cover up of the damage wolves have already dealt big game populations, livestock impact due to wolf depredation, the loss of hunting opportunities, how USFWS manipulated wolf science to justify the introduction of an invasive wolf subspecies, the true number of wolves in their respective states, and what it is going to take to gain control of this problem.

Sportsmen in Montana and Idaho have become extremely agitated at the inability of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to get a handle on the impact wolves are dealing elk, moose and other big game - and that now becomes very apparent at just about any public meeting held by these agencies. When the topic turns to wolves, angers immediately flare.

Northern Rockies residents who have had to live with those "reintroduced" non-native wolves now for nearly 20 years have developed a severe distrust in just about anything federal and state wildlife agencies have to say about wolves - especially when it comes to current wolf population numbers. The 300,000 or so hunters who head out into the mountains each fall in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming are seeing far less game and evidence of far more wolves than claimed by state game departments.

An ever increasing majority of Northern Rockies residents now realize that the state fish and game departments have artificially reported lower than actual wolf populations, perhaps to mask or hide the true number of wolves. However, the ever escalating loss of the large game prey base has made it impossible for these agencies to keep up the subterfuge. Still, a recent USFWS report claims that since 2011, wolf numbers across the U.S. Northwest have dropped 6-percent. In Idaho, the current "at least" number of wolves is 659, down 14-percent. The present number of Montana wolves, according to the USFWS report, is 627, down 4-percent. While the current number of wolves in Wyoming is put at 306, down 7-percent. The states reporting growing wolf numbers are Oregon, with a 110-percent increase, to 61 wolves, and Washington, with 38 wolves that represent a 46-percent increase.

CONTINUED...
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
CONTINUED...

So, who's counting all of those wolves? Actually, no one is counting wolves.

The wolf population figures being thrown around as "official numbers" are simply projected figures, determined by computer models. Those models are totally dependent on the data that is being entered into them...which means those models are at the mercy of whatever agenda the individual entering that data may have, or which they were directed to enter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state wildlife agencies within the Northern Rockies have already shown their tendencies to hide just how many wolves there really are...and the degree of impact wolves are having on other wildlife populations. Many sportsmen, livestock producers and rural residents feel the reported decline in the overall number of wolves in the Northern Rockies is based on the same fabricated data which has now literally destroyed many big game herds.

What kind of reduction of the wolf population will it take to allow big game herds to reverse the decline in elk, moose, deer and other wild ungulate populations? One thing that has become very clear is that it will take a far greater reduction of the apex predators than what has been accomplished through "sport hunting" in the Northern Rockies. At most, the so-called management hunts held in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming since 2009 have made no more than a 10- to 15-percent dent in the current population of any given year.

In his May 2008 declaration for the wolf delisting hearing and pending "wolf management hunts", Dr. L. David Mech stated, "It has not been demonstrated that 'a substantial reduction' in wolf abundance will occur, and my opinion is that it will not because merely to hold a wolf population stationary requires an annual take of 28-50 percent per year."

Mech went on to declare that wildlife agencies outside of the Northern Rockies recovery area try to reduce wolf population by 70-percent annually in order to achieve a reduction in wolf numbers. He was referring to what it takes to keep wolf levels low enough to prevent a predator pit situation in Alaska and areas of Canada. According to this wolf biologist and researcher, who is considered by many to be the top wolf expert in the world, sport hunting as currently being implemented by the wildlife agencies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming normally does nothing to reduce wolf populations.

After witnessing the loss of the past 75 years of wildlife conservation in much of the Northern Rockies, it has now become very clear to residents that wolves cannot be managed...and that wolves must be controlled. Sport hunting wolves has proven totally ineffective. To sufficiently reduce the wolf population will likely require aerial gunning, and allowing hunters, livestock producers and landowners to shoot wolves whenever they are seen - day or night, seven days a week, 365 days a year. - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH

For More On LOBO WATCH Go To www.lobowatch.com
 
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mangonbat

Guest
I would be VERY cautious about using this article as a credible source for any reason , especially not for application to the Red Wolf issues in NC. A broader view of western wolf and grizzly populations is that the near-eradication of apex predators in the last century allowed booms in populations of grazing species like elk to the point they completely overwhelmed the available food supplies. Aspen , for example, were nearly wiped out. Reintroduction of wolf and grizzly not only slowed growth of the elk population, but more importantly made survivors naturally wary rather than grazing like cows in the meadows. As a result, aspen and other native food sources rebounded. Its about balance, and I am afraid the balance in eastern NC has been altered by multiple factors such that restoring that balance to a pre-agricultural state will never be possible. Increasing deer populations, in and of itself, is NOT an indicator of restoring a healthy, sustainable wildlife system.
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
More first hand experience and lessons to be learned from out West:

"We got out with the ATV's and rifles this week. We weren't very far into it when we cut a track of a moose running down the road, on top of those tracks was the track of a single very large wolf.

We have hunted this area long enough to remember when there were no moose in it. We remember the first tracks. We remember the increase in population enough to support limited tags. We remember when it became common to see more moose than deer. We remember the appearance of giant mature bulls, whose antlers were a testament to the age, and health of that herd. Record class animals, animals that could challenge for top spots in the book. Animals of a quality that caused us to say without hesitation the best Shiras Moose on the planet lived in our backyard.

These animals did not fall from the sky. We remember it was the hunters dollars that provided the transport of problem animals out of town and into areas that offered a chance of survival.

Now we get to watch the end of 100+ years of conservation and management, caused by an "experiment" that everyone understood the outcome of before the first wolf was boxed for transport. Now folks that never ponied up a penny for either species get to spitefully decide how they will be managed. Make no mistake spite is the only card they have to play, we can't reason with unreasonable people.

It's private timber company ground, and we are at point in our history where turtles are used to push humans off public ground. How long before we aren't allowed in to shoot and recreate there. How long before the owners are prohibited from managing their timber the way they see fit.

FOR A DAMN DOG!

A line from a favorite song, "I just thank the Lord, I wasn't born no later than what I was".

With "Wildlife Directors" whose resume's include "Earth First", pro-wolf, and anti hunting group memberships, we're cooked here.

Apologies to you young folks, some of us had intentions to leave you with better. We counted too heavily on common sense, and first hand experience trumping the lies at some point. Game wastage is the against the law, those responsible for this debacle should pay that fine, from where I sit a tragic waste is what is happening."

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f114/game-wastage-134076/
 
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hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I would be VERY cautious about using this article as a credible source for any reason , especially not for application to the Red Wolf issues in NC. A broader view of western wolf and grizzly populations is that the near-eradication of apex predators in the last century allowed booms in populations of grazing species like elk to the point they completely overwhelmed the available food supplies. Aspen , for example, were nearly wiped out. Reintroduction of wolf and grizzly not only slowed growth of the elk population, but more importantly made survivors naturally wary rather than grazing like cows in the meadows. As a result, aspen and other native food sources rebounded. Its about balance, and I am afraid the balance in eastern NC has been altered by multiple factors such that restoring that balance to a pre-agricultural state will never be possible. Increasing deer populations, in and of itself, is NOT an indicator of restoring a healthy, sustainable wildlife system.

Elk nearly wiped out aspen??

Methinks you've been drinking the kool-aid...
 

bobpend

Guest
Yes- elk nearly wiped out aspen ( Ok a little stretch.. but)

The overabundance of elk in Yellowstone park caused a lot of negative changes- new growth of aspen were destroyed before they could replace older trees. The tree was in serious decline there until recently. Willows along creek banks were grazed so low that trout populations suffered as the water warmed from lack of shade and sediment washed into the streams from a the lack of healthy trees along the banks. With no willows to provide food, the beaver population disappeared from what was the wildest place left in the lower 48. Small birds that nested along streams in willows disappeared. With the reintroduction of the wolf, all of these things came back as the elk populations were lower and the elk actually became wild again and the population became balanced. One other thing that happened with the Yellowstone wolf population reintroduction is that they started knocking down the coyote population by close to 90%. This benefitted a lot of small game- (think quail vs fox).
Wolves are an apex predator. They have an important role in the balance of things. I suspect that with or without the red wolf on the landscape in eastern NC, we will see something very similar to him in the decades to come either way.
The eastern coyotes that have been working hard to fill the vacuum left by the wolves disappearance after European colonization are very different than the western coyotes. There is evidence of dog genetics in these animals and if you start looking at pictures that NC hunters have taken of them, they look different than western coyotes and very much like slightly smaller versions of red wolves even if they are from central NC far removed from red wolf territory. Some are even black like some western timber wolves.
Further north in North America, the coyotes as they swept east have bred with eastern wolves in Algonquin Park in Canada, and they are even bigger. These coywolves are doing quite well in urban situations like Toronto. Dealing with man and other predators above them from countless generations have made coyotes much more adaptable and harder to manage. Now the coywolves are the same.
They tried everything out west to exterminate coyotes and it only made them stronger and smarter. Studies have shown that coyotes will quickly have larger litters if their population drops. One day soon I suspect we will have a replacement for the red wolf that is both as big and smarter. A lot of folks will want to blame the red wolf restoration project for this. But the reality is that it was going to happen either way.
The problem in my opinion is not that we re-introduced them, but that we waited too long to do it. Now there is the eastern coyote factor. Of course it would have been better if they had never been wiped out by us to start with. But it is understandable that we did. And it is understandable that even today wolves are hated and despised by livestock owners and a lot of the sportsmen that read this forum. Sure they eat some sheep and some deer. But in the natural world they belong. They were here for a reason long before we were. They balance populations and as we are now learning- ecosystems. If they are not here, things like blue-tongue in deer, and rabies in foxes and raccoons ( yeah- wolves eat them too) will take their place.
This forum and this controversy is a difficult subject and a very complicated issue. I applaud Jett for his demand for respect for the law, the supporters of the wolf as well for their dedication, and the staff of NCWRC for theirs. It has not been easy for anyone, because they all feel like they are doing what they have to do.

I came into this forum with less understanding than I have now. I appreciate the education that has come about for me as a result of this. I did not get all of my information here, there are many pro and anti wolf things out there on the web. I have tried to read as much as I can from both sides. Its not a simple issue- because in today's world it now involves people.

If anyone would like more information about the elk vs wolf in Yellowstone issue I recommend three films- one by the Aldo Leopold Foundation " Lords of Nature". It is on Youtube. Also Smithsonian recently ran a program on Nova called "Wild Predator Invasion" . It is currently available on Roku on the free Smithsonian Channel. Also, PBS recently ran a program called "Meet the Coywolf" on Nature- also available on Roku's free PBS channel.
I realize and agree that outside of the National Park system and true wilderness ( not much left) , wolves and other top predators become a different issue, and that is certainly the case here in NC. I hope it works out well for everyone. Neither us nor nature can leave this world.
 

2boyz

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Keep in mind that man (hunter) provides balance in most of today's management systems......the harvest can be adjusted and this system has worked well since the early 1900's in most of the US.
 
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bobpend

Guest
Yes, 2Boyz makes a point that was not mentioned in my ramblings.

Man as a hunter/sportsman has not only helped to balance some populations of animals in the absence of natural predators, he has contributed resources in the form of billions of dollars, manpower and effort that has saved many species from great tragedy.
Anyone that would not argue that sportsmen are the best conservationists are fools or liars or both.

I think it is also important to recognize that there is a difference between natural selection and what hunters select for. We, as sportsmen need to trust our state agencies biologists. If they say we need to harvest more does, there is a reason. I also think there is room for both man and natural predators, including sportsmen management of apex predators.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
Wolves are an apex predator, that competes with humans for desired game. Wolves and robust, huntable deer and elk populations just don't go together. That's the sad reality of the 21st century.
 

BR549

Twelve Pointer
The Number 1 Threat to the Red Wolf is David Rabon

A great steward of Americans $28,000,000.00 + assets (Red Wolf Program) managing the multimillion dollar reintroduction effort from his "New" Home in Charlotte NC!!! While working 3 other part time jobs!! One for UNCC, Two for UNCW, Three for the Red Wolf Coilition as a Board Member!!!

It's time to stand up for the Red Wolf and "Demand" they have a Full Time $28 Million Dollar Manager!!

Americans deserve better management of their reintroduction efforts!!
 
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mangonbat

Guest
Wolves are an apex predator, that competes with humans for desired game. Wolves and robust, huntable deer and elk populations just don't go together. That's the sad reality of the 21st century.

Although there is no way to know with any accuracy, estimates are that the current deer population, over 20 million, is twice, maybe three time the population when Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Up to that point, the deer, elk, wolves and bears had maintained a natural balance for tens of thousands of years. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were an estimated 500,000 deer left in the entire continental US. Over the past 115 years, hunter-funded efforts and changed agricultural and human development practices have have lead to a 40-fold increase in the deer population. That's the reality of the 21st century. Both extremes have problems, but wildlife management geared only toward more "robust" harvests is a bad idea. Until wolves learn to drive automobiles, they will never be a relevant factor in the overall deer population.
 

BR549

Twelve Pointer
One Question

bobpend = Bob Pendergrass, Supervisor @ Dan Nicholas Park.

http://www.everythingwolf.com/forum/threadview.aspx?thread=1591p2

Mr. Pendergrass participates in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan and is a great one to ask about the current status of the Red Wolf "Wild Population"…

First welcome and thanks for bring your expertise to the forum!!

Question - Specifically speaking of the Red Wolf do you see North Carolina ever having a "Self Sustaining" population of Red Wolves given Hybridization?

I'd respectfully request a Yes or No answer and then have you explain.

We really have been lacking someone with your knowledge and I'm eager to pin down this simple question as it is such a key part of the USFWS's stated "Objectives" of the Red Wolf Recovery Plan?



The overabundance of elk in Yellowstone park caused a lot of negative changes- new growth of aspen were destroyed before they could replace older trees. The tree was in serious decline there until recently. Willows along creek banks were grazed so low that trout populations suffered as the water warmed from lack of shade and sediment washed into the streams from a the lack of healthy trees along the banks. With no willows to provide food, the beaver population disappeared from what was the wildest place left in the lower 48. Small birds that nested along streams in willows disappeared. With the reintroduction of the wolf, all of these things came back as the elk populations were lower and the elk actually became wild again and the population became balanced. One other thing that happened with the Yellowstone wolf population reintroduction is that they started knocking down the coyote population by close to 90%. This benefitted a lot of small game- (think quail vs fox).
Wolves are an apex predator. They have an important role in the balance of things. I suspect that with or without the red wolf on the landscape in eastern NC, we will see something very similar to him in the decades to come either way.
The eastern coyotes that have been working hard to fill the vacuum left by the wolves disappearance after European colonization are very different than the western coyotes. There is evidence of dog genetics in these animals and if you start looking at pictures that NC hunters have taken of them, they look different than western coyotes and very much like slightly smaller versions of red wolves even if they are from central NC far removed from red wolf territory. Some are even black like some western timber wolves.
Further north in North America, the coyotes as they swept east have bred with eastern wolves in Algonquin Park in Canada, and they are even bigger. These coywolves are doing quite well in urban situations like Toronto. Dealing with man and other predators above them from countless generations have made coyotes much more adaptable and harder to manage. Now the coywolves are the same.
They tried everything out west to exterminate coyotes and it only made them stronger and smarter. Studies have shown that coyotes will quickly have larger litters if their population drops. One day soon I suspect we will have a replacement for the red wolf that is both as big and smarter. A lot of folks will want to blame the red wolf restoration project for this. But the reality is that it was going to happen either way.
The problem in my opinion is not that we re-introduced them, but that we waited too long to do it. Now there is the eastern coyote factor. Of course it would have been better if they had never been wiped out by us to start with. But it is understandable that we did. And it is understandable that even today wolves are hated and despised by livestock owners and a lot of the sportsmen that read this forum. Sure they eat some sheep and some deer. But in the natural world they belong. They were here for a reason long before we were. They balance populations and as we are now learning- ecosystems. If they are not here, things like blue-tongue in deer, and rabies in foxes and raccoons ( yeah- wolves eat them too) will take their place.
This forum and this controversy is a difficult subject and a very complicated issue. I applaud Jett for his demand for respect for the law, the supporters of the wolf as well for their dedication, and the staff of NCWRC for theirs. It has not been easy for anyone, because they all feel like they are doing what they have to do.

I came into this forum with less understanding than I have now. I appreciate the education that has come about for me as a result of this. I did not get all of my information here, there are many pro and anti wolf things out there on the web. I have tried to read as much as I can from both sides. Its not a simple issue- because in today's world it now involves people.

If anyone would like more information about the elk vs wolf in Yellowstone issue I recommend three films- one by the Aldo Leopold Foundation " Lords of Nature". It is on Youtube. Also Smithsonian recently ran a program on Nova called "Wild Predator Invasion" . It is currently available on Roku on the free Smithsonian Channel. Also, PBS recently ran a program called "Meet the Coywolf" on Nature- also available on Roku's free PBS channel.
I realize and agree that outside of the National Park system and true wilderness ( not much left) , wolves and other top predators become a different issue, and that is certainly the case here in NC. I hope it works out well for everyone. Neither us nor nature can leave this world.

Bob Pendergrass, Dan Nicholas Park, Kim Wheeler, Red Wolf Coalition, David Rabon, RWC Board Member, USFWS, Red Wolf, Hybridization, International Wolf Center, Rob Schultz, Nina Fascione, Defenders of Wildlife, ESA, Endangered Species Act, Nonessential Experimental Population, North Carolina, Alligator River Wildlife Refuge, Red Wolf Coordinator, Section 10(j), 5 - Year Summary, Captive Breeding, Reintroduction Area, Coyote, Coywolf, Coywolfs, Coy-wolf, Coywolfs, Predator Control, Service, Take Permit, Adaptive Management, Sterilization, Federal Game Lands, Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal Welfare Institute, Lawsuit, NCWRC, North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, Depredation, 5 County Red Wolf Recovery Area, Hyde County, Beaufort County, Tyrrell County, Dare County, Washington County, Red Wolf Recovery Program, Reward, PHVA 1999, George Amato, Mike Chamberlain, Jennifer Gilbreath, Ed Bangs, Brian Cole, Karen Goodrowe, Karen Beck, Gloria Bell, Dave Flemming, Jack Grisham, Art Beyer, Randy Fulk, Mary Hagedorn, Mike Bryant, Todd Fuller, Phil Hedrick, Onnie Byers, Eric Gese, Gary Henry, Brian Kelly, Phil Miller, John Theberge, Fred Knowlton, Michael Morse, Mary Thebarge, Sue Lindsey, Dennis Murray, Kathy Traylor-Holzer, Chris Lucash, Ron Nowak, Will Waddell, Ford Mauney, Mike Phillips, Bob Wayne, Dave Mech, Ulysses Seal, Kathy Whidbee, Scott McLellan, Doug Smith, Aubrey White, Michael Stoskopf, Paul Wilson, Dan Ashe, Sally Jewell, Department of the Interior, Red Wolf Study, Peer Review, Peer Reviewed, Howlings, Columbia NC, Columbia
 
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bobpend

Guest
Response to BR549 - Bob Pendergrass

First a major correction to your post BR549.

The way that BR549 wrote the above comments, it sounds as if I had said that I am one of the foremost experts on Red Wolves in the country. If anyone actually reads the article they will see that my quote was that John Weller, a former biologist with USFWS, was the person that I was speaking about.Intentional misinformation might help to stir emotion, but it always makes you look bad when you are caught. I did not not join this forum to provide any misinformation, just to hear all sides of the issue.

Mr. BR549 is correct about my job. I am not any kind of expert on Red wolves as a wild animal in any practical experience . I will leave that to the biologits- I am not one. I guess I am more of a naturalist. I can tell you what its good to feed wolves in captivity, because that is what I do. The facility that I work at maintains currently two female red wolves that are part of the Red Wolf SSP Captive Red Wolf population. All of these animals technically belong to USFWS, the SSP, and the American public. We have them for the public to see and to talk about endangered species and conservation. We are also a reservoir for the captive breeding of these animals although it is unlikley that our current two wolves will ever be bred.

I also hunt small game through the practice of falconry, but not deer. I dont have the time. But I totally support deer hunting and coyote hunting and any other legal and ethical means of hunting including large predators. When I was growing up there were no deer to speak of around me, now some of the largest deer in my county are found in those woods. I know this happened because funds raised by sportsmen and spent by the NCWRC brought back deer and turkey and a better world for many species of wildlife.

So, I do not really have the expertise to answer your question, BR549. When the Red wolf restoration program was first began, there were no coyotes in eastern NC, except possible a few in fox penning situations. The coyote, being the adaptable animal that it was, was moving eastward and taking advantage of the vaccuum left by no large predators being present. It came into NC from the west, north and south and began filling in the holes. My guess is that the Albemarle peninsula was one of the last holes. I have never heard it said, but besides the fact that there was lots of Refuge land, and that there were still no coyotes, this was the last best place to try and get Red wolves back out there in the wild. It created some issues for the program when the coyotes finally came. I know of the adaptive managment process that is being done to manage the issue, but no more than you as far as the detail. So I cannot say that I have enough real knowledge about the issues in the field to the degree that I feel qualified to have any opinion to answer your question. I will not muddy the issue with anything that is beyond my experience. That will not serve you, me, or anyone else.

What I do have an opinion about is this- and I think Jett Ferebee agrees as he has often said so. It is a mistake to kill wolves without going through the legal process of getting a depredation permit. Every time one gets shot, it makes a stronger case against your issue. Breaking the law makes you a criminal no matter how you slice it. And every article that goes into the media about a wolf being illegally shot does no one any good. I admire Jett for not shooting any wolves so far even after he got the permit. I know it has not been easy for him. But he understands the bigger picture and is strong enough to be smart.

I personally also take exception to someone saying that predators do not belong in today's world. I disagree with Mr. Hawglips and feel that in the 21st century some large predators can be on the landscape. Both predator and prey allow opprtunities for sportsmen.Out west some states are allowing wolf hunts and some others are getting preparations to allow it ready when the population levels come up to determined goals.

As you quoted BR549- I came into this forum with less understanding that I have now. I would not have said it had I not meant it. Thanks for restating it. My reason for joining was to understand what some folks on the ground in eastern NC felt about the wolf issue. Originally I was planning to have no comments, just learn. I have learned that a lot of good people have commented some real concerns here on this issue. I have also seen some very mean spirited comments. I understand the passion, but I will not join in on that. If that is what it becomes, I will leave.

I will be glad to answer any questions about my job. If you want to know my salary, its on the Rowan County website. Myself and my staff provide educational programming to mostly school kids from 27 different counties surrounding Rowan and many thousands more that visit our facility to se the animals. We house a collection of NC native wild animals, from snakes to black bears, and yes Red wolves and white-tailed deer. We do not oppose hunting, but support its legal and ethical practice. A lot of our staff are hunters. I don't make lots of money, but I think what we do is important- getting kids excited about the outdoors. So, I guess I think its worth it.

Last night at a local event I had a long and good conversation with a very nice young local trapper about the coyote issues locally and the talk drifted to wolves. We both agreed that it was a complcated issue. That is where I stand.
 

BR549

Twelve Pointer
Thank you for your reply- To your quote on expertise, I read the article again and stand corrected. Misinformation was not the intent.

I will take a common sense approach to my question above.

Anytime humans are required to artificially sterilize nature (Coyotes) so they will not further hybridize with the Expermental Non-Essential Red Wolf wild population it will never be Self-Sustaining.

Question - Is that a statement you would agree with?
 
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bobpend

Guest
Thanks BR549.

Again this is based on reading- At one time in history, Red wolves were the dominant canid in much of the SE US. Most information that I have read says they lived from east Texas east to the Atlantic and then north to SE Pennsylvania. There is some disagreement about that, and it seems reasonable that there may have been a few subspecies of wolf similar to the eastern wolf that occupied some areas. The large numbers of wolves disappeared before anyone really understood their ecology. Everyone agrees that coyotes were not here in the Southeast.
The reason they were not here is because the wolves, when they had a good strong population- kept them out. It seems pretty likely that there was some crossing around the fringes. It would be kind of silly to believe that they did not. These days scientist are re-writing the concept of species- cause there is some crossing of like animals from the same genus in some of the more widespread species. But back to the point wolves are pack animals, coyotes generally are not. Red wolf packs are very small, but they are still a pack. And they do not tolerate territorial invasion of other canids. Another good example - The gray fox was the southeastern fox over pretty much the same area. The red fox did not exist here then. Gray foxes can climb trees and escape predation from wolves to some degree- reds cannot.

I hate to sound like I am avoiding the question so- I will get to the point. I believe that there is a threshold where there could be enough red wolves on the landscape to maintain the balance themselves- without sterilization. That is the premise that the program is operating on and it makes sense to me. I do not know what that level is. The biologists are the ones that work the numbers. And I do think that there will probably be and always has been some limited gene flow on the edges- . But that never mattered before because the red wolf did not select his habitat, he was selected by it. This is what happens over time and allows for adaptation to changing enviroments. It also makes sense that the Albemarle Peninsula is still the last best place for wolves to be stable because of the natural geography. I dont mean to say that everyone is and should be happy about it. Not everyone has the same needs and desires. If a man plants a lot of soybeans to sell to feed his family, he probably wants wolves. If a man buys land to hunt on and wants maximize his deer herd for hunting- he does not. I dont live there but I am pretty sure both things are happening in those five counties. I sympathize wit the people that are more involved than I am on both sides of the issue.

I would also once again say that I belive that the wolf is a better canid to have on the landscape than the coyote in our case. They have larger territories and are designed by nature to be a little more selective in their diets to the point that they are dependent on their prey base- which means as their prey declines, they will as well- which means a balance over time. That is the way that deer and wolves lived together here before. Coyotes eat just about anything and need much less space so in the end they can have a broader effect.
The reality is that the coyote is here to stay. With or without the benefit of night hunting. I personally think that the coyote is changing right before our eyes and evolving to fit the new territory. Certainly many of our NC coyotes are not like the western ones that we are used to seeing. If we end up removing the wolf from the landscape and shutting down the program, I do not think that we will see the benefit that a lot of people think will happen.

We have a wolf in most of NC and he is the coyote.
 
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Mike Noles aka conman

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Your logic is sound, bobpend, but the precipice has been crossed.

The evidence is in the fact that the wolf, the recognized hybrid and the coyote are now running together as packs. Each is breeding in the fashion of the coyote with no Alpha animals and increasingly larger litters. Nothing about the wild canids of the Albermarle is characteristic of the wolf.

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bobpend

Guest
Conman,

Interesting, I will have to admit that my opinions are only that- based on information that I have read on studies that others have conducted. I have not been in the field studying the situation on the ground myself nor am I a real biologist as mentioned before.

I respectfully ask on what evidence are you basing your conclusions? Is this a reflection of what people that you personally know have seen or is there some broader study of the situation that has not yet been published?

Don't misunderstand- I do not disrespect the facts that citzens bring to the table. Just curious. And I do understand the issue of some not wanting the wolves on the landscape. The same discussions are being had here in the Piedmont about the coyotes that we have.
 
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Mike Noles aka conman

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I live this saga first hand, every day. I am an animal scientist and biologist that participates in the field each day and I have first hand accounts on properties that I own in the same areas as Jett Ferebee. I have no problem with the wolf, per say. My problem is with the misrepresentation of the program by the USF&W and it's associated organizations.

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Mike Noles aka conman

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Also, bobpend, the studies that you are reading or provided to you from the Albermarle region are very prejudiced and misleading. A glaring example of this is the fact yhat Mr. Ferebee was told he had "no active red wolves on his property ...". His trapper subsequently caught multiple red wolves and collared hybrids in less than 30 days.

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bobpend

Guest
Conman,

Thanks for the quick reply and your personal insight from the field. Sorry that I was not so quick. I've been offline overnight.

I have actually been keeping up with Mr Ferebee's reports and that is why I say that I have learned from participating. Based on what I have read, I understand the feelings that you and Mr Ferebee have on the issue. I would love to discuss the issues as you see them sometime in a private conversation. I am particularly interested in your scientific points of view on the coyote in NC.

I like everyone else am waiting to see the resolution from the courts. I am sure that I will probably see it here before it hits the general media.

As a person that believes in the idea that predators belong even in the 21st century and as a participant in it on some level, I support the program. But as I have said before, I realize that it is a lot more complicated than we would all like it to be. There are factors involve ie coyotes that we would not like to have to deal with, and there are people and personal issues involved as well. This is all important.

Thanks to all of you that I have corresponded with for your courtesy.
 

BR549

Twelve Pointer
I live this saga first hand, every day. I am an animal scientist and biologist that participates in the field each day and I have first hand accounts on properties that I own in the same areas as Jett Ferebee. I have no problem with the wolf, per say. My problem is with the misrepresentation of the program by the USF&W and it's associated organizations.

><>

To further Conmans point, given all the issues surrounding the future of the Red Wolf and it's program. There is no doubt after spending in excess of $28,000,000.00 common sense says the program would be best served by a Red Wolf Program Manager with their Boots On The Ground. Not 6 hours away.

And those who have and continue to financially benefit from the RWRP wonder why were here??
 

nchunt101

Ten Pointer
Conman,

Thanks for the quick reply and your personal insight from the field. Sorry that I was not so quick. I've been offline overnight.

I have actually been keeping up with Mr Ferebee's reports and that is why I say that I have learned from participating. Based on what I have read, I understand the feelings that you and Mr Ferebee have on the issue. I would love to discuss the issues as you see them sometime in a private conversation. I am particularly interested in your scientific points of view on the coyote in NC.

I like everyone else am waiting to see the resolution from the courts. I am sure that I will probably see it here before it hits the general media.

As a person that believes in the idea that predators belong even in the 21st century and as a participant in it on some level, I support the program. But as I have said before, I realize that it is a lot more complicated than we would all like it to be. There are factors involve ie coyotes that we would not like to have to deal with, and there are people and personal issues involved as well. This is all important.

Thanks to all of you that I have corresponded with for your courtesy.

The thing that stumps me is that there is no such thing as a red wolf so why bother having any program what so ever. Back breeding coyotes/wolves/dogs for red wolf traits just creates a damn mutt. When are we going to try to bring the saber tooth tiger back by back breeding different species of tigers. IT might be a shame theY went extinct but so goes life. You can't make something from nothing.
 
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Mike Noles aka conman

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
You're right, nchunt101. The true red wolf was declared extinct in the wild ~20 years ago. The ones called a "red wolf" in captivity and used to create progeny to be released in to the wild are the highest genotype wolf HYBRIDS that could be sorted through when captured in the wild in Texas and Louisiana. To date, the highest red wolf DNA to be recovered (that I'm aware of) from any one animal is 24%. The rest is coyote or dog. The program is a cash cow sham.

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BR549

Twelve Pointer
Judge Boyles / Coyote Hunting Ban

Judge Boyle / Coyote Hunting Ban

&#8220;$28,000,000.00&#8221; Question


Highlights & Quotes by USFWS Red Wolf Biologist and Insiders, found in T. Delene Beelands recent book "The Secret World of Red Wolves." Each referenced by page number.

- Red Wolf Recovery Area is nearly 60% Private Land and 40% Public Land
o 680,000 Federal & State Land
o 1,002,000 Private Land Owners (largest stakeholder&#8217;s)
o 1,700,000 Total Acres (pg 8)

- By the early 1900&#8217;s the remaining beleaguered red wolves interbred on a large scale with coyotes in the extreme southwestern portions of their range in central Texas and the Ozarks. (pg 13)

- Once they find a den, they draw blood samples from each puppy. The samples are then screened by a geneticist, who looks for the presence of some seventeen genetic markers that are used to distinguish red wolves from other wild canids. The markers help determine whether the modern wolves are descendants of the fourteen red wolves that were used to found the captive breeding program. (pg 19)

- For the past decade or so, the results of these genetic test have dictated, along with an extensive pedigree database, what the program considers to be a true red wolf versus a hybrid red wolf-coyote cross. (pg 19)


- This season, there were twenty-nine packs, which are defined by holding a territory and having at least one red wolf as a breeder. However, eleven of these are wolf-coyote or wolf-hybrid pairs. (pg 19)

- But Coyotes soon infiltrated the red wolf&#8217;s recovery area in the early 1990&#8217;s. Suddenly, the Red Wolf Recovery Program had a problem on its hands: red wolves were once again by hybridizing with coyotes. (pg 20)

- &#8220;Why don&#8217;t you just trap all the coyotes out of the recovery area?&#8221; I ask. (Beeland) &#8220;Even if we could remove them all, then more coyotes would likely just come in and take their territories,&#8221; Ryan reply&#8217;s. (Ryan Nordsven, USFWS Red Wolf Biologist) Plus, the team simply doesn&#8217;t have the manpower to trap all of the coyotes off the peninsula, though they put significant effort into patrolling certain areas to keep coyotes out. Coyotes are too adaptive and elusive for a large-scale trapping program to work permanently. (pg 20)



- But a sterile coyote doesn&#8217;t solve the red wolf&#8217;s propensity for running with and mating with Coyotes. It only prevents conception. It is an elaborate birth-control scheme to ensure the survival of an endangered species. (pg 20)


- My (Beeland) day talking to Ryan, and my previous research, confirmed what I had suspected before visiting Sandy Ridge: the reintroduced red wolf population had hit a plateau. (Beeland) (pg 27)


- The growth of the population was not entirely natural, in that the FWS had released captive-bred wolves for eight years after the first four pairs were released in 1987. Some scientist wondered if perhaps the Albemarle was saturated, meaning that perhaps all the good red wolf habitat was occupied by packs, and there was no more space for additional red wolves to hold territories. If true, that could explain the population leveling off. (pg 27)

- This season, there were twenty-nine packs, which are defined by holding a territory and having at least one red wolf as a breeder. However, eleven of these are wolf-coyote or wolf-hybrid pairs. One additional litter was later found, but the blood test revealed these pups were hybrids. The team had to euthanize the whole batch, a task no one relished. (pg 42)

- She (Kim Wheeler, Red Wolf Coalition) explains that sometimes when a red wolf can&#8217;t find a suitable mate, they&#8217;ve been know to have a litter with a coyote. The hybrid litter is always found by the Fish and Wildlife Service and they euthanize the puppies. (pg 47)

- It&#8217;s a fine line for the FWS to be open and honest with the public about why they euthanize hybrid litters. Hybrid litters can&#8217;t be allowed to stay in the red wolf recovery area because their presence jeopardizes the genetic integrity of the red wolf&#8217;s recovery. When they find a litter that is documented to be of hybrid origin, they destroy it. (pg 47)

- But even the relative risk of injuring a red wolf in a trap is drastically overshadowed by the deep hazard threat hybridization poses to the species&#8217; recovery. (pg 51)

- He (Art Beyer, USFWS Red Wolf Team Leader) grabs a &#8220;Canid Info&#8221; book, which documents all the collard animals in the program. (pg 56)

- In mid-November, I (Beeland) receive a text message from Ryan: &#8220;Another day, another dead wolf &#8211; actually, make it two. This has to stop.&#8221; (pg 65)

- &#8220;We need some changes in the regulations to help red wolfs survive,&#8221; he says when I call him that night. &#8220;They start dropping like flies as soon as deer season opens.&#8221; (pg 65)

- The team believes that the current rate of illegal killings is harming the restoration program, but they stop short of saying it might cause the program to fail. (pg 65)

- Ryan says, &#8220;So why not shut down the open season on coyotes thought the peninsula? Put some kind of moratorium on it until the wolf population can get larger?&#8221; North Carolina had declared an open season on coyotes in the summer of 1993.&#8221; &#8220;We&#8217;ve talked about that before. There might be some backlash among the local people if we pursued that, but really only the state of North Carolina could do it. Were a federal agency, so we don&#8217;t have any say in how the state manages its hunting regulations.&#8221; (Pg 66)

- The killings are barely news to the states regional newspapers anymore. They just run short blubs stating that another red wolf has died unnaturally and that is the Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement is investigation it. The worst part of the succession of deaths is that no one has been prosecuted, and the locals are wise to the fact that all they have to say is they thought they&#8217;d shot a coyote and there will be few repercussions. (pg 66)

- That fall, a local talking to Chris had smirked and said, &#8220;Yeah, but if I say I thought it was a coyote, its ok, right?&#8221; It was a deeply cynical perversion of federal law. I know from talking with David Rabon, the red wolf program coordinator that the program was working to eliminate the misperceptions such as these. Specifically, they were collaboration with law enforcement to revise their regulations and open investigations in all cases where red wolves were found shot or poisoned or had disappeared in suspicious circumstances. (pg 66)

- The red wolf biologists are hamstrung. They can&#8217;t come down too hard on the local people for the killings, or their access to private land for population monitoring and management could dry up. (pg 66)

- A study published in 2011 in PLoS-ONE by Dennis Murray and Amanda Sparkman from Trent University and Lisette Waits from the University of Idaho was the first to address the issue of how anthropogenic killings affect the red wolf population. During the time frame examined within the study, the rate of pack dissolution and new breeding-pair formations compare to the rate of human-caused killing was essentially a wash, according to North Carolina State University veterinary medicine professor Michael Stoskoph. &#8220;What they reported is that it&#8217;s not a good thing to have people shooting wolves, but its also not going to be the thing that takes the population down.&#8221; Stoskopf told me. He chairs the Red Wolf Recovery Implementation Team, a group of academics who have advised the recovery effort in the past. (pg 68 &#8211; 69)

- Stoskopf added that the study was as robust as can possibly be done because the researchers had access to the red wolf database, which includes a complete pedigree of every wild red wolf that has inhabited the recovery area. &#8220;It&#8217;s as complete a database as has ever been available for any wild population, &#8220;he told me. (pg 69)

- But I also know that Ryan, Chris, Art, Ford, Michael and David can work long hours and manage the wolves until they are blue in the face, and it will be for naught if the local citizens don&#8217;t tolerate Canis Rufus. For the program to work, the local people must be on board. (Beeland) (pg 80)

- In the beginning, the Fish and Wildlife Service told people that the wolves would not eat deer. It was a partial truth &#8211; but also partial lie. (Beeland) (pg 82)

- No one preformed a dietary study on the last remaining red wolves. So in reality, the FWS didn&#8217;t know for sure if the reintroduced wolves would eat deer. But they did, and when the deer heads began to be affected by the reintroduced wolves, it only served to heighten the distrust between deer hunters and the red wolf program. &#8220;It probably ticked them off because they were paying to hunt those deer,&#8221; Kelly says. (Kelly Davis, former biologist at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge) (pg 82)

- In the beginning, Jamin (Simmons) told folks he was &#8220;cautiously optimistic: about the program. But later he felt that the red wolf program made a large misstep by telling people that the reintroduced wolves would not eat deer. &#8220;As soon as the first wolves were out, people found skeletons or partially eaten ones, and we know they were eating deer, especially the young ones,&#8221; he says. Folks in his community were upset and anxious about the deer herds. It added fodder to the government stigma that the wolves bore and widened the gulf of mistrust. (pg 84)

- As a biologist working at Lake Mattamuskeet, Kelly says her supervisors told her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t tell people the wolves eat deer.&#8221; (pg 84)

Continued on next page

T. Delaene Beeland, The Secret World of Red Wolves, FOX, FOX News, ABC, ABC News, NBC, NBC News, WRAL, WRAL News, Raleigh, Charlotte, Sean Hannity, Bill Oreilly, Bill O'Reilly, The Factor, Megan Kelly, Greta Van Susteren, N&O, News and Observer
 
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BR549

Twelve Pointer
Continued...

- He (Ronald Nowak, retired FWS mammalogist) hands me a copy of his most recent publication, a 2002 paper from Southeastern Naturalist. &#8220;I wrote this, I threw everything I had at the red wolf problem,&#8221; he says. &#8220;This was my best shot.&#8221; He thumps an extra copy onto the coffee table between us. After a very long pause, he gazes at it and adds: &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure I have anything left to offer.&#8221; (pg 106)

- Jenks, (Susan, postdoctoral researcher at UCSB) who is now at the Sage Colleges in Troy, New York said that in retrospect, she had hoped to be the first to find unique red wolf DNA but was &#8220;surprised&#8221; when she found only coyote and gray wolf material. The paper was published a mere four years after the first pairs of captive-bred red wolves had been released to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. IT was not just the red wolves&#8217; status as a taxonomic species that was at stake. (pg 112-113)

- If the findings were right, then the FWS &#8220;may have spent twenty years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve a wild mutt.&#8221; Wrote author Jan DeBlieu in a New Your Times Magazine piece. (pg 113)

- Previously, the Department of the Interior had taken a stance that Endangered Species Act protections should not extend to Hybrids, but they backtracked on this the year before Wayne and Jenks&#8217;s study was published. Still, the findings opened the door for uncomfortable questions about the reintroduced wolves&#8217; conservation worthiness, despite Wayne and Jenks&#8217;s statement that their results did &#8220;not argue against the continued protections of the red wolf.&#8221; The paper caused a huge stir in the conservation world. (pg 113)

- But not everyone agrees. In 2011, Wayne published a study that offered a &#8220;genome-wide perspective on the evolutionary history of enigmatic wolf-like canids.&#8221; The newest paper was a highly collaborative project with Bridgett vonHoldt (a graduate student of his at the time) and more than a dozen co-authors. It was published in Genome Research and surveyed 48,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (or S N P s) from canids around the world, including wolves of the Great Lakes and red wolves. (pg 119)

- They characterized the eastern wolf as having an ancestry of about 58 percent gray wolf and 42 percent coyote while they characterized the red wolf as having an ancestry of about 76 percent coyote and 24 percent gray wolf. (pg 120)

- Rather then notify the public that the specialized collars were a bust, the red wolf program measured the relative risk that the wolves posed and then decided to quietly let people forget the collars existed, according to Lucash. (Chris Lucash, USFWS biologist / Red Wolf Recovery Team member) (pg 173-174)

- Not only had the second reintroduction site failed the previous fall, but in April 1999, the FWS also formally recognized hybridization with coyotes as a serious threat to wild red wolves. (pg 178)

- But the meeting (1999 PHVA) agenda was quickly reset when Kelly presented key findings about hybridization with coyotes. Since 1987, the red wolf program had documented fifty-three litters of red wolves born in the wild, Kelly told them. An additional six litters known to be hybrids, and five more were suspected. Program biologist removed all hybrids from their dens and destroyed them. Preliminary modeling done at the workshop showed what would have happened if they had not taken that step: in three to six generations, the red wolf in northeastern North Carolina would be rendered un-recognizable due to hybridization. The process could take as few as twelve to twenty-four years. (Lucash later said that he got the impression that his boss believed that the situation may already have been insurmountable.) (pg 179)

- Several PHVA meeting participants said they felt the meeting&#8217;s agenda was hijacked by the hybridization issues. No one could concentrate or talk about anything except ways to deal with introgression. (Pg 179)

- Michael Stoskopf, a professor of veterinary medicine from NC State University, suggested they consider sterilizing the invading coyotes to use them as infertile &#8220;placeholders&#8221; on the landscape &#8211; an idea that became a key management protocol. (pg 179)

- It was the sobering possibility, one that likely counted among the many unofficial reasons that the FWS pulled the plug on the Smokey Mountain reintroduction the previous October. No more reintroductions sites would be considered, the workshop participants concluded, until they knew what kind of beast they were dealing with in hybridization. (pg 179)

- Based on the information, the participants decide to reset the priorities of the entire red wolf program. Nothing else mattered, they decided, if they couldn&#8217;t solve the hybridization issue. (pg 180)

- The participants at the 1999 PHVA meeting in Virginia Beach were evenly split over whether to try and wipe the peninsula clear of coyotes or to study their interactions with red wolves. (pg 181)

- If history was any clue, the red wolf program had no chance of categorically keeping coyotes out of the red wolf recovery area. (pg 181)

- They didn&#8217;t have the manpower to even try, and the species had proven resilient to eradication in the past. (pg 181)

- But killing them (coyotes) off posed an overwhelming challenge. (pg 181)

- For the most part, they trapped and euthanized coyotes, but they (USFWS) also used rifles if the opportunity presented itself. (pg 182)

- Their hope was that with the coyote population thinned, the red wolves would be more likely to pair with their own kind. (pg 182)

- When I (Beeland) first visited the recovery area in summer of 2009, the aftermath of hybridization control was the reality that the red wolf biologist were wrestling with. (pg 186)

- The &#8220;Final Rule&#8221; described the red wolves that would be let go as a &#8220;non-essential experimental&#8221; population. This was a new category of the Endangered Species Act that was created in a 1982 amendment and spelled our under section 10 (j). It allowed some populations of imperiled species to be treated as expendable. The nonessential experimental designation allows for &#8220;take&#8221; under certain circumstances. ( &#8220;Take&#8221; is loosely defined as harassing or killing a federally listed species.) It was meant to be a concession to landowners and land managers so that they wouldn&#8217;t be restricted from engaging in lawful activities on their property, like logging or hunting, despite the presence of a listed species. (pg 168)


Federal Judge Terrance Boyle, will soon decide if the Experimental Non-Essential Red Wolf will shutdown the lawful take of the evasive Coyote to the #1 Stakeholder in the Red Wolf Recovery Area &#8230;.

Until then you decide&#8230;

** Page numbers reference actual page(s) in T. Delene Beelans recent inside look of the Red Wolf Recovery Program. It is titled "The Secret World of Red Wolves" The Fight to Save North America's Other Wolf...
 
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