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Defenders News Briefs: Summer 2009
Wolf Woes Continue in the West
President Bush is gone, but wolves in the West face a new foe
in the Obama administration. Defenders filed a lawsuit on June 4 challenging
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to strip federal protections for
wolves in Idaho,
Montana and eastern portions of
Oregon and
Washington and northern
Utah. In agreeing with a Bush
administration decision to delist these wolves, Salazar will allow the killing
of more than two-thirds of the current wolf population in this region. "The plan
allows Idaho and
Montana to reduce wolf populations
to levels that would threaten genetic diversity and undermine the goal of
ensuring a healthy, sustainable wolf population in the region. Secretary
Salazar's decision leaves us no choice but to stand up for wolves in court,"
says Defenders' President Rodger Schlickeisen. Learn more about northern Rockies wolves.
Tossing a Lifeline to the Fisher
It's elusive, agile and tough. But such traits haven't
stopped the fisher from becoming imperiled in the northern
Rockies, where logging is decimating the old-growth
forests it needs to survive. Fur-trapping has also long been a problem for this
member of the weasel family, which is why Defenders and others petitioned the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February to protect the population under the
Endangered Species Act. In 2004, the government agency found that the West Coast
fisher population warranted protection but the listing was precluded by other
priorities.
The Road Less Wanted
In a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul move, Congress recently
approved an unnecessary road that will slice through designated wilderness in
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska. As part of the omnibus
public lands bill, Congress will, in exchange, protect state lands near the
refuge. But conservationists say that the land swap will irreparably scar
pristine and crucial wetlands in the refuge, and would set a precedent for
road-building in designated wilderness areas. Defenders is working to ensure the
Interior Department denies the road. Learn more about Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
Defenders Carnivores Conference Set for Fall
What
better place than the Rocky
Mountains
to learn about carnivore conservation in our changing world? The seventh
biennial Defenders' Carnivore Conference brings together the world's leading
wildlife scientists, wildlife professionals and conservation advocates and
delivers the latest information, insights and solutions on climate change,
habitat loss and other pressing issues. Join us in
Denver
November
15 to 18, 2009.
Learn more about this year's Carnivore Conference.
