Your Chance to Help Recover Wolves in Washington State!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is now taking public comments on the latest draft of their Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Please attend one of these public meetings:




Oct. 6th Clarkston - Walla Walla Community College Lecture Hall
Oct. 7th Spokane - Spokane Valley Center Place
Oct. 8th Colville - N.E. WA Fairgrounds Ag-Trade Center
Oct. 21st Richland - Pacific NW National Laboratory Auditorium
Oct. 22nd Yakima - Red Lion Hotel—Yakima Center
Oct. 28th Vancouver - Water Resources Education Center
Oct. 29th Aberdeen - Rotary Log Pavilion
Nov. 2nd Seattle - REI Seattle Flagship Store (222 Yale Ave. N.)
Nov. 4th Mt. Vernon - Cottontree Inn Convention Center
Nov. 5th Sequim - Guy Cole Convention Center, Carrie Blake Park
Nov. 9th Omak - Okanogan County Fairgrounds Agriplex
Nov. 10th Wenatchee - Chelan County PUD Auditorium

The latest draft of the Washington State Wolf Conservation and Management Plan still includes conservation goals that are far below those needed to assure a genetically viable wolf population recovery in Washington State. Ramping up control actions (i.e., shooting) and perhaps even allowing hunting when we reach only 15 successful breeding pairs in the state is a recipe for disaster. Prepare your comments using the following bullet points, access more detailed comments through the The Wild Cascades, or contact Jim Davis for the latest on how to respond to the state plan. Encourage WDFW to:

+ Support a more focused and transparent scientific process, conducted by qualified biologists.
+ Delay setting of conservation goals for wolf recovery until adequate scientific information is available to do it right.
+ Implement the moving or translocation of wolves to appropriate wilderness habitat within the state.
+ Emphasize non-lethal techniques for management, such as the use of guard animals and predator deterrent fencing.
+ Invest in programs that educate citizens about wolf ecology and the beneficial role they play in northwest ecosystems.

North Cascades Conservation Update for October 2009.pdf