Wolf Responses

[backcountryID]

Here are some responses I received on the wolf legislation from our representatives, thought some of you might like to read.

Thank you for contacting me about amending the Endangered Species Act. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and concerns on this important issue.

I understand how important the outdoors and wildlife are to the state of Idaho and its economy. In fact, people come from all over the country to enjoy the outdoors in our great state. While I always want to ensure that there are a healthy number of wolves, I do believe that year after year the increasing number of wolves in the state of Idaho shows that they no longer need protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The bill which Congressman Rehberg offered and I have cosponsored simply returns the issue of managing wolf populations back to the individual states. Finally, the Endangered Species Act is intended to be a tool to recover a species, not a program for infinite and never-ending federal oversight. I understand states and their wildlife management divisions are best prepared to determine species management on a case-by-case management rather than by federal bureaucrats.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. As your representative in Congress, it is helpful for me to know your thoughts and opinions on issues that are important to you. I would encourage you to visit my website, http://labrador.house.gov, where you can read about my views on a variety of issues and also sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,
Ra?l Labrador
Member of Congress
1st District, Idaho

 

[backcountryID]

Thank you for contacting me regarding wolf management in the state of Idaho. I agree with you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, on August 5, 2010, a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of Montana ruled to relist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), finding that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) erred when it delisted wolves in Idaho and Montana but kept wolves under federal management in Wyoming. This ruling had nothing to do with Idaho?s wolf management plan or the State?s record in managing wolves. Instead, it affirmed that under the ESA, wolves in the Northern Rockies are one distinct, single population, and that if the species is going to be considered endangered in one part of its range, then it must be treated the same way throughout the Northern Rockies.

Like you, I was very disappointed over the federal court's ruling. There is bipartisan agreement spanning two presidential administrations that wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains are recovered. When USFSW reintroduced Canadian wolves to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho beginning in March 1995 and ending in early 1996, an Environmental Impact Statement published by the USFWS indicated that a total population of 100 wolves would constitute a complete recovery in Idaho. In just over ten years, the progeny of a mere thirty-five gray wolves released in our state now constitutes more than 850, and these numbers are expected to increase by 20 percent per year.

Clearly, the courts are not effectively addressing this issue, and so we must now look to a legislative solution. On February 1, 2011, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced S. 249, a bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that Act shall not apply to any gray wolf. I am very proud to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation. S. 249 does not attempt to rewrite the ESA in some grand manner; rather, the bills seek to acknowledge the reality in Idaho and throughout the Northern Rockies ? that wolves are recovered in our state and region and we need to be able to manage them. Please rest assured that I remain committed to ensuring that wolf management is conducted in a way that benefits both the species and Idahoans, and I look forward to working on this legislation in the Environmental and Public Works Committee.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.

Sincerely,
Mike Crapo
United States Senator

 

[IDBoneCollector]

The same 2 i recieved..

 

[huntfish714]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-10-11 AT 10:09AM (MST)[p]i didn't get labradors but i got Crapos and two others. my wife got the same as you plus a short paragraph in a different email that we believe was a personalized note just to say thanks. im assuming this is because she is female and the minoritY in our battle. assuming the majority of tree huggers are female and majority of hunters are male. that being said in a non sexist way the females on our side may be the key to winning the battle. any others have the same or other opinions on this? i encourage your wives and daughters to vote to if not done so already.