Northernlightswolf’s Weblog

It’s a sad day for wolves in Idaho and Montana. Since May 4, 2009 wolves in those states were taken off the endangered species list. This however is more or less a bittersweet occasion. Of course we all love to see the wolf numbers grow here at Northern Lights, that means the numbers are growing, but with that comes the hunters. Idaho and Montana have declared it open season for these wolves. Starting tomorrow, September 1st 2009, the Idaho department of fish and game has called for the intentional killing of 220 wolves in the state. The wolf population in Idaho is an estimated 1000 individuals. This means the state wants to removes at least 20% of that population with the aid of hunters. Over 6000 rifles, bows, and poison pellets have been registered to take place in the massacre. Montana, although calling for a substantially smaller number of deaths at about 75 wolves, is following suit. The newly formed hunting season will end on December 31st 2009, just in time for mating season. With any luck the hunters will not wipe out all of the alpha wolves shattering any chance of repopulation. It just does not make sense to us here at the wolf center. In 1995 wolves were reintroduced to Idaho. Those wolves were brought from Canada in an effort to stabilize the ecosystem there. To us it sounds like the department of fish and game are undoing all the hard work that has been accomplished over the last decade. What is to come of the natural environment of Idaho and Montana? We can only hope that the public will to their senses and put an end to the killing of such an important part of the ecosystem.

Northern Lights Wildlife has been waiting patiently for Parks Canada to warm up to the idea of creating buffer zones around our national parks for an entire year. Although the project is still in the discussion process, Parks Canada has finally agreed to a face-to-face meeting with the founders of the Canadian Wolf Coalition. Tonight, the loyal members of the Coalition will meet at the Senior Center to properly talk about the necessary steps that should be taken. Our greatest concern is whether Parks Canada truly wants to protect the wildlife within the national parks or if they just want what’s best for tourist dollars. Do they really want to maintain the integrity and biodiversity or do they want to pump more tourists through the parks faster? These are our concerns and the topics of discussion that are almost guaranteed to come up in the conversations. At 7:00 PM the open discussions will begin at the Senior Center located next to the College of the Rockies campus. Be sure to wear your wolf shirts in support of the cause. Watch for updates on our blog tomorrow about the results of the meeting.