2011 complaint/investigation Results:
Wolf-Animal Incidents;
confirmed wolf depredations – cattle=23, horse colt=1,
probable wolf depredations – cattle= 2
injuries wolf confirmed – cattle=5
Wolf Related Incidences=total 31
unknown cattle deaths =13; includes not found in time to investigate,
lost evidence due to advanced decomposition, scavenging by
canines etc.
confirmed bear depredations – cattle=3
shipping sickness- cattle=1
November 4, 2011
MEXICAN WOLF REINTRODUCTION PROJECT NEWS
Monthly Status Report: October 1-31, 2011
The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project (Project) activities in Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNF) and Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR) and in New Mexico on the Apache National Forest (ANF) and Gila National Forest (GNF). Non-tribal lands involved in this Project are collectively known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA). Additional Project information can be obtained by calling (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653, or by visiting the Arizona Game and Fish Department website at http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf or by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf. Past updates may be viewed on either website, or interested parties may sign up to receive this update electronically by visiting http://www.azgfd.gov/signup. This update is a public document and information in it can be used for any purpose. The Reintroduction Project is a multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT). Other entities, including private individuals and nongovernmental organizations, cooperate through the Project’s Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) that meets periodically in Arizona and New Mexico.
To view weekly wolf telemetry flight location information or the 3-month wolf distribution map, please visit http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf. On the home page, go to the “Wolf Location Information” heading on the right side of the page near the top and scroll to the specific location information you seek.
Please report any wolf sightings or suspected livestock depredations to: (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653. To report incidents of take or harassment of wolves, please call the AGFD 24-hour dispatch (Operation Game Thief) at (800) 352-0700.
Numbering System: Mexican wolves are given an identification number recorded in an official studbook that tracks their history. Capital letters (M = Male, F = Female) preceding the number indicate adult animals 24 months or older. Lower case letters (m = male, f = female) indicate wolves younger than 24 months or pups. The capital letter “A” preceding the letter and number indicate alpha wolves.
Definitions: A “wolf pack” is defined as two or more wolves that maintain an established territory. In the event that one of the two alpha (dominant) wolves dies, the remaining alpha wolf, regardless of pack size, retains the pack status. The packs referenced in this update contain at least one wolf with a radio telemetry collar attached to it. The Interagency Field Team (IFT) recognizes that wolves without radio telemetry collars may also form packs. If the IFT confirms that wolves are associating with each other and are resident within the same home range, they will be referenced as a pack.
CURRENT POPULATION STATUS
At the end of October 2011, the collared population consisted of 37 wolves with functional radio collars dispersed among eleven packs and four single wolves. Some other uncollared wolves are known to be associating with radio-collared wolves, and others are separate from known packs.
Seasonal note: In October, the IFT continued fall trapping efforts to document pack status and pup recruitment in several packs in the BRWRA. The IFT captured three new pups-of-the-year, two new yearlings and one new adult wolf this month, including fp1250 and fp1251 from the Dark Canyon Pack, m1252 and mp1249 from the San Mateo Pack, m1248 from the Hawks Nest Pack, and M1253 on the FAIR. IFT personnel also recaptured fp1247 from the Hawks Nest Pack and AF1056 from the Paradise Pack in October. The IFT will continue efforts to trap and collar wolves from the Willow Springs Pack in November.
IN ARIZONA:
Bluestem Pack (collared AM806, AF1042, mp1240 and mp1242)
Throughout October, the IFT located these wolves in their traditional territory in the central portion of the ASNF.
Hawks Nest Pack (collared M1038, m1248, f1208, mp1244 and fp1247)
In October, these wolves continued to use their traditional territory in the north-central portion of the ASNF. IFT personnel trapped and collared a yearling wolf, m1248, which was associated with this pack this month. Toward the end of the month, this wolf began to disperse from other pack members, and was located alone outside of the traditional Hawks Nest Pack territory in the northern portion of the ASNF. The IFT documented five wolves with this pack at the end of October, consisting of four collared wolves and one uncollared pup.
Rim Pack (collared AM1107, AF858 and F1213)
Throughout October, the IFT located the Rim Pack utilizing its summer range in the central portion of the ASNF.
Paradise Pack (collared AM795, AF1056, mp1243 and mp1245)
In October, these wolves utilized the traditional summer range of their territory in the northern portion of the ASNF. IFT personnel were able to trap and recollar AF1056 this month.
ON THE FAIR:
M1183 (collared)
During October, the IFT located this wolf on the FAIR.
M1253 (collared)
In October, IFT personnel were able to trap and collar this wolf on the FAIR as part of routine fall trapping efforts.
IN NEW MEXICO:
Dark Canyon (collared AM992, AF923, fp1250 and fp1251)
Throughout October, the IFT located the Dark Canyon Pack within its traditional territory in the west-central portion of the GNF. The IFT trapped and collared two new pups-of-the-year with this pack this month.
Fox Mountain Pack (collared M1158 and F1188)
Throughout October, the IFT documented these wolves together in the northwest portion of the GNF. The IFT has been unable to document the presence of any pups with this pack this month.
Luna Pack (collared AF1115, F1246 and mp1241)
In October, the IFT located the Luna Pack within its traditional territory in the north-central portion of the GNF.
Middle Fork Pack (collared AM871 and AF861)
In October, the IFT located AM871 and AF861 within their traditional territory in the central portion of the GNF.
Morgart’s Pack (collared M1155)
Throughout October, the IFT documented this wolf traveling in the central portion of the GNF.
San Mateo Pack (collared AM1157, AF903, m1252, f1212 and mp1249)
During October, the IFT located these wolves in the traditional San Mateo Pack territory in the north-central portion of the GNF. IFT personnel captured and collared two new wolves, mp1249 and m1252, from this pack this month.
Willow Springs Pack (collared M1185)
Throughout October, the IFT located this wolf in the north-central portion of the GNF. The IFT confirmed the presence of another single wolf traveling with M1185 in October, and these two wolves are now named the Willow Springs Pack.
F1105 (collared)
At the end of October, the IFT located this wolf in the central portion of the GNF. The IFT continued efforts to document the presence of the one remaining hybrid pup which this wolf produced this past spring; however, no evidence of the pup has been found.
f1211 (collared)
During October, the IFT documented this wolf traveling through the north-central portion of the GNF.
MORTALITIES
No wolf mortalities were documented this month.
INCIDENTS
During October, IFT personnel investigated three livestock depredation incidents in the BRWRA. None of the incidents involved Mexican wolves.
On October 9, WS personnel investigated at least eleven dead yearlings in the vicinity of Canyon del Buey on the GNF. The cause of death was determined to be complications associated with transportation of the cattle to the grazing allotment. The carcasses were covered with lime to reduce their palatability to scavengers in the area.
On October 18, WS personnel investigated a dead cow near Sand Flat on the GNF. The cause of death was determined to be organ failure.
On October 24, WS personnel investigated a dead cow on the FAIR. The cause of death was undetermined, but not attributable to predation.
CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT
No significant activity occurred this month.
COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION
On October 8, Jeff Dolphin presented a Project overview to 40 wildlife management students and associated class instructors from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University at the Sipe Wildlife Area.
On October 8, Melissa Kreutzian presented a Project overview to 40 individuals at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
On October 22, Melissa Kreutzian and staff from the USFWS Regional Office presented a Project overview and Mexican wolf information at the Rio Grande Zoo during Wolf Awareness Week.
PROJECT PERSONNEL
Janess Vartanian, rejoined the Project as a temporary FWS technician this month. Janess worked for several years previously on the Project as a biologist for the AGFD, and we are fortunate to have her back.
After almost 30 years of involvement in efforts to reintroduce Mexican wolves back into the southwestern United States, Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is calling it a career. Terry has been instrumental in almost all aspects of reintroduction activities, and his dedication to the involvement of all stakeholders in the process of Mexican wolf reintroduction and management has been a hallmark of his time with the Project. Terry will remain involved in policy issues for AGFD on a part-time basis. Thank you, Terry, for all of your efforts and dedication to the return of Mexican wolves to the Southwestern landscape. Your guidance and insight will be sorely missed!
REWARDS OFFERED
The USFWS is offering a reward of up to $10,000; the AGFD Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000; and the NMDGF is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the shooting deaths of Mexican wolves. A variety of non-governmental organizations and private individuals have pledged an additional $46,000 for a total reward amount of up to $58,000, depending on the information provided.
Individuals with information they believe may be helpful are urged to call one of the following agencies: USFWS special agents in Mesa, Arizona, at (480) 967-7900, in Alpine, Arizona, at (928) 339-4232, or in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at (505) 346-7828; the WMAT at (928) 338-1023 or (928) 338-4385; AGFD Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700; or NMDGF Operation Game Thief at (800) 432-4263. Killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of the Federal Endangered Species Act and can result in criminal penalties of up to $50,000, and/or not more than one year in jail, and/or a civil penalty of up to $25,000.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.
Posted in: News Media
Sep 12, 2011
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informed that Mexican authorities plan to release five Mexican wolves this month at an undisclosed ranch location in northeastern Sonora, Mexico.
While the department does not know the specific date or other details at this time, it has received indications that the wolves being released will be fitted with satellite tracking collars.
Game and Fish is currently considering what, if any, impacts this release might have on Arizona’s Mexican wolf conservation and stakeholders. The department will continue to monitor activities related to the planned release and will continue to inform constituents as information becomes available.
Arizona Game and Fish has been actively involved in the multi-partner effort reintroducing Mexican wolves to portions of their historical range in the east-central portion of the state for many years. In 1998, 11 captive-reared Mexican wolves were released into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) in eastern Arizona. The current population was assessed to be around 50 animals during 2011 monitoring.
The Mexican wolf is considered endangered in the United States.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESERVE, NM. “The wolf issue is one of the biggest problems the county has faced,” said Catron County Commission Chairman Hugh B. McKeen to Tod Stevenson, Director of New Mexico Department of Game & Fish at a regularly scheduled public meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. With Mr. Stevenson were RJ Kirkpatrick, Assistant Director NM Game & Fish; Jim McClintic, Chairman New Mexico State Game Commission; and Dick Salopek, New Mexico State Game Commission. An audience of nearly 100 people attended the meeting.
In late January a formal complaint was filed by the county with NM Governor Martinez regarding a wolf depredation investigation that occurred on January 18, 2011. Catron County contends that NM Game & Fish wolf biologists Ellen Heilhecke and Mischa Larisch allegedly sought to influence or change the official investigation findings of Sterling Simpson and Armando Orona of US Wildlife Services during an on-site investigation as to the cause of death of a cow.
“Influencing or attempting to influence the findings of another agency’s official investigation brings up a lot of problems,” said Catron County’s Wolf Incident Investigator, Jess Carey. “The credibility of the game department wolf biologist is now lost.” Simpson and Orona did confirm that the cow was killed by wolves, with Carey concurring.
“Other findings of confirmed wolf kill have been changed to probable in the past,” Carey said. “How can you change documented evidence?”
Stevenson confirmed that Larisch did call and relay a message from Heilhecke to the Wildlife Services personnel while the investigation was in progress, but denied that any impropriety occurred.
“My staff said they did not say that Wildlife Services should modify the finding from confirmed to probable,” Stevenson said. “My folks called and said there were feral dogs in the area to take into consideration.”
“There were no feral dogs on this ranch,” Carey said. “Last year, several miles away, a neighbor was letting his house dogs run loose, but that problem was resolved. Mr. Simpson concurred: There are no feral dogs out there”.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Catron County Attorney Ron Shortes stated that he agreed with the Commissioners’ and Carey’s call for an independent, third party investigation of the incident.
“I think you have a conflict of interest when you say you have an obligation to facilitate this Mexican wolf recovery program vs. your constitutional obligation to the people of NM to protect wildlife,” Shortes said.
“While an independent investigation is needed, my ultimate feeling is that you have a bunch of good people with the New Mexico Game Commission and NM Game & Fish trying to do their best, but I’m wondering if they’re trying to do too much,” Shortes said. “They’re assisting the recovery program on one hand, trying to protect wildlife on the other – is there any possibility of trust while that’s going on?”
After a show of hands to see how people in the audience felt, the Catron County Commissioners voted unanimously to go ahead with their request of Governor Martinez for a full, independent investigation of the incident. Director Stevenson volunteered to provide a synopsis of the progress of the investigation by April 15, 2011.
“Catron County has taken a no-wolf stand,” McKeen said. I’m requesting that you take a no-wolf stance, too. It’ll do us all good – we’re not only concerned about livestock but wildlife, too.”
Contact:
Bill Aymar, Catron County Manager
PO Box 507
Reserve NM 87830
(575) 533-6423
ccmanager@gilanet.com
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Text: 555 words
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Contact: Kendra Barkoff, DOI (202) 208 6416 Chris Tollefson, FWS (202) 247-7417 WASHINGTON, DC -
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reached an agreement with the majority of plaintiffs, including Defenders of Wildlife, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and eight other conservation organizations, to settle ongoing litigation over a Federal District Court’s 2010 decision to reinstate Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains.
If approved by the court, the settlement offers a path for the Service to return management of the recovered wolf populations in Idaho and Montana to the States while the Service considers options for delisting gray wolves across the Rocky Mountain region, where population levels have returned to biologically recovered levels. “For too long, management of wolves in this country has been caught up in controversy and litigation instead of rooted in science where it belongs. This proposed settlement provides a path forward to recognize the successful recovery of the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains and to return its management to States and Tribes,” said Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes. “I am pleased that the negotiations resulted in this important agreement,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. “The proposed settlement has the potential to return management of wolves in Montana and Idaho to the states and tribes and will also enable the Fish and Wildlife Service to use our limited resources to address other species in need of recovery actions.” Under the terms of the settlement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to address the delisting of wolves in the region in the future as a distinct population segment, rather than on a state-by-state basis. The parties are requesting that the court allow the 2009 delisting to be reinstated in Montana and Idaho on an interim basis, in accordance with approved state management plans, until a full delisting can be completed for the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population. The parties are agreeing that they allow these steps to move forward, up to and including a potential delisting of Rocky Mountain wolves, without resorting to further litigation. “I want to recognize the great work of Deputy Secretary Hayes, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the entire negotiating team, and all those who worked with us to find a common-sense way forward,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Separate negotiations are ongoing between the Service and the State of Wyoming in an effort to reach agreement on a management plan for wolves in that state. If a mutually acceptable management plan for wolves in Wyoming can be developed, then the Service will be able to proceed with delisting proceedings addressing wolves throughout the northern Rocky Mountains. The delisting provided for under this agreement does not extend to the small wolf populations in eastern Oregon and Washington, or to Utah, where there are not believed to be any resident wolves. FWS intends to address the longer term status of wolves in Oregon, Washington, and Utah when it issues a new rule addressing status of wolves across the Northern Rocky Mountain region. FWS will work with state officials in Oregon, Washington and Utah in the meantime to address any wolf management issues and retains the option to consider reclassifying wolves from “endangered” to “threatened” in those states in order to provide more management flexibility. The Service and the plaintiffs have agreed to take other actions that will clarify implementation of the ESA and ensure that a recovered wolf population continues to be sustainably managed under approved state management plans. Additional terms of the proposed agreement are available here. The ESA provides a critical safety net for America’s native fish, wildlife and plants. This landmark conservation law has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species across the nation and promoted the recovery of many others. Additional background information on the settlement is available here.
Contact: Susan Wheeler Friday, March 18, 2011 Washington, D.C. – Today’s partial settlement of a court case over wolf management could benefit Idaho by returning the species to state management, and Idaho Senator Mike Crapo noted that cooperation should trump court action and bring surer solutions to issues raised under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Crapo is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which holds jurisdiction over the ESA, and has been part of a group in Congress advocating legislative solutions to return wolves to state management control.
“Idahoans have gone beyond what is required to ensure that wolves are removed from federal management,” Crapo said. “Our Governor, Department of Fish and Game, the Congressional Delegation, the Nez Perce Tribe, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts and others have all worked hard to make this particular recovery program successful. We have recovered the species. It is time to get to common ground and avoid further court actions and allow the Endangered Species Act to work as it was intended.
“While I appreciate the Secretary’s leadership and the hard work that has been put into this settlement, I remain concerned about doing this administratively. The only way to solve this problem is through a legislative delisting of the wolf. I will continue working with my colleagues, the Administration and others in order to make that happen and ensure Idaho is treated fairly,” Crapo added.
# # #
See the email messages below and see attached documents, it’s obvious everyone needs to stand firm on wolves:
• There is only one reason wolf groups want to deal, because they fear congress will delist wolves.
• With wolves on the ESA wolf groups will find ways to take wolves to court across the country.
• Wolf groups have made their intent known for wolf recovery throughout the United States.
• How many distinct wolf populations will be invented?
• How many states will be forced to have wolves introduced?
• Some wolf groups have not signed onto the current wolf “Deal” for Idaho/Montana.
• In 5 years any group can file suit to force more wolves into Idaho/Montana.
• There’s only one good way to settle wolf lawsuits once and for all, that’s by removing wolves from the ESA.
• Go to this page where you can easily send email to congress: http://capwiz.com/biggameforever/home/
• Tell congress to return wildlife management to the states, please support passage of: Hatch/Rehberg Bills S. 249 and H.R. 509 Best Regards, Dale www.GrayWolfNews.com
Here is the specific language of the American Big Game and
Livestock Protection Act: S. 249 and H.R. 509
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
`(j) Exemption of Gray Wolf- This Act shall not apply to any gray wolf (Canis lupus).’.
What Does this Bill Do?
1. Returns wolves to state wildlife protections in all 50 states.
2. Acknowledges the role of states, sportsmen and ranchers in wolf restoration.
3. Ends wasteful litigation of non-endangered wolf populations.
4. Restores the supremacy of State wildlife management vs. Federal wildlife management.
5. Allows states to restore wildlife herds in peril.
6. Prevents the spread of unnecessary destruction of wildlife.
7. Protects our hunting and ranching heritage.
8. Protects our hunting and livestock industries.
9. Protects rural jobs and economies.
10. Focuses limited resources on habitat conservation and wildlife populations in peril rather than litigation
and attorneys.
11. Protects the ESA from abuses and overreaching.
January 27 the Morgart male was picked up by helicopter during year end counts, while trying to mate naturally with a wolf from the middle fork pack. He was placed into an enclosure near the AZ border on the Quemado forest service district, where he chewed his way out of the enclosure. The FWS then tailgate released a 3 year old Aspen pack female from the wolves kept at Turner pens. The Aspen pack female used in the release was removed from the Adobe ranch in Dec 2007 along with her littermates and parents, for participating in multiple yearling depredations on deeded land between the ages of 6-9 months. Attached is a link to video of this depredation. New promises have been made that these wolves will be removed if they again choose to depredate cattle. That is pretty unlikely since FWS haven’t removed depredating wolves since this video occured in 2008. Ranchers were told Governor Susanna Martinez signed off on the release.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wolf Recovery Effort Leader Steps Down
Associated Press
The director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mexican wolf recovery effort in Arizona and New Mexico is stepping down because of family concerns.
Bud Fazio has accepted a new position in the agency’s Albuquerque office, where he will work with a fish restoration group.
Fazio wasn’t available for comment Friday but agency spokesman Tom Buckley said Fazio needed more regular hours because of a family situation involving an ill relative.
Buckley said Fish and Wildlife Service officials hope to fill the director’s job as soon as possible.
The government began reintroducing wolves in 1998 along the Arizona-New Mexico border. A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf was exterminated in the wild by the 1930s.
Berner’s body was found Monday night about a mile outside Chignik Lake.
Read more: Local, Anchorage, Alaska, Wolves, Wolf, Candice Berner
ANCHORAGE, AK (AP) — Wolves likely killed a teacher jogging alone along a rural Alaska village road, public safety officials said Thursday.
The Alaska State Medical Examiner listed “multiple injuries due to animal mauling” as the cause of death for Candice Berner, 32, a special education teacher from Pennsylvania who began working in Alaska in August. Her body was found off the road a mile outside the village of Chignik Bay on the Alaska Peninsula, which is about 474 miles southwest of Anchorage. She was originally from Slippery Rock, PA.
The autopsy could not say which animals, said Col. Audie Holloway, head of the Alaska State Troopers, but wolves are the chief suspect.
“There’s no other carnivores in that area that are out and active,” said Col. Holloway.
Wolves, bears, foxes and other wildlife have disturbed bodies in the Alaska wilderness, but Holloway said the autopsy ruled out other causes that may have killed Berner. Additional tests could tie the death to wolves, Holloway said.
“If we’re able to actually prove which animal, it will be through some kind of DNA analysis or through some expert that can maybe testify or explain how they know that it’s a wolf,” he said.
Troopers have plenty of circumstantial evidence leading them to point the finger at wolves.
“There were wolf tracks all around the body and drag marks associated with those wolf tracks,” Holloway said.
Tracks indicated more than one wolf was involved.
“From the number of prints at the scene, we’re thinking there probably were, possibly two, three, maybe four,” Holloway said.
“Villagers in the community of 105 residents already were on alert because of wolves running boldly near the community,” said Johnny Lind, President of the Village Council.
Since Tuesday, people were not traveling alone; school children were accompanied to school and armed patrols on snowmobiles were looking for wolves.
“Everybody’s kind of staying close to the village,” he said.
Berner was based in Perryville and employed by the Lake and Peninsula School District, which oversees schools in 14 villages covering an area the size of West Virginia in southwest Alaska. Luthi said Berner, during her short time in Alaska, tried to take in as many experiences as she could.
“She wasn’t going to miss anything about living in that area,” said Luthi.
Under fivefeet tall, Berner had boxed and lately had been training for long-distance running.
“She was a gymnast by early training and was in very good physical condition,” Luthi said.
Attacks by wolves on humans are rare. If Berner’s death is confirmed to be by wolves, it would be the first in Alaska.
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