Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

SEPTEMBER · OCTOBER 2012

Codi, a new addition to the CWWC family, did his first set of youth photos on September 2nd! He greeted

them with lots of kisses!

kisses from Micah

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

For both sides of this issue, visit:howlingforjustice.wordpress.com · wildearthguardians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7553

Darlene Kobobel is passionate about wolves. As the owner of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide, she has made a career out of rescuing wolves, wolf-dog hybrids and even a few coyotes, coy-dogs and fox. Now she and her nonprofit organization, whose mission is preservation, educa-tion and conservation, have set their sights on another project. Project Wolf is an answer to Wyoming’s desire to re-move the gray wolf from the endangered species list. Delisting wolves would allow hunters and wildlife services to shoot or trap the animals to the point where only 10 breeding pairs would exist outside of Yellowstone National Park. Other north-ern and Great Lakes states have already delisted wolves and are allowing hunters to decimate wolf populations. “This isn’t wolf management,” Kobobel said. “This is slaughter. If the federal gov-ernment allows Wyoming to delist its wolves, anyone will be able to shoot them on sight in about 90 percent of the state and they’ll be able to lure Yellowstone wolves out of the park to kill them too.”The federal governments final decision to approve Wyoming’s delisting of the gray wolf came down on Aug. 31. Sev-eral environmental groups have already made plans to take the issue to court. According to the Wolf and Wildlife Cen-ter July newsletter, to get the project started the center bought a billboard that outlines the wolves’ plight in Wyoming. This billboard was placed about 50 miles from Yellowstone on the Wyoming side.The project’s goal is to raise $6,000 by spring to put up another billboard on a different approach to the park that draws

more than 3 million visitors each year, many of whom come specifically to hear and see the wolves. “Wolves do kill cattle sometimes but not as often as people think,” Kobobel said. “Only about 1 percent of cattle are killed by wolves and the cattle owners are reim-bursed. There are nonlethal ways to con-trol predation. We should be spending money on research into those methods and not just allow people to kill wolves indiscriminately.” While shooting wolves is bad enough, Kobobel is incensed at the other meth-ods being brought back to kill wolves: leg-hold traps, snares and even poisons. “Are we going back to the 19th century?” she asked. “In 10 years we won’t have any predators in this country.”Anyone interested in helping Project Wolf is encouraged to send a check to CWWC-Project Wolf, P.O. Box 713, Di-vide, CO 80814; or call 719-687-9742 to make a credit card donation.A KeystoNe speciesWolves are what many scientists call a keystone species. According to Univer-sity of Washington zoologist Robert T. Paine, who developed the keystone spe-cies hypothesis in the 1960s, “a keystone species is one whose impacts on its com-munity or ecosystem are large and great-er than would be expected from its rela-tive abundance or total biomass.”He said people don’t notice how impor-tant some of these species are to their en-vironments until they are removed. This is exactly what happened in Yellowstone National Park. Until the second half of the 19th cen-tury, wolves were abundant throughout

the West from Alaska to Mexico but by the end of the century most of their prey animals, bison, elk, deer and moose, had been depleted by human settlers and they began to prey on cattle and sheep. At the insistence of farmers and ranchers, the federal government began an eradica-tion campaign against the gray wolf that left virtually no wolf populations in the Lower 48 States by the 1930s. The removal of wolves had a ripple ef-fect on the ecology. Without their apex predator, elk and, to lesser extent, deer populations soared and overgrazing of aspen and willow caused these trees to go into a rapid decline. This in turn led to a rapid decline in beaver and songbird populations. By browsing along streams, the elk were affecting stream bank stabil-ity. Overgrazing along streams led to a decline in shade, streams became warm-er and certain fish populations went into decline. After the advent of the Endangered Spe-cies Act in 1966, the gray wolf was one of the first animals listed. A 1973 revision called for the restoration of the wolf to its former range and they were reintro-duced into Yellowstone in three waves from 1995-1997. In just a few years, scientists have already begun to see the regrowth of aspen and willow and a re-turn of beaver and songbirds where the wolves have their packs. Environmentalists and many scientists feel that delisting wolves and allowing their populations to decline again will lead to declines in other animal and plant populations, as well. Others say that del-isting wolves will make state wolf-man-agement programs more effective.

project Wolf takes on WyomingAims to get state to keep gray wolves on endangered species list

By Norma Engelberg · nengelberg@ourcoloradonews.com

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

PHOTOS

Roger and Roxanne from Georgia spending time with Na’vi

A beautiful fall day in Colorado

What an accomplishment! Mike designed and built the framework for the solar panels on our visitor center. Our center now stays around 70 degrees with the heat off because the concrete

is heated through radiant tubes under the floor. We should have a warmer building

to work in this winter and save on the electric bill!

Thank you Taylor and Pat for helping to install the tubes with Mike.

That roof is a scary angle.

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

719-687-9742 All tours have limited space and we have a no-cancellation policy from May-October

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

CALENDAR

wALk ON ThE

wILD SIDEThursday & Sunday

CALL FOR TIMES

Start by walking with a guide through

the Center and seeing the wolves,

coyote and fox then prepare for a 1/2 mile walk with one of our wolves

down a dirt forest road.

OCTOBER 27Check in by 5:00pm

Meet and greet one of our wolves at 5:30pm - Tour

starts immediately after and lasts approximately 1 hour.

wear warm clothes and good boots. Bring a camera

and flashlight. Cocoa and coffee will be provided

ADULTS $25

kIDS $15 (8-12 yrs) No kids under 8

Future Full Moon Tours November 24

and December 29

*the first date must be full before the second date opens

FULL MOON TOUR FEEDING FEST TOUR

Tuesday, wednesday, Friday, Saturday

and Sunday CALL FOR TIMES

Meet our resident animals during the

feeding tour and observe them when they are

most active...feeding time! Learn about hunting,

howling and hierarchy and communicate with the pack in a

group howl!

Adults $20 kids 12 & under $10

GOT MEAT?wE ARE IN NEED OF MEAT (and monetary donations!)we can take your freezer burned or old meat. we cannot take meat that is spoiled, seasoned, or spiced nor fish with bones.719-687-9742

CWWC SPECIAL EvENTS : these tours and events are in addition to our standard 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm tours

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

A Mexican gray wolf targeted for removal for preying on livestock continues to outsmart her would-be captors and remains at large with her pack in the forest. Despite numer-ous traps set to capture her, the Fox Moun-tain alpha female continues to roam free. Last month, under pressure from WildEarth Guardians members and others, the Fish and Wildlife Service changed their kill order for this wolf accused of predating on cattle in the Apache National Forest, to a cap-

ture and incarceration order instead. Guard-ians is pursuing a multi-faceted strategy to end management conflicts in the Mexican wolf recovery area and make wolf removal a thing of the past. We are litigating to ban trap-ping in Mexican wolf range, demanding addi-tional wolf releases, and advocating for an ex-panded recovery zone. We’re also working to

retire federal grazing permits in the Greater Gila Bioregion and permanently end grazing conflicts with Mexican wolf recovery.

Fox Mountain Loba eludes trappers

DAY of the DeAD

SUNDAY

oCtoBeR

28th

5PM (CheCk iN)

UNtiL 7PM

Tour of the Center and then warm up around a bon fire while being surrounded with wolves! Everyone will get a candle for a ceremony of our animal friends that we have lost and a special prayer will be given. Appetizers and hot drinks will be provided

Dress warm and bring a flashlight and blanket or throw. You may bring a fold up chair. Skeleton attire encouraged.

$25 for adults · $15 for kids · Not recommended for kids 12 and younger

Reservations required. Limited space.CoLoRADo WoLf AND WiLDLife CeNteR 719-687-9742

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

It was not unexpected but very welcome. Two coalitions of environmental groups put the USFWS on notice Monday they intend to sue over the delisting of gray wolves in Wyoming. Once wolves are delisted, as of October 1, 2012, they can be used for target practice in most of the state. Any method of killing is allowed, which means terrible pain and suffering for wolves in Wyoming. Wolf haters can run wild, anything a twisted mind can come up with. This comes at a time when Yellowstone wolves are being decimated by mange and other disease. Mange wrote the obituary for the famed Druid Peak Pack, who were so revered and loved by wildlife watchers around the world.Is Yellowstone treating wolves with Ivermectin, which is effective against the infestation? The famous African film makers and big cat advocates, the Jouberts, darted a mange infected wild leopard family they were studying with Ivermectin and in a few weeks the leopards were once again thriving. They decided to act because another leopard they were filming fell to the mange mite and they couldn’t watch the painful saga play out again but I digress.My biggest worry concerning the lawsuit is securing an injunction to stop the killing before it starts. If the lawsuit proceeds and wolves remain unprotected, Wyoming’s fragile wolf population could suffer major losses even if

the lawsuit is successful and wolves are relisted.The means test for granting an injunction

center on two questions the judge will weigh.

1. Will there be irreparable harm if the injunction is not granted?Certainly the answer to this question has to be yes. Uncontrolled killing of wolves in

most of the state could do terrible damage to Wyoming’s fragile wolf

population in just a few months. In 2008 the famous Druid wolf Limpy was

shot and killed in Daniel, Wyoming when the then Bush administration briefly lifted

ESA protections for wolves. Limpy died for nothing. His death broke hearts, he was a wolf who overcame so much, yet his life was snuffed out for blood sport. Think of what could happen to hundreds of Limpys if Wyoming has its way.2. Do the plaintiffs have a good chance of winning the lawsuit?It’s very obvious the Wyoming wolf plan is driven by politics and not science. It was reported last week that many of Wyoming’s elk herds have grown so large extra permits will be available to hunters this season. One of the big lies about wolves is they are decimating elk herds in Wyoming, when clearly this is BS. I think the plaintiffs have a very good chance of winning. Let’s hope the judge sees it that way.

environmental Groups to sue

UsFWs over Wyoming Wolf Delisting,

“shoot-on-sight” plan

from howlingforjustice.com

The appeal failed, they decided to use sharp shooters instead of wolves. This is a picture of the people who were there for the hearing. Our own Nancy Makuch was there to be a voice.

One year after wolves lost federal protection, over 40% of the wolf population has been killed by trophy hunters and trappers in Idaho and Montana. A total of 545 wolves were killed for fun in these two Northern Rocky states.

CLICK ON THE BUTTON TO CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FROM THE WOLF RALLY IN IDAHO

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

Vieques Humane Society - Vieques, Puerto Rico, a small island located off the mainland’s east coast, for many years offered no veterinary or animal rescue services. During the early 1980’s, a handful of concerned immigrants from the states and a few local residents took a serious interest in improving the welfare of the animals. They began by feeding the island’s multitudinous strays and soliciting the help of veterinarians from Puerto Rico to sterilize them. By 1987, the Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue, Inc. was officially established as a non-profit organization. Today they still offer the only veterinary services on the island and have developed strong community based programs.

See available dogs at www.viequeshumanesociety.org · CWWC will help you cover adoption fees - 719.687.9742

GRETAMy name is Greta. I am a 4.5 year old Shepherd mix. I am a very happy girl, and I want nothing more than to please my people. I am looking for a forever home where my people will have the patience and the time to teach me some great things! Since I have been at the shelter I have been working very hard on my manners, and I am doing quite well. I will sit, wait and contain my excitement if you have a treat for me! I am even housebroken! I might do ok with another calm dog, but we must meet before I go home with you!!! Please come see me today, I miss having a forever family to call my own. Call TCRAS, the no-kill shelter in Divide, at 719-686-7707 for more information or checkout their website to see all available animals!

www.tcrascolorado.com

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

LOOKING FOR HOMESMAILEY

Have you ever met a cat who is very independent, but wants love at the same time? Well, meet Mailey. She is the type of cat to keep to herself yet approach you when she wants love and affection. She is quite sweet, and will make a wonderful companion for someone who has the patience to allow Mailey her space. She has been with TCRAS for over a year now and is very much in need of a forever home! Call TCRAS, the no-kill shelter in Divide, at 719-686-7707 for more information or checkout their website to see all available animals!

www.tcrascolorado.com

KEBAThis is Keba. He is a Siberian Husky mix. Keba will be 3 in December and has been neutered. Keba needs a new home because he and the other male dog he currently lives with are having issues (there is a female involved). He is very loveable, walks well on a leash with a halti or harness. Keba knows basic commands but needs to work on wanting to check out the neighborhood on his own. He has never tried to escape out of his yard. He doesn’t bark much, talks a lot and has a beautiful howl. He loves to hike and loves people and kids. He wants to be a house dog since that is where he started. He is a victim of divorce. Other than the male dog he currently lives with there has never been an issue with other dogs, he would love other dogs to play with.

CALL KIM AT 719-896-0677 OR 719-686-6437

Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org

...conservation education preservation

“We can judge the heart

of a man by his treatment of animals.”

~ Immanual Kant

For current wolf articles and to be a voice

through knowledge

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power to speak a great language.”

~ Martin Buber

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