Jon Hildahl
(student number)
(year in school)
Oct. 7,1998
Assignment 1
The United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and cooperating agencies set out to reintroduce the endangered Mexican wolf to the southwestern United States, the subspecies' historic habitat. Before the reintroduction of the animals the Mexican wolf was known to exist only in captivity. For this reason the FWS initiated the project under the guidelines of the Endangered Species Act which aims to prevent the extinction of endangered species. The wolves were released in a primary recovery zone in the Blue Range of eastcentral Arizona, and more wolves are to be released in the White Sands Wolf Recovery Area in New Mexico as the wolves re-establish themselves. The recovery objective of 100 wolves is hoped to be reached by the year 2005,
Clearly there are serious concerns associated with the loss of a species in its natural environment. Most significantly the loss of the subspecies would effect the natural balance of the ecosystem. The age-old, highly evolved relationship between this top predator and prey is considered beneficial. The grey wolf helps regulate prey populations which play a role in overgrazing, over-browsing, and competition with livestock. Further the wolf predation affects the animal population different than human hunting does. Wolves kill a larger proportion of the young of the year, male, and older representatives of deer and elk populations. The wolf also provides an important opportunity to observe and learn about the dynamics of the natural predator-prey-scavenger relationships and about ecosystem function and productivity (U. S. Dept. of Int., 1996).
On the other end of the spectrum the reintroduction of the wolves into their natural habitat poses other problems. There is the concern that the wolves will not take to their original environment. The recovery program creates another problem for cattle ranchers because the animal kills the cattle that represent their main income source. Further the wolves prey upon deer and elk which reduces significantly recreational hunting in these areas. This would cause a significant decrease in the revenues generated by the sale of hunting licenses and other hunting expendatures.
The wolf recovery plan attempts to address many of these problems, although it is difficult to solve all aspects of a multifaceted issue such as this. Therefore different levels of importance must be placed on the different sides of the issue. The reintroduction plan addresses the most serious concern, the threat of extinction for the Mexican wolf. In addition steps are being made to help the wolf re-adapt to its original habitat. Restrictions have been put on the use of M-44s and choking-type neck snares, trap size, and increased frequency of trap checks. Other steps are being taken to compensate for greater importance being placed on the primary issue. A private livestock depreciation compensation fund has been established to deal with the lost revenues of the cattle industry. The hunting dilemma however is not as easily dealt with. Decrease in hunted wildlife populations and therefore lost hunting revenues cannot be completely avoided. The hope of the parties involved in this issue is that an increase in tourism due to the wolf population will compensate somewhat for other lost revenues.
As is necessary in a complex issue such as this, there are many players involved, representing the different sides of the issue. Each group or person approaches the issue with different positions influenced by their beliefs and values. I have summarized below the major players and their positions (*...) beliefs (**...) and values (*** ...):
-Fish and Wild Life Service and cooperating government and environmental agencies
*the re-introduction plan of the Mexican wolf is necessary to keep the subspecies from going extinct.
**the long range impact of the subspecies reintroduction outweigh the initial economic concerns of hunters and cattle ranchers.
***protecting endangered species is of the upmost importance because it is a necessary step to maintain the natural balance of our world's ecosystem
-Ranchers
*the wolves pose a threat to their livelihood and therefore should not have been reintroduced into the region
**the region environment has functioned fine since the reduction in the wolf population, beginning in the early 1900S
**the government needs to protect the economic interests of its people
***making a living is essential to life
-Hunters
*the wolves should not have been reintroduced into the region or at least the public should be able to protect their private interests threatened by the wolves through trapping and killing the animals
**the wolf recovery plan not only decreases available prey but as a result decreases the money spent on hunting recreational activities
**the regions ecosystem hasn't suffered significantly as a result in the decrease in the wolf population since the early 1900S
***recreational and revenue generating activities are of significant importance to the public
United States Department of the Interior. (1996). Reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf within its Historic Range in the_ Southwestern United States. Washington, DC: