States should not be allowed to interfere with Federal authorities attempts to help endangered species!!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release Mexican wolves in New Mexico this year despite state opposition.
In a plan described as “aggressive” and posted Monday to its website, the service said intends to release a pack of wolves in New Mexico and could “cross-foster” into wild packs some pups born in captivity in an effort to improve the genetic diversity of the free-ranging endangered population of Mexican wolves.
“Initial releases and cross-fostering are the preferred methods available to improve the genetic diversity of the wild population,” the plan states. “The 2016 plan is aggressive by attempting as many cross-fostering efforts as logistically possible, while continuing to evaluate the efficacy of the method.”
Last year saw an epic battle between the service and the New Mexico Game Commission, which after months of bureaucratic back and forth ultimately denied the federal government permission to release wolves into the wild in New Mexico.
The service subsequently stated that it would use its federal authority – trumping state authority – to carry on with the program.
New Mexico Game Commissioner Bob Ricklefs said the commission had no official reaction yet but added, “We knew it was coming.”
None of the other five commissioners could be reached by phone Tuesday, and voicemail messages were not returned by press time.
A spokesman for the Game and Fish Department and Game Commission declined to comment Tuesday on the Service’s wolf release plan.
Fish and Wildlife Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle said the service “values the partnership we have with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and it remains our policy to consult with the states in our joint efforts to recover species.”
He added, “Recovery of the Mexican wolf remains the service’s goal. We have a statutory responsibility and the authority to recover the Mexican wolf and strive to do so in a collaborative manner with our partners.”
Last October, in a letter to Game and Fish Director Alexandra Sandoval, Fish and Wildlife Director Daniel Ashe said the agency would be unable to meet its obligations under the Endangered Species Act to recover the Mexican wolf population without releasing wolves in New Mexico.
“Given the denial of our permit applications, we are left with no option except to continue to move forward with wolf recovery efforts,” Ashe wrote.
The health of the already fragile wild population of Mexican wolves has been deteriorating, advocates say.
Over the past nearly eight years, the service has released four “new” wolves from captivity, meaning those who had never been in the wild. Three died and a fourth was recaptured, according to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity.
“They haven’t been releasing wolves and almost all the wolves out there stem from this one family, the Bluestem pack,” Robinson said. “That is reducing the litter sizes and reducing the pup survival rate. That is a one-way ratchet toward extinction. If they can get wolves from the captive population into the wild, that will increase the genetic diversity and hopefully increase the reproductive output.”
Source: Feds to release wolves in NM despite state opposition | Albuquerque Journal