It would appear we have a few Government Officials that do in fact Care about the plight of Wolves! It would appear we have a few Government Officials that do in fact Care about the plight of Wolves! the Writer of the below article obviously is a wolf hater!! They give that away when they say westerners should shudder!!
While members of Congress were decorating the $1.1 trillion Christmas tree bill they passed last week in Washington, D.C., another development occurred that should make Westerners shudder.
Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democratic member of the House from Minnesota and former chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, was working with Rep. Reid Ribble, a Wisconsin Republican, to get the gray wolf taken off the endangered species list in the Western Great Lakes region and Wyoming. Some 2,200 wolves live in Minnesota, and Peterson reasoned that it was time to let the state manage the predators. In all, 3,700 wolves roam the region, an adequate number by any measure.
The thought of Minnesota, Wisconsin and other states taking over management of the wolves sent 28 senators into a tizzy. They penned a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to reject any riders in any spending bill that would delist any species.
Among those who signed the letter were Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington; Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California.
The West Coast delegation was joined by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez and Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. All are Democrats.
While the intent of the letter was to keep Great Lakes wolves on the endangered species list — though they are clearly no longer endangered — the message to Westerners was that their senators are more concerned with East Coast sensitivities than the needs of Midwesterners and Westerners and that state wildlife managers should not be allowed to manage wolves until they are cheek to jowl.
By this way of thinking, wolves would probably still be listed as endangered in Idaho and Eastern Oregon and Washington, parts of Utah and Montana. Congress in 2011 delisted wolves there to provide needed relief for areas overrun by the predators.
While animal activists were happy to see the letter and called it a “pleasant surprise,” Western ranchers and others need to ask their senators just what on earth they were thinking. Only when state wildlife managers have taken over management of wolves have any reasonable steps been taken to control wolves. By aligning themselves with East Coast interests and ignoring the needs of their constituents, West Coast senators have demonstrated their lack of understanding of the issue and its impact on agriculture.
On the East Coast, wolves no doubt sound exciting and even romantic. Those emotions fade when an Oregon or Washington rancher finds the handiwork of a wolf — the disemboweled carcass of a cow or sheep that was torn apart while still alive.
We expect our elected representatives to stand up for Westerners in the U.S. Capitol, not for the East Coast elite. If they don’t, maybe it’s time for a change when the next election comes around.
West Coast senators side with Easterners over wolf issue – – Capital Press.