Saturday, March 25, 2023

Play

Georgia prepares for the end of COVID-19 emergency; comment period open for experimental nuclear tech in eastern ID; Mexican gray wolf population rebounds in Arizona.

Play

Lawmakers grill the CEO of Tik Tok over national security concerns, the House Pro-Choice Caucus aims to repeal the Helms Act and allow U.S. foreign aid to support abortion care, and attempts to ban or restrict books hit a record high as groups take aim at LBGTQ+ titles.

Play

Finding childcare is a struggle everywhere, prompting North Carolina's Transylvania County to try a new approach. Maine is slowly building-out broadband access, but disagreements remain over whether local versus national companies should get the contracts, and specialty apps like "Farmers Dating" help those in small communities connect online.

AZ Game and Fish Bids to Take Over Gray Wolf Recovery

Play

Tuesday, December 21, 2010   

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Arizona Game and Fish Department has written to the state's congressional delegation, urging removal of the Mexican gray wolf from federal Endangered Species Act protection. The department argues Arizona could take over the Mexican wolf recovery program and operate it more efficiently and cost-effectively. But Eva Sargent, southwest program director for Defenders of Wildlife, disagrees. When the state used to run the wolf recovery program, for a period of six years, she says it nearly drove the population to extinction through excessive wolf removals.

"Arizona even proposed, at one point, a moratorium on releasing more wolves, which they championed right up until it became apparent that there were so few breeding pairs that not even their own low criteria would allow them to do that."

With only 42 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild along the Arizona-New Mexico border, Sargent says removing federal protection could doom the remaining, fragile population.

Arizona Game and Fish says federal red tape has gridlocked Mexican wolf conservation efforts for decades. However, Sargent says she is encouraged by recent federal progress, including an end to the removal of Mexican wolves from the wild.

"They've finally got a recovery team of scientists put back together that's supposed to meet early next year. They're doing the first release of a Mexican wolf in two-and-a-half years, and Arizona ought to be lending their support to these new efforts, not bickering over who's in charge."

Sargent is convinced that, if Congress removes Endangered Species Act protection for Mexican gray wolves, the decision will be based on politics, not science.

"There's no scientific basis for saying that a species with 42 individuals in the wild and only two breeding pairs should lose federal protection. The Mexican wolf needs more protection, not less."

She also doesn't believe Arizona has the resources or manpower to monitor the endangered wolves and prevent poaching, especially since the wolves' territory covers two states and is slated for expansion into northern Mexico.



get more stories like this via email

Nevada is the only state with what is known as a summary eviction process. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

The Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, tenants, lawmakers and community leaders gathered at a news conference outside the Capitol in Carson City this …


Social Issues

Family caregivers provide valuable work to Washington state - even if they don't get paid. A new report puts a value to the unpaid work they do…

Social Issues

Advocates for Michigan's LGBTQ community are calling lawmakers' move to expand the state's civil rights law to include them a victory that's "been a l…


Illinois advocacy groups say they are educating policymakers on the benefits of hospital screening as a solution to prevent medical debt, both for low-income patients and the hospital. (volgariver/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

A new report finds thousands of low-income or uninsured people in Illinois face medical debt that is depleting their savings and, in some cases…

Health and Wellness

The Iowa Senate has approved a measure allowing some medical facilities to be licensed as "emergency hospitals." This would be especially important in…

The Idaho National Laboratory is located near Idaho Falls. (MichaelVi/Adobe Stock)

Environment

The U.S. Department of Energy has opened a short public-comment window on an experimental nuclear technology in Idaho. The agency has released a …

Social Issues

School nutrition providers told Ohio lawmakers this week they're tired of hounding parents for school lunch money when their child's account accrues d…

Health and Wellness

A Georgia health advocacy group is concerned about people's health outcomes as the COVID-19 public health emergency is set to expire on May 11…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021