Press Release: "Wolf Roundtable” held at National Congress of American Indians conference

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2015

CONTACT: Dr. Maureen Hackett, Howling For Wolves, 612.250.5915 or Leslie Rosedahl, LWRosedahl@locklaw.com, 651.353.1818

"Wolf Roundtable” held at National Congress of American Indians conference
Howling For Wolves participates, thanks Rep. McCollum for leadership

(St. Paul, Minn) – Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder and president of Howling For Wolves, a Minnesota-based wolf advocacy organization, participated in the “Wolf Roundtable” on Tuesday, June 30 at the National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Conference (NCAI) at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Many Minnesota tribal government organizations composed the roundtable, including leaders and natural resource stewards from Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Nation, tribes in Michigan and Wisconsin, the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, and more. The conversation was led by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN-4).

For many Minnesota Native American tribes, the wolf holds a sacred cultural role. Several tribes have forbidden wolf hunting on their lands and established wolf sanctuaries. These Native Americans are hurt and feel disrespected when wolves are killed.

“Howling For Wolves supports effective, science-based, and non-lethal wolf plans to support the gray wolf population into the future so that wolves can exist,” said Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder and president of Howling For Wolves.

“Wolves need protection in order to recover as a species. After the removal of federal protections in 2012 and the subsequent transfer of wolf recovery to the states, we witnessed that none of the states with unprotected wolves demonstrated they can be responsible for wolf recovery. Moving responsibility for wolves to the states now and not holding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) accountable for wolf recovery will once again further endanger wolves and continue to diminish their gene pool by reckless policies that include recreational wolf hunting and trapping,” said Hackett.

“We ask our state and federal leaders not to weaken the Endangered Species Act and stop using politics to support a wolf-killing agenda. We are thankful that Rep. McCollum as well as U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) are working to oppose efforts by some in Congress to legislatively remove federal protections for gray wolves in the Midwest and Wyoming,” said Hackett.

USFWS PETITION: Simultaneous with the wolf roundtable on Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their denial of the petition by Howling For Wolves and 21 other organizations to list all wolves in the lower 48 states as “threatened.” A lively discussion ensued regarding how the USFWS appears to have abandoned their role in wolf recovery. State management has not helped recover wolves, and instead has harmed their recovery. 

CURRENT STATUS OF WOLVES: Today, Minnesota wolves have federal protection and may not be hunted. They are listed as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act and presently killed by government agents for allegations of predation on livestock and pets. This new status happened December 19, 2014 in a federal court decision overturning a 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to delist Great Lakes wolves. Minnesota has had three consecutive wolf hunting and trapping seasons.

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Howling For Wolves (HFW) is a wolf advocacy organization that aims to educate the public and policy-makers about wolves to foster understanding and tolerance, and to ensure their long-term survival in Minnesota. HFW seeks innovative non-lethal solutions for conflict prevention and coexistence where wolves are perceived to be a threat. We oppose the random killing of non-problem wolves for sport and the cruel methods utilized. HFW current efforts focus on the Minnesota’s gray wolves, which is the largest and only original wolf population remaining in the lower 48 states.