Rare and endangered creature visits New Mexico park for the first time in 91 years

 

A rare and endangered Mexican wolf visited the Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico for the first time in 91 years, park officials said.

The female wolf named Asha, formally identified as F2754, traveled north from the “Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area” and reached the nature preserve on Nov. 11, the National Park Service said in a Dec. 28 news release.

Asha wandered around the Jemez Mountains before returning to the park, making her the first Mexican wolf to visit the nature preserve since 1932, officials said...more

New Documents: New Mexico Rancher Who Pleaded Guilty to Bludgeoning Endangered Wolf Admitted Trapping, Beating One More

New documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity show that a New Mexico rancher confessed to trapping and beating at least one other endangered Mexican gray wolf in 2015. In 2018 rancher Craig Thiessen pleaded guilty to brutalizing a wolf he had trapped in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Thiessen’s 2018 plea agreement for bludgeoning the Mexican wolf, named ‘Mia Tuk’ by an Albuquerque schoolchild, made no mention of crimes involving other wolves. But a Sept. 2, 2020, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report on another wolf from the same pack says its skull was found near Thiessen’s grazing allotment. “The location where the Mexican gray wolf skull was located was near the allotment leased to [REDACTED] who was later convicted of having killed Mexican gray wolf #1385. [REDACTED] admitted to having trapped two (2) wolves, beating them into submission with a shovel, and then releasing the wolves back into the wild …It is suspected that Mexican gray wolf #1279 may have been one (1) of these wolves associated with this event,” the report said. The newly released documents show Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officers began their investigation into the killing of wolf #1385 on February 17, 2015. The documents indicate that the Fish and Wildlife Service’s investigation of Thiessen was initiated following an incident on May 31, 2016, when “information was provided … of subject [redacted] placing poisonous meatballs next to a cow carcass at Canyon del Buey in the Gila National Forest” northeast of Reserve, N.M. The Canyon del Buey allotment was permitted for grazing use by Thiessen’s livestock at that time. In November 2018, the U.S. Forest Service revoked Thiessen’s Canyon del Buey Allotment grazing permit, but he is contesting that in federal court in New Mexico. As recently as early fall 2020, Thiessen’s cows remained on the Gila National Forest...MORE

Editorial: Game board unfairly takes aim at gray wolf protector

Playing tit for tat with an endangered species is not only unproductive; it’s petty. Yet that appears to be what the New Mexico Game Commission did last week when it declined to renew a permit that had been in place for 17 years allowing Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch in the Gila mountains to assist the federal Mexican gray wolf recovery program. 

Ever since the program began in 1998, the Turner ranch has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide pen space for holding endangered wolves being taken from the wild or being reintroduced into the wilderness. Turner raises bison commercially on the 156,000-acre ranch in Sierra County and maintains it as a habitat for endangered and threatened species and for ecotourism.

Currently, there are just over 100 Mexican gray wolves in the wild – a species that once numbered in the thousands. 

In the past, the Game and Fish director routinely signed off on the Turner permit. However, in November, the commission adopted a rule requiring commission approval for permits to keep wolves and other carnivores on private land for purposes of recovery or reintroduction. It appears to target the wolf program, and last week’s action is likely to hamper its success. 

...That may relate to a new Fish and Wildlife Service rule that greatly expanded the wolves’ range south to the Mexican border and north to Interstate 40 and broadened areas where wolves bred in captivity could be released. It also gave ranchers, who generally oppose the program, more authority to shoot wolves dead if they prey on livestock or domestic animals.  

READ ENTIRE EDITORIAL

The Journal's attempt to dismiss the legitimate concerns of our state and those most affected by calling the Game Commission's action "tit for tat" and "petty" is unfortunate.

This is the second tit for about a thousand tats as the USFWS has continually ignored the many concerns of the state and local citizens.  It's hardly petty for the Governor and Commission to stand up for the health and safety of our folks whereas you seem more interested in the health and safety of the mexican wolf.

Most galling is your attempt to use property rights to oppose the Commission's action:

Landowner rights should not become as endangered as the wolf. Turner should be allowed to use his property as he wishes in cooperation with the federal government, and the commission shouldn’t flex its self-granted power to punish a private landowner to make a statement.

Turner should be free to use his property as he wishes. But the moment he chooses to participate in a taxpayer-funded program the public also has a right to try and influence that participation. Would the Journal deny the public that opportunity? There are also private landowners who oppose the program, and until the Martinez administration came along, their voices were silenced. Turner chooses to participate and you defend him, while other land owners are "punished" by being forced to participate, and you ignore them. Thank goodness the Game Commission is not.

Environmental groups prepare lawsuit to force mexican wolf recovery plan

A coalition of environmental groups notified the federal government Wednesday it intends to sue over what it considers inadequate action to re-establish the Mexican gray wolf in the Southwest. The five environmental groups, including the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, said a lawsuit would force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a workable recovery plan for the species. “The Fish and Wildlife Service has three times begun a plan to save the wolves but has never concluded one,” said Tim Preso, attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. Mexican gray wolves, added to the Endangered Species List in 1976, were reintroduced to eastern Arizona and western New Mexico in 1998. At last count, 83 wolves were in the wild. The program has been controversial from the start, with area ranchers complaining that the wolves are a menace to livestock and environmental groups saying federal officials haven’t done enough to create a thriving, genetically diverse population. Michael Robinson, conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Endangered Species Act requires the federal government to create recovery plans tailored to the needs of each species. According to Robinson and Preso, a backlog has prevented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from updating a stopgap proposal drafted in 1982 with the wolves in imminent danger of extinction. Robinson noted that the Fish and Wildlife Service is considering regulatory changes that would expand the area in which wolves could be released but would allow wolves found north of Interstate 40 to be hunted and killed. That proposal is currently in a public hearing period, with a decision expected in January...more

ABQ BioPark Zoo Hosts Wolf Awareness Days Oct. 18-20

Come to the ABQ BioPark Zoo for Wolf Awareness Days on October 18-20 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Learn about Mexican gray wolf conservation through interactive discovery stations and educational activities. Get hands-on with wolf biofacts and crafts and learn how lobos communicate with barks, yips and howls.

"Think like a mountain" as you learn about the critical role of wolves as keystone predators. Hear from experts about why conservation hero Aldo Leopold said, "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf."

"The BioPark's wolf pack is fascinating to watch," said Sarah Shrum, Zoo Education Specialist. "We have all males on exhibit right now and their behaviors show how dynamic their relationships are. Zoo guests can enjoy watching the pack interact, participate in activities to understand their role as a keystone species, and learn how the BioPark has been involved in conservation efforts in the wild."

Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) were listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1976. Populations had been severely reduced as wolves increasingly came into conflict with humans. Today, captive breeding and recovery programs in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest attempt to re-establish this important species in the wild.

Wolf Awareness Days are included with regular admission. On Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, zoo guests can take advantage of Half-Price Weekend and purchase single admission tickets for 50% off regular rates. For more information, email biopark@cabq.gov or dial 311 locally (505-768-2000).

Learn about wolf conservation and re-introduction in the Southwest starting Oct. 18.

When

Oct 18, 2013 10:00 AM - Oct 20, 2013 02:00 PM

Where

ABQ BioPark Zoo

903 10th SW

Albuquerque, NM 87102

Description

Visit the Mexican gray wolf exhibit at the ABQ BioPark Zoo to learn about wolf conservation and re-introduction in the Southwest.
Find out the crucial role these animals used to play in New Mexico's ecosystem and get hands-on with wolf biofacts.
Learn about Aldo Leopold, a conservation hero active here in New Mexico from 1900-1928, and find out why he said, "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf."

Schedule

• Discovery Stations at the Mexican gray wolf exhibit, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. daily
• Keeper Q & A at the wolf exhibit, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
• Aldo Leopold Talk in Colores Education Building, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Student Worksheets

Students in grades K-12 can learn with Wolf Awareness Worksheets from ABQ BioPark Zoo.
Download Wolf Awareness Worksheets

PEARCE: FWS RIGHT IN CLEARING RANCHER; PROBLEMS WITH WOLF PROGRAM REMAIN

PEARCE: FWS RIGHT IN CLEARING RANCHER; PROBLEMS WITH WOLF PROGRAM REMAIN

Las Cruces, NM (August 22, 2013) – Today, U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce made the following comment on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent determination that a female Mexican wolf, known as F1108, had been shot and killed legally, while in the act of attacking cattle on private land. “I commend the US Fish and Wildlife Service on its decision to clear the New Mexico rancher who acted legally, in protection of his livestock,” said Pearce. “I appreciate their speedy and thorough investigation into this matter, and their respect for the law.” “However, we must not forget that the wolf program remains a major problem for New Mexicans,” Pearce continued. “This rancher is only in the clear because he didn’t act until after the wolf had inflicted injuries upon his animals—had he chosen to prevent those injuries, this story would have ended differently. Too many ranchers live in fear for their families and their livestock, or in fear of legal repercussions if they act to protect them. This incident only reiterates the terror that wolves cause for New Mexicans, and calls attention to the need to rethink this costly and dangerous program.” After millions of dollars spent and over a decade of efforts, the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program is an outright failure, with populations unable to come close to the recovery goals laid out by the US Fish and Wildlife Service—even as wolf populations elsewhere have thrived. Congressman Pearce has been a consistent opponent of continuing to pour money into an unsuccessful experiment that jeopardizes the lives and livelihoods of countless New Mexicans. Congressman Pearce believes that the management of the wolf population should be turned over to the state government.

Press Release