Whoa! Wildlife killing contests in Minnesota?

Hi Katalusis friends, I'm a Minnesotan who supports wildlife, and this petition from Change.Org that just hit my inbox blows my mind. Please read and sign Scott's petition.

Petitioning Tom Landwehr, Bob Meier, Mark Dayton Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests in Minnesota

Petition by Scott Slocum White Bear Lake, Minnesota 160,528 Supporters Sign Scott’s petition If killing defenseless animals for prizes sounds like fun to you, be sure not to miss Minnesota’s upcoming “Save the Birds” Coyote Hunting Tournament. Cash prizes are awarded for the most coyotes killed, and the largest and smallest killed as well. There aren't many rules, and there's no limit. Wildlife-killing contests are currently allowed as a form of "charitable gambling" in Minnesota. Many have looked the other way, not wanting to interfere with the seemingly-popular fishing contests and "big buck" deer hunting contests, but it's harder to look away as the bloody carcasses of coyotes accumulate. Coyotes in Minnesota are classified as “unprotected wild animals,” so they're hunted and trapped year-round, with few regulations, no limits, and often no sense. Although the targeted removal of coyotes can be necessary when they cause problems on farms, these coyote-killing competitions aren't any part of that. These tournaments are disastrous to wildlife, and glorify killing for the sake of killing. Please join me in calling on the Minnesota DNR to ban this bloodsport and prohibit wildlife-killing contests statewide. Organizers of these events often claim that they are helping to control predator populations, but studies have shown the opposite effect: increased predator reproduction followed by increased attacks on livestock. Many of these tournaments encourage “junior” participants, saying that it's an opportunity to teach the ethics of sportsmanship to young hunters. But there’s nothing ethical about it. The piles of carcasses at the “finish lines” of these events show that this is not hunting, but thrill-killing on a staggering scale. These contests are ineffective at best, savage at worst. In areas where predator control is needed, professionally developed “best management practices” are more effective, and more humane. Other states are heeding the call to ban these contests--last year, California outlawed events that award prizes for killing wildlife. In addition, they've been banned on federal land in Idaho, legal action has halted gambling on them in Oregon, and legislation has been introduced to outlaw them in New Mexico, Nevada, and New York. Let’s call on the Minnesota DNR to join the movement toward ethical wildlife management, and ban wildlife-killing contests statewide. Sign Scott’s petition

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"All creatures great and small" - including wolves!

Photo of wolf by Mary Lundeberg.

Maybe it's the influence of my good friend Mary Lundeberg, a wildlife photographer, who passionately defends her subjects against the ravages of uncaring human beings, but here at Katalusis I jump at the chance to support an endangered species. This morning I'm posting a message from Jamie Rappaport Clark on behalf of endangered wolves in several states, which I'm sad to say, include my own state of Minnesota:

Help Us Fight Dollar-for-Dollar Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. $30 becomes $60 $50 becomes $100 $100 becomes $200 $250 becomes $500 Double your gift today! Dear Virginia, Without firing a shot, two U.S. Senators may be about to trigger the death of hundreds of wolves. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and John Barrasso (R-WY) have introduced a bill that would forcibly delist gray wolves in Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. We’re fighting tooth and nail to stop these horrific attacks, and we need your help. Your urgent donation will help us fight this and other despicable efforts to turn back the clock on wolf recovery. Because the situation is so serious, our Board of Directors and National Council have offered to match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000, until Monday, November 23rd! By introducing this bill just before final negotiations take place over the 2016 federal budget, Senators Barrasso and Johnson are hoping to encourage the inclusion of delisting language into a must-pass budget bill. If that happens, how long do you think it will take for more wolves to be killed? To add insult to injury, the bill would also prevent federal courts from ever restoring Endangered Species Act protections for these wolves, no matter how bad the situation gets! With federal protections gone, most of Wyoming will immediately be re-designated a "predator zone," literally a free-fire zone where anyone could kill any wolf at any time and for any reason. With your help, Defenders will mobilize our grassroots community to oppose this blatant abuse of Congressional power, reach out to the media to spread the word and continue to fight on Capitol Hill against this deadly bill. Please donate today. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000 until Monday, November 23rd. Thanks to you, we’ve been leading the charge for wolf recovery since wolves were first reintroduced into the Lower 48, more than 20 years ago. With your support, we’ve gone to court and won repeatedly to make sure wolves get the legal protections they deserve. We’re pioneering new, non-lethal strategies for wolves to coexist with people and livestock. With you at our side, we’ll weather this current crisis and look forward to a day when wolf recovery is truly complete! The wildlife you love is counting on you to help. Are you in? For the wolves, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities

Extinction of the red wolf detrimental to all species

A recent email from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife, reminds us that the extinction of even one endangered species is detrimental to all species and yes, we human beings are dependent for our survival on the health of the global ecology.

Dear Virginia,

Fewer than 100 red wolves remain in the wild.

And if we don’t act soon they will continue to be shot and killed.

It’s why we’re in court, fighting with all we’ve got. And it’s why I need your help today!

Your urgent donation will help Defenders save the red wolf,and protect other imperiled species.

In the past year alone, 14 red wolves have met untimely deaths in the North Carolina woodlands where they are making their last stand. The most recent victim – a radio-collared wolf found shot to death only last month – is the seventh to die from bullet wounds.

And the bloodshed could escalate dramatically if North Carolina state officials continue to permit hunting for coyotes in red wolves’ tiny habitat – including hunting with spotlights at night. Smaller than gray wolves, these wolves are barely larger than coyotes, and share coyotes’ coloring.

It’s hard to distinguish between a coyote and a red wolf under ideal conditions. At night, it’s all but impossible.

Defenders’ legal team is fighting to stop coyote hunting in red wolf territory. A legal ruling is expected in the coming months.

For nearly 67 years, Defenders of Wildlife has been America’s leading force for protecting wolves and other endangered wildlife.

We are only as strong as our supporters – people just like you.

America’s red wolves are making their last stand. Won’t you stand with them?

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark

Stop the indiscriminate wildlife slaughter!

Dr. Lundeberg holding a swan.

Try this: go to wildlife photographer Dr. Mary Lundeberg's website and gaze in wonder for a time at the beauty of the birds and beasts in her hundreds of dazzling photos.

Then read this message from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife and see if it doesn't make your blood boil:

A small division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) known as “Wildlife Services” is tasked with resolving conflicts between people and wildlife, but their Predator Control Program continues to operate with a kill-first mentality!

This program, that has killed more than 50,000 “non-target” animals since 2000, including endangered species and household pets, is also responsible for the slaughter of literally hundreds of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies each year.

Now let your outrage motivate you to do something about it:

STOP THE INDISCRIMINATE WILDLIFE SLAUGHTER!  This brutal, kill-first mentality needs to be stopped! Demand accountability for the taxpayer funded carnage – take action today! Dear Virginia, They’re like a government hit squad killing wildlife for hire. And you and I are footing the bill. A small division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as “Wildlife Services” is tasked with resolving conflicts between people and wildlife. But their outdated methods and mentality result in the needless killing of thousands of wild animals each year! That’s why we are demanding a thorough audit of the USDA’s Wildlife Services Predator Control Program. Please join us in demanding immediate and swift action. Their Predator Control Program’s methods are brutal, scientifically unfounded and the death toll is simply astounding. In fact, Wildlife Services agents have accidentally killed more than 50,000 animals since 2000 – animals that were NOT targets -- including imperiled and protected species and household pets. Appalled? We are too.  Wildlife Services is the government’s top wildlife killing machine; a program that operates in much of the country with a kill-first mentality, usually without a second thought to resolving conflicts using proven non-lethal techniques. Wildlife Services has gone too far for too long, and they need to be held accountable! Please take action and urge the USDA to take immediate action and perform an audit of the Wildlife Services Predator Control Program. The work of this relatively unknown agency is inefficient, ineffective and scientifically unfounded. Wildlife Services has killed more than 50,000 “non-target” animals since 2000, including endangered species and household pets.  The program has recently been the subject of public scrutiny regarding the deaths of non-target species including an endangered Mexican gray wolf. Most of WS’s lethal predator control work is at the request of ranchers and big game hunters.  They are responsible for the slaughter of literally hundreds of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies each year. This agency should know better! Its own researchers have identified non-lethal alternatives that protect livestock and ranch animals without the unnecessary killing. We work so hard to protect the wildlife that make our country such a remarkable place. This taxpayer-funded travesty must be stopped before more animals are needlessly killed. Please take action now and help hold Wildlife Services Accountable! For wildlife, Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife

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Kiddie literature in the waiting room

Thanks to the good influence of my friend Mary Lundeberg, wildlife photographer and author of children's books that teach about nature and the environment, I wound up reviewing the reading materials for kids in the beauty salon and in my dentist's office this week. In the beauty salon, I found Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth a fascinating, charming work of fiction; at the dentist, Dangerous Animals, a non-fiction work by Rebecca Gilpin, so distorts the featured animals in both the text and the illustrations that I’m planning to ask my dentist to remove it from her office.

Stop the war on wolves!

Check out Mary Lundeberg's endangered species photos

A letter from Jamie Rappaport Clark, President, Defenders of Wildlife:

Dear Virginia,

Across the Northern Rockies and beyond, anti-wolf extremists are mounting a well-funded and unrelenting attack.

More than 1,100 wolves have been killed as a result of hunting and trapping in the Northern Rockies since Congress stripped them of Endangered Species Act protection in 2011. 

Protecting wolves is a long-term challenge, and we are committed to the cause. Please help us win the war on wolves with a generous gift today.

• The governor of Montana recently signed a bill into law that prohibits state wildlife officials from establishing protective buffer zones along national park borders, a measure that would have helped protect Yellowstone wolves.

• In Utah, a shameful and fiscally-irresponsible proposal by anti-wolf extremists just passed out of committee. If finalized, this measure will allocate $300,000 of taxpayer money to anti-wolf lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. – aiming to strip the last shreds of federal protection for nearly all gray wolves across the Lower 48.

• In Idaho, state officials approved a proposal to pay Wildlife Services $50,000 to kill more wolves.

We’re witnessing firsthand what happens when the fate of wolves is turned over to states with extreme anti-wolf management plans in place.

It's hard to fathom that earlier in the month, Wyoming opened even more of their state to the unlimited killing of wolves!

These magnificent and misunderstood top predators need our help.

Defenders of Wildlife is America’s premier wildlife advocacy organization working to protect endangered wildlife. Our science and legal teams are renowned in the field. We are leading efforts and speaking out across the country on behalf of wolves to help ensure that our nation’s imperiled wildlife receive the crucial protection they deserve and need in order to recover.   

We will not let politics get in the way of our work for wolves. Your urgent donation will make a big difference.

Thanks for all that you do for wolves – and all of America’s endangered wildlife.

Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife

News flash: Humankind’s role in the ecological network of relationships

Here’s a little news flash for all those who continue to delude themselves into believing that humankind has absolute dominion over the planet: We do not possess the right to thoughtlessly exploit the Earth’s natural resources, nor are we entitled to destroy any of our fellow inhabitants.

That’s right. We are as embedded in the ecological network of relationships and as reliant on its support as any other species. That would include the wolves struggling to survive in Montana. Just this morning, I received this alert from Jamie Rappaport Clark of Defenders of Wildlife:

Virginia -- Just wanted to make sure you got my message about our new wolf ad.

As we prepare to go live in Times Square, the War on Wolves rages on. Yesterday, officials in Montana approved a plan to allow widespread wolf trapping, triple the number of wolves an individual can kill in a single season, and eliminate hunt quotas across nearly the entire state.

Please donate now to help run our wolf ad, fight to ensure a lasting future for wolves and protect the wildlife and wild places you cherish.

Thanks,

Jamie

Defenders of Wildlife: Wildlife Alert

Help reach millions

for wolves

Help run our ad in Times Square (artist's composite)

We need to raise $65,000 by July 20th to get this ad in Times Square.

Help Us Reach Millions for Wolves Donate Now

Please donate today to get the word out about the West’s War on Wolves during the busy tourist season New York City.

Dear Virginia,

Imagine seeing wolves in Times Square. You can make it a reality.

Donate today to help run our new wolf ad in Times Square -- and put the War on Wolves front-and-center before the eyes of America.

Most Americans don't know what's going on in the West. Extreme anti-wolf policies have led to a War on Wolves in the Northern Rockies.

In just over one year, nearly half of Idaho's wolves have been eliminated. And with year-round hunting and other extreme wolf-killing policies, officials are aiming to reduce Idaho's wolf population down to minimum numbers.

In Montana, anti-wolf extremists are turning up the heat on state officials, urging them to follow in Idaho's wolf-killing footsteps.

And at any moment, federal officials could turn the fate of Wyoming's wolves over to a state plan that allows wolves to be killed on sight by virtually any means across the majority of the state.

Now we have the chance to expose millions to the War on Wolves -- and rally their support with our latest ad.

Will you help us raise $65,000 by July 20th to run our wolf ad in Times Square and protect the wildlife and wild places you care about?

Wolf recovery is one of the most important conservation success stories in this country -- and we can't let the War on Wolves turn back the clock.

That's why we're doing something big -- Times Square big -- to expose anti-wolf extremism to an entirely new audience and send federal officials a message they can't ignore.

Donate today and help put wolves in Times Square.

Jamie Rappaport Clark  

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark

President

Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Please donate now through our secure website to help us place our ad in Times Square. Or call 1-800-385-9712 to donate by phone.

Help protect Alaska’s Western Arctic Reserve

 

Even in urban areas, a glimpse of wildlife enriches our oftentimes over-scheduled lives. While doing errands several days ago, I caught sight of a full-grown male mallard strolling around in a busy shopping center. I paused to marvel at his unexpected appearance and took a few pictures of him before he wisely flapped his wings and soared aloft.

That mallard reminded me of the importance of protecting wildlife wherever we can in our shrinking world. Alaska’s Western Arctic Reserve needs all the help we can muster, so please read and heed the message below:

Dear Virginia,

Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve is home to the nation's largest caribou herd, millions of migratory birds and America's remaining polar bears.

It's an amazing place with vast complexes of lakes, rivers and streams that empty into the Arctic Ocean -- and we need your help to protect the magnificent wildlife found there.

Take action now. Urge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide maximum protection for the homes of polar bears, migratory birds and other wildlife living in the Western Arctic Reserve.

In 1923, the Western Arctic Reserve was set aside as an oil and gas reserve. Since that time, however, no oil development has occurred in the reserve and only sporadic exploration activity has affected the region.

Since the 1970s, the reserve -- the largest single unit of public lands in the U.S. -- has also been managed to protect the exceptional wildlife and habitat it contains.

The special areas within the reserve are key habitat for our struggling polar bears, important calving grounds for Alaska's largest herd of caribou and home to the largest concentration of brown bears in the Arctic.

Thousands of beluga whales feed and give birth off the shores of the Western Arctic Reserve. And its productive coastal wetlands provide millions of migrating birds with the habitat they need to survive.

The BLM is working on a new management plan for the entire reserve -- and we can help ensure that these amazing places are protected.

Urge federal officials to safeguard Alaska’s Western Arctic Reserve’s special places from harmful oil and gas exploration.

Unique areas like the fragile Teshekpuk Lake, the Utukok River Uplands and the Coleville River -- and the diverse wildlife that depends on them -- are especially sensitive to harmful development and cannot be replaced.

Please take action today -- the deadline for comments is Friday, June 15th.

Together, we can ensure a lasting future for our wildlife and our most special wild places.

Sincerely,

Theresa Fiorino
Alaska Representative
Defenders of Wildlife