02/21/99
Morning Star Outreach's
dedication to Wolves
of the World !
Wolf Walking
"They
say the wolf bestows its happy spirit to help people.
Woman who obtain this spirit become skilled in creative
endeavors and experience a strengthening of the senses.
I would like to think there is more to this in my
own life."
Judi Rideout
Tashuunka Wakan
Mitakue Oyasin: We are related
Shuunka Manitu
The
wolf, like many humans, is a misunderstood animal.
True, the Wolf is a predator. It chases down its prey
and kills with its powerful jaws and incisors, but it is
only fulfilling the Great Spirit's overall plan
for natural selection and reduction.
The Wolf is a great deal like the two-legends (humans).
Wolves are territorial, hunts and seeks provisions
and is loyal and dedicated to his family.
Along with having an equally dedicated
tribal bond to its Wolf Pack.
No
doubt the security that the Wolf gains from all it's close
family and tribal connections and travels., it gains
courage and curiosity to seek knowledge.
Be like the Wolf, seek adventure, explore the World,
then report back with your new-found information.
The
Humane Society of the United States,
estimates there are approximately 200,000 pet
wolf-dog cross breeds in the United States. (Canis Familiars)
Today, wildlife biologists are dedicated defenders of the Wolf.
The Wolf is an intelligent, and almost certainly
the most socially evolved member of the Canidae,
or dog family.
Wolves are one of the most carefully observed of all wild
creatures.
This, thanks in part, has changed the way of thinking
about the Wolf, from the terrifying fear of the Wolf,
to greatly inspired curiosity of the Wolf.
Canis
Lupus - The Grey Wolf of North America
Canis Rufus - The Red Wolf Of North America
Up
until the mid-1800's, the American Indians had abundant
opportunities to observe the Wolf. A large portion of the
Wolf's original range extended throughout Mexico,
the United States and Canada.
Out of the thirty-two recognized subspecies of
Canis Lupus, twenty-four could be found inhabiting the
North American continent, from the Mexican Plateau
to the Bering Straits.
It is doubtful the wild species, land-bearing mammal surpasses
the dramatic expansion. Wolves, in a sense, became the
successful living example of a mammal family surviving
in the wilderness. It is an achievement embraced by all
American Indians who came in contact with the Wolf.
They studied the Wolf and integrated the things they
learned into their stories and ceremonies.
They absorbed the attributes of the Wolf that
made them stronger and passed these along to each
succeeding generation.
The
recovery of endangered and threatened species
provides Americans the opportunity to live
within the real thing, a complete picture of nature.
Recovery of the Wolf has begun a tremendous struggle,
the last thirty years a continuous uphill
battle by conservationists, biologists and the Wolves.
Even though politicians, stockman and sports
enthusiasts have opposed the establishment of Wolf
populations in the former ranges of the
American Northwest, East Coast and the arid
Southwest, the Wolf has seen fit to ignore the
controversy and attempt to resolve the dilemma firsthand.
Wolves
have survived in the Northern Minnesota
wilderness due to the closeness to Canada, where the
Wolf populations were never entirely destroyed.
Farms and Ranches share thousands of square miles.
Minnesota's annual percentage of livestock loss to predation
is less than One Percent.
Canada
has provided a gateway to the victory for the Wolf
with the reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park.
Controversy surrounded the return of the Wolf to America's
oldest designated wilderness causing a frenzy of political
maneuvering, protectionism and advocacy, lasting almost a quarter
century. The saga generated tremendous attention for the
Wolf, both good and bad, and raised the Wolf's
profile to a national level. Once the Wolves stepped
across the Canadian border they fell under the jurisdiction
of the Endangered Species Act. Knowing this the politicians,
stockman, farmers and ranchman relented.
A Wolf management plan put into action by the government
and embracing the peoples concerns, was a far more
desirable reality than living under the strict dictations of the ESA.
The relocation of the Wolf to its historic Northwestern
range was an inevitable act of nature and, with the support
of the ESA, a process destined to succeed.
Activism Pod
http://screenlife.tripod.com/podlife/pods/activism/
Newsletter #4
01/02/1998
The Activism Pod Newsletter
For the first time in 60 odd years wolves are thriving in the
Northern Rockies. The wolf reintroduction program which began in 1995
and '96 with the release of 66 Canadian Grey wolves has brought
wolves back from the brink of extinction after they were eradicated
in the 1930's. There are currently about 160 wolves and pups in the
region.
The reintroduction plan, which was adopted by the Department of the
Interior, classified the wolves as "experimental" which allowed for
the removal or relocation of any wolf that threaten livestock. This
special designation was put in place as a way to appease ranchers
who sought protection for their livelihood. The proponents of the
wolf recovery program designed it to balance the needs of the wolves
with the needs of the people.
It is this wording, which was intended to reduce opposition to the
program, that has enabled the Farm Bureau to win a court ruling
calling for the removal (shooting) of the wolves. Wyoming Federal
Judge William Downes made the ruling based on his reasoning that the
wolves "experimental" group designation is in violation of the
Endangered Species Act for it does not completely protect the wolves.
This is just the type of bureaucratic B.S. that makes me crazy. Here
is a man that is ordering the assassination of the most successfully
reintroduced animals in history on the basis that their legal
classification does not afford them enough
protection!
Defenders of Wildlife and The National Wildlife Federation appealed
on December 29th. Their attorney, Tom France said, "The decision is
wrong from a legal standpoint and even worse as a matter of common
sense. No one would throw out a masterpiece that was painted on a
flawed canvas. Why would you exterminate thriving wolves to ensure
that one of them had a bit more protection under the law?"
It's insane that some legal technicality could mean the death of so
many beautiful, intelligent, and shy animals. Each one of us can do
something to see that this tragedy does not occur. See the National
Wildlife Federation's website
http://www.nwf.org for email addressesand other actions you can take to strengthen the appeal. This week's
Best Of Pod is all about the wolves and how you can help save them.
Check it out, it's a great page!
Wolf Links
Hummingbird's
Lodge~Sacred Space
