Wolf Ranch Foundation WebLog (Blog)

Wolf Ranch Foundation WebLog (Blog) http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php Copyright 2012, Michael Wolf Michael Wolf en-US SPHPBLOG 0.5.1 Why I've Given Up on Wolf Recovery http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry120408-144942 Despite the only justification being a completely and obviously unconstitutional Act of Congress, wolves continue to be hunted and killed by the hundreds in an act of violence unprecedented since wolves were killed deliberately in a campaign by the US Government to demoralize the native Americans of this continent during our oft-violent conquest of native cultures and the lands they occupied sustainably.

Why is wolf hunting only happening because of an unconstitutional act of Congress? Because you are too immature, plain and simple.

That's right. Wolves' survival depends upon people caring more for wolves than for themselves. The survival of the species depends upon people acting on behalf of wolves, instead of being selfish and only considering one's self.

A striking case of this nonsense is the fact that Defenders of Wildlife still continues to receive donations, in spite of the blanant evidence that the money is going to line greedy peoples' pockets, not to advance the cause of wolf recovery. Another excellent example are the games you children are playing online, and the attention being paid to petty games rather than the big issues.

To date, not one single wolf advocate or advocacy organization has filed a Notice of Constitutional Challenge to Section 1713 of HR1473, the unconstititutional act which is the sole reason wolves are now dying. This challenge requires all of a few hundred dollars to file, and someone with enough time and energy to go to the federal pro-se clinic at their local federal courthouse and file. I would have done this myself by now, but being disabled and America having degraded to the point it has, I am struggling just to survive. I do still intend to file this challenge, but my survival takes precedent.

You people on the other hand, are sitting on your hands, lounging in front of your computers, arguing with other children on Facebook and elsewhere on the internet, pretending you are actually doing some good when all you are in fact doing is making things WORSE.

The fact of the matter is that America is suffering from a crisis of moral development. No longer are people mature enough to be participants in a democracy or any other form of government, but most of you lack the maturity to even advocate for wolves effectively. Your perspective, which drives morality, is of selfish pursuit, of short-lived pleasures. You don't care that wolves will be extinct in America again soon, all you care about is what someone else is saying - you don't even bother to see if what is said is true or not.

These childish games, yes, including those played by our representatives and leaders, are doing nothing but killing wolves, and in fact, killing Americans.

The ONLY effort that I know of that can possibly save wolves is a legal effort, through the courts, because you people can no longer be counted on to stand up for what's right. You simply don't really care anymore. And that is painful. It makes people like me, who still dedicate ourselves to actually helping wolves, quite angry at people like you who are only making our work impossible.

Wolf recovery has always been about people. Wolves will survive, if left alone. But worse than a tiny minority of people who hate wolves is the majority, the wolf advocates, who have done nothing but play right into the hands of the wolf haters. Wolf advocates have killed more wolves than wolf haters. And it is the wolf advocates who have guaranteed that wolves will one again be extinct.

Thanks a lot, every last fucking one of you, for killing the creatures you claim to love.

Do me a favor, would you? Just stop. Just shut your fucking mouths about wolves. Stop helping. Stop giving money to Defenders and all other organizations - those organizations only use your money to prolong the conflict and kill more wolves (after all, does Defenders need your money to save wolves if they actually did it?) And shut the fuck up online already. All you people do is make things worse. You know less about wolves, and more incorrect information, than the anti-wolf people do.

And you agency personnel aren't any better. Playing the games you have, trying to pump up your egos and careers, rather than actually doing the job you were chosen by Americans to do on their behalf. Shame on you. In all of my memories of agency personnel, professionals, and other advocates, not a single person stands out as having even done their job, period.

If you want to actually help, get off your ass and file a constitutional challenge to Section 1713 of HR1473, or support someone, directly, who will. Otherwise, stay the fuck out of things and just ignore wolf issues. You are only making things worse by doing ANYTHING other than challenging the wolf rider, period.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry120408-144942 Michael Wolf Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:49:42 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=04&entry=entry120408-144942 Two Lawsuits Being Considered http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry120105-100719 I am considering filing two lawsuits. The first I will be researching at the pro se clinic at the federal courthouse nearest me in the coming week or two. This will be a direct constitutional challenge to Section 1713 of HR 1473, the "Wolf Rider."

I will be filing pro se, meaning I will be acting as my own attorney. This is solely because I cannot find an attorney to do the case pro bono. If an attorney comes along and wishes to help, I will of course accept such help.

The second lawsuit I am researching is against the producers and studio behind "The Grey." From what I understand from the trailers, this movie portrays wolves as stalking and killing humans. This is a gross violation of reality, and does in fact cause me harm because, by propagating a known-false myth of wolves, it fosters a stereotype held by an ignorant minority, and inspires them to further actions against wolves, and those actions harm me directly by depriving me of enjoyment of wolves in the wild (and I have a specific example as a wolf was shot and killed less than a quarter of a mile from my home, solely as a result of this negative and blatantly false stereotype about wolves.)

This will be an interesting case, and no, I do not expect to prevail. I still have to do the research to determine the caselaw behind my argument, but here is what I first jotted down as an initial draft of the essential argument:

Freedom of speech does not grant freedom from responsibility for the effects of such speech. For example, your freedom of speech does not shield you from the legal consequences of yelling "bomb" in a bank. This false statement creates fear under circumstances where such a statement has a reasonable basis to be believed, and if a true statement, means that those who hear such speech are in danger for their lives. It is no different when speech that a reasonable person might believe causes harm to the reputation of an entire species, and thus leads to the illegal killing of that animal by people who believe a false reputation propagated by a credible source of information.

Because "The Grey" either negligently or maliciously portrays wolves in a false and harmful light in support of a stereoype held by a minority of people who are ignorant of the true nature of wolves, and because it is portrayed thusly despite readily available information to the contrary, and because "The Grey" uses this false light to attract viewers who then come away with further reason to believe false stereotypes about wolves, and because "The Grey" has an audience of millions of viewers, each one potentially influenced or inspired to kill wolves in retribution for the perceived acts of violence falsely portrayed in "The Grey"; "The Grey" thus propagates a negative and false stereotype to the public at-large, contributing to violent acts against wolves and leading to killing of wolves. And because the killing of wolves deprives me of enjoyment of wolves in the wild, "The Grey" causes me harm by way of defamation of character of the wolf species.

There is a great deal of research I must do on this lawsuit of course. I need to find caselaw supporting my arguments, and alter it according to caselaw as necessary. My argument is based on my understanding of the law, but must be based at least largely on caselaw. There will almost be some precedent set in this case if it succeeds (which is why I don't feel it has much of a chance to succeed), but I believe I can put up a good argument that could possibly succeed in the right courtroom, possibly even the US Supreme Court (honestly, it would have to in order to set the kind of precedent needed to establish that a movie is responsible for harm caused by using stereotypes to draw an audience in.)

I wish to dedicate myself to these lawsuits. But to do so, I will need help. Currently, I cannot handle even the research because of health problems preventing me from even fully taking care of myself. I am trying to find a personal assistant. I also cannot afford to file and pursue these cases on my own. To do this right, I would need to at least pay for a personal secretary or assistant to write up and file things. Ideally, I'd like to have the assistance of a lawyer or legal entity to do most of the work because of my limitations. This can happen either by an organization offering to help pro bono (for free), or by my raising enough money to hire a firm (a far more expensive prospect.) I am hopeful that some organization would be willing to help me, especially given the attention this case will certainly draw (and which I will make sure is drawn to it through my skills and experience in public relations and getting attention.)

]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry120105-100719 Michael Wolf Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:07:19 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=01&entry=entry120105-100719 A Message for Anyone Who Actually Cares about Wolves http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110822-105637
And now, I'm trying to help organize a rally which has every promise of being exactly what it will take to fix wolf recovery in America, along with our very political landscape. But this isn't something I can do alone.

For years, I have watched as countless fans of wolves (I hesitate to call you advocates) sat at their computers posting this or that, signing this or that online petition, and given money to organizations who only want your money, not to actually help wolves. And you know what, I'm pissed off as hell, and I'm not going to play Mr. Nice Guy anymore.

But I'm not mad at anyone individually, just generally upset that no one wants to actually do the work needed to help wolves. I'm sorry, but posting on Facebook, or signing online petitions, and giving money to greedy, inept organizations like Defenders doesn't help wolves. In fact, it often makes this worse.

Opposite you are people who hate wolves so much that they give their money, contact their politicians, organize rallies, and even commit crimes to make sure you don't get to enjoy wolves in the wilds of America. And you know what, they are winning, and there are far, far fewer of them than there are of you. Why? Because they hate something so much that they are willing to make sacrifices to see it go away. In words, you are letting people hate wolves more than you love them.

If you want to help wolves, if you truly believe they're getting a bum rap and are in fact in imminent danger of becoming extinct again; if you really want to enjoy wolves in the wild, then you need to start going to the same lengths these people are going. We far, far outnumber them. Survey after survey shows that people who want to kill wolves or remove them from the wild are in such a small minority that most surveys can't even count them because surveys are only designed to measure such opinions when they are held by more than 3% of the population of the United States. In other words, by just giving money to Defenders, by just signing online petitions, and by not doing anything else of any substance, you are letting a minority of people tell you that you cannot have wolves in the wild. All because you are too lazy to voice your opinion, to make your choices, wants, desires, and needs known to those who we hired to run our country for us.

So if you truly care about wolves, and want to help, you need to start participating, and also start helping out more than you have been. I don't want your money. I don't need it frankly, you can have it to spend on things you need. But I want your time, and your effort. And I want you to attend this rally.

Again, I can't do it for you. Defenders of Wildlife and other organizations you have given your money, and your trust, so that they can do the work you're too lazy or busy to do, have failed you and they have failed wolves. And you have trusted that our elected officials and the scientists and specialists they hire will do their jobs. But they haven't, because you haven't kept them on their toes and held them accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.

Wolf Recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains has failed, even according to the plan drafted in the 1980s itself, as I wrote in a paper in 2004. Wolves are going to be gunned down, slaughtered, tortured, and once again become extinct in most of the United States, if you don't get off yoru lazy ass and start actually doing something about it.

And what I have proposed we do about it, a rally in Washington DC on October 22nd, the Saturday of National Wolf Awareness Week, will not only help wolves, but will help with the overall status of this now fucked up nation (please pardon my language, but dammit I cannot do this alone and it really pisses me off that you are trusting people who are just taking your money while you do nothing about it.

So, if you're still reading this, and want to do something, listen up because I'm going to tell you what you can do.

First and foremost, think about how important a rally in Washington DC will be. It will grab headlines and media attention. If a rally planned by an inexperienced 18 year old girl and attended by 20 or so dedicated wolf enthusiasts can get on a show on CNN, don't you think that with 10,000 people, some of whom are in wolf and other animal costumes, will grab more attention? And when we have the attention of the otherwise ignorant and selfish media, don't you think Congress and the President will have to pay attention? And when people see how many wolf supporters there are, don't you think people will start to pay attention, and stop ignoring the crap that is going on in wolf recovery? Trust me, it will.

Second, I want each of you who have given money to any organization which was a party to the deal which sold out wolves in the delisting case, including and especially Defenders of Wildlife, to demand your money back; but not so that they send it to you, but rather so that they donated it to the Wolf Rally Travel Fund, so that we can provide money for people like you who can't afford to get to Washington DC.

Third, get it through your head that using Facebook and other online resources, provided to you by greedy, faceless corporations that care nothing about what you care about is no way to help wolves, nor is signing online petitions, nor is giving money to organizations who pay their staff excessive salaries. You need to actually do something, and switch around your priorities. Your job, your school, your car payments, your new iPhone or iPad or whatever; your cable bill, your high speed internet; these are absolutely meaningless compared to how important these issues are, and you need to understand that your very future is at stake here. If Congress can take away your right to have a court review an act they create, in violation of the Constitution of the United States just so they can kill wolves; what do you think they will do in the future? These politicians don't see you as anything but a meal ticket. They care only about the money their corporate masters give them. You NEED to hold them accountable, and make them represent you, or vote them out. And you need to get their attention and tell them we're not going to take their crap anymore. And this rally will do precisely that.

I am currently drafting a website and trying to get organizations based in Washington DC to help organize this rally. But you have to attend, and you need to get everyone you know to attend as well. The more people that are there, the more likely we are to succeed. So if you really do care about wolves, you will attend this rally.

I realize there are financial issues for most people. As such, I have several ideas which can help. I plan to shame Defenders of Wildlife and other organization whom we have entrusted with the fate of wolves but which have failed us to donate half of one years salaries of just the executive staff (most of whom make $250,000 a year base salary or more!!!) to the travel fun. I am also going to create literature and a bank account so that you can raise money for yourself to get to the rally. Rather than having people give you money directly, you will seek sponsorship, and the money you solicit will be sent to the organization, so that people can better trust that their donations will be used for good. People are far more willing to donate to someone if they can know that the cause is legitimate. And to help even further, we will match sponsor monies, to ensure the money is actually put to use.

I am also planning an event surrounding the rally so that we can all get together and have some fun, and learn a thing or two while we socialize together - fellow wolf enthusiasts and advocates in a single location, working together, getting to know and trust each other, and just generally enjoying our connections to each other. This fun event will encourage more people to attend the rally, and foster more media attention as well.

So please, watch this blog and elsewhere for the website for the rally, start finding money to get to Washington DC, and set aside some time so you can go to this rally. Also, tell everyone you know about this. Again, this rally isn't just about wolves; it's about our very freedoms and the future of this country. Only by standing together can we stand up against the corporate-sponsored corrupt politicians who have turned our once great country into the laughing stock of the world.

Thank you]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110822-105637 Michael Wolf Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:56:37 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=08&entry=entry110822-105637 Call To Action - Rally in Washington DC - Redux http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110813-130942
A rally would be quite effective, but it needs to be attended by enough people to show that we mean business; that wolves deserve our help. As such, I am working to organize another rally, to be held during Wolf Awareness Week in Washington DC. The rally will probably take place Saturday, October 22nd. There will be other events that week as well, including a convention/meeting for wolf advocates and enthusiasts.

If you are interested in helping organize this event, please contact me and let me know. We need web designers, artists, people to do networking and coordinate various efforts, people to contact organizations and companies to seek funding, and people in DC who can help with logistics. I will be getting a website started soon and will post a link to the site once it is up and running.

This rally will be a success. I have experience organizing events of this nature and will be putting that experience to use. I have a number of ideas for how to make this a successful event. For the record, the key factors are media attention and attendance. For media attention, I have several ideas. For attendance, key will be getting funding for anyone who wants to travel to DC but cant' afford. That is going to include an open invitation to Defenders of Wildlife and other organizations that pay their executives exorbitant salaries to donate half of those salaries to the travel fund. This will be used to charter busses and planes and pay for accomodation for those who wish to lend their support.

One thing to note is that wolf recovery issues have become more than just about wolves. As you may have heard or read, the "wolf rider" passed earlier included language which violates the constitution. This is a violation of the oath of office of every elected official who voted for it, including President Obama who signed off on it. Wolf recovery then has been thrust into the global spotlight and we not only have a chance to make things right for wolves, but to actually make a significant impact on American politics - for the better of course.

Please don't miss this opportunity. Set aside the time in October to attend this event. It is literally the most important event in your lifetime. And to make it happen, we need as much help as possible.

I look forwward to hearing from volunteers, and seeing all of you at the rally.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110813-130942 Michael Wolf Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:09:42 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=08&entry=entry110813-130942 Advice to Wolf Advocates Emotional Affected by Recovery Issues http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110805-115801
A friend who is an active wolf advocate, was devestated by the decision by Judge Molloy denying motions in the case related to Section 1713 of the recent budget, the so-called "wolf rider" which was clearly a violation of the US Constitution, as well as a clear violation of the oath of office of every senator and congressman who weighed a yay vote on the measure.

Are wolves going to die as a result of today's decision? It's really not possible to tell at the moment to be honest. There are other cases filed, including cases challenging the wolf rider. If any of those cases were filed competently, they will prevail if the judge has any sense of duty.

My friend was profoundly upset by this decision, as I'm sure many other wolf advocates and others were. But is a profound emotional reaction like that appropriate? Is such a reaction productive?

The answers aren't really that easy. Yes, an emotional response is natural, and it can be productive. But most people don't really have the basis for making such a reaction appropriate. This entry then is to discuss how to turn the emotional pain of hearing about threats to wolves into productive motivation.

I achieved a state of mind many years ago which has allowed me to use my emotions for productive ends. How many of you would break down and cry if a wolf was killed in the field next to your home, and use your emotions to drive you to do something to help wolves? But that's precisely what happened on May 11th, 2007. A wolf was shot and killed in a field next to my home. My emotions could have gotten the better of me, and nearly drove me to dress up in my wolf costume and walk around in the same field in an effort to try to get myself shot to bring real attention to the issue. But logic dictated that this was a purely emotional response. Instead, I thought the matter through - after having a good cry and taking a bit of fur from one of the bullet holes in the ground and setting it somewhere I would always be able to remind myself of the reality of these issues. I then set about finding a way to contribute. A year later, I found a way, and wrote an amicus brief in the big wolf delisting case (the one where Defenders of Wildlife sold us out with their bullshit "deal.")

My example should demonstrate to each of you that you can utilize your emotions towards wolves to help you become productive in wolf advocacy. The emotions you feel are the result of passion you have towards wolves and wolf recovery. And you can either be ruled by your emotions, and thus rendered partially or completely useless in wolf issues; or you can rein in your emotions, and use them as motivations to find the best way you can help and to pursue it to the bitter end.

Your anger, your hatred, your pain, your tears, your grief, your sadness and all of your other strong emotions about the current goings on in wolf recovery are vital to your ability to be productive in wolf recovery, but only if you channel those emotions properly.

The advice I gave my friend is based on my own personal experience with reining in those emotions. Basically, I got my pain over and done with all at once. I sat down in kind of a meditative state, and I imagined the reality that the wolves out there were doomed before I or anyone else knew what was going on with wolves. This was really helped by my writing a research paper wherein I discovered and discussed a significant flaw with wolf recovery. So an assumption that wolves were doomed from the start became a reality.

I therefore suggest that you understand something I know to be a fact: wolf recovery was never going to succeed because the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan contains a fatal flaw, meaning that even if the Fish and Wildlife Service stuck to the original plan, it was never going to succeed, for the simple reason that they never addressed all of the reasons they themselves stated were the cause of wolf population decline in the first place: ignorant and uneducated stakeholders.

After that paper, everything else fell into place. I do still feel pain and anguish when I hear about wolves being killed, or when I hear about Idaho passing another law mandating the slaughter of all the wolves in the state (I lived in Idaho by the way.) But those emotions do nothing more than cause me to want to do more of the things I have learned are positive contributions to the cause of wolves.

I believe firmly that each of you can do as I have, turn your emotions into a positive motivator. Wolf issues no longer cause me to become depressed. And you too can become motivated to make progress, rather than reducing your motivations by your emotions. If you can accept that nothing you can do will save the wolves that are out there now, and that your efforts must be reserved for wolves in the future; you will find yourself far, far better able to do things to further that goal. Yes, it's painful, and I strongly suggest you accept it and have a good, long, hard cry about it. But wolves need you, not just the wolves that are out there now, but the wolves we will almost certainly be re-reintroducing down the road when this nation recovers some of it's sanity (or when it goes belly-up as I predict.)

Please consider my words here. Yes, wolves are going to die, and no, there's probably not much you can do about it now. But if you can accept the reality that the plan was flawed from the get-go, you can not only free yourself of the disabling emotions now and to come, but you can actually work towards the thing we should all be working towards; getting the Fish and Wildlife Service to redo wolf reintroduction, and do it right.

I am free for discussion privately if anyone wants or needs further advice or even counseling on these issues and how you can better deal with the emotions (and what you can do to be most effective as an advocate.)

Thank you for reading this, for being a fellow advocate, and for your efforts now and in the future towards helping ensure wolves have a fair place in our environment.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110805-115801 Michael Wolf Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:58:01 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=08&entry=entry110805-115801 A Solution to the Current Advocacy Crisis http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110802-144904 The first step towards ending the wolf advocacy crisis requires recognition of this fact. What you, the wolf advocate reading this, must realize, is that we cannot succeed with wolf recovery goals until we learn to get along with each other in enough capacity as to be able to cooperate towards a common goal.

Currently, the wolf advocacy field is rife with people who value their own ego over the fate of the wolves. These people do not belong in the business, period. I know personally of several examples: Mark Johnson, the veterinarian from the original release in Yellowstone in 1995-1996; Patrick Valentino, the director of California Wolf Center, who was at the helm and whose ego stood in the way of volunteers clearing the very brush that burned those four Mexican wolves to death in 2001 (I know because I was one of those volunteers whom he told "no" when myself and many others volunteered to remove the brush from below the new pen we were building...and Mark Johnson threatened to destroy my reputation as a result of my requesting an investigation.) The staff of nearly every wolf sanctuary I've been to are more concerned with their own egos and issues than those of the wolves, and the health of the wolves fails along with the educational mission of these important resources. Howling Acres in Oregon is a recent example: closed after I revealed to the media and local officials the abuses I doscovered, abuses which were plain and could have been dealt with by any number of people who visited and volunteered at the site.

But these are examples of problems that run rampant. The very people we see as leaders in wolf recovery have failed us. David Mech has caved to hunting interests. Defenders of Wildlife sold wolf supporters out (as a point of fact, I realized they sold us out in 1998 after analyzing the Compensation Fund, which was used by ranchers to get themselves paid for killing wolves by sacrificing livestock, in many instances, livestock that was costly and unwanted by the producer (again, I witnessed this firsthand.)

These egomaniacs need to be removed from wolf advocacy, by force if necessary. No longer can politics and "diplomacy" be made as excuses for allowing these people and organizations to jeopardize wolf recovery the lives of wolves and wolf advocates who actually care.

But among those of us who actually care about wolves more than our own egos there is still crisis: we don't get along, primarily because we lack organization.

I have previously proposed an advocacy cooperative. It seems my idea has fallen upon deaf ears as no one has taken the time to think about the idea, it's importance, and how absolutely necessary it is for wolves. We simply must come to agreement and devise a strategy and then see that our collective resources are best used to further the overall goal we all share: saving wolves.

I propose then a simple solution: a meeting. I am willing to reserve, at my own expense, a site for a meeting in Idaho at a group facility which is private, secluded (i.e. safe from intrusion by wolf haters) and which is in my mind the ideal location for wolf advocates to meet and sit down together so we can get to know each other and discuss our positions.

I strongly urge you to take plan to attend a meeting. I will set the date for the fall, probably late September when the weather is still nice and the days still long. I imagine the cost, including lodging and food, for a 3 day weekend, will be less than $100 per person. I will do what I can to seek sponsorship or some means by which to offset costs, especially for those who cannot afford to attend. This meeting will be open ONLY to those who wish to work independently but in cooperation with other wolf advocates and small advocacy groups. Defenders of Wildlife will not be welcome. FWS officials will not be welcome. Wolf haters will be kept out, by security personnel if necessary. This meeting will be only for those of us who have a passion for wolves and ensuring they have a future in this nation and on this planet.

Please contact me if you are interested, and especially if you are interested in helping me organize this event. The location will be in the panhandle of Idaho at a location which will remain secret until just before the event for security reasons.

Please, if you love wolves and want to help, consider what I have said and consider my invitation to meet and discuss these issues so we can begin the process of really saving wolves.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110802-144904 Michael Wolf Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:49:04 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=08&entry=entry110802-144904 Wolf Advocacy Cooperative http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110410-102510
On March 18th, Defenders of Wildlife and 9 other groups broke with 4 of the plaintiffs in one of two delisting lawsuits and offered to settle the cases by giving up previous wins and offering far, far more than any wolf supporter would have imagined possible. Obviously, this settlement agreement wasn't very well received by wolf supporters, including many Defenders of Wildlife supporters. I wrote a news story and editorial on the settlement agreement.

The reaction from supporters was intense. And Defenders even had to resort to censoring, deleting the comments of their own supporters on their blog and Facebook page. Many people indicated that they would no longer financially support Defenders of Wildlife.

Can you blame them? This deal was an unecessary give-me to political interests, and almost certainly was in the name of protecting their ability to continue to bilk supporters. In writing the stories, I researched Defenders' compensation and found something even more appalling than the settlement agreement: compensation and salaries represented fully 43% of the donations received last year, with $3million going to just 15 people, the executive staff, including $360,000 to Roger Schlickeisen, CEO of Defenders (that's just salary, I hear his total compensation package is more like $650,000.)

And just to give you an idea of the scale of this, Defenders has a "Wildlife Guardian" program described as follows on their website:

For as little as $5 a month, you can become a Wildlife Guardian and provide the critical resources we need to keep fighting for our special animals and places.

That means that 6,000 people need to participate in this program just to pay Roger Schlickeisen's salary (just the salary, not including his other benefits, which if they do add up to $650,000 means that almost 11,000 people have to participate to pay one person's compensation!!!)

I'm sorry, but this is a labor of love. Advocating for wildlife is a passion, not a lucrative career, period. Roger Schlickeisen didn't even work 40 hours a week. Real advocates work their tails off and do it for little or no money. It's quite obvious that these organizations are in it for the money. Wolves need more than this, they need passionate people who care, not greedy jerks who couldn't make it in the private sector and decided to bilk people in the non-profit sector.

It's quite obvious to me, and to many people I've spoken with, that the time has come for others to take the job of speaking for wolves. It seems obvious to me that the people who should be doing the work are those who are passionate about wolves and don't care about money. So, in talking with a few fellow advocates, an idea has begun to take shape - an organization to serve as a cooperative of wolf advocates and advocacy groups, which is made up of passionate people.

This is a two-fold idea: one is to take the money that is being thrown away in organizations like Defenders and their greedy executives, and put it to actual work. The other idea is to provide compensation to those who wish to dedicate the better part of their time to wolf advocacy by affording them a living wage for what they do.

The idea is for advocates to agree on some basic principles and requirements, and pool resources to more efficiently and effectively advocate for wolves and related issues. A meeting will be planned and all interested persons and groups will get together and decide on the most basic set of ideas that can be agreed upon as a framework for approaching issues. A set of requirements will be created to ensure salaries are fair, with the primary proposal being to say that salaries should be limited to what postal workers make - the idea being that advocates provide a service to all people and thus should be compensated accordingly - nothing to get rich on, but enough to be able to advocate full time and not be dirt-poor in the process. Other than these basic requirements, member groups would be free to act independently to advocate however they wish.

The greatest benefit of this advocacy cooperative group is the resources that can be gathered on behalf of the cooperative and its members. A central organization can concentrate resources and skills in order to secure donor support far more effectively than individual organzations could. And this group could also use part of these funds to support such expenses as production of public service messages, and even commercial advertisements.

And with many groups and people under the cooperative, concerted efforts can be coordinated to ensure a most efficient effort to ensure that wolves are given the voice they need to survive. This can include educational efforts, legal challenges, and an endless variety of efforts, including such things as information gathering, lobbying, and much more.

I am hoping to schedule a meeting of interested groups and advocates for the middle of May. If you are interested, contact me here ]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110410-102510 Michael Wolf Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:25:10 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=04&entry=entry110410-102510 Response to User Comment http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110321-174315

"I find it hard to understand your position on keeping wolves listed when we have 10x the number for delisting in Idaho alone.

Do you live in wolf country? Have you been impacted by wolves? What kind of education do you promote on how to live with wolves?

We had wolves move in over 5 years ago and we have lived like prisoners in our own home. Our yard looks like a compound with all the fencing. We can't let our dogs out in our own yard. Wolves have killed dogs and attacked horses in our town. My husband was prey tested in our driveway. Our neighbors have been stalked and followed. They killed our friend's guard donkey (well, they didn't kill him, they gutted him and left him to die in screaming agony.)

We are trying to do what is recommended for ranchers (there are no ranches in our area.) However there is a lack of information for rural towns that now have wolves living near by. Wolves have been seen walking around in residential neighborhoods, even on main street. It is spooky to hear wolves howling from the school yard at night. So other than staying in the house instead of out enjoying nature, what do you recommend?"

My position related to wolf recovery is based upon the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan. As I indicated in my report and presentation, the link for which is below, I believe in the aspect of the plan which stated what the reasons were for decline of wolves in the early part of the last century. Those reasons included ignorance and misperceptions of wolves, factors cited as reasons for decline, but which were not addressed formally by the recovery efforts and plan, and factors which still persist. In that regard, wolves will never be recovered until a critical mass of the population, especially of the areas where wolves exist, are free of ignorance and misperception of wolves which leads to irrational behavior, such as exhibited by the Idaho State Legislature and Governor Otter (I contend his statements and action constitutue criminal behavior.)

The point of listing a species is to protect it from extinction. Wolves are hated, oficially even (by the state of Idaho), and by the people who wolves live among and around. A wolf was shot and killed by someone on the field next door to my home, a wolf that went right between two sheep ranches without touching a single sheep, a wolf that had no intent to harm the shooter, or the sheep. Yet she was shot dead, illegally, by a person who simply hates wolves because everyone else does.

I cannot speak to your specific circumstances. I don't mean to seem rude, but your claims are far beyond the behaviors I have myself witnessed in wolves. If I had the financial means, I would be most happy to come to where you live and observe these things. I do like wolves, but I have felt fear of them myself while living among them one summer, so I can appreciate your feelings. My fears were irrational, but I'm glad I had them. Given that only some 20 people have died in the jaws of wolves in the 400 years we have occupied wolf territory in North America, it seems quite obvious that wolves simply aren't dangerous. I would rather walk up to a strange wolf than any dog, and I have never had a problem with wolves either when I lived in part of a wild pack's territory, nor when I have visited various wolf sanctuaries and been in and in contact with wolves that I did not know.

Please understand, you are not at fault here. Your ignorance is the result of lack of teaching, and lack of proper information. That is a job I have held non-profit organizations, including my own, to task for. We must be responsible for the shortfalls of the Fish and Wildlife Service in failing to adequately communicate to you that wolves do not pose a threat. Their presence in the wild has significant benefit, and was the factor that prompted recovery in the first place (the damage by elk in Yellowstone, if I recall, was what prompted listing in the 1970s and led to the eventual reintroduction in the 1990s.)

I am hopeful that an organized effort help people like yourself learn enough to set aside your fears of wolves can take place, and I want to do my part to that end.

You did ask me what I recommend relating to your fears of wolves. My recommendation is to have no fear, but to have a reasonable respect for nature. Wolves do not at all make a habit of going after people. But if a wolf does act aggressive, you should respect that aggression as possibly the result of rabies, a disease which can and does turn an ordinarily shy and fearful animal into a dangerous one.

Wolves are a social animal, and we humans have lived beside wolves for millions of years. So close was this relationship that we made them our partners when we were still hunting our food. This, I presume, is how the dog came be become our pets. But wolves are far more intelligent than dogs, and I feel they deserve more respect than they are given, and certainly more respect than fear. If you hear one howling from the schoolyard, perhaps your best reaction would be to howl back.

I would ask you to also keep in mind one fact: there are a lot of people out there who would give a great deal to live where you live, where wolves roam the streets and howl so that you can hear them. I sacrificed my future for such a privilege, and have no regrets. I think if you bear in mind that you are privileged in that regard, your fears will be swept away. Maybe you should get the word out about your town and advertise for so-called 'eco-tourists' to come and listen to the wolves howl and see them so clearly.

I do wish you the best of luck. I do understand and appreciate your fear, but I ask you to set aside that fear and replace it with reasonable respect for wolves. Perhaps then, your respect can grow into the same admiration people like myself have for wolves. After all, wolves have a great sense of family and can serve as an excellent example for us humans to live by.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry110321-174315 Michael Wolf Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:43:15 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=11&m=03&entry=entry110321-174315 Why This is so Difficult, and Why it Doesn't Have to Be http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry101124-121553 http://www.google.com/search?client=ope ... p;oe=utf-8)

Yet in spite of this obvious deviation from the US Fish and Wildlife Services requirement that Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have a management plan in place (you don't have a plan if the governor declares that it is not to be followed), the US Fish and Wildlife Service remains steadfast in its position to delist wolves, and further, that there are no problems with ignorance and misperceptions about wolves, despite their acknowledgement of these very issues leading to the need for their being listed as endangered (according to Ed Bangs himself.)

This makes absolutely no sense to me. In my position however; it is quite clear what is happening: Ed Bangs is just doing the job he's told to do, following the policies of his bosses (no, not us, his real bosses, but the office of the Secretary of the Interior, currently run by a rancher of all people (and an adamant anti-wolf rancher at that.)

Is it so much to ask for a civil servant to do their job? Do the employees of the US Fish and Wildlife Service really think that blindly following orders, or whatever their reasons for defying science and their own research is a good idea?

Unfortunately, it IS a good idea.

Because you let them get away with it, while organizations like Defenders make you falsely believe you are actually doing something about it by giving money to them. First, they don't need your money. They make plenty of money by filing lawsuits and billing us $400/hour for each of their lawyers through the Public Access to Justice Act. Second, have you seen the salaries of these people? The work I do, which I'm sorry to say is more productive, I do for free. Yet these people make exorbitant salaries well into 6 figures for many (The CEO of Defenders draws $254,000/year salary, that's $125/hour by the way source .)

Giving money to Defenders and other groups does NOT help wolves. If anything, it hurts them.

If you really want to help, you need to get on your computer and start writing letters to your senators, representatives, the President, the Secretary of the Interior, Ed Bangs, the Governor of Idaho - everyone, and tell them how you feel and what you want done about it. And you need to participate in the commentary on federal regulations regarding wolf delisting, such as the upcoming proposal to delist wolves, yet again (keep at eye on this site for information about upcoming plans, they are required to publish plans and links to comments on this site here.)

That's all I can say about this for now. Without YOUR help, wolves will continue to suffer at the hands of ignorant fools like C.L. Otter.

]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry101124-121553 Michael Wolf Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:15:53 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=11&entry=entry101124-121553 Analysis of Decision...so far http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100806-171916
The only issue that could be decided was the issue as to whether or not delisting only Idaho and Montana and keeping wolves in Wyoming was legal. It was not. Fish and Wildlife incorrectly interpretted their legal ability to do so, the judge overturned that decision.

As to the merits of delisting, that is not a matter the courts can decide at this point in time. As to my arguments that delisting cannot be successful because the very issues cited by the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan as the reason for loss of wolves have not been addressed, excepting population numbers; those arguments are unlikely arguments I can make in court, at least not without a great deal of research on the matter. I must first try to convince Fish and Wildlife, or Congress. Congress...forget it. Fish and Wildlife have already stated their disagreement with my findings and arguments despite the logic and evidence in support of them. I have represented my arguments to them via Ed Bangs and asked if we could work together. Barring that, I will have to work with you, to present my findings, and educate you as to how you can help convince Fish and Wildlife to do the right thing through the ordinary procedures involved.

Given that Fish and Wildlife will soon be delisting wolves again, and will have to go through such procedure; I estimate I have about a year to get my personal legal issues settled sufficiently so I can work on convincing you and the rest of the general public interested in wolf recovery that my arguments are valid, sound, and vitally important to the future well being of wolves as a species in this nation.

The only other alternative I have is to wait for my arguments to be proven valid over time, and then my only recourse will be to say "I told you so." I will not be happy with that course.

If anyone knows a good civil rights attorney who can help me file a case in federal civil court in Washington State, please contact me. Settling my personal issues will afford me the time to devote my energies to my work, rather than maintaining my personal health and well being. I currently have to devote ALL of my energy to such matters. The sole reason I have the time to read these decisions is that I made a conscious decision to set aside my personal matters while I await a decision by the state on whether or not they are going to back off on their previous decision to deny me due process. I doubt they will, which means I will have to go through even more legal work on a case which I am less and less capable of handling.]]> http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100806-171916 Michael Wolf Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:19:16 GMT http://www.wolveswolveswolves.org/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=08&entry=entry100806-171916