by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
The UNM Wilderness Alliance will spend spring break tracking down Mexican gray wolves.
About 15 people, including 10 students and a couple wolf trackers, will go to the Gila National Forest and backpack through the mountains in search of two packs of the endangered species, the Aspen and Saddle packs, said Phil Carter, president of the alliance.
The purpose of the trip is to document the wolves' behavior and use the information to raise awareness about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' wolf reintroduction program, Carter said.
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"If more people were made aware of the actual realities of the wolf reintroduction program, they would contact the office of wildlife services and congressional delegates to make the process more efficient," he said.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish did not return calls Tuesday or Wednesday.
Victoria Fox, spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife service, said the policies were determined after public input.
"We have afforded members of the public many opportunities to provide their input," she said. "Pretty much any action we take goes through a public process. I don't know how many times the commentary was extended to make sure every individual had the opportunity to comment."
Carter said the biggest problem with the reintroduction
program is a policy called Standard Operating Procedure 13, which attempts to capture aggressive wolves.
"Wolves that are proven to have three attacks - that means death or injuries to livestock - a removal order goes into affect for one or more of the adults," he said. "Sometimes, they are just shot. Fish and Wildlife Services believes it has to get the wolves out quickly before another incident occurs."
Fox said the Fish and Wildlife's policies for wolf reintroduction are in line with scientific data. The Mexican gray wolf has been doing well under the service's policies, she said.
"We have our 2006 final counts, and the wolf population this year has made significant increases," she said. "We will continue to manage wolves on the ground with sound science and good biology."
A survey estimated that there were 59 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico in 2006. The 2005 survey estimated that there were 49.
Graduate student Natalie Dawson, a member of the Wilderness Alliance, said she is going on the trip to get out of town and to study the wolves.
The reintroduction program in New Mexico is not helping the Mexican wolf because the program is experimental,
Dawson said.
"They're allowed to take unnecessary actions to exterminate problem wolves that they would not be able to take if it was a full
reintroduction program and the species was protected," she said. "Some of the science behind that gets lost in the politics that has to happen to keep everybody happy."
Fox said the service has the best interest of the wolves and the community in mind.
"The service and the partners that are involved in this program are managing the wolves to their best benefit on the ground," she said. "We go out and ask for constructive comments and new science suggestions on how to manage wolves better for their benefit and for the community's benefit."
Dawson said educating the public about wolves is what made reintroduction programs in other states successful.
"Too often, people are left in the dark to deal with these new issues and science," she said.
