Yesterday the Trump administration announced a proposal that would dramatically weaken protections provided by the Endangered Species Act. Fortuitously, my colleagues and I also happened to publish a paper on public support for the Endangered Species Act over time. This paper also addresses concerns raised by some conservationists who worry that prolonged protections […]
Continue Reading →How do scientists make judgments that require consideration of ‘the best available science’ under conditions of high uncertainty? To gain insight into this question, we surveyed a group of grizzly bear researchers. We found that the majority of experts recommended continued listing of bears, and that experts who were employed by state and federal agencies […]
Continue Reading →The re-listing of wolves in Wyoming, prompted by law suits from a host of conservation groups has been celebrated as ‘righting’ what many have characterized as backwards and heavy-handed management policy Researcher Daniel Kinka provides an alternative perspective in a recent blog post. While acknowledging that Wyoming’s plan was “heavy-handed”, Kinka worries about how […]
Continue Reading →Readers who have followed The Wildlife News for awhile may recall an ongoing and often cantankerous debate concerning the efficacy of firearms for deterring bear attacks. While acknowledging that bear spray could be an effective deterrent, a few regular commenters argued vociferously that a gun would be more effective–at least for someone who could quickly […]
Continue Reading →In June of 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed removing federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection for the gray wolf (Canis lupus, Linnaeus) throughout most of the lower 48 U.S. states, with the exception of the Mexican wolf subspecies (C.l. baileyi) (78 Fed. Reg. 35,664). In an article accepted for publication […]
Continue Reading →The Republican-led, House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee has proposed eliminating funding for a variety of important fish and wildlife conservation programs. Specifically, the subcommittee proposed zeroing-out funding for the State & Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, North American Wetland Conservation Fund, Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund, Forest Legacy Program and Water Conservation Fund. These […]
Continue Reading →Recent conversations with scientists at conferences, along with several comments made recently by readers of The Wildlife News got me thinking about this question. In one of the more bleak moments, a reader commented:
After years of reading and posting here, I finally got enough that I spoke out. I am a conservationist, I commit […]
Continue Reading →Interior Secretary Sally Jewell received two letters today from conservation scientists criticizing a draft Rule that would remove protections for wolves across the lower 48 states. One letter came from the American Society of Mammalogists, the other from 16 conservation scientists. Signatories include several scientists who conducted the research the government relied upon […]
Continue Reading →In an op-ed published in the New York Times yesterday, researchers from Michigan Technological University and Oregon State University advocated for the genetic rescue of the island’s wolf population:
As the lead researchers in the study of wolves and moose, we favor conservation or reintroduction. But more important than our view is the reasoning behind […]
Continue Reading →On the 1st of May, Drs. John Vucetich and Rolf Peterson submitted written testimony in opposition to Michigan’s plan for a public harvest of gray wolves. I was asked to provide feedback on early versions of this text, and received permission to post the final version here. My hope is that it will generate some […]
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