Number: 2014-14
WHEREAS, the Mexican gray wolf originally listed as an Endangered subspecies (Canis lupus baileyi) in 1976 (41FR 17736, April 28, 1976) and later designated as a “nonessential experimental population” under the 10J Rule provisions of the Endangered Species Act as amended in Arizona and New Mexico (63 FR 1752, January 12, 1998) is still imperiled in the current established reintroduction areas of Arizona and New Mexico, and listing as a separate subspecies is still warranted; and
WHEREAS, the Mexican gray wolf is an iconic native predator of the Southwest that should be recovered to scientifically based, self-sustaining numbers by the USFWS so it is no longer in immediate danger of extinction in the wild; and
WHEREAS, the specific goals and populations objectives described in the USFWS 1982 “Recovery Plan for the Mexican Gray Wolf”; the 1996 Final EIS—“Reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf within its Historic Range in the Southwestern United States”; and the 1998 Final Rule—“Establishment of a Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Arizona and New Mexico”—have not been attained and have been hampered by numerous problems since implementation including but not limited to:
1) Lack of support from many local residents;
2) Removal of wolves involved in depredation of livestock;
3) Illegal shooting of released wolves and other mortality factors (e.g., auto accidents), which have significantly limited the attainment of population objectives;
4) Continued difficulties associated with the limited size and configuration of the primary release area and an initial lack of wild wolves; and
5) Strongly held and often emotion-based opinions among polarized stakeholders that have made management consensus on many aspects of Mexican gray wolf recovery virtually impossible to achieve; and
WHEREAS, the USFWS is now proposing a possible expansion of the reintroduction area to include an area in Arizona and New Mexico from U.S. Interstate Highway 40 (I-40) south to the International border between Arizona and Mexico; and
WHEREAS, the historic range of the Mexican gray wolf extended from the Mexican Occidental north into the southeast corner of Arizona and southwestern corner of New Mexico with over 90 per cent of the range occurring in Mexico; and
WHEREAS, the USFWS has formally proposed that the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) be listed as an endangered subspecies (Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 114/ June 13, 2013) under the ESA;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled May 1-3, 2014, in Baltimore Maryland, hereby supports the listing of the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as a separate subspecies under the ESA, affording protection to those Mexican gray wolves remaining in captivity, released into the wild and the progeny of those released wolves; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation strongly supports the development of a new updated and comprehensive Mexican gray wolf recovery plan in full partnership with the affected wildlife management state agencies of Arizona and New Mexico, Tribal Nations, and the country of Mexico, and fully explores the feasibility of attaining and sustaining the original population goals established in the 1982 recovery plan before expanding the reintroduction areas and potentially increasing population goals in an expanded recovery area; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NWF strongly supports the development of a new Mexican gray wolf recovery plan that 1) takes into consideration the scientifically identified historic range of this subspecies; 2) incorporates the best science regarding Mexican gray wolf recovery needs including the results of a professional peer review; 3) includes updated social science information regarding the concerns of all affected communities and stakeholders, and 4) is implemented under a management philosophy that values all native species and their ecological roles; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges all affected State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to actively support and implement management actions that would help achieve recovery; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation will also support a future de-listing of the Mexican gray wolf subspecies and transfer of management authority to the state wildlife agencies of Arizona and New Mexico when all of the specific goals and population objectives of a new USFWS-Mexican gray wolf recovery plan have been attained, and when comprehensive Mexican wolf management plans have also been developed and are in place by the state wildlife agencies of Arizona and New Mexico through a similar scientific and public review process, and that all state wolf management plans be guided by the principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and include protocols consistent with management of other wild carnivores including the use of legal hunting and trapping as legitimate management tools.