Minnesota Sportsmen and Livestock Groups are mimicing the behavior of their counterparts in the Rocky Mtn States as it relates to wanting bold and swift Federal Delisting of Wolves .............In what is "hypocrisy on steroids", they are simultaneously looking for beefed up Federal handouts from WILDLIFE SERVICES so that this U.S. Dept. of Agriculture unit can continue to kill so-called "problem Wolves" that allegedly kill livestock............(see Carter Niehmeyers teriffic book entitled WOLFER to get an idea of how many wolves are killed by WILDLIFE SERVICES even when they are not guilty of killing cattle)..............I am all for Federal delisting as long as all stakeholders(in addition to farmers and hunters,,,,hiking groups, bird watching groups,,,scouting groups,,,,,,educational groups,,,,,,ecotourism goups, among other interested parties) in Minnesota have a hand in drafting a responsible/multiple persepctive management plan that does not automatically halve or reduce by 2/3(aka the State mgmt plan for wolves in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming) the wolves that roam the "Land of 10,000 lakes",,,,(Minnesota's name comes from a Dakota(Sioux) word for "sky-tinted waters")..............Those "sky-tinted waters" stayed clean and pure for millenia because keystone carnivores like wolves and cougars danced the equilibrium-generating "predator and prey tango" with moose and deer(and one time Elk) that roamed the region..............Does anyone beside me find it ironic that the sportsmen and farmers who want to get rid of all Federal Government involvement in local affairs(e.g wolf management) is all too happy to take and want increased Federal monies and manpower when it comes to killing wolves through the acts of WILDLIFE SERVICES............May I remind our outdoor and agricultural neighbors and friends that we need to reduce the Federal deficiit and balance our budget............Ultimate hypocrisy by folks when it comes to wanting what they want, even if it is scientifically, ecologically and morally dead wrong to drastically pair our wolf packs back to some "man-justified" mimimum target levels that has nothing to do with wolves fulfilling their ecological services for the long-term health of the land!

Minnesota groups seek wolf delisting, funds for control program

By: Brad Dokken,

A coalition of Minnesota sporting and farm groups has written letters to the state's congressional delegation asking for their support in removing timber wolves from federal protection and to ensure stable funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division, which is charged with responding to wolf complaints.

The first of two letters sent Wednesday afternoon asks the congressional delegation to contact Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, urging them to delist the timber wolf from federal protection in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. The sporting groups say the species has met or exceeded recovery goals that called for a population of 1,251 to 1,400 wolves in Minnesota by the year 2000.

Minnesota today has an estimated population of 3,000 wolves.The letter also asks the politicians to protect the delisting process from "frivolous legal actions." Lawsuits in the past have derailed efforts to remove wolves from federal protection."If the delisting process is not successful in 2011, we would ask you to work with your colleagues to expeditiously delist the wolf via congressional action," the letter states.

The second letter requests adequate funding for USDA Wildlife Services. The federally funded program spends $300,000 to $600,000 annually to control problem animals in Minnesota, the letter says, and federal funding has ranged from $100,000 to $300,000, along with another $200,000 to $300,000 in special congressional earmarks.

Recently, though, Congress eliminated $727,000 in earmarked monies for Wildlife Services in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan as part of its continuing resolution. The result is a budget gap for Wildlife Services, and the letter asks the congressional delegation to contact Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to provide alternative funding to carry out wolf control work in Minnesota through Sept. 30.Otherwise, the letter says, Wildlife Services might not be able to respond to wolf complaints. Wildlife Services removes about 200 problem wolves in Minnesota annually, officials say.

"In order to send a clear message to all affected stakeholders, (Vilsack) needs to publically announce that personnel will be able to respond to wolf complaints," the letter states. "We request your support to adequately fund Wildlife Services in the next fiscal year, Oct. 1 and beyond. Furthermore, we need your support to work with Secretary Vilsack to ensure adequate dollars are specifically allocated for wolf control work."

Signing the letters were Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association; Joe Martin, executive director of the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association; Don McMillan, president of the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance; Doug Peterson, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union; Peggy Callihan, executive director of the Wildlife Science Center; Peter Hunt, president of Minnesota Safari Club International; Ryan Benson, national director of Big Game Forever; Brian Bachman, president and CEO of the North American Bear Foundation; Brian Petschl, legislative liaison, Land of Lakes Bowfishing Association; Tim Hughes, president of the Minnesota Trail Hound Association; Shawn Johnson, president of the Minnesota Trappers Association; Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation; and Catherine McLynn, Itasca County commissioner.