With just 45 Red Wolves left on the barrier islands of North Carolina, we as a nation should do something bold to ensure that this species endures in the wild............... The haunting lyrics from one of Stephen Stills & Manassas most enduring songs------ "Isn't It About Time"(1973) , sums up the "one step forward/two steps back our society takes in fostering biodiversity---------- "Don't look now, don't heed the warning, it's really of no concern"........... "Don't hear the sound, they're only just bombing, anything left to burn"........... "Isn't it about time, isn't it about time we learned"........ "Fire, flood, familiar, famine, the jungle so far away"............ "Blood baked into blackened soil, how many tons a day"............. "Isn't it about time, isn't it about time we learned"..........."Why, does it take so long, is it easy not to care"................ "Seems to me that enemies are fantasies, somebody else's living nightmare"............ "Who gonna live, who gonna die, do you want to know"................ "Does it give you a sense of power, to say yes or no"........... "Isn't it about time, isn't it about time we learned?"

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/red-wolf-12-08-2016.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTNTc4NTY5NTQwOTg1NDkzOTM4MDIaM2U1MmI0ODdlNTI4NmNmMTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNHtQzN997LpWJ904yyP-fJqZLS_Bw


Listen to the poignant sound of  ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME by Stephen Stills and Manassas
by clicking on this link
Stephen Stills & Manassas - Isn't It About Time - Down the Road (May 1973)

Stephen Stills - guitar, piano, bass, vocals; Dallas Taylor - drums

Chris Hillman - guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals; Joe Lala - percussion, vocals

Al Perkins - guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo; Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass, vocals

Paul Harris - piano; Joe Walsh - slide guitar; Bobby Whitlock - keyboards

Sydney George - flute; Jerry Aiello - organ; Charlie Grimes - guitar

Guille Garcia - percussion; Lachy Espinol - percussion

Pat Arnold - vocals

Petition Filed With U.S. Fish and
 Wildlife Service Seeking
 Updated Recovery Plan for Red Wolf

With Only 45 Remaining in North Carolina,
 New Plan
Would Save Wild Population

WASHINGTON— Seven animal protection and conservation organizations filed a petition today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking an updated recovery plan for the rapidly dwindling population of wild red wolves. The recovery plan for the red wolf has not been updated since 1990. Since that time red wolves have expanded their range in the wild, faced additional threats from increased poaching and hybridization with coyotes and seen changes in their management. With all of these changes, an updated, science-based recovery plan is needed now more than ever.

Experts in red wolf ecology, genetics and biology have published significant scientific research since the plan was created over a quarter-century ago,” said Tara Zuardo, an AWI wildlife attorney. “An amended recovery plan based on the best available science is vital to ensure that red wolves survive in the wild.”


There has to be an expansion of Red Wolf Recovery beyond
the outer banks of North Carolina

The petition includes information about threats to the red wolf and provides strategies to address those threats, including reducing lethal and nonlethal removal of wolves from the wild; resuming the use of the “placeholder program,” which involved releasing sterilized coyotes to hold territories until red wolves can replace them; resuming the use of the cross-pup fostering program as a way to increase the genetic diversity of the species; identification of additional reintroduction sites; and increasing outreach and education to garner support for wolves and stop poaching.

“The red wolf is teetering on the brink of extinction, but it can be saved by putting in place an aggressive recovery plan,” said Collette Adkins, a biologist and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “A new recovery plan would serve as a road map, outlining all the necessary steps to ensure that future generations have a chance to see these beautiful wolves in the wild.”


Going, going, Gone?  Isn't about time to reverse this downward trend?

In September the Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to confine red wolf recovery to just federal lands in Dare County, while also identifying new sites for wolf introductions and doubling the number of captive-breeding pairs. The agency’s controversial proposal to restrict the recovery area in North Carolina has been met with stark criticism. Last week 30 prominent experts in wolf conservation sent a letter expressing their concerns. And on Wednesday Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and eight key Democratic leaders sent a letter urging Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to revive the red wolf recovery program.

“This petition represents our proactive vision for red wolf recovery,” said Ben Prater, Southeast program director for Defenders of Wildlife. “The red wolf is a part of our national wildlife heritage, just like the bald eagle or grizzly bear. We’re calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to honor that legacy and bring the red wolf back from the brink of extinction. Conservation advocates nationwide agree we have the ability and the obligation to recover this iconic species.”

Petitioners request a prompt response to their petition confirming that the Service has begun work on an updated plan for the red wolf, a timeline for completing the recovery planning process, and implementation of recovery strategies necessary for the species.

The petitioners include the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Species Coalition, South Florida Wildlands Association, WildEarth Guardians and the Wolf Conservation Center.