SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Fish and Game Commission is delaying its decision on extending state Endangered Species Act protections to gray wolves. The postponement comes after the commission heard several hours of public testimony at its meeting in Ventura on Wednesday. Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer for the Center for Biological Diversity, said this is a huge victory for gray wolves, which are trying to return to California where theyve lived for generations. The law requires that wolves be protected in California,” she stressed. “Policy requires it, past precedent requires it. Its what Californians want. Its the right thing to do and I think we gave them pause.” State wildlife officials oppose the listing because they say wolves havent roamed in California for decades so theres no way to determine if there are any threats to the animals. The commission reopened the public comment period and scheduled an additional public hearing of June 4. The arrival of a lone wolf from Oregon in 2011 has renewed interest in protections for gray wolves that were driven to extinction in California nearly 90 years ago. Weiss said the wolf called OR-7 represents an entire species thats trying to return to the Golden State. And, we only know about him because of his radio collar,” she said. “Theres nothing to say that there arent other unradio-collared wolves that are making their way into California that similarly need that protection, that state safety net. Those opposed to state protections for wolves include the California Cattlemens Association, which says wolves are a danger to their livestock. - See more at: publicnewsservice.org/2014-04-17/endangered-species-and-wildlife/commission-delays-decision-on-gray-wolf/a38829-1#sthash.FPU17N96.dpuf publicnewsservice.org/2014-04-17/endangered-species-and-wildlife/commission-delays-decision-on-gray-wolf/a38829-1
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 19:18:38 +0000
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