Our western landscape is a unique environment that is home to a great deal of species, including recreationists and those of us who manage landscapes for the public’s enjoyment while providing food and fiber for the country. In 1973, the United States Congress felt it necessary to pass the Endangered Species Act to protect important species that could be on the brink of extinction. Today, over 1400 animal species are protected by the Endangered Species Act and several thousands are waiting to be reviewed or listed by the United State Fish and Wildlife Service. The truly shocking number is that less than 1 percent of all listed species have actually been recovered thanks to the Endangered Species Act. Our Federal Government has failed and several species have gone extinct!
The Mexican Wolf is a top-of-the-food-chain predator that roams our state’s eastern landscape where many of us manage public, private and State Trust for the benefit of rural communities and to supply food and fiber for all. Working with the Endangered Species Act is no walk in the park and does not have a very successful track record after 43 years. The Federal Government has spent over $25 million dollars on the wolf program over 18 years and has only 97 wolves. You should all know that the wolf is no shrinking violet and is a natural born killer. This does not seem like much success to me and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has been in charge the entire time.
Recent reports out of Catron County, New Mexico actually show the falsehoods and cover ups by the Fish and Wildlife Service in their attempt to save the wolf. The Mexican Wolf program is in shambles with an outdated recovery plan, poor leadership from USFWS Albuquerque office and the inability to work with those of us who live and work on the ground. The Arizona Game and Fish is the only entity that is actually working with individuals and trying to manage the wolf at the same time. The Arizona Game and Fish is working to make sure ranch families are compensated for their loss and working overtime to manage wolves on the landscape. It is the state that can and has shown to be a partner while achieving the difficult task of the Endangered Species Act.
Senator McCain, Senator Flake and Congressman Gosar are not hiding in some disguise; they are working to shine the light of day on a program that has been lurking in the shadows, being shepherded by bureaucrats in the night. We should expect more from our Federal Government and they should not be afraid of the bright light our Senators and Congressman are shining on the program. The United States Fish and Wildlife bureaucracy has a failed track record of recovering endangered species and it’s time we take a hard look at what our Federal Government is doing. Collaboration between public and private entities has done far more to save species than the heavy hand of any law. We should be demanding nothing less than the transparent government our Arizona Senators and Congressman are asking for on this broken program.
Jim O’Haco – President of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association, Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program cooperator
