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Show Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 Page 6 AggieLif• Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Wolves may be de-listed from endangered list By STOREE POWELL senior features writer Why does the wolf draw out such strong human emotions? This is a question ecologists are asking with legislation pending to remove the Northern Rocky wolves from the endangered species list. According to the Associated Press report "Wolf Legislation Would Exempt Gray Wolves in Rocky Mountains from Federal Protection," U.S. senators from Wyoming and Idaho as well as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch proposed legislation in September that would take wolves off the federal endangered species list, meaning they would lose protection. The response from the public has varied widely, from those who want wolves completely eradicated to those who want them completely protected. Eric Gese, research wildlife biologist for the National Wildlife Research Center and associate professor at USU, said some see wolves as a villain, like the big bad wolf, while others see wolves as a hero, like the story of Mowgli from the "Jungle Book," who was raised by wolves. In folklore wolves are seen both as a hero and a villain, so they are a dichotic species. Ecologists try not to view them as either one, but what they can do for the ecological system while realizing they have to be managed," he said. Gese said the controversy over wolves seems to be a cultural mystique from Europe that was brought over during LEGISLATION WAS PROPOSED in September that would remove Northern Rocky Wolves from the federal endangered species list.The response from the public has varied from those who want the wolves completely protected to those who want them removed. MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE photo the colonization of America, when wolves were eradicated. Gese also said surveys have shown the more rural a person is, the more tied to the land they are, so they are more negative towards wolves. The more urban a person is, the more they are for wolf recovery. "People in the East, they don't have to deal with them. We love them until they are in our basement," Gese said. Gese said the legislation basis is all political, and there is no biological reason behind it. "You can't put a political boundary through a population," Gese said. "And since Utah is considered experimental and not essential since we have virtually no wolf population, how do you de-list a state that has no population of wolves? It is entirely political." He said if it passes, it may go to court because it would be changing the endangered species act for one species for one area. He said no one has ever tried it, and it will be precedent-setting. Julie Young, USU professor for wildland resources and USDA National Wildlife researcher, said: "I don't know how much of the hostility some people feel is from historical perceptions versus what they are seeing currently with their livestock. But ranchers do have a small profit margin, so no wonder they are hostile." Young said animals can change their behavior, and it may be possible to 'train' wolves to do the same. For example, she said coyotes are more active at night in rural to urban areas because they are persecuted, but in Yellowstone, they are active during the day where they are protected. She said it seems wolves should respond the same way. Currently, Young and fellow researchers are looking at non-lethal methods of management to change behavior. They have developed electric fladry, which looks like a flag football flag, which is hung around corrals. The flags alone scare wolves, and if they do touch it they get shocked. However, Young said this only works in situations where livestock are kept in corrals. "You can't flag off an entire forest of public grazing land," Young said. Also, she said some ranchers have been given rubber bullets to shoot at wolves and this both makes the wolf run away and makes the rancher feel like they did something to protect their herds. Wolves will prey on livestock, a common occurrence in some areas, Gese said. Wolves were re-introduced in 1995 to Yellowstone at a population of 70. Now, there are 1,700 wolves, and protected areas are filling up, so as they leave wilderness they spill onto public and private grazing lands. Utah law mandates that only federal and state agencies designated to do so can remove wolves, unless a rancher catches a wolf in the act of killing livestock. Gese said wolves will not be removed unless there is a conflict. This has to be confirmed by livestock depredation. Wolves are a predator, which Young said is not as obvious as it may seem. "A mongoose can be a predator. In my position we look at predators that cause conflict with one of three things: natural resources, humans or livestock. But a predator is an animal that eats another animal in its most basic sense," Young said. Because of wolves' large body size, they hunt large mammals like elk, Young said. Wolves are unique in the canine world because they need large mammals to eat to survive. Smaller predators like foxes are more omnivorous, unlike wolves, which is why wolves come into conflict with humans, she said. The states and wildlife resources agencies are trying to reach a compromise with ranchers and environmental groups. Gese said wolves can I See LIST, page 8 The Clothesline Project airs dirty laundry for students By APRIL ASHLAND staff writer The Clothesline Project is a three-day event aimed to raise awareness for domestic violence, said Melissa Keller, an assistant at the Center for Women and Gender Studies. Keller is coordinating the project. The project runs Oct. 25-28 in the TSC International Lounge, and is a visual representation of those who have been victims of domestic violence, Keller said. "It's an airing of dirty laundry and it expresses emotion," Keller said. Keller said The Clothesline Project began in 1990, when a group of women in Massachusetts decided they needed to do something about the issue of domestic violence, according to the Clothesline Project website. Preparation for the original Clothesline Project began in the summer, when a statistic "We hope that from the Men's Rape Prevention because of this, Project in Washington, D.C. The group reported, "58,000 only people not soldiers died in the Vietnam know what to war. During that same period look for, bit of time, 51,000 women were maybe give killed mostly by men who supposedly loved them." a woman the Keller said the shirts are strength to step donated by survivors of domesforward. " tic violence, as well as victims Melissa Keller, and their families and friends. The goal of The assistant at the Center Clothesline Project is to raise for Women and awareness, but at the event Gender Studies there is also information for those who are experiencing violence and the general public, and she said every year there is a lot of information taken. "We hope that because of this, people not only know what to look for, but maybe give a woman the strength to step forward," Keller said. There are three sounds that are heard throughout the day at The Clothesline Project, a gong, a whistle and a bell, Keller said. Each sound has a different meaning and happens in different intervals. When the gong is hit, it represents a woman who has reported being assaulted, and according to National Victims' Center statistics, an assault is reported every 10 to 12 seconds. When the whistle blows, it represents a sexual assault is being MELISSA KELLER HOLDS up one of the shirts to be displayed in The Clothesline Project.The Clothesline Project is a visual representation of those who have been victims of domestic violence. APRIL ASHLAND photo reported. According to 2002 Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network statistics, someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes. Keller said when the bell sounds, it represents a woman that has been killed by her intimate partner. End Abuse statistics from 2001 report that three to four women are killed a day. Keller said the Center for Women and Gender Studies uses these sounds as a way to have the facts hit home. "Hearing the sounds makes it hit a little closer to home," she said. The center has received new shirts this year for the event, but they also have many boxes of shirts, blankets and other items in the back room from previous years. On Wednesday, the Clothesline Project will also work with the Hope Festival. The Hope Festival also happens in October, and outside vendors come into the school and sell products. Twenty-five percent of the profits are donated to CAPSA as a way to also raise awareness for the issue of domestic violence. "Awareness, education, and hope is what means success with this event," Keller said. — april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu |