Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

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“The Earth is what we all have in common.”
~ Wendell Berry

Happy Earth Day to You All,

Outside my window this morning, a gentle wind blows and a soft rain falls. The birds are quieter than other spring mornings, but the stillness and quiet morning is a welcome reminder that even in the silence we find beauty. Today is Earth Day and on this rainy and quiet morning, the silence is a message that today and every day is worthy of celebrating and honoring our amazingly dynamic planet, the planet’s biodiversity – the plants, wild animals and the wild spaces where we all share our presence. The reminders Earth Day provides are opportunities for all of us to pause, reflect and act. We think about our impact and we honor the efforts of so many people who work tirelessly to protect and conserve our planet and its resources.

Starting this month, we are highlighting the work of each member organization of the Pacific Wolf Coalition (PWC) in a profile series called, “Get to Know the Pacific Wolf Coalition.” Very appropriate for Earth Day, today we begin this series by highlighting the Defenders of Wildlife:

With more than 1.2 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a national conservation organization dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. Defenders protects and restores imperiled species throughout North America by transforming policies and institutions and promoting innovative solutions – and this approach makes a lasting difference for wildlife and habitats. Defenders employs science, public education, media, legislative advocacy, litigation, and proactive on-the-ground solutions in order to prevent the extinction of species, loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction.

For decades, Defenders of Wildlife has been a leader in working with lawmakers, conservation professionals, local communities and private landowners to develop innovative and effective methods for minimizing conflicts between large predators and livestock. Defenders helps ranchers to prevent predator attacks on livestock by implementing proven, proactive solutions, such as using range riders to patrol for wolves. We also provide resources to communities to help minimize conflicts, including our popular publication, Livestock and Wolves: A Guide to Nonlethal Tools and Methods to Reduce Conflicts, now in its second edition. And we work very closely with federal and state legislators and agency officials to help shape laws, policies and programs that affect wildlife, like the wolf coexistence plan passed in Oregon in 2011 and participation in the Wolf Stakeholder Working Group convened by California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help create the Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California, the draft of which was released to the public in late 2015.

Defenders of Wildlife works actively on the ground in all regions of the United States where wolves are found, including the northern Rockies, desert Southwest, Alaska, North Carolina, and most recently in the Pacific West, where gray wolves are starting to make a comeback after being driven to local extinction in the 20th century. Defenders has staff dedicated to wolf recovery in Washington, Oregon and California and we are proud to be a founding member of the Pacific Wolf Coalition and serve on the Coalition’s Steering Committee. [written by Pamela Flick, Defenders of Wildlife]

[Photo: OR-4 of the Imnaha pack]

Changing Pack Dynamics in Oregon

In late March 2016, wildlife officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) determined that several members of the Imnaha pack had killed four calves and a sheep on private pastureland in northeast Oregon. As a result of these depredations, ODFW carried out a requested kill order to lethally remove four members of the Imnaha pack. This management step by ODFW followed that of Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, but it was a difficult decision to accept.

One of the pack members, OR-4 had an incredible story and legacy about wolves’ return to Oregon. The other pack members that were killed included OR-4’s mate, OR-39, and two pups. As a way to learn more about the Imnaha pack and to remember the legacy of OR-4, here are three stories written about this iconic wolf, the changing pack dynamics in Oregon and ODFW's decision-making process:

The Life and Legacy of OR4, Oregon's Most Celebrated Wild Wolf

We will continue to share updates and requests for your help as we learn more.

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On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated as college campuses across the U.S. celebrated our planet's beauty, but also called on each other to speak up for its protection. It was known as the start of the modern environmental movement, thanks to Gaylord Nelson’s (a Wisconsin Democratic senator) idea. Now, Earth Day is a global celebration. Today, 192 countries celebrate our planet on Earth Day. Why celebrate for one day? Why reflect on our impact for one day? I would encourage you to think of every day as Earth Day and consider ways we can be kinder to our planet and kinder to each other.

In the powerful words of an incredible activist, Jane Goodall, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

For the wolves and for our planet,

Lindsay
Coordinator, Pacific Wolf Coalition
coordinator@pacificwolves.org