Comment on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's new Mexican wolf management rule

Photo: Conservation Center

WildEarth Guardians’ efforts to defend Mexican wolves

Restoring Lobos

The Mexican gray wolf, or lobo, is the most endangered gray wolf in North America and one of the most endangered carnivores in the world. After lobos were nearly wiped out, reintroduction began in 1998 in remote areas of New Mexico and Arizona. Since then, recovery has been slow and turbulent.

In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided that the only wild population of Mexican gray wolves in the U.S. was not essential to the recovery of Mexican gray wolves as a species. Guardians and our allies sued, and in 2018, a U.S. district judge told the Service to go back to the drawing board to write a new management rule for the lobo.

Now, we’re all at the drawing board—and we need your voice to help ensure that Mexican wolf management aims at true recovery.

To truly recover lobos, a new rule should be based on the best available science and prioritize enhancing the genetic diversity of the wild lobo population, allowing lobos to live throughout their historic range, and ensure that wolves are protected from poaching and only removed from the wild in cases of imminent threat to human health or safety.

Protect Lobos

Our Mexican gray wolf tool kit has everything you need to raise your voice for lobos, including ready-to-go social media posts and tips for writing a letter to the editor.

Visit the wolf tool kit

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “decision to maintain the population’s nonessential status without consideration of the best available information was arbitrary and capricious.”

— Honorable Jennifer G. Zipps, United States District Judge

Lobos are Essential

Lobos are critical ecosystem influencers in the desert southwest.

They keep prey populations healthy and in balance, protect riparian and aquatic resources, and indicate the health of entire ecosystems.

Greatest Threat

Humans are the largest obstacle to truly recovering lobos.

Along with illegal trapping and hunting, vehicular mortalities, and official removals from the wild, politically motivated “recovery” plans have put the lobo in a precarious position.

Distinct, Yet Connected

The best available science shows that real recovery for lobos would include three distinct, but connected populations of at least 200 wolves (and 750 wolves in total).

Along with lobos‘ current range in the Greater Gila Bioregion, the Grand Canyon area and the Southern Rockies are identified as prime habitat.

Genetic Diversity

Mexican wolves in the wild are, on average, as related as brothers and sisters.

Though lobos are increasing in number, perhaps the greatest indicator of recovery efforts is the genetic health of the wild population. Unfortunately, a genetic bottleneck threatens lobos: those in the wild are, on average, as genetically related as brothers and sisters.

Mexican Gray Wolves

Ways we are working to protect and recover the species

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Protection & Recovery

Find out more about Mexican wolf reintroduction and our efforts to protect and restore the lobo.

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The Greater Gila Bioregion

Learn about our work in the Greater Gila Bioregion, home of the Mexican wolf.

A Better Approach to Wolf Recovery

Read the letter conservationists, leading scientists, and animal activists sent the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the new Mexican wolf management rule.

Take Action

Tell the Service that you want to see a lobo management rule that will actually recover Mexican wolves by signing our petition.

Submit Your Comments to Help Mexican Gray Wolves

Your voice is needed to protect Lobos!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comments on their Mexican wolf planning rule until January 27, 2022 and you can submit your comments right here. For public participation opportunities, click here to see upcoming virtual information sessions and public hearings.

We’ve provided talking points below to help guide you in writing your comment letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Please use these talking points as a guideline for drafting your individual comments, but what’s most important is that your voice and your reason for wanting lobo recovery come through. So, please speak in your own words, but make sure to emphasize the fact that a new Mexican wolf management rule must:

Rescue Mexican wolves from a genetic bottleneck

A real genetic rescue entails releasing adult wolf pairs with pups until the wild population of lobos demonstrates adequate genetic diversity improvements. Releasing a set, limited number of wolves into the wild is not a real genetic objective—very few wolves who reach breeding age actually contribute their genes to the wild population.

Allow lobos to roam throughout their historic range

Preventing wolves from crossing arbitrary political boundaries like Interstate 40 is unacceptable. In order to truly recover, Mexican wolves need access to suitable habitat in the southern Rockies and the Grand Canyon region.

Designate lobos as “essential”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the only wild population of Mexican wolves in the U.S. as “non-essential” to the recovery of the species in the wild. Designating this population as “essential” is common sense and crucial to recovery.

Limit the removal of wild wolves

There should be no limit to the number of lobos in the wild.
Wolves are never to be killed except in cases of imminent threat to human health or safety.

Reduce wolf-livestock conflict

Managing agencies proactively engage and educate stakeholders regarding wolf behavior, ecology, and coexistence tactics.
Public land grazing permittees with knowledge that wolves are on nearby public land must ensure the presence of a person equipped to chase and harass wolves to deter livestock depredation.
Public land grazing permittees must remove or render inedible livestock carcasses that were not killed by wolves.
All instances of wolves feeding on livestock, along with corresponding necropsies, are documented and made publicly available.

Protect lobos from poaching

Livestock grazing permittees found guilty of illegally killing or injuring a lobo forfeit their permit.
Only scientists doing research and professionals involved in official wolf management have access to tracking devices or real-time GPS information.

Aligning a new 10(j) rule with the deeply flawed 2017 recovery plan goes against the court ordered remand of this rule.

Click here to submit your comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before the January 27, 2022 deadline!

How You Can Help

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Contact

[email protected]

Soni Grant

Four Corners Organizer

Soni joined Guardians in 2021 as the Four Corners Organizer. Their work focuses on protecting the Greater Chaco region from fossil fuel extraction and advocating for meaningful climate solutions. Soni brings over a decade of experience organizing for social and environmental justice in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and New Mexico. They hold a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and an MA in Geography from the University of Toronto. When not at Guardians, Soni teaches environmental studies and maintains an active research agenda on environmental justice and the impacts of climate change in New Mexico. In their free time, Soni is an avid runner and hiker, and enjoys cooking, playing music, and spending time with their dog and partner.

Contact

[email protected] 720-600-3833

Lizzy Pennock

Legal Fellow

Lizzy joined WildEarth Guardians as a volunteer in September 2019 during her second year of law school. Lizzy is a Diehl Environmental Law Fellow focused on wildlife protection. She grew up in Colorado, where she developed her passion for nature and exploring the outdoors. Lizzy earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science at the University of Hawai`i and her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. She was awarded the 2021 Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Leadership Award and was elected to the Cornelius Honor Society. She did as much pro bono as possible during law school and worked with Crag Law Center and the Center for Biological Diversity, focusing on salmon protection. She currently resides on the Oregon coast with her partner and two labs, where she loves to hike, bake, and spend time at the beach.

Contact

[email protected] 505-396-1752

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Tricia, as a child of military parents, spent much of her childhood moving frequently in the U.S. and abroad, but calls El Paso, TX home. Growing up on the banks of the (often dry) Rio Grande and the water scarcity of the Southwest sparked a life-long interest in finding solutions for water conflicts in the arid and semi-arid American West. Tricia received a B.S. in Geography with a focus on human-environment connection from New Mexico State University. Her research while there centered on water management across borders. She spent 5 years working with the Southwest Environmental Center working to protect and restore the wildlife and wild places of the Southwest borderlands, particularly focused on the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf. In 2015, Tricia moved to Washington state to pursue a graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management from Central Washington University. Her thesis, which conducted an adaptive capacity assessment of the Upper Klamath Basin, utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She worked for nearly four years on salmon recovery as the Lead Entity Coordinator for the Yakima Basin in central Washington, bringing together a diverse group of interests and perspectives. Tricia joined WildEarth Guardians as the Rio Grande Campaigner in 2021.

Rebecca Vitale Mandich

Member, Board of Directors

Rebecca Vitale Mandich of Palo Alto, CA and Tesuque, NM, was called early to the environmental movement to give voice to the voiceless. An advocate since the 70s, she received her degree in Environmental Studies taught by some of the big thinkers of the time such as Paul Ehrlich, Stewart Brand, Dr. Richard Leakey, Alan Chadwick, and Dr. Donald Aitken, who founded the program at SJSUC as one of first in the nation. Utilizing that education, coupled with commitment and inspiration, Rebecca started taking actions from working in one of the first solar energy homes to working on ballot measures for better public transportation systems in the Bay Area. She assisted in opening the first Spanish-speaking office for Clinton/Gore campaign in 1992 and registered many in the local Hispanic community, hosting then candidate VP Gore to discuss the environment and community issues. In the meantime, she married Mitch Mandich and has two grown children, Matthew and Madeleine, and various dogs and cats have graced their lives. Having traveled extensively, her favorite escape is camping in our national parks and on public monuments and lands, where she has experienced all manner of wildlife and wild places. She became acquainted with WildEarth Guardians about six years ago when she read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about their lawsuit against U.S. Fish and Wildlife services regarding wolves. She sent them a letter and a fast friendship formed over their mutual love of all things wild. Rebecca sees much hope in the future of the environmental movement that began with “Save the Whales" to now promoting a food and energy paradigm for the sustainability of natural resources. A deep political will and an openness to examine new ideas dictate her thinking. She feels that embracing environmental changes through engagement, both politically and through grassroots efforts, are paramount for the evolution of a responsible species to continue the ride on, what she affectionately refers to as, Spaceship Earth.

Peter Schoenburg

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Peter Schoenburg is a partner in the Albuquerque law offices of Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP. He has practiced criminal defense law in New Mexico since 1978. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale College and his law degree at Rutgers School of Law. A former Federal and State Public Defender, as well as an Assistant Attorney General, since 1993 Peter has worked in private practice defending complex criminal cases in both Federal and State courts. He also regularly represents Native Americans charged with illegal possession of feathers in connection with their religious practices. He has been continuously listed in The Best Lawyers in America - Criminal Defense since 1994. Peter’s love of the wilderness and commitment to its preservation began in his child-hood years in upstate New York. Beginning in law school he worked as an instructor at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine and the, now defunct, Southwest Outward Bound School based in Santa Fe. He is an avid rafter, hiker, skier and cyclist.

Nat Cobb

Member, Board of Directors

Nat Cobb joined the Guardians Board in 2010. He grew exploring the outdoor environments in New Mexico, Colorado, and Pakistan. In the 1970’s he worked for five different Outward Bound schools in diverse environments, including three years directing programs in the Gila Wilderness. He also worked as a river guide on the Grand Canyon and in Dinosaur National Monument. A graduate of Fort Lewis College and Harvard Medical School, he recently retired from the Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control, where his work included Family Practice, Emergency Medicine, Research and Epidemiology. He still loves to explore mountains, rivers and deserts by boat, ski, foot, and bicycle. He and his wife actively support and partner with several local farmers in farm-to-table, farm-to-beer mug, and farm-to-wineglass projects. At home on the bank of the Rio Grande in Los Ranchos, NM, he dabbles in native plant landscaping and tries to co-exist with the coyote, geese, beaver, and sandhill cranes who live in his back yard.

Contact

[email protected] 651-434-7737

Marla Fox, J.D.

Staff Attorney

Marla Fox joined WildEarth Guardians’ Legal Team in 2019 after working as the Rewilding Attorney since 2015. Her litigation focuses on reconnecting wild places and waterways on public lands across the American West. Originally from Minnesota, Marla spent her informative years swimming and fishing in northern lakes. She received her B.A. in Spanish and Biology from St. Olaf College and her Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School. From 2012 to 2015 Marla was a Legal Fellow and then Staff Attorney for the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, where she focused on Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act enforcement. Marla is licensed to practice law in Oregon and Washington. When not working in front of her computer, you can find Marla exploring the West on backpacking trips, running trails, or hiking with her family.

Contact

[email protected]
505-417-5893

Madeleine Carey

Greater Gila Guardian

Madeleine Carey is the WildEarth Guardians’ Greater Gila Guardian. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Madeleine spent her childhood exploring the Rio Grande and its bosque on foot and on horseback. In May 2014, she graduated from Tufts University in Medford, MA with a degree in Biology and Urban Studies. While at Tufts, she was a four-year member of the Track and Cross Country teams and a trip leader for the Tufts Wilderness Orientation program. During college, Madeleine spent her summers working for the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, researching American Pika in the Valles Caldera National Preserve and working with NM State Forestry to create a post-wildfire assistance guide. An avid runner and pie baker, Madeleine is always looking for ways to combine adventures with brunch.

Articles by Madeleine

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Contact

[email protected] 503-278-0669

Marlies Wierenga, M.S.

Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager

Marlies Wierenga is the Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager for WildEarth Guardians, serves under the Wild Places Program Director, and formerly served as WA/OR Coordinator for Wildlands CPR until their merger with WildEarth Guardians in 2013. Marlies has over a decade of experience using her technical, policy and public involvement skills to address watershed and water quality challenges throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has analyzed environmental conditions and developed numerous shoreline, watershed and water quality plans for local and state jurisdictions. Marlies has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the Evergreen State College, where her thesis analyzed the dual mandate of National Parks in Alaska to meet conservation goals and support the subsistence practices of local people (focus was Wrangell-St. Elias National Park).

Articles by Marlies

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Contact

[email protected] 505-216-6826

Rebecca Sobel

Organizing Director

Rebecca Sobel first joined Guardians as our first Conservation Organizer in 2007, later becoming Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner, until moving into her role as Organizing Director of Guardians new Organizing program in 2021. With a bachelor's degree in an individualized major "Globalization and Social Justice '' and a masters degree in International Relations and Human Rights, Rebecca has focused her professional career on social and environmental justice. Starting with Greenpeace as a Field Organizer, where she organized the March for Climate Action in Vermont with Bill McKibben, Rebecca has previously served as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, and principal of Action Oriented campaign consulting firm before returning to Guardians in 2016. Originally from Philadelphia, Rebecca feels blessed to call the Southwest her home.

Articles by Rebecca

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Contact

sruscavagebarz[email protected] 505-401-4180

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz, Ph.D., J.D.

Legal Director

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz is Legal Director for WildEarth Guardians and has been with the organization for over a decade. She is responsible for coordinating the organization’s litigation strategies, managing and developing staff attorneys, and litigating cases for the Wild Rivers Program. Samantha is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law where she is also an Adjunct Professor teaching Environmental Litigation Drafting and coaching the Environmental Law Moot Court Team. Prior to becoming an attorney, Samantha spent 17 years as an archaeologist in the public and private sectors before attending law school, which led to her interest in advocating for and effecting protection of air and water, community health, cultural sites, and public lands ecosystems.

Contact

[email protected] 406-549-3895

Sarah McMillan, J.D.

Conservation Director

Sarah McMillan grew up reading Ed Abbey by kerosene lamp at night and exploring the woods, rivers, and mountains of Montana and western Washington by day. She received her B.A. from Williams College and her J.D. from the University of Montana. Sarah is an avid hiker, locavore wannabe (notable downfalls include olive oil, licorice, Marmite, and black tea), and life-long environmentalist. She has worked in private practice and with Western Environmental Law Center to protect the natural world. Her litigation background is broad—from the ESA, CWA, NEPA, NFMA, etc. to protecting Montanans right to a clean and healthful environment, to defending a citizen's initiative that effectively stopped game farm "hunting" in Montana.

WildEarth Guardians’ efforts to defend Mexican wolves

Restoring Lobos

Protect Lobos

Lobos are Essential

Lobos are critical ecosystem influencers in the desert southwest.

Greatest Threat

Humans are the largest obstacle to truly recovering lobos.

Distinct, Yet Connected

The best available science shows that real recovery for lobos would include three distinct, but connected populations of at least 200 wolves (and 750 wolves in total).

Genetic Diversity

Mexican wolves in the wild are, on average, as related as brothers and sisters.

Mexican Gray Wolves

Ways we are working to protect and recover the species

Submit Your Comments to Help Mexican Gray Wolves

Your voice is needed to protect Lobos!

How You Can Help

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Lizzy Pennock

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Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Rebecca Vitale Mandich

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Peter Schoenburg

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Nat Cobb

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Marla Fox, J.D.

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Marlies Wierenga, M.S.

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