skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, April 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; the importance of healthcare decision planning; and a debt dilemma: poll shows how many people wrestle with college costs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Civil rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump, and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Feds to Determine Future of Mexican Wolves in Colorado

play audio
Play

Monday, August 14, 2017   

DENVER -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is narrowing in on a plan that would remove the Mexican wolf from the endangered species list and hand management over to states.

David Parsons, a former Mexican wolf coordinator for the agency, said he thinks it’s the wrong path. He noted that fewer than 150 wolves remain in the wild today, and all their genes derive from the last seven wolves that existed before recovery efforts began.

Parsons said breeders are doing a good job of increasing genetic diversity for wolves in captivity.

"But the Fish and Wildlife Service is just not getting them into the wild in numbers that really make a difference,” Parsons said, "largely because the states are pushing back against releases."

Parsons said wolves are frequently seen as a nuisance by powerful livestock interests, and he noted the last time states managed wolves, their numbers declined by 24 percent.

The new plan authorizes delisting after populations reach a total of 500 in isolated areas. But Parsons said the agency's own scientists say 750 are needed to ensure survival in three distinct but connected regions, including southern Colorado.

Hailey Hawkins, Southern Rockies representative with the Endangered Species Coalition, argued that bringing the Mexican wolf back to Colorado would increase demand for wildlife viewing opportunities, which she said could be a big economic driver.

"Mexican wolves are one of our rarest mammals, and are treasured for their countless contributions - to ecosystems, and as part of our national heritage,” Hawkins said. "Folks want to see the Mexican wolf thrive, and federal management should reflect that."

She added that wolves are a critical player in local ecosystems - helping to strengthen deer and elk populations and control outbreaks of chronic wasting disease.

The Endangered Species Coalition is among several groups delivering public comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service through its website, which are due by August 29.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Bureau of Land Management's newly issued Public Lands Rule is designed to safeguard cultural resources such as New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Park. (Photo courtesy SallyPaez)

Environment

play sound

Balancing the needs of the many with those who have traditionally reaped benefits from public lands is behind a new rule issued Thursday by the Bureau…


Health and Wellness

play sound

Alzheimer's disease is the eighth-leading cause of death in Pennsylvania. A documentary on the topic debuts Saturday in Pittsburgh. "Remember Me: …

Social Issues

play sound

April is Financial Literacy Month, when the focus is on learning smart money habits but also how to protect yourself from fraud. One problem on the …


Outdoor recreation added $11.7 million to the Arizona economy in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Arizona conservation groups and sportsmen alike say they're pleased the Bureau of Land Management will now recognize conservation as an integral part …

play sound

Across the U.S., most political boundaries tied to the 2020 Census have been in place for a while, but a national project on map fairness for …

The 2023 Annie E. Casey Foundation Data Book ranked Arkansas 37th in the nation for education, and said 56% of young children were not in preschool programs to help get them ready for school. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The need for child care and early learning is critical, especially in rural Arkansas. One nonprofit is working to fill those gaps by giving providers …

Environment

play sound

An annual march for farmworkers' rights is being held Sunday in northwest Washington. This year, marchers are focusing on the conditions for local …

Social Issues

play sound

A new Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll unveils a concerning reality: Hoosiers may lack clarity about the true cost of higher education. The survey …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021