Washington, D.C – Last week, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mexican Wolf as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and quadrupled its recovery zone in New Mexico.
“These actions will do nothing to recover the species and will harm New Mexico families who rely on farming and ranching for their livelihoods,” said Pearce. “I am concerned about how the Fish and Wildlife Service plans to manage this significant increase in population area. The Service has failed to manage the original zone, but now expects to manage an area four times the original size without a plan to allocate the necessary resources to the program. The new rule also fails to provide ranchers the ability to defend their children, livestock, and family pets against a lethal predator.
“In finalizing this rule, the Service has disregarded the comments and concerns of southern New Mexicans. For over a decade, the people of southern New Mexico have complied with the Service to nearly reach the established population goal, but are now being punished with almost three times as many wolves. Additionally, the Service is rejecting the will of communities like Catron County, which issued an ordinance against the wolf, as its growing population has endangered children and resulted in livestock depredation. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to fight against litigation-driven listings like this that endanger and disenfranchise southern New Mexicans.”
-Since 1998 the Service has managed Mexican wolves under a rule that designated them as “non-essential experimental.” The 1998 rule established a population of 100 wolves as a goal and despite having almost met this goal; the Service has decided to move the goal to 350.
-This rule is a result of a settlement that was not made by the people of New Mexico or elected officials, but instead by the special interest lawyers from the Center for Biological Diversity.