Prevent Wolverines from Disappearing Forever
The Bush/Cheney administration has spurned the wolverine again, defying scientific evidence and refusing to list this rare creature under the Endangered Species Act.
New scientific evidence reported by Defenders of Wildlife documents the wolverine's uncertain future, raising concerns about the effects of global warming and continued trapping of this elusive carnivore.
But despite the growing threats to wolverines, the federal government has yet to act. And according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the Bush/Cheney Administration even ignored the findings of its own on-the-ground scientists in order to block action to protect wolverines.
We need to let the Bush/Cheney administration know that we strongly believe wolverines and their habitat need federal protection, before it's too late.
Please sign our petition to the administration to list the wolverine as a protected species under the Endangered Species Act.
To the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
I am deeply disturbed by the federal government's decision that again refuses to list the North American wolverine population occurring in the contiguous United States under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
A recent report by Defenders of Wildlife shows new scientific evidence that the wolverine is in desperate straits, under threat from global warming and human activity that are shrinking and fragmenting the wolverine's habitat. Wolverines are threatened by the isolation of their populations, trapping (which is still legal in Montana) and the disturbance of denning areas by snowmobiles and other recreational activities. The wolverine exists at extremely low numbers and reproduces very slowly, resulting in populations that are particularly vulnerable to these threats, especially females.
New scientific evidence indicates that maintaining a stable wolverine population requires providing two acres of protected wolverine habitat for every acre of habitat where trapping occurs -- i.e., a 2:1 ratio. However, a recent study in Montana documented a 1:9 ratio of protected vs. trapped wolverine habitat in that state. Consistent with this analysis, another recent study of a wolverine population in the Pioneer Mountains of western Montana indicated a 30 percent annual decline due to trapping mortality.
There are simply too few wolverines left to continue trapping, and it is critical that we act now to preserve the habitat of this species before we push this rare carnivore to local and regional extinction. I strongly urge you to reconsider your position in light of this scientific evidence and list the North American wolverine under Endangered Species Act.
