Dear Friend of Wildlife,
Snares, lethal traps, night-hunting. These are just some of the deadly dangers that wolves face as they attempt to return to their native home of California.
Project Coyote and the Center for Biological Diversity have taken swift action to protect wolves by petitioning the California Fish and Game Commission to ban lethal trapping and night-hunting in the wolf recovery zone. Your voice in support of this petition is needed now!
We have also jointly petitioned the Commission to comply with state law regarding its trapping program. If implemented, it could mean the end of commercial trapping in the state. Read more here.
Our petitions will be considered by the Commission at the upcoming Santa Rosa Commission meeting on Thursday, April 14 and we need your support! You can help by taking any or all of the three simple actions below:
1. Submit comments to the Commission (click “Take Action Now” button below).
2. Join us at the upcoming Fish and Game Commission meeting where these issues will be considered. More information and agenda here (public testimony may be limited to 2 min.):
What: California Fish and Game Commission mtg.
When: Thursday, April 14th, 8am
Where: Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, 2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
More info: here
3. Help keep these issues in the public eye by submitting Letters to the Editor to your local paper(s). Use the talking points below and our tips and tools for writing LTE’s
Background
In June 2014, the Commission listed wolves under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), providing wolves recolonizing their historic range in California with the extra protections needed for recovery (wolves in California are also still listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act though those protections are tenuous as the Fish and Wildlife Service debates delisting wolves from the ESA).
While these regulatory mechanisms render both the intentional and accidental taking of gray wolves in California illegal, specific regulations are necessary to protect wolves in the state from one of the greatest threats to their recovery: the accidental killing of gray wolves mistaken for other species, particularly coyotes, in night-time hunting and lethal trapping currently permitted in occupied and potential wolf territory. Read our joint letter to the Commission on this issue here.
Thank you for speaking out for wildlife and we hope to see you at the Commission meeting on April 14th! Please share this action alert!
Signed!