Aerial Hunting of Wolves
Alaska

Alaska Tourism Boycott Continues
State to kill up to 500 wolves by aerial shooting

DARIEN, Conn., US – The Alaska tourism boycott led by international animal advocacy organization, Friends of Animals now resumes, this time to impact Alaska's summer 2005 season. The first two weeks of this year's intervention will see over two dozen "Howl-Ins" – protests planned from New York to Alaska.

On Saturday the 6th of November, Howl-Ins will begin in 16 states. One of these states will be Alaska itself, in a Howl-In planned with members and supporters of the Last Resort Animal Sanctuary of Sitka, Alaska.

Supporters of wolves will display posters announcing that "Alaska is planning a heart-stopping wildlife spectacle", showing a wolf in a rifle's crosshairs. Members of the public will sign post cards to Alaska's Gov. Frank Murkowski. Each card is a pledge to boycott travel to Alaska until the wolf-killing ends.

Howl-Ins will continue through April 2005 unless Gov. Murkowski calls off the state-sanctioned killers before that date.

En route to this weekend's Howl-In at San Francisco's annual Green Festival, Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral said, "We cannot wait to howl with the people of San Francisco this Saturday and Sunday. We'll make sure that Frank Murkowski can hear us."

Since November of 2003, pilots have obtained permits from the Alaska Board of Game and the state's Department of Fish and Game. One by one, with the assistance of low, slow-flying aircraft, airborne hunters have traced, tracked, chased, and killed 147 wolves. This method of killing wolves has not been used since the late 1980’s and is normally illegal in Alaska. But in spite of votes in which Alaskans opted to end same-day use of aircraft for public wolf hunting and trapping, the killing permits have Gov. Murkowski's approval. In 2003-2004, the first year of Alaska's current state-sponsored aerial wolf-killing scheme, over 200,000 people pledged to boycott the state's $2 billion-a-year tourism industry.

The state intends to permit the killing of up to 500 wolves this coming winter, beginning when autumn snowfalls allow for the tracking of wolves. The heightened killing plans come in the wake of a March 2004 approval for the opening of two new hunting areas.

Friends of Animals Contact:
Daniel Hammer 1-203-656-1522



Here’s how you can help:
[1.] Share your thoughts with Alaska's Governor Frank Murkowski
P. O. Box 110001, Juneau, AK 99811
e-mail: governor@ gov.state.ak.us,
phone: (907) 465-3500, fax: (907) 465-3532

[2.] Pass this information on to YOUR family and friends. Please encourage them to vacation elsewhere and support the boycott.

[3.] Contact your local media; tell them what is planned for Alaska's wolves and ask them to investigate the story. Write Letters to the Editor.

If you want more information, contact these folks:
[1.] Alaska Wildlife Alliance: P.O.Box 202022 Anchorage, Alaska 99520, Phone: (907) 277-0897, Fax:(907) 277-7423, Email: jenna@akwildlife.org
http://www.akwildlife.org

[2.] If you want to sign an on-line petition stating your opposition to Alaska's Governor Murkowski's plan, or learn more from Defenders of Wildlife go to:
http://www.savealaskawolves.org

[3.] If you want to monitor plans for the tourism boycott of Alaska, go to:
http://www.friendsofanimals.org

THANK YOU!

Colorado Wolf Management Plan Update

Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Denver Post
By Theo Stein
Denver Post Staff Writer

Pioneering wolves migrating into Colorado should be allowed to live unmolested - unless they start killing livestock, a state panel said last week.

If adopted next year, that recommendation would make Colorado the first state in the interior West to voluntarily accept the return of the region's top predator. And it would come as a result of a historic compromise by the state's still-powerful ranching community, whose forebears exterminated wolves in Colorado by the mid-20th century.

"We think the best approach is to live and let live," said Craig rancher and wolf group member Jean Stetson.

While the Colorado Wolf Working Group isn't due to present final recommendations to the state Division of Wildlife until December, the panel appears to have crossed a critical ideological divide that confronts wolves wherever they go.

When the panel first convened, several ranchers and sportsmen suggested wolves would take too great a toll on livestock and big game to allow their return.

"There's nobody who's still saying we will have to get rid of every wolf we can as soon as we can," said Gary Skiba, the Division of Wildlife biologist working on the wolf plan. "That was a very difficult step."

"We've made some progress, though it's been pretty painful," acknowledged Bonnie Kline of the Colorado Wool Growers Association.

The job of the wolf working group - composed of hunters, ranchers, professional biologists and environmentalists - gained added impetus in June when a radio-collared female from Yellowstone was struck by a vehicle and killed on Interstate 70 west of Denver. Since then, there have been no other confirmations of wolves in the state, Skiba said. But biologists expect that young wolves dispersing from Yellowstone will continue to move south toward Colorado every year.

Meanwhile, the panel has deferred talk on the thorniest wolf-recovery issues in an effort to achieve a consensus report for the state wildlife agency by December. The plan under discussion deals only with the first wolves to recolonize the state. If and when packs of wolves re-establish themselves, however, many ranchers will want to evaluate tighter controls, Stetson said.

Stetson, Kline and other panel members have already asked Division of Wildlife officials to let them reconvene, perhaps as early as next year, to tackle other questions, including whether the state should jump-start recovery by reintroducing wolves; who, over the long term, will pay ranchers for their losses; and how many wolves are too many.

Staff writer Theo Stein can be reached at 303-820-1657 or tstein@denverpost.com

A Howling Good Time
(Howl-O-Ween Run 2004)

The Fourth Annual Howl-O-Ween Run was a great success! This year over 320 runners participated in the 4-K along with several of the animals from the Sanctuary.

The race was held in City Park and Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins. Mother Nature cooperated by holding off the snow and bringing out the sunshine for a beautiful day.

Congratulations to the Shaw family from Fort Collins who scored big by taking;
1st Place Adult Male - Daniel,
1st Place Adult Female - Alyssa,
1st Place Dog - Chloe,
2nd Place Dog - McKinley.

2nd Place Adult Male: Jerry Rief,
3rd Place Adult Male: Darren Brungardt,
2nd Place Adult Female: Tracey Lipfert,
3rd Place Adult Female: Tina Thigpen.

Further congratulations to our additional category winners.
0-9 age group male:
1st-Nathan Kain,
2nd-Cade Verkler,
3rd-Milan Krucky.


0-9 age group female:
1st-Sierra Crumbaker,
2nd-Samantha Seikman,
3rd-Natalie Kirkpatrick.

10-13 age group male:
1st-David Pipinich,
2nd-Eric McMillin,
3rd-TJ Jobe.

10-13 age group female:
1st-Sarah Barge,
2nd-Jannessa Bryant,
3rd-Brianna Cathcart.

14-17 age group male:
1st-Tre Anastasia,
2nd-David Atencio,
3rd-Thomas Andrews.

14-17 age group female:
1st-Jessica Maddox,
2nd-Paige Shilling,
3rd-Brook Norris.

In our senior division male:
1st-Jance Jancin,
2nd-Jim Finley,
3rd-Larry Biernat.

Senior division female:
1st-Marilyn Stapleton,
2nd-Carole Hossan,
3rd-Lorene Plampin.

Katie VanEden took 3rd place dog.

Pledge prizes were won by;
    Mary Eaton,           Alex Dressen,             Rebecca Wacker,             Catharine Speights,
    Nicole Kuzmuk,      Betsy Lemmons,           Nickie Koeller,                Donna Nayduch,
    Marie Kiang and     David Atencio.

The costume contest has more and more participants every year and this years honors went to the following;
Best Overall - Ghostbuster, Crystal Page,
Youngest - Zebra, Sydney Batzlaff,
Cutest - Rick Church, as Dorothy,
Oldest - The Tiger, Bertha McMillen and
Scariest - Alex Dressen as the Grim Reaper.

This year we also added a costume contest for the pooches. The costumes were great and the judges had a difficult time making their decision. In the end the results were as follows;
Best Over All - Skittles, as an Indian Squaw with Papoose,
Cutest - Bubbles the bull dog, dressed as a Princess/Ballerina.
Arthur came in as the scariest as an old time Western Sheriff, complete with gun and silver star.

The pumpkin patch and trick or treat stations were enjoyed by the adults as well as the children. Over 270 pumpkins were taken home by attendees. Candy, bagels, water, coffee and juice were consumed in mass quantities. Toys and gift certificates were given away to the delight of everyone.

A special Thank You to all of the Wolf Volunteers who were up at 3:00 am to 4:00 am to deliver tents pumpkins, food, water, prizes etc., to the park in order for everything to be set up and ready to go for all the participants.

Wolf would also like to thank all of our sponsors without whom none of this would have been possible;
     Wal-Mart Distribution Center,                  Clear Channel Communications,
      FedEx Kinkos,                                       PetCo,
     Gibs Bagels,                                          Estes Park News,
     Allstate/Lanteri Insurance Agency,             Lori Salisbury Gallery,
     Vern’s Place,                                         The Egg & I,
     Granite Canyon Surgical Services,              Runner’s Choice,
     North Star Vet Clinic,                              Red Wing Shoes,
     Foot of the Rockies,                                 Majestic West,
     Waste Management of Northern Colorado,    Lewis Paper Place,
     Nature’s Own,                                       Barnes & Noble,
     Wellington Veterinary Clinic,                   Vetline Animal Health Center,
     Mugs Coffee Lounge,                               Children’s Merchantile,
     PetsMart,                                             La Porte Animal Clinic,
     Runner’s Roost,                                      Anderson Farms,
     Munson Farms,                                      Something From the Farm,
     NextMedia Group and                             the Wag Rag.

Thank you to Abbreviated Altered Egos and White Bird Productions for supplying the Entertainment, and to Runlimited for marking the course and scoring the race.

To the three hundred and twenty plus runners who came out to support the wolves,

THANK YOU!