This is what I posted on the site:
I understand the desire to attempt to bring back a balance to nature by bringing back wolves to prey on game animals. In the pre-settlement of the West this balance was in place. However since that settlement much of the land used by the game animals to maintain that balance no longer exists. Since the days of market hunting game animals have, to some extent, recovered from their near extension from excessive hunting. This was achieved only through dedicated conservation efforts of everyday individuals and local state governments. Yet these same species have been forced to live in marginal habitat all because of Man?s settlements have consumed and/or made inaccessible former key grasslands. These animals only exist because of small slivers of habitat between the now occupied prairies and marginally productive mountain habitat. States have used hunting to regulate the numbers of game animals to keep them in check with the habitat that is available to them. Expanding the range of wolves to include them in this mix can only prove devastating to the prey base. As the pressure from large predators such as wolves increases the prey base will be driven out of the mountains and onto winter range and private lands where their flight defenses can be better utilized. They will be forced to consume the resources on their winter range and will compete with rancher?s livestock. With this migration will come the predators themselves. Soon they too will be in the mix and will use their natural instincts to select the easiest prey (livestock). Everyone will lose. Ranchers will be forced out of business because of their livestock losses. The prey base will lose because of the hunting pressure of the wolves and the minimal amount of habitat that they need to counter their losses. Hunters will lose because there will be few game animals left to hunt except for wolves. You may think that you are restoring a balance to the wild areas of the West by bringing back wolves but all you are really doing is reducing the amount of wildlife available for all of us to enjoy. With all of the studies, calculations, and predictions one key element has been overlooked. The fact that we (mankind) have settled this land and the only way to truly restore the balance is to remove man from that equation. All the ranches, farms, towns, cities, cars, roads, resorts, and people must be removed so that the balance you seek can be achieved. Without this kind of commitment the prey base will be sandwiched between land that they cannot possess and relentless predation. In the end they will lose the battle and we will have to step back in and try to save them and restore some kind of order.
I think given the circumstances we have a very good balance between the existence of man and nature here in the West. Expanding the range of the Mexican wolf will only bring harm to that balance. I am strongly opposed to any policy that would increase the number of wolves or the range that they would occupy.
Sincerely, Harlan Pooley
