I speak, I speak, for wolves!
I spill the word wolf my w loves
I spill over lip of hill the still
world a wolf world

I speak, I speak, for wolves!
I sing to howl my wolves in o's
I sing through rings of vowels around
wolves, to resound wolves

I speak, I speak, for wolves!
I sew to loop my l to tell
I sow under snow seed syllables
to grow words as wolf words

I speak, I speak, for wolves!
I slip to flow my wolves in f's
I slip through rivers sip to sip
I follow a wolf-flow

oooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo
S.D.

The Mexican Wolf, Canis lupus baileyi, or “Lobo,” is a subspecies of the North American Gray Wolf, and currently protected under the Endangered Species Act as such. Due to extremely low numbers of Lobos in the wild (they currently exist in the states of Arizona and New Mexico), many believe this subspecies should be classified separately. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson passed a bill to increase protections of the Lobo in 2010. However, such a small population is in constant danger of extinction from poachers, disease, and legislation. Recent data from a 2010 count found that approximately 50 Mexican Wolves exist in the wild.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife policies toward Gray Wolves vary from region to region, over the continental U.S. and Alaska. Mexican Gray Wolves are found in the Southwest Region 2, and on the agency’s website are listed as “Experimental, non-essential (EXPN):”

“The non-essential experimental population designation for Mexican wolves allows for  greater management flexibility to address conflict situations, such as livestock depredations or nuisance behavior, than if wolves had retained the fully endangered designation… Reintroduction of a top predator such as the Mexican wolf is highly complex and often controversial. It is important to understand the role Mexican wolves are playing on the landscape, including all of the potential biological, social and economic impacts – be they good, bad, or indifferent. In order to continually evaluate this role, an Interagency Field Team (IFT) has been formed and has the primary responsibilities of collecting data, monitoring, and managing the free-ranging Mexican wolf population. A series of 23 Standard Operating Procedures have been formalized to ensure consistency in management of the wolf population. Equally important is the IFT’s close interaction and involvement with local communities directly affected by wolf recovery.” [1]

Policies of the U.S. Forest Service also have an impact on successful predator management. From all outward appearances, the U.S. Forest Service prioritizes the interests of ranchers, leasing over 500,000 acres in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest alone, for livestock grazing (this is happening in public lands nation-wide). Wolves are perceived to be a threat to livestock by ranchers and the public at large, so this sets up an immediate conflict with human interests. To be fair, there are positives to ranchers’ leasing of public lands (and surrounding private lands), not least of which is deterrence from development of the large tracts necessary for predators and migrating prey to live. However, this practice must be managed carefully by prioritizing conservation.

Perhaps we need to re-evaluate the environmental policies and priorities of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the federal government at large. U.S. Fish and Wildlife currently plans to cull populations of wolves in Alaska and Idaho for the benefit of hunters, and what is perceived to be the benefit of the prey animals they hunt. This agency collects large sums of money through the granting of hunting licenses and permits. While this money is desperately needed, it sets up a conflict of interest between the wants and needs of hunters, and the protection of large predators in particular. Should U.S. Fish and Wildlife focus more of its money on educating hunters and the public at large on the vital importance of conserving our fast disappearing wild lands and wild life? Should they be making more efforts to de-mythologize the wolf through public education projects, and present this animal for its value as well as its challenges? These are important questions to ask at a time when financial woes can lead to impulsive, destructive, and often irreversible decisions.

There are currently efforts in the U.S. House and Senate to de-list the Gray Wolf from endangered species protections. Please write to your representatives! This legislation would leave wolves vulnerable to eradication in the continental U.S., and would set a dangerous precedent for other species as well.

The blog will soon contain a “Book Reviews” page, as well as an “Interviews” page. Please feel free to recommend books that you find in the marketplace – either fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or prose –  addressing the wolf in a positive way. As for non-fiction, I am currently reading Wolves and the Wolf Myth in American Literature, by S.K. Robisch; Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, by L. David Mech (ed.) and Luigi Boitani (ed.). I highly recommend Of Wolves and Men, by Barry Lopez, which was published in 1978, but remains one of the best books on the subject.

As for the more creative, fictional works – they run the gamut, from specifically addressing wolf conservation, to more subtle representations that cast wolves in a positive light. We, as artists and writers, must re-imagine the wolf (and other predators) as integral members of our world, and abolish negative stereotypes.

Today, wolves need our help more than ever, because despite being re-listed on the Endangered Species Act, powerful forces are working against them – and these forces are fueled by IGNORANCE.

The Mexican Wolf, or Lobo, is in dire need of our support, as there are only 42 left in the wild (in the states of New Mexico and Arizona). Gray Wolves nationwide are threatened by political forces that seek to de-list and eradicate them completely.  I’ll be posting pieces on these issues very soon.

Please feel free to make a comment on the blog, or send an email to: humansforwolves@gmail.com. Here in Blogland, it’s great to know someone is out there, checking posts once in a while!

All best for the New Year!

Suzanne

On Friday evening, January 21st, poet Andrew Schelling celebrated the full Wolf Moon with his annual poetry reading – accompanied by Mark Miller on flute and saxaphone – at the Hakubai Temple, in Boulder, Colorado (there’s a post from last year’s event).

Schelling read from his soon-to-be-published collection: Arapaho Songbook (Alameda Press), in which the wolf “speaks,” and is spoken of, with tender and vigilant concern. The cover features a Frederic Remington painting of a lone Gray Wolf beneath the starry sky, eyes glowing like two more stars in the night. It’s a fitting cover for a work that draws inspiration from the study of local Arapaho language and culture, a culture going back hundreds of years to a time when wolves were respected residents of this area. More to come…

Grand Mauvais Loup (Big Bad Wolf) is the pervasive image of canis lupus. This morning, on Christmas day, I was pleased to hear Daniel Pinkwater read his story, Wolf Christmas, on NPR – so much so, that I wrote the following letter:

Dear NPR,

Daniel Pinkwater’s story for children, “Wolf Christmas,” is a refreshing change from the stereotypical portrayals of the wolf as an “evil” character in traditional Western fairy tales and contemporary media.

Wolves once ranged over the entire North American continent, and figured prominently in Native American stories, where they were recognized as integral members of a shared world. Admired for keen hunting skills and strong devotion to family, wolves were seen as role models for qualities that indigenous people, and indeed people of all cultures aspire to.

Pinkwater’s story illustrates several key elements of wolf behavior and social structure—dominance of the alpha male and female; supportive roles of beta wolves—appropriately for young children.  In addition, the story alludes to dangers wolves face in our human world, where they are misunderstood and often cruelly persecuted.  It’s time we changed our mythology of the wolf to a more fair and balanced view, and “Wolf Christmas” is a wonderful contribution toward that aim.

Sincerely,

Suzanne DuLany

I strongly encourage folks to send original stories (for children, adults, or both!) to humansforwolves@gmail.com for posting on our prose page.

Many blessings for the coming year, for humans and for wolves!

Click once on the image to enlarge. Then click again to magnify. Find the camouflaged poem, “Loss of Howls,” which is also on the Poetry page.

Deanna Miesch is an artist and art therapist working in Austin, Texas.

On August 5th, a federal judge ruled that U.S. Fish and Wildlife illegally removed gray wolves in Montana and Idaho from the Endangered Species List in 2009. Wolves in the Northern Rockies are officially re-listed and will not be hunted again this fall (they are still hunted in Alaska).  Sincere gratitude to Judge Molloy, and to the numerous environmental organizations who fought the battle in court.  Here is a link to the ruling: http://wolves.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/10-08-05-doc-163-sj-order.pdf

And a link to the Center for Biological Diversity’s “Gray Wolf Recovery” plan: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/gray-wolf-national-petition-07-20-2010.html

Palms to the sky

If you open your palms to the sky, arms halfway
outstretched, one might come to you if you are lucky.

And if you are lucky, you must not pull away
although it is human instinct. If one
comes to you, nipping at your forearm or nibbling
the twisted threads hung at your wrist,

remember the skin is foreign to clean
white teeth. Do not fully extend your arms or
pull them away. Do not turn your back or giggle
with nervousness when your fear sets in.

Because it will. If you are lucky, you must unlearn
what you have been taught about big ears and teeth
and breath that has no odor. When one comes to you
and the mouth opens directly in front of your nose

you will see into a darkness larger than your head.
Then, you must wait. If you are lucky and one comes to you,
you must not pull away. Instead, grab the neck
with both hands and pull the wide face closer to you.

There, you must look directly into the yellow eyes,
bear your teeth and allow the mouth larger than
the size of your head to nuzzle into your grimace.
You must keep your eyes open at all times

then, you will discover what it means to be wild.

Yellow eyes

Photographs: Kent Weber

Kent Weber of Mission Wolf with visitors

Speaking about wolves.

Illiamna & friend

Magpie kisses a visitor in greeting

Visitors with Ambassador Wolves

Magpie takes a break