[Pages H7152-H7177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 514 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,
H.R. 2643.
{time} 1841
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 2643) making appropriations for the Department of the
Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2008, and for other purposes, with Mr. Becerra (Acting
Chairman) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier
today, amendment No. 23 printed in the Congressional Record offered by
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) had been disposed of.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Pearce
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Pearce:
At the end of the bill, before the short title, insert the
following:
TITLE VI--ADDITIONAL GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 601. No funds made available in or through this Act
may be used for the continued operation of the Mexican Wolf
Recovery program.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the
gentleman's amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The point of order is reserved.
Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the gentleman from New
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to stop
a program that has been a failure. Let the record be clear. After more
than 10 years of failed attempts to reintroduce Mexican wolves, it is
now time to call an end to this program.
I am speaking of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program operated by the
Fish and Wildlife Service in New Mexico and Arizona. Since the 1998
release of these captive bred wolves into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery
area, this program has attempted to restore a population of wolves into
the area, all while providing no compensation to ranchers for their
livestock losses and all in the face of nearly unified local public
opinion against the program.
Promises were made that the wolves would be restricted to the
wilderness area of the Gila Mountains, but instead we have seen wolves
as far away as Tularosa, New Mexico, almost 200 miles away.
To date this program has spent nearly $14 million and as of today has
only 58 wolves in the wild; $14 million, 10 years, and 58 wolves in the
wild.
{time} 1845
Of these 58 wolves in the wild, we now are on a pace to remove 12
this year because they're problems.
Chart number 1 that I brought up today highlights the increasing rate
of removal of the wolves from the wild because they're killing too much
livestock and they're endangering people and pets in the district that
I represent.
In 2005, the Service removed four problem wolves. In 2006, it removed
eight. In 2007, we're on a pace to remove 12 wolves, 12 out of 58. If
the Service has to remove 12 wolves this year, 20 percent of the wolves
in the recovery area, how can anyone classify as a success a program
where this many of the wolves are being a danger to ranchers and
livestock?
I would add that the wolves that are released into New Mexico are the
wolves that have killed too many animals over in Arizona. So New Mexico
gets the benefit of having the most dangerous wolves released into the
Second District.
Secondly, I would like to go to a chart that shows the horse, Six. In
this shot, on the left side, Stacy Miller, 8 years old, is riding her
horse, Six. This picture was taken 2 weeks before this picture. This
picture on the right indicates her horse, Six, after the wolves
finished with it. You see the ribs have been stripped completely clean.
The hide is laying out here. That's 2 weeks after the picture was made.
This is in the Second District of New Mexico.
And for those of you who want the feel-good feeling of releasing the
wolves into the wild, let us release them into your daggone area
instead of the area of southern New Mexico, where they represent a
danger to the people of the Second District. If you aren't willing to
take them into your district, then why are you going to spend money to
put them in our district and endanger our people?
I would like to draw your attention to another tremendous concern,
the Durango pack, particularly the female, AF924, which we speak about,
is stalking the home of a young woman named Micha. Micha Miller, not
the same, is pictured here. Micha Miller is about 100 yards from her
front door pointing to a wolf print that is there in the dirt. What is
startling about this picture is the gun which Micha is wearing while
she goes about her chores. The Durango pack of wolves have been in and
around Micha's house for so long that her parents insist that she carry
this gun with her while she does her chores, works or plays in the
yard.
I am submitting for the Record a letter from Micha asking Congress to
end
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this program that has put wolves in her front yard.
Dear Congressman Pearce: I am Micha Noel Miller the 13 year
old that has to carry a firearm when I go outside. My parents
and I have had the Durango Pack (AF924 & AM 973) in our yard
5 times in the last 6 weeks. I hate the wolves in our yard
because I feel that I am trapped in my house! I love to ride
my horse, bike and walk around outside. Since the
reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf I can no longer due any of
these things without being afraid.
When we get home after dark my mom has to go feed our dogs
and cats because I'm scared to go outside even though I know
the wolves are 6 miles down the road and it doesn't make a
difference, I'm still afraid they are coming up behind me.
I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and being scared all
the time. I have even resorted to carrying a firearm, I'm
still frightened of the wolves when they come in my yard.
I have gone hunting with my dad alot. We have called in
coyotes and even a bear and I wasn't as scared as I was every
time the wolves were in our yard. The coyotes and bears are
more scared of you and will run away, but the wolves will
just keep coming closer to you. They are not scared of
humans!! I have had a wolf within 40 yards of me and I was so
scared I couldn't move. My older sister, A.J., came out and
scared the wolf off finally.
I have nightmares about the wolves attacking my family &
our pets. The Wolf Program says you cannot shoot a wolf if it
is attacking your pet on private property. I don't understand
how the wolf program expects people to stand by and let the
wolves kill their pets and not do anything to stop them. They
think the wolves are more important than anything else,
including human life!
Congressman Pearce, I wish there was some way you could get
the wolf program to remove the wolves. I just want to have a
normal childhood where I can go outside and play anytime I
want without being armed and worrying about wolves being in
my yard.
Thank you for your help,
Micha Miller.
Mr. Chairman, we will hear folks that will follow me talk about how
healthy wolves have never attacked humans; I would say that they're
simply wrong. I will submit for the Record a list of recorded attacks
by wolves on humans. These include healthy captive wolves, domestically
bred wolves and wolf-dog hybrids.
Wolf Attacks on Humans
(By T. R. Mader, Research Division)
It has been widely discussed whether a healthy wild wolf
has ever attacked a human on this continent. In fact, many
say such attacks have never occurred in North America.
History states otherwise. Although attacks on humans are
uncommon, they have occurred on this continent, both in the
early years of settlement and more recently. Here is one
report:
New Rockford, DAK, March 7.--The news has just reached here
that a father and son, living several miles northeast of this
city, were destroyed by wolves yesterday. The two unfortunate
men started to a haystack some ten rods from the house to
shovel a path around the stack when they were surrounded by
wolves and literally eaten alive. The horror-stricken mother
was standing at the window with a babe in her arms, a
spectator to the terrible death of her husband and son, but
was unable to aid them. After they had devoured every flesh
from the bones of the men, the denizens of the forest
attacked the house, but retired to the hills in a short time.
Investigation found nothing but the bones of the husband and
son. The family name was Olson. Wolves are more numerous and
dangerous now than ever before known in North Dakota. (Saint
Paul Daily Globe, March 8, 1888)
Here an account is reported which included an eyewitness
and the family name. Some have reasoned the wolves were
rabid. That is unlikely as these animals were functioning as
a pack. A rabid wolf is a loner. Our research has never found
a single historical account of packs of rabid wolves on this
continent. Individual animals are the norm. Further, accounts
of rabid (hydrophobic) animals were common in that day and
were reported as such.
The winters of 1886-1888 were very harsh. Many western
ranchers went broke during these years. The harsh winter
could have been a factor in the attack.
Noted naturalists documented wolf attacks on humans. John
James Audubon, of whom the Audubon Society is named, reported
an attack involving 2 Negroes. He records that the men were
traveling through a part of Kentucky near the Ohio border in
winter. Due to the wild animals in the area the men carried
axes on their shoulders as a precaution. While traveling
through a heavily forested area, they were attacked by a pack
of wolves. Using their axes, they attempted to fight off the
wolves. Both men were knocked to the ground and severely
wounded. One man was killed. The other dropped his axe and
escaped up a tree. There he spent the night. The next morning
the man climbed down from the tree. The bones of his friend
lay scattered on the snow. Three wolves lay dead. He gathered
up the axes and returned home with the news of the event.
This incident occurred about 1830. (Audubon, J.J., and
Bachman, J.; The Quadrupeds of North America, 3 volumes. New
York, 1851-1854)
George Bird Grinnell investigated several reported wolf
attacks on humans. He dismissed many reports for lack of
evidence. Grinnell did verify one attack.
This occurrence was in northwestern Colorado. An eighteen-
year-old girl went out at dusk to bring in some milk cows.
She saw a gray wolf on a hill as she went out for the cows.
She shouted at the wolf to scare it away and it did not move.
She then threw a stone at it to frighten it away. The animal
snarled at her shouting and attacked her when she threw the
stone at it. The wolf grabbed the girl by the shoulder, threw
her to the ground and bit her severely on the arms and legs.
She screamed and her brother, who was nearby and armed with a
gun, responded to the scene of the attack and killed the
wolf. The wolf was a healthy young animal, barely full grown.
Grinnell met this girl and examined her. She carried several
scars from the attack. This attack occurred in summer about
1881. (Grinnell, G.B.; Trail and Campfire--Wolves and Wolf
Nature, New York, 1897)
In 1942, Michael Dusiak, section foreman for the Canadian
Pacific Railway, was attacked by a wolf while patrolling a
section of track on a speeder (small 4-wheeled open railroad
car). Dusiak relates, ``It happened so fast and as it was
still very dark, I thought an engine had hit me first. After
getting up from out of the snow very quickly, I saw the wolf
which was about fifty feet away from me and it was coming
towards me, I grabbed the two axes (tools on the speeder),
one in each hand and hit the wolf as he jumped at me right in
the belly and in doing so lost one axe. Then the wolf started
to circle me and got so close to me at times that I hit him
with the head of the axe and it was only the wielding of the
axe that kept him from me. All this time he was growling and
gnashing his teeth. Then he would stop circling me and jump
at me and I would hit him with the head of the axe. This
happened five times and he kept edging me closer to the woods
which was about 70 feet away. We fought this way for about
fifteen minutes and I fought to stay out in the open close to
the track. I hit him quite often as he came at me very fast
and quick and I was trying to hit him a solid blow in the
head for I knew if once he got me down it would be my finish.
Then in the course of the fight he got me over onto the north
side of the track and we fought there for about another ten
minutes. Then a west bound train came along travelling about
thirty miles an hour and stopped about half a train length
west of us and backed up to where we were fighting. The
engineer, fireman and brakeman came off the engine armed with
picks and other tools, and killed the wolf.''
It should be noted that this wolf was skinned and inspected
by an Investigator Crichton, a Conservation Officer. His
assessment was that the animal was a young healthy wolf in
good condition although it appeared lean. (``A Record of
Timber Wolf Attacking a Man,'' JOURNAL OF MAMMOLOGY, Vol. 28,
No. 3, August 1947)
Common Man Institute, in cooperation with Abundant Wildlife
Society of North America, has done extensive research on
wolves and their history for several years. We have gathered
evidence on wolf attacks which occurred in North America.
A forester employed by the Province of British Colombia was
checking some timber for possible harvest in the 1980s. He
was met by a small pack of three wolves. The forester yelled
at the wolves to frighten them away. Instead, the wolves came
towards him in a threatening manner and he was forced to
retreat and climb a nearby tree for safety. The wolves
remained at the base of the tree. The forester had a
portable radio, but was unable to contact his base, due to
distance, until evening. When the call for help came in,
two Conservation Officers with the Ministry of Environment
were flown to the area by floatplane to rescue the treed
forester.
When the Conservation Officers arrived, the forester was
still in the tree and one wolf, the apparent leader of the
pack, was still at the base of the tree. The officers, armed
with shotguns, shot at the wolf and missed. The wolf ran for
cover and then started circling and howling near the two
officers. After a couple missed shots, the wolf was finally
shot and killed.
The wolf tested negative for rabies. It appeared healthy in
every respect, but was very lean. The Conservation Officers
felt the attack was caused by hunger. (Taped Interviews and a
photo of the wolf on file at Abundant Wildlife Society of
North America.)
This is but one example from British Colombia. Wolves
overran Vancouver Island in the 1980s. Attacks became so
common that articles were published in Canadian magazines
documenting such attacks. (Copies available upon request.)
Wolf attacks on humans have occurred in national parks,
too. In August 1987, a sixteen-year-old girl was bitten by a
wild wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. The girl
was camping in the park with a youth group and shined a
flashlight at the wolf. The wolf reacted to the light by
biting the girl on the arm. That bite was not hard and due to
the thick sweater and sweatshirt the girl was wearing, she
sustained two scratch marks on her arm. The wolf was shot by
Natural Resources personnel and tested negative for rabies.
(Interview with Ron Tozer, Park Naturalist for Algonquin
Provincial Park, 7/25/88.)
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Well-known wolf biologist Dr. David Mech took issue with
this attack stating it couldn't really be considered an
authentic attack since the girl wasn't injured more severely.
It was exactly nine years when such an attack would take
place.
Algonquin Provincial Park is one of several areas where
people are encouraged to ``howl'' at the wolves in hopes of a
response from the wild wolves in the area. In August, 1996,
the Delventhal family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were
spending a nine-day family vacation in Algonquin and joined a
group of Scouts in ``howling'' at the wolves. They were
answered by the howl of a solitary wolf.
That night the Delventhals decided to sleep out under the
stars. Young Zachariah was dreaming when he suddenly felt
excruciating pain in his face. A lone wolf had bit him in the
face and was dragging him from his sleeping bag. Zach
screamed and Tracy, Zach's Mother, raced to his side and
picked him up, saturating her thermal shirt with blood from
Zach's wounds.
The wolf stood menacingly less than a yard away. Tracy
yelled at her husband, Thom, who leapt from his sleeping bag
and charged the wolf. The wolf retreated and then charged at
Tracy and Zach. The charges were repeated. Finally the
wolfleft. Thom turned a flashlight on 11-year-old Zach and
gasped ``Oh, my God!'' ``The boy's face had been ripped open.
His nose was crushed. Parts of his mouth and right cheek were
torn and dangling. Blood gushed from puncture wounds below
his eyes, and the lower part of his right ear was missing.''
Zach was taken to a hospital in Toronto where a plastic
surgeon performed four hours of reconstructive surgery. Zach
received more than 80 stitches in his face.
Canadian officials baited the Delventhals' campsite and
captured and destroyed a 60-lb wild male wolf. No further
attacks have occurred since. (Cook, Kathy; ``Night of the
Wolf'' READER'S DIGEST, July 1997, pp. 114-119.)
Humans have been attacked by wolves in Alaska. The late
David Tobuk carried scars on his face from a wolf attack on
him as a small child. The incident occurred around the turn
of the century in interior Alaska. David was playing in his
village near a river. An old wolf came into the village and
bit David in the face and started to carry him off. Other
Eskimos saw the wolf dragging the child off and started
yelling and screaming. The wolf dropped the child and was
shot by an old Eskimo trapper who had a gun. (Interview with
Frank Tobuk, brother, Bettles, Alaska, December 1988.)
Paul Tritt, an Athabascan Indian, was attacked by a lone
wolf while working a trap line. Paul was setting a snare,
looked up and saw a wolf lunging at him. He threw his arm up
in front of his face and it was bitten severely by the wolf.
A struggle ensued. Tritt was able to get to his sled, grab a
gun and kill the wolf. Nathaniel Frank, a companion, helped
Tritt wash the wound with warm water. Frank took Tritt, via
dog sled, to Fort Yukon to see a doctor. The arm healed, but
Tritt never regained full use of it. Several years later, the
arm developed problems and had to be amputated. (Interview
with Paul Tritt, Venetie, Alaska, November, 1988)
Two wolf attacks on humans occurred in 2000.
Icy Bay, Alaska.--Six-year-old John Stenglein and a nine-
year-old friend were playing outside his family's trailer at
a logging camp when a wild wolf came out of the woods towards
the boys. The boys ran and the wolf attacked young Stenglein
from the back, biting him on the back and buttocks. Adults,
hearing the boy's screams, came and chased the wolf away. The
wolf returned a few moments later and was shot. According to
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) officials, the
wolf was a healthy wild wolf that apparently attacked without
provocation. The boy was flown to Yakutat and recieved
stitches there for his wounds. Later, however, the bites
became infected and the boy had to be hospitalized. (Reports
and Interviews on file and available upon request.)
Vargas Island, British Colombia.--University student, Scott
Langevin, 23, was on a kayak trip with friends. They camped
out on a beach and, about 1 AM, Langevin awoke with something
pulling on his sleeping bag. He looked out and came face to
face with a wild wolf. Langevin yelled at the wolf and it
attacked, biting him on the hand. Langevin attempted to force
the wolf toward a nearby campfire, but as he turned, the wolf
jumped on his back and started biting him on the back of his
head. Friends, hearing his yells, came to his aid and scared
the wolf away. Fifty (50) stitches were required to close the
wound on Langevin's head. British Colombia Ministry of
Environment officials speculate the reason for the attack was
due to the wolves occasionally being fed by humans although
there was no evidence that Langevin or any of his party fed
these animals. (Reports and Interviews on file and available
upon request.)
This is but a brief summary of a few verifiable accounts of
attacks on humans by healthy wild wolves in North American
history.
Biologists tell us that the wolves of Asia and North
America are one and the same species. Wolf attacks are common
in many parts of Asia.
The government of India reported more than 100 deaths
attributable to wolves in one year during the eighties.
(Associated Press, 1985) This author recalls a news report in
1990 in which Iran reported deaths from attacks by wolves.
Rashid Jamsheed, a U.S. trained biologist, was the game
director for Iran. He wrote a book entitled ``Big Game
Animals of Iran (Persia).'' In it he made several references
to wolf attacks on humans. Jamsheed says that for a millennia
people have reported wolves attacking and killing humans. In
winter, when starving wolves grow bold, they have been known
to enter towns and kill people in daylight on the streets.
Apparently, in Iran, there are many cases of wolves running
off with small children. There is also a story of a mounted
and armed policeman (gendarme) being followed by 3 wolves. In
time he had to get off his horse to attend to nature's call,
leaving his rifle in the scabbard. A later reconstruction at
the scene of the gnawed bones and wolf tracks indicated that
the horse had bolted and left the man defenseless, whereupon
he was killed and eaten.
A Russian Linguist, Will Graves, provided our organization
with reports of wolves killing Russian people in many areas
of that country. Reports indicate some of the wolves were
diseased while others appeared healthy. (Reports on file and
available upon request.)
Reports have also come from rural China. The official
Zinhua News Agency reported that a peasant woman, Wu Jing,
snatched her two daughters from the jaws of a wolf and
wrestled with the animal until rescuers arrived. Wu slashed
at the wolf with a sickle and it dropped one daughter, but
grabbed her sister. It was then Wu wrestled with the animal
until herdsmen came and drove the beast away. This incident
occurred near Shenyang City, about 380 miles northeast of
Beijing. (Chronicle Features, 1992)
The question arises: ``Why so many attacks in Asia and so
few in North America?'' Two factors must be considered:
1. The Philosophy of Conservation--Our forefathers always
believed that they had the right and obligation to protect
their livelihoods. Considerable distance was necessary
between man and wolf for the wolf to survive.
2. Firearms--Inexpensive, efficient weapons gave man the
upper hand in the protection of his livelihood and for the
taking of wolves.
Milton P. Skinner in his book, ``The Yellowstone Nature
Book'' (published 1924) wrote, ``Most of the stories we hear
of the ferocity of these animals . . . come from Europe.
There, they are dangerous because they do not fear man, since
they are seldom hunted except by the lords of the manor. In
America, the wolves are the same kind, but they have found to
their bitter cost that practically every man and boy carries
a rifle . . .''
Skinner was correct. The areas of Asia where wolf attacks
occur on humans are the same areas where the people have no
firearms or other effective means of predator control.
But . . . ``Biologists claim there are no documented cases
of healthy wild wolves attacking humans.''
What they really mean is there are no ``documented'' cases
by their criteria which excludes historical accounts. Here's
an example.
Rabid wolves were a frightening experience in the early
years due to their size and the seriousness of being bit,
especially before a vaccine was developed. The bitten subject
usually died a slow, miserable death. There are numerous
accounts of rabid wolves and their activities. Early Army
forts have medical records of rabid wolves coming into the
posts and biting several people before being killed. Most of
the people bitten died slow, horrible deaths. Additionally,
early historical writings relate personal accounts. This
author recalls one historical account telling of a man being
tied to a tree and left to die because of his violent
behavior with rabies after being bitten by a wolf. Such
deaths left profound impressions on eyewitnesses of those
events.
Dr. David Mech, USFWS wolf biologist, states there are no
``documented'' cases of rabid wolves below the fifty seventh
latitude north (near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory). When asked
what ``documented'' meant, he stated, ``The head of the wolf
must be removed, sent to a lab for testing and found to be
rabid.''
Those requirements for documentation negate all historical
records!
As with rabid wolves, the biologist can say, ``There are no
`documented' cases of wild healthy wolves attacking humans.''
In order to be ``documented'' these unreasonable criteria
must be met:
1. The wolf has to be killed, examined and found to be
healthy.
2. It must be proven that the wolf was never kept in
captivity in its entire life.
3. There must be eyewitnesses to the attack.
4. The person must die from their wounds (bites are
generally not considered attacks according to the
biologists).
That is a ``documented'' attack.
Such criteria make it very difficult to document any
historical account of a wolf attack on a human!
Biologists assume when a wolf attacks a human, that there
must be something wrong with the wolf. It's either been in
captivity or it's sick or whatever. They don't examine the
evidence in an unbiased manner or use historical tests.
Historically, there are four reasons for wolf attacks on
humans:
1. Disease such as rabies.
2. Extreme hunger.
3. Familiarity/Disposition--This is an either/or situation.
Familiarity is the zoo setting, captive wolves, etc.
Disposition is a
[[Page H7155]]
particularly aggressive wolf which may not fear man as most
wolves do.
4. In the heat of the chase and kill--This is where a
hiker, trapper or whoever disturbs a fresh chase and kill by
wolves. The person walks into the scene only to be attacked
by the wolves.
It is our belief that a predator's fear of man is both
instinctive and learned behavior. For example, wolves raised
as pets or in zoos are well documented to attack and kill
humans.
Alyshia Berzyck, of Minnesota, was attacked and killed by a
wolf on a chain on June 3, 1989. The wolf tore up her kidney,
liver and bit a hole through her aorta. One month later, on
July 1, 1989, Peter Lemke, 5, lost 12 inches of his intestine
and colon and suffered bites to his stomach, neck, legs, arms
and back in another wolf attack in Kenyon, Minnesota.
(Reports on file and available upon request.)
Zoos carry abundant records of wolf attacks on people,
particularly children. The child climbs the enclosure fence
to pet the ``dog'' and is attacked.
Zoos and domestic settings are unnatural in that they place
man and wolf in close proximity and they become accustomed to
each other. Consequently attacks occur.
Today predator control is very restricted in scope, and as
a result, attacks on humans by predators are becoming more
common. In recent years, healthy coyotes in Yellowstone Park
have attacked humans. Similar attacks have occurred in the
National Parks of Canada.
On January 14, 1991, a healthy mountain lion attacked and
killed an eighteen-year-old high school senior, Scott
Lancaster, in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The boy was jogging on
a jogging path within the city limits of the town when the
lion attacked and killed him. (Report on file at Abundant
Wildlife Society of North America)
____
Other Reported Wolf Attacks in the Wild
1. Comox Valley, British Colombia--1986--While driving a
tractor, Jakob Knopp was followed by three wolves to his
barn. They didn't leave, but kept snarling and showing their
teeth. Knopp ran to his barn, retreived a rifle and had to
shoot two of the three wolves before the third left the area.
2. George Williams, a retired sailor heard a commotion in
his chicken coup one night. Thinking it was raccoons he took
his single shot 22 rifle and headed for the coup. He rounded
his fishing boat and trailer when a wolf leaped at him. He
instinctively reacted with a snap shot with the rifle and
dropped the wolf. A second wolf came at him before he could
reload and George swung the rifle and struck the wolf across
the head, stunning it. George retreated to the house until
morning and found the wolf he had shot, the other was gone.
3. Clarence Lewis was picking berries on a logging road
about a mile from Knopp's farm when he faced four wolves.
Lewis yelled at them, two left and the other two advanced
towards him. He took a branch and took a couple of
threatening steps at them. They went into the brush and
stayed close to him. Lewis faced the wolves and walked
backward for two miles until he reached his car.
4. Don Hamilton, Conservation Officer at Nanaimo went to
investigate a livestock killing by wolves. Wolves had killed
a number of sheep in a pasture and Don went out to examine
the kills. He came upon the scene and saw a large gray wolf
feeding on one of the sheep. The wolf looked at him, growled
and started running towards him at full speed. The wolf was
over 100 yards away and never broke stride as it approached
Don. At approximately 15 feet, Don shot the wolf to stop its
attack. Don, who has many years experience with wolves,
stated that he was convinced that the wolf was going to
attack him because of its growling, snarling and aggressive
behavior.
5. In 1947, a man was hunting cougar on Vancouver Island
and was attacked by a pack of seven wolves. The man backed
against a tree and shot the leader of the pack. The pack
instantly tore the animal to shreds while the hunter made his
escape.
6. Clarence Lindley was reportedly attacked by a 125-pound
timber wolf. The incident occurred in early November, 1992 on
the Figure 4 Ranch in Dunn County, North Dakota. Lindley was
hunting horseback when the wolf attacked Lindley's horse
causing it to jump and fall. Lindley was able to grab his
saddle gun, a lever action Winchester 94, as the horse fell.
The horse recovered its balance and Lindley found himself
face to face with a snarling wolf. ``My heart was pounding,''
said Lindley, ``I could see those big teeth. He was less than
five feet away. . . He meant business; he wasn't going to
back off.'' Lindley fired his rifle at point blank range and
killed the wolf with a shot to the neck. Lindley left the
wolf since he couldn't get his horse close to it. On return
to his hunting camp, his hunter friends failed to believe the
account. They returned to the scene and skinned the wolf.
The pelt was a flawless black and gray pelt measuring
seven and a half feet from its feet to its snout. Its
bottom teeth measured one and a half inches; top teeth--
one and a quarter inches. The North Dakota Game and Fish
Department (NDGF) confiscated the hide and head of the
wolf and took it to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) for determination of its species. Tests revealed
that the wolf was non-rabid. The wolf was thought to have
come from Canada. (Reports on file and available upon
request.)
WOLF ATTACKS ON HUMANS (domestic incidents)
1. In the 1970s, John Harris, a Californian, toured the
nation with ``tame'' wolves to promote public sympathy for
preserving wolves. In July, 1975, ``Rocky,'' one of Harris''
wolves, attacked a one-year-old girl by biting her in the
face. The girl was brought close to the wolf for a picture,
an action encouraged by Harris.
2. In Maryland, a man kept a wolf in his basement and this
animal turned and savagely bit and clawed his two-year-old
son.
3. In New York City, a wolf bit a woman as it approached
her.
4. At a zoo in Idaho, a little girl walked up to a cage
housing a wolf and reached through the bars to pet the wolf.
The wolf bit the arm. The arm had to be amputated.
5. Mr. Edward Rucciuti, former curator of publications for
the New York Zoological Society and author of KILLER ANIMALS,
personally witnessed a 12-year-old boy savagely attacked in
the Bronx Zoo. This boy climbed a high fence in order to pet
the wolves. The wolves (male and 2 females) immediately
attacked the boy, ripping at the boy's clothing and flesh.
The boy instinctively curled up in a ball, protecting his
head, chest and abdomen. He then crawled into the moat in
front of the exhibit with the wolves chewing his back and
legs. Once the boy made it to the water, the wolves ceased
their attack. The boy crawled out of the moat and collapsed.
Mr. Rucciuti was amazed that the boy was still alive due to
the severity of the bites.
6. San Diego Zoo (1971) A 15-year-old boy climbed the fence
and tried to take a shortcut across the exhibit. He didn't
know there were wolves in the exhibit and tried to run when
he saw them. The wolves grabbed him by the leg attempting to
drag him off. The boy grabbed a tree and hung on. Two
bystanders jumped in the enclosure and attacked the wolves
with tree branches. The wolves did not attack the two men,
but continued to maul the boy. Dragging the boy and swinging
their clubs, the boy was pulled out of the enclosure. The
wolves in the enclosure were all young animals and it was
thought that if the animals were mature, the boy would have
died before being rescued.
7. A few months after the attack on the boy (#6), a man
scaled the fence and swung his arms in the exhibit to get the
attention of the wolves and got it by being bitten severely
on both arms.
8. 1973--Another boy tried to cross the same compound and
was attacked, a security guard shot and killed one of the
wolves, and the other fled as the boy was pulled to safety.
9. 1975--Small zoo in Worcester, Massachusetts, a two-year-
old lad was savagely bitten on the leg when it slipped
through an enclosure opening. The boy's mother and 2 men
could not pull the boy free. The wolves did not stop ripping
the boy's leg apart until a railroad tie was thrown in the
midst ofthe wolves.
10. 1978--A wolf bit a child in Story, Wyoming. The wolfwas
penned at a local veterinary clinic for observation. During
that time, the wolf escaped its pen and killed a young calf.
Wyoming law prohibits the keeping of wild animals as pets, so
the animal was shipped to Ohio, where it had come from. The
owner of the wolf went to Ohio and brought the wolf back to
Wheatland, Wyoming. It was reported the wolf attacked and
killed a child in that area shortly thereafter.
11. September, 1981--A two-year-old boy was mauled to death
by an 80-lb, 3-year old female wolf in Ft. Wayne, Michigan.
The boy wandered within the chain length of the wolf.
12. August 2, 1986 (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)--A 17-month-
old boy reached and grabbed the fencing which kept his
father's pet wolves enclosed. One wolf immediately grabbed
the boy's hand and bit it off. The mother was at the scene
and received lacerations freeing the child from the wolf.
13. July 1988 (Minnesota Zoo)--A teenage volunteer reached
through the wire fence to pet a wolf and was bitten. The wolf
was put to sleep and tested for rabies negative.
14. May 15, 1989--2-year-old Timothy Bajinski was bitten by
a wolf hybrid in his mother's Staten Island, New York
backyard. Mrs. Bajinski has been charged with keeping a wild
animal.
15. May 1989--Lucas Wilken was bitten by two wolf hybrids
in Adams County, CO (Denver Area).
16. June 3, 1989--Three year old Alyshia Berczyk was
attacked and killed by a wolf in Forest Lake, Minnesota. The
wolf had bitten her severely and had injured her kidneys,
liver and bit through her aorta. Alyshia was playing in a
backyard when she got too close to the chained wolf that
grabbed her dress and pulled her down, attacking her.
17. July 1, 1989 (Kenyon, Minnesota)--Peter Lemke, age 5,
attempted to pet a chained wolf and was attacked. He lost 12
inches of his intestine and colon, suffered a tear in his
stomach, and bite wounds on his arms, legs, buttocks and
neck. While being life-flighted to the hospital, Pete
arrested 3 times but was saved by medical personnel. The
Lemkes have incurred over $200,000 in hospital bills. Pete
has a colostomy bag, but doctors are hopeful they can re-
attach his colon and get it to function normally in later
surgeries.
18. September 3, 1989--A wolf and a dog entered a corral
belonging to Leona Geppfart of Caldwell, ID and attacked a 6-
month-old 400-pound Hereford calf. Geppfart attempted to
scare the animals away and they turned on her and she
retreated to her house. A short
[[Page H7156]]
time later, a law enforcement officer arrived and as he
approached the corral, the wolf lunged at him. The officer
stopped the animal with his shotgun.
Note: This list of wolf attacks is by no means exhaustive.
They are simply listed to show that attacks have occurred
both in the wild and other settings.
Furthermore, while attacks by healthy wolves may not be common, the
deep concern for wolves which have contracted rabies is a real threat.
Right now, in Catron County, New Mexico, which is the heart of the wolf
program, we have had new outbreaks of rabies among foxes. As everyone
who has seen Old Yeller knows, rabies is a devastating disease which
can cause tremendous harm. Because of the proximity of wolves to the
population of New Mexico this year, the Fish and Wildlife Service took
the extraordinary step of publishing a wolf tip card. Now, for the Fish
and Wildlife Service to put out a card and distribute it in your
district telling you to be careful and telling you what to do if you
come up against one of these threats, you would feel that it should not
be happening in your district.
Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, the following material are letters I have
received from my constituents and other concerned citizens of
southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona regarding the
reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf.
Since the reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf in 1998, the residents
of my Congressional District have been plagued by problems associated
with the release. Not only do ranchers suffer economic hardship due to
wolves preying on their livestock, but countless family pets have been
lost including dogs and horses. As the wolves become less afraid of man
every year, I fear they will eventually prey upon humans.
To date, the program has yielded 58 wolves, 20 percent of which will
be removed as problem animals, at a $14 million cost to the taxpayers.
That is $242,000 spent per wolf.
These are some of our wolf experiences in the past 7.5
years. I don't think we have had a decent nights sleep since
this program began.
2003--Wolf notes Monday May 19 to Tuesday May 28.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003 12:42 p.m.
Subject: wolves are back
No sooner that I griped to the Game Commission's about the
release of our old friend from the Campbell Blue pack, F 592
into the wilderness again that she shows up here again. John
Oakleaf called last May 19 about 9 p.m. with the happy news
that they were with our cows and calves.
We were missing 2 calves since Friday and wolf tracks are
everywhere but everything was OK when I checked this morning
and this afternoon nothing but tracks. Life gets just a whole
lot more complicated with them around. How many times can you
say I told you so to the FWS, they can't stop believing that
releasing heavily pregnant wolves into the Wilderness will
keep them there, it doesn't and it hasn't and it never will.
Changing the name just buffalo's the public into thinking
there are new wolves out there. The new name for F 592 and
her new mate was the Sycamore pack. The only good news is she
should have had her puppies last week or maybe two weeks ago
and she probably killed them if she traveled this far.
Ivy, my 14 year old daughter rode her paint mare up to the
top of the hill by the house this morning like she always
does and met up with both wolves. She said they wouldn't
leave her alone and squared off with her at about 30 feet
away. She didn't want to turn her back on them so she shot
and reloaded and shot her single shot 22 off in the air a
couple times and they finally scuttled down the hill into
Turkey Run in front of her.
She was pretty excited and not a little scared when she
came in. I on the other hand am livid and a lot scared. My
kids shouldn't have to be held up by a pair of wolves on a
ride \1/4\ mile from the house.
Laura.
Wednesday, May 21, 2003 1:17 p.m.
Subject: wolf update Rafter Spear 5-20&21
We caught them on the cows and calves last evening May 20,
2003 around 7 p.m. and they had them bunched up trying to get
a calf out the calves were either crying or sucking, we were
just in time. We ran them off all of 50 feet and started
driving the cows down the canyon on foot.
I left Matt with the cows and the 30-30 and went up the
other canyon to check the other cows. On the way, I met Dan
the wolf guy and told him to hurry up, the wolves were
following Matt and he might just have to shoot one since they
are following him so close. I stopped at the house to get a
blanket for Miles since it was getting cold and he was asleep
in the jeep, thank goodness. I also told the girls to saddle
up and go help dad move those cows. Which they did.
Over the ridge I found a bagged up cow with wolf tracks
nearby and all the other cows were far enough up the other
canyon and still all right with no sign of wolf activity
around them. I went on to 74 and check the other cattle
thankfully the wolves hadn't been there yet.
By the time I got back to the turnoff to the house, where
Matt and the girls left the cows, Matt was way off ahead on
the road home and Dan was parked in the flat near the turnoff
to our house with our cows. I picked up Matt and he said to
go back and let him talk to Dan. He didn't apologize for
yelling at him earlier but let it be known he didn't totally
blame Dan for the situation. Dan said he was going to stay in
the cows all night and we told him to come to the house and
eat first. He said OK.
He called an hour later {satellite phone} and said the
wolves were in the calves again and he wasn't coming in to
eat. By then it was 10 p.m. so I made him supper and coffee
and we took it out to him. He said they were all over the
cows and calves and howling at him because they were
frustrated and he was firing rubber bullets at them. He only
had enough light to set one trap though. Since he was OK we
went home to sleep because after learning they were in the
cattle the night before we pretty much stayed awake all
night.
Woke up at 4 a.m. finally got up at 4:30 and Dan showed up
at 5:15 with some good news, he caught the male about 20
minutes before in the single trap he had managed to set the
evening before. Apparently Dan has been improving as a
trapper since our Dec. 99 experience with Campbell Blue pack
which included F 592.
Melissa, Ted Turners wolf biologist, was 3 hours away with
a cage so we called our neighbor Jack Diamond and he sent his
wife Kaye over with a kennel to put the trapped wolf in.
We went back out and the female was still there with the
male but not very close, it was breaking daylight by then.
Dan gave the wolf a light sedative type drug so he would
relax and not hurt himself in the trap. Matt went to check
the cows in 74 where I had gone that night and I waited with
Dan in case Kaye got there and Dan needed help loading the
wolf. She did and Matt and Dan loaded him into the kennel
right about the time Melissa showed up, so we sent that wolf
home to Sevilletta. I made Dan keep Melissa's kennel in case
592 was caught.
The female 592 ran off but I am sure she stayed somewhere
nearby, Dan looked around for her and then tried to sleep a
few hours during the day they aren't very active, thank
goodness. The wolves had run him from calf to calf and canyon
to canyon last night and he didn't get much rest I am just
grateful it wasn't me but I may get a turn tonight. These
livestock killers and problem wolves should not be turned out
at all. 592 is the major stock killer of the pair and they
were determined to get a calf. Dan didn't let them and they
actually howled at him about it. But they did manage to bite
at least two calves before he could hit them with rubber
bullets which seemed to have little effect.
We are missing two calves one since about last Friday and
one since Monday but haven't found any wolf poop yet to see
what is up with that. Probably won't be confirmed though. One
was about a week old and one was born Saturday to a cow that
has never lost a calf, Matt saw it Sunday evening and it was
fine then.
Mad as we are about all this at least we had competent help
and we are grateful for that. Why the hell they are re-
releasing stock killers is beyond me. It is plain dumb and
only makes the program look bad.
Laura.
Update: wolves at the rafter spear 5-21-5-23
The last few days the wolf story has slowed down a lot but
the aftermath is still ongoing. After trapping the male, the
female took off and is about 6 miles to the SW at last flight
on Thursday. There are traps everywhere in preparation for
her return. I understand they are trapping for her because of
the incident with Ivy not the calf killing. I don't care why
but glad to hear there is a limit to how badly they can
accost our kids. Nick Smith and Dan Stark also have a permit
to shoot her if they have to.
My problem is, this animal has a history here and has
absolutely no fear it has menaced my daughter and followed my
husband, who is not menaceable, or at least he thought he
wasn't until he was followed by wolves he was not allowed to
shoot. Together they killed and ate two calves before we knew
they were here and two bitten calves, they are swelled up and
crippled we have shaved measured and taken pictures.
One has more bites, on the flanks, side and head but they
are superficial, the calf is in quite a bit of distress from
bruising but hopefully will be fine. I imagine the times when
Dan heard the cows get up and shined the spotlight on them
and saw the wolf, he stopped the attacks. The next day there
was a calf with a swollen front knee in the same bunch, after
shaving we found wolf bites on the front and back legs. The
knee is hot and three times bigger than the other, the wound
on it is superficial but the trauma caused the swelling is
severe and this calf may be ruined. Both calves were in the
bunch Dan guarded Tuesday night. If he hadn't been there
would probably be 4 missing calves and four tight bagged
cows. I am glad he got to experience the mayhem one pair of
wolves can attempt to wreck in just 12 hours.
On a side note there is another injury from a calf caught
in a trap this morning, nobody is to blame for that, We are
grateful to have the traps out, but still, another injury.
There was a small bunch of 11 cows and calves that were
harassed by the pair, not including the two that lost the
calves.
It has been some week. I have a dramatic picture for every
day of the week. Yesterday the FS backburned from behind my
house and it was pretty scary kind of like a volcano going
off on your back door. The results
[[Page H7157]]
should be good though. We had good representation from our
government yesterday though. FWS, FS RITF and APHIS all on
the porch at once. If we can find a piece of the space
shuttle maybe NASA will come pay us a visit.
It is hard to know where to begin since our emotions have
run the gamut the past few days. Traps were set Tuesday after
the male was caught and the female left for several days, she
ended up on the Diamond Bar where Nick Smith tracked her for
several days. He found one bitten calf probably from the trip
over here a week prior. The calf was a month or two old so
that is probably why they were still shy about killing it and
staying there.
The weekend was pretty good though, I went to town, 74
miles away on Saturday and bought groceries so the guys could
be fed halfway decently while they worked and believe me they
worked. Matt took Miles, he is 5 and clipped cages below the
house and Dan checked his traps and made a 20 mile circle
hiking into diamond creek on foot trying to get a signal. He
was unsuccessful but Nick Smith found her signal later that
night west of the Links camp on the Diamond Bar. On Sunday,
Matt and Dan rode into Round Mountain and packed salt. That
afternoon everyone rested a bit between checking traps and
gardening, painting, watching Kristie and her boyfriend and
various other normal pursuits.
She was back here Monday morning. Dan woke up checked his
equipment, got a signal and took off. When I checked cows
that day I got a signal that seemed pretty strong right in
the cows up 74 draw and Dan's truck was nearby. She pretty
much stayed there all day with Dan tracking her along with
Nick Smith who came in to help him. Dan came in that evening
to make some phone calls and get something to eat. While he
was on the phone, Matt and I went out and looked after the
cows, one of us on either end of the bunch. She was there the
whole time but we didn't have a directional antenna and felt
our job was to look after the cows not the wolf.
Monday night and Tuesday, yesterday. Dan was up all night
with her, most of the cattle were west about a mile he felt
OK about leaving her alone until light, really there wasn't
much choice since she didn't seem to be doing anything but
hanging out in that area and it was pretty thick. Near
morning he could hear coyotes making a heck of a ruckus in
the draw she was up and thought that it was weird since he
has been taught all his life that such wolf/coyote
fraternizing behavior was abnormal.
He hadn't remembered or taken us seriously when we had told
him the coyotes saved her life in the winter of 1999/2000
when she was here last. She had nearly starved to death until
she started hanging around with the coyotes. Kristie who was
15 at the time had ridden up on her and the wolf followed her
part way back to the house. Kristie was really mad because
she could see the wolf was half dead from hunger and going
bald. It was so cold that winter she would cry on the
mountain behind the house and we would hear her at night. She
was there for 5 months until she moved to the neighbors on
Canyon Creek and killed her first calf. Later that summer she
moved to the Adobe which is north of us met with her old mate
and really went to killing cattle. Those coyotes saved her
life though and she was used to being around them.
Anyway, Dan hiked into the draw to see what was up as soon
as there was enough light and a cow with a full bag of milk
met him on his way in. The bad news is 592 was on a cow that
had calved a day or two before and she had killed the calf.
The coyotes had found her and were trying to steal the
carcass from her. He ran both the wolf and the coyotes, off
the calf, found two pieces and packed them to the truck and
brought them in to the house put them in the barn and called
Wildlife Services. As Dan has found out, sometimes there is
just nothing you can do about the killing even when you are
watching just as close as you can and not sleeping or eating
to do it. The wolf has every advantage even if you do have
the technology. We were very lucky he found any remains of
this calf.
The calf was killed by the wolf, Wildlife Services verified
it the hemorrhaging was way too bad to be coyote and the bite
marks measured out. At least the few that weren't eaten away.
The calf was in two pieces it was a new heifer and had walked
on it's feet quite a bit before it was killed. The cow was
one we were concerned about because she had taken off to have
the calf as they all do. Apparently she didn't hide well
enough to fool the wolf. But as Dan can attest to, she was
hidden from all human eyes pretty darned well.
I had to go to Winston and get gas, so I took Dan and Nick
some Orange juice that afternoon, Dan looked like crap and
they were still tracking her. Dan was waiting for Nick to
radio him and was trying to catch a catnap under the truck
when I pulled up, so much for that nap. Johnny Anglin with
Wildlife Services arrived the same time I did. We left them
to their business about 30 min later. On my way home I found
a brand new calf in the same bunch of cows that the wolf had
been living with the past couple days. I took pictures of it
in case the calf showed up on a milk carton in the next day
or two. The cow was eating her afterbirth in the pictures so
she was doing her best to keep baby safe instinct is an
amazing thing. It was a big old baby too.
The wolf was shot this evening, the poor little old thing
was laid out on the tailgate. She had big feet, a big head
and big teeth and an extremely full belly. She did have a
really ugly unhealthy looking coat in my opinion for
something that had only come out of captivity a few weeks
earlier. It had done nothing but follow her own survival
instinct as successfully as possible. This was a dumb mistake
and a bad situation that didn't have to happen.
We all spent a week living and breathing this tragedy that
resulted in three dead calves, 3 wolf injured calves a bunch
of stressed out people one trapped wolf and one pathetic shot
wolf. It cost us a full week away from earning any income
milling and we are way behind, broke and extremely tired. It
cost Dan his peace of mind and taught him the hard way what
we have to deal with. Thankfully he retained his integrity in
spite of the mess and stress going on all around him.
Thank goodness it is over for now. However I know the
Francisco Pack will be re-released soon and am sure the same
set of problems on a larger scale will be imminent as soon as
that release takes place. Rereleasing habitual stock killers
is poor management and is only asking for trouble.
Unfortunately so many of the employees agree with the
environmentalists that the wolves should be out on the ground
no matter how many of our cows they kill so they just keep
using problem and habituated wolves in the program. When the
wolf kills too many cattle they just re-write their policy to
allow them to leave it out longer and hurt us ranchers more.
Update: June 5, Sherry Laney found a calf with a big bite
in it's behind the bite is 1 and \1/2\ inches, wolf width. It
is healing but mildly infected. I guess she wasn't so shy
over there after all.
June 2004.
A single wolf has been moving around 74 draw all month.
Matt found a small calf with his hind end totally mauled. We
already had his mother here at the house, that cow never ever
loses a calf so Matt had been looking for the calf, the calf
found him actually ran to him bawling for help. We cut away
the dead and infected flesh and found bites in all the same
places as last years calves, WS came out but they didn't do a
thorough job examining it. I was gone so nobody insisted on a
thorough job like I would have. I did it myself later. This
is a wolf attack the bites measure out and the injuries are
in the same place and there were wolf tracks.
People don't realize wolves are not efficient killers and
they aren't at all humane about what they do. They simply get
something down and start eating and the prey dies of shock
and blood loss. It is very difficult for someone who raises
livestock to see their hard work tortured to death in this
manner, especially the pregnant cows and the baby calves.
This wolf was inexperienced and the calf got away. He nearly
died of the infection though and weighed about 150 pounds
less than the other calves. I guess when he finally went to
the market he was considered a wolf friendly beef.
Summer 2005 wolf tracks up and down 74 draw again. Watching
all the cattle all the time no time for school or anything
else. Kristie got married in July so we are glad the wolves
didn't show up until after the wedding anyway. No kills that
we know of except to a bear which we were allowed to take
care of so that ended that problem.
October 2006.
At least two separate wolves moving in and out of the area.
These wolves do not have tracking collars. FWS will not
investigate. WS showed up and documented tracks so we can do
something if there is a kill. Nothing so far that we were
able to find just a lot of lost time and a huge amount of
fuel again. Bought two Pyreneese pups in September, we can't
afford to feed them but we have to do something progressive.
We have also purchased water rights and are going to the
huge expense of putting an irrigation system into the old
fields on this place so we can bring cows into the deeded
land if necessary and wolves get into them again. We have to
be able to defend our cattle and the rules only allow us to
do so if they are on deeded land.
We have also built kennels at a 4000 dollar cost that we
also cannot afford but we can't allow wolves to come into the
deeded land and kill our valuable cow dogs. We can't operate
in this rough country without them.
December 26, 2006.
Pyraneese puppies who are 5 months old now gone. The other
one is hiding under the porch and there are wolf tracks
everywhere. We had them penned up in the yard but they found
a way out. The kids are devastated. We looked everywhere but
the puppy is gone. The wolf just carried him off. All that
dog food we have in him wasted all those kid hugs and effort
just eaten up like it was nothing.
We will have to replace him, his brother can't be alone
with these animals around. I guess we just have to get used
to living with death and destruction and still we are
supposed to be happy people and living under the requirements
of the law. It is sickening.
2007.
June 11 on our way home from town we saw three wolves, one
had a collar but two did not. They were in Brian Carters cows
on the side of the road just about two miles from the Poverty
creek subdivision. They were just laying in the tall grass
with the cattle waiting for it to get a little darker. Matt
and I ran them off the cows and called
[[Page H7158]]
our neighbors to tell them the wolves were in the cows. It
didn't help, the next day we went over with our monitor and
there was no signal for the collared animal so he is probably
has a non functioning collar. This is a whole other pack FWS
do not believe exist.
Found wolf poop two different piles of it. One had calf
teeth in it. FWS never even bothered to come out or do
anything at all and there is no telling where these animals
are now.
Our closest neighbor Jack Diamond has the horse killing
aspen pack on him in his roughest pasture they are having
pups there and are now feeding his yearlings to the pups. I
went over and gave moral support while they confirmed the
first kill that the Diamonds were able to find. They are out
there every day but like I said it is rough country and they
won't know how many they lost until it is time to ship the
yearlings.
Nearly 2 year old heifer eaten alive at water tank on
Diamond's place. All three wolves involved only the male has
a strike towards removal. The rule doesn't say only one wolf
gets the strike. FWS are cheating the people out here of
proper and fair management to leave killer wolves out on the
ground.
May/June 07.
I once again have two sets of wolf tracks and no signal in
our cow pasture. I am watching the cattle like a hawk.
The Boy Scout camp has moved in and that seemed to have
driven the animals out for now. Now I am just worried sick
about the kids so I warned, mentioned is a better word the
wolves to the scoutmasters. How do you tell them that wolves
that attacked a dog in front of an 8 year old girl are here
within a half days walk of your camp. I didn't tell them all
that, didn't want them to feel uncomfortable out here. I want
them out here while it is still possible, within a year or
two, nobody will be comfortable camping out here with kids.
So I told them to come and use my phone for anything they
needed and I am checking in on them every day or two. It is
nerve wracking but they are making quite a bit of noise so
things should be ok.
We are exhausted and financially strapped from all the re-
vamping of our operation and we are demoralized by all the
un-collared wolves we are seeing and finding tracks for.
Mostly it is so disheartening that nobody even cares about
our neighbors and ourselves. That we are all going broke
supporting this program and those kids running it are getting
huge salaries and don't end up losing anything, ever. Why us
why is it our responsibility to shoulder this program's
foolishness? Why are we being allowed to go bankrupt? Why
can't I finish my college education? Why can't my youngest
daughter go off to school too? She feels like she needs to be
here to help us keep our home and help us keep our family
ranch in business.
My son never got to be raised at the creek playing with
minnows and frogs like his sisters did before wolves. He
hasn't gotten to ride with his dad hardly at all either, he
just turned 9 and his whole life has been affected by wolves.
At least our girls were able to be raised out here the way we
intended. Our son is locked into a yard and has to be watched
constantly.
I have to attend every single meeting I can scrape together
gas money for, and we can't afford to any more. But if we
don't go, FWS and the groups that support this program and
who get paychecks to go to these meetings will come up with
another plan to harm us further.
I pray every night that this program will go away, before
it is too late for us before it is too late for the game and
the whole country is too dangerous to live in the way it used
to be.
Sincerely
Laura.
____
March 14, 2007.
Subject: Grant County Farm and Livestock Bureau urging
support for a Grant County Commissioners' wolf management
resolution or ordinance.
Grant County Commissioners,
Grant County Administrative Center,
Silver City, NM.
On behalf of the Grant County Farm and Livestock Bureau,
this letter is written in support of Grant County
Commissioners passing a resolution or ordinance that will
uphold the Constitutional rights, insure citizens safety and
reduce the economic impact of the introduction of the Mexican
Grey wolf into Grant County.
As the Government closest to the people, the county is
obligated to take a stand on how the wolf introduction
project is operated within their jurisdiction so that the
following problems are overseen. Property rights
(compensation for any losses due to the wolves), safety for
human lives, public health concerns such as rabies, and to
insure that rural economic pursuits are not jeopardized.
Active participation of the county commissioners and county
law enforcement personnel with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the New Mexico Game and Fish Department is
absolutely necessary in order to manage the wolf
introductions and insure that Grant County citizens rights
are not violated. In the final analysis we feel very strongly
that there is no animal on this planet worth the life of a
single child. It is the right and responsibility of Grant
County Commissioners to insure that the lives of our children
are never at risk from wolves.
Sincerely,
John C. York,
President.
____
Wolf Sighting on the N Cross Ranch
On March 13, 2007, between 7:15 and 7:45 a.m., I Ryan
Jameson had a threatening encounter with several Mexican Grey
Wolves. I was working on the N Cross Ranch in Cliff, New
Mexico, and beginning to saddle a horse at our barn. All
seven of the horses were in the stalls, when suddenly they
began frantically snorting and stomping. I looked towards the
south and noticed that several objects were running due west,
approximately 150 to 200 yards away from the barn. As I
continued watching, I realized that the moving objects were a
pack of wolves! I was filled with fury as I watched these
ferocious animals sprint directly towards two of our bulls. I
knew that I had to take control immediately in order to not
only protect these two defenseless bulls, but also the other
twenty-two three- to six-year-old bulls in Pitt's Pasture. I
jumped on the four-wheeler, rushed up to my grandmother's
house, and got a means of protection. Then just as quickly as
I had come, I raced back towards the area in which I had
spotted the wolves. My goal was to run them off of our bulls
as quickly as possible. As I neared their location, I noticed
that five wolves were circling the two bulls. I decided to go
at them head on, which caused two of the predators to break
off. However, three of the wolves persisted and continued
circling. They did not break away until I was only about
twenty yards away. Two of the wolves then headed northwest
towards my grandparents' house. Luckily I was able to
redirect them towards the direction of the other three
wolves, after alarming them with my hollering and the four-
wheeler. Next the wolves went under a nearby fence, into
Pitt's Pasture. After dismounting from the four-wheeler, I
jumped over this same fence. This maneuver made me a barrier
between the five wolves and the bulls. At this point I was
only about ten to fifteen feet away from the dangerous pack,
and I realized that they all looked full as if they had just
come from a kill. I began shouting and waving my arms, and
slowly four of the wolves ran away. The fifth wolf lurked
behind the others; though, and he confidently stared right at
me. I stood my ground and continued creating a ruckus, which
caused the animal to trot in the same direction as the
others. The five wolves climbed to the top of a hill and
sprawled under a tree.
I knew that I should proceed by reporting the incident to
the officials; however, I did not want to lose contact with
the pack. I had to be sure that they did not cause any
further damage to our cattle. After riding the four-wheeler
back to my grandparents' house, I called my grandfather and
mother, inquiring about which officials I should call. They
informed me that they would make all of the necessary calls,
and I was instructed to watch the wolves very closely. We did
not want the wild animals to attack any of our cattle. The
wolves were close enough to my grandparents' house that I was
able to watch them from this location. This is exactly what I
did for about twenty minutes. During this time the wolves
were sniffing around and moving amongst the trees on the
hill. However, they then began to move out over the hill,
which prevented me from seeing them. I immediately got back
on the four-wheeler and raced to the top of the hill, in
order to be sure that the predators were not harassing or
harming any of the cattle in Pitt's Pasture. When I arrived
at the top of the hill, the wolves were only about fifteen to
twenty feet away and four of them were already circling three
bulls. I jumped off the four-wheeler and ran towards these
wolves. They eventually broke off and trotted away from the
scene. However, as I looked over my shoulder I noticed that
the fifth wolf was only about six feet away and was circling
me. The male wolf was in a crouching position and its hair
was standing on end. After it did about three-fourths of a
circle around me, I charged the wild animal. This seemed to
be my only choice as I was overwhelmed with fear for my life.
As soon as I began to charge, the wolf trotted off towards
the other four wolves. I ran to my four-wheeler, in hopes to
catch up with the pack. I wanted to see where they were
headed, but unfortunately I lost sight of them.
Two hours after this horrific incident, a plane flew over
our ranch in the exact direction that the wolf pack had run
off to. The plane made three to five tight circles above this
area. I was for certain that the person or people in the
plane were tracking the wolves, because I had seen a collar
on one of the wolves. I also believe that the other four
wolves wore collars as well. However, due to the emotional
intensity of the events, I was not focusing on specific
characteristics of the wolves or their collars. I was intent
on protecting our livestock!
Later in the day, about early to mid afternoon, a USDA
official, Pat Finch, came out to our ranch to investigate the
wolf incident. I took him to the location of the first
encounter with the wolves, which was nearby the barn. Mr.
Finch examined and measured the tracks. I recall these
measurements being roughly 4.5 inches long by 3.5 inches
wide. He then stated that the tracks were wolf tracks. At
this point I told him the unforgettable story that I have
recorded here. My family has yet to hear any further
information regarding the Mexican Grey Wolves.
[[Page H7159]]
There has not been a single government official contact us
since the day of our encounter with these threatening
animals, March 13, 2007.
Ryan T. Jameson.
____
Monday, June 4, 2007
From: Jim Taylor.
Subject: Wolf program cost.
We are involved in a small mother-cow operation, and
fortunately are fairly well removed from the areas wolves
have been introduced to. However, we did sight a pair on our
property (17 miles east of T or C, NM) and this sighting was
confirmed by our neighbors to the east of us and all the way
south to the Cutter area.
We reported this sighting to US fish and game--several
months later, one of their reps came by asking about the
sighting . . . as if they really cared. We attended one
``wolf meeting'' in T or C--hosted by fish and game I guess.
Forest Svc, State fish and game, US fish&game, and some more
reps from other govt agencies there. I did some rough,
unqualified math in my head in relation to what all these
talking heads with the govt agencies were making (salaries,
expenses, transportation, etc) then added what their
employees (field grunts) were making--then the cost of
equipment, feed, medicine, etc, then the scariest part--what
their bosses (the politicians, lobbies, and other general
carpet baggers) were milking us (the tax paying public) for.
I stated to the chair of that meeting that I surely didnt
begrudge anybody employment, but I felt our tax dollars--and
their educations, could certainly be put to better use than
feeding a bunch of wild dogs. Seemed pretty darn silly to be
messing with obsolete evolution while we have so many socio-
economic challenges in this country--(the homeless, the
hungry, the uninsured, just to scratch the surface). Instead
of feeding a wild dog, why not channel that money and all the
``brain power'' these wolf activists and their lackeys
control to a very evident and more worthwhile endeavor. I
dont like the tax burden I carry, but if I've got to pay
those taxes, I hate to see them squandered on the wolves.
From where I sit, the whole program stinks--I think it's
about how many dollars the carpet bagging activists can
garner, and the wolves are no more than a vehicle for them to
reach that end. And at the taxpayers expense.
I also believe the wolf program is a poorly masked assault
on the livestock industry and possibly even conspires to a
future land grab, as ranchers are forced out of business.
Sorry, but I cant find much nice to say about the program.
Jim Taylor,
Engle, NM.
____
Friday, June 15, 2007 12:46 p.m.
From: Micha Miller,
Subject: Letter about wolves
Dear Mr. Pearce: I am Micha Noel Miller the 13 year old
that has to carry a firearm when I go outside. We, my parents
& I, have had the Durango Pack (AF924 & AM 973) in our yard 5
time in the last 6 weeks. I hate the wolves in our yard
because I feel that I am trapped in my house! I love to ride
my horse & bike & walk around outside, for that I wish we
could get the wolves out permantly!
When we get home after dark my mom has to go feed our dogs
& cats because I'm scared to go outside even though I know
the wolves are 6 miles down the road & it doesn't make a
difference, I'm still afraid they are coming up behind me.
I'm tired of looking over my shoulder & being scared all the
time. Even carrying a firearm I'm still frightened of the
wolves when they come in my yard.
I have gone hunting with my dad alot. We have called in
coyotes & even a bear & I wasn't as scared as I was everytime
the wolves were in our yard. The coyotes & bears are more
scared of you & will run away, but the wolves will just keep
coming closer to you. They are not scared of humans!! I have
had a wolf within 40 yards of me & I was so scared I couldn't
move. My older sister, A.J., came out & scared the wolf off
finally.
I have nightmares about the wolves attacking my family &
our pets. The Wolf Program says you cannot shoot a wolf if it
attacking your pet on private property. I don't understand
how the wolf program expects people to stand by & let the
wolves kill their pets & not do anything to stop them. They
think the wolves are more important than anything else,
including a human life!
I wish there was someway you could get the wolf program to
remove the wolves. I just want to have a normal childhood
where I can go outside & play anytime I want without being
armed & worrying about wolves being in my yard.
Thank you for your help,
Micha Miller.
____
Friday, June 15, 2007 3:59 p.m.
Subject: Mexican Gray Wolf
I would like to share with you my out look on the Mexican
Gray Wolf. It makes me sick to see what damage this program
of Dumping the Wolf off here on the New Mexico and Arizona
border has done, I don't see how this got passed because
there is not but two people here in Reserve NM. that I have
talked to that would even consider this wrong doing, Why
didn't the people in the surrounding towns and Ranches get to
vote on this matter?
The Cost to the American people for this wrong doing is way
over its bounds when you want to give this matter some real
down home thought. . . . What were the Endangered Species Act
and The Defenders of Wildlife thinking Let alone our elected
officials doing? Thinking back that was about the time Bill
Clinton and Monica Lewinsky was spending too much time in the
oral office, What was all the other elected officials doing
at that time? Makes me wonder. When this Wolf matter should
of been the main topic, instead of watching our President
stand before America and lie like he did on television about
his affair with Monica.
What is going to be done about this Wolf Reintroduction
Program, that should be called Dumping the Wolf along the
NM./AZ. border. There was a lot more food for the Wolf a 100
yrs. ago and the Wolf didn't make it then, Why is it that the
Organizations that got the wolf dumped here now seem to have
over looked this part, are they going to bring back the
Buffalo that use to run on the ranges back to? The wolf is
going to need a large food source soon from the way I see
things, The wolf and all other predators are over taking what
use to be. The poison that use to keep the predators thinned
down is no longer used now and there should of been some
other means of taking care of this problem, Now the Wolf is
here eating and killing what few Deer there is left and the
Elk, What is going to happen when the Elk herds keep falling
off? Is that just OK because the Wolf needs to eat to. I feel
that the groups that wanted the Wolf here should make some
other means of feeding it, there use to be over 50,000 head
of sheep in the Gila National Forest surroundings and now
there is nowhere that amount, The Deer are all but gone as to
what use to be here even 10 yrs ago. Since the Organization's
of Organized Crime that got the Wolf Dumped off here along
the NM. AZ. border, Why don't they bring back the Dinosaur's,
Buffalo. I would rather see Charles Manson back cruising the
streets of LA. California. And Grizzly Bears in Time Square
NY. my self, it would keep crime rate down.
Any Way you want to look at this matter our country is not
doing good when a Group of people can dictate what goes on
here in the South West and not even live here, It is wrong.
Why don't they put the Wolf in there own back yard or keep
them in the pen next to where the Buffalo that use to Rome
here are being kept, and continue to hand feed the Wolf that
didn't make it 100 yrs ago and will not make it now, if you
look at this with common sense, the Wolf is going to run out
of food to eat!!! Then What?
Some people say that the Wolf wont attack humans well there
is a book out that will give you a different out look on this
matter it is called Wolves in Russia and you can get your
copy at www.wolvesinrussia.com <a href='http://www.wolvesinrussia.com/
'>http://www.wolvesinrussia.com/
</a> I'm very disappointed in how the Wolf Dumping went, and I
feel this matter is going to get a lot worse before it gets
any better, What do you think is going to happen when little
red riding hood or little johnny gets off the school bus and
gets attacked by the Big Bad Wolf on there way home from
school? then what do you think is going to happen, How long
is it going take for the American people that have to live
with this situation everyday and wake up some morning and
decide to take the Law into there own hands? What is going to
stop everybody that lives in surrounding towns to get
together and decide to open a wolf hunt and everyone go wolf
hunting?
How would you like to wake up and have Wolves around your
house all day waiting to attack the family pet/livestock,
When the Wolf gets hungry enough there is nothing going to
stop it from killing what ever it can to stay alive, That
could be a good time for all the Organizations and People
that wanted and got the Wolf here for them to go on a family
camping trip to see there first wolf in the wilderness and to
here there first wolf howl, they will have to get out from
behind there desk. I sure hope they bring plenty of dog food
and leave there guns at home, Just maybe they can have there
first hands on situation with a pack of Wolves and see how
they like the Ida then.
Gregory Scott.
____
From: Micha Miller.
Friday, June 15, 2007 12:46 p.m.
Subject: Letter about wolves
Dear Mr. Pearce: I am Micha Noel Miller the 13 year old
that has to carry a firearm when I go outside. We, my parents
and I, have had the Durango Pack (AF924 and AM 973) in our
yard 5 times in the last 6 weeks. I hate the wolves in our
yard because I feel that I am trapped in my house! I love to
ride my horse and bike and walk around outside, for that I
wish we could get the wolves out permanently!
When we get home after dark my mom has to go feed our dogs
and cats because I'm scared to go outside even though I know
the wolves are 6 miles down the road and it doesn't make a
difference, I'm still afraid they are coming up behind me.
I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and being scared all
the time. Even carrying a firearm I'm still frightened of the
wolves when they come in my yard.
I have gone hunting with my dad alot. We have called in
coyotes and even a bear and I wasn't as scared as I was
everytime the wolves were in our yard. The coyotes and bears
are more scared of you and will run away, but the wolves will
just keep coming closer to you. They are not scared of
humans!! I have had a wolf within 40 yards of me and I was so
scared I couldn't move. My
[[Page H7160]]
older sister, A.J., came out and scared the wolf off finally.
I have nightmares about the wolves attacking my family and
our pets. The Wolf Program says you cannot shoot a wolf if it
is attacking your pet on private property. I don't understand
how the wolf program expects people to stand by and let the
wolves kill their pets and not do anything to stop them. They
think the wolves are more important than anything else,
including a human life!
I wish there was someway you Mr. Pearce could get the wolf
program to remove the wolves. I just want to have a normal
childhood where I can go outside and play anytime I want
without being armed and worrying about wolves being in my
yard.
Thank you for your help.
Micha Miller.
____
Dear Sir: I am Samuel Montoya, a Viet Nam Veteran and a
life resident of New Mexico. I was born in Las Cruces, and
was brought up to enjoy the outdoors and the abundant hunting
privileges, shared by and with many generations of my family.
Since the wolf program has been active in our state, the
enjoyment of the outdoors has stopped; and our hunting has
become unsafe.
In 2006, myself and some friends were on an elk hunt in the
Gila, specifically units 16A and 16D. A total of 4 elk were
killed. Two of the hunters were my friends that came in to
hunt were from Indiana. They paid out of state license fees.
We were bow hunting and they stuck their elk in the evening
and lost the blood trail when it got dark. I told them we
would get up early and continue to track. Well, we found them
and a wolf was on them and had eaten over half the elk. I
ensured they tagged it which is in accordance with NM Game
and Fish laws. They went home paying the state $766.00 and
all their expenses getting here and then going home without
the elk they had killed.
I am also a landowner at Elk Springs. Is it sad that I
can't do anything to protect my property and pets, on my own
property, from the wolf. This is the policy of the Federal
and State Government. I have had wolves on my property and so
have other neighbors in the subdivision.
In reading our Constitution of the State of New Mexico,
Page 2, Article II. Bill of Rights Section 2-3-4, Popular
Sovereignty and Right of Self Government and Inherent Rights,
we no longer have these rights; they have been taken away
from us. The most important to me are sections 3 and 4. I
cannot govern what happens on my property with the wolf, and
in section 4, I cannot enjoy and defend my life and liberty
of acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and of
seeking and obtaining safety and happiness, as long as the
wolf is present.
Our game--elk, deer, etc., will no longer be what it is
today, due to the wolf. I don't know how our Federal
Government could bring the wolves into New Mexico and feed
them with our state game. The hunters have paid for our elk
population, by purchasing licenses. Our Game & Fish are
supposed to take care of our game, but are doing a bad job.
What I would like to see done is to give back the care of
our forest and game to the State Police, and get rid of our
NM Game & Fish. I think they have forgotten who pays for
their jobs. The wolves should be removed and relocated to
White Sands Missile Range, since there is no one living
there, and let the Federal Government fence them in and feed
them. This will allow us to get our rights back on our
property, and our freedom to walk in our back yard without
having fear of the wolf.
Thank you for listening and your assistance is appreciated.
Samuel E. Montoya.
____
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:44 a.m.
From: Laura Schneberger.
Subject: More kills on Durango not that it matters
Durango is howling all around the Garcia all night, a cow
was bawling like crazy so in the morning they went looking
and found the calf. They are examining it now. Probably will
be confirmed but then the female will be spared a strike and
she already has two of them. The male has none in the past
year that I know of, so he will get this strike and probably
the next two, then at the very end of the strike process,
they will finally admit there is a problem anywhere from 3-15
cows later and issue removal orders.
They have been killing all along it is big country though
and the cowboys are spread so darned thin. It really stinks
that they are responsible for 90% of wolf management or they
can just suck up the losses. I have no idea what FWS does
anymore other than pander to the Defenders of wildlife and
their pals and go to the bar in Alpine at night. Oh yes, they
go to meetings where they plot and plan on how to make sure
the people out here are impacted as badly as possible.
Ranchers can't afford to go not even to defend themselves
anymore we don't get per diem for the 3.50 a gallon gas and
if we leave the kills escalate and are found even less often.
So now the bites found on the calf are 35 mm, way to big to
be a coyote but not your normal wolf spread either. So
something is going on here that isn't very kosher. a small
female wolf can be about 35 mm but usually they are 38-42 and
the males a bit bigger. a large coyote is 28. The new WS guy
who wants to be friends with everyone is making noise about
putting this kill on coyotes. Even though the Durango were
there when it happened, the bites are all over the back of
the 250 pound calf. I have never seen a coyote kill a 250
pound calf, 100 is about the limit unless there are three or
four coyotes then maybe 150.
Someone needs to get the biological stats and specifically
the width of these released wolves teeth out to us. FWS knows
exactly how wide their teeth are but they sure won't offer
any information.
Just the latest in the ongoing saga.
Laura Schneberger,
Gila Livestock Growers Association.
____
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 1:26 p.m.
Subject: Wolf.
When we were hunting in the Gila last year we killed an elk
cow. We killed our cow went packing out our meat, took the
first of it out, came back for more. About 1 hour latter, the
wolves had been their and ate the rest of the meat. It is not
right we paid for the meat and the wolf gets it. It is harder
to get a permit now, because of the wolf. It is not fare. Way
do we have to bring them back?
Earl and Kathleen Hills.
____
Sunday, June 17, 2007 12:54 p.m.
Subject: Wolf problems from Ground zero.
Dear Congressman Pearce: My name is Preston Bates; I own
the N Bar Ranch and am permittee on the T Bar grazing
allotment on top of the mountains near Reserve, New Mexico. I
am ``Ground Zero'' of the Mexican Wolf recovery area. They
have literally destroyed my life and here is my story. I came
to Catron country in 1992 with a background of horses, cattle
and tourism. My goal was to start a guest ranch and breed
cattle and horses. I had no deep pockets but I had plenty of
determination and some good luck. I found the N Bar Ranch and
after some discussion with the absentee owners I leased it in
1994 later making a purchase in 1997.
I started on a shoestring, tents for accommodations, 40
head of old cows, and some rented horses. I grew up on the
east coast and I knew what people wanted in a western
vacation and I knew where they were coming from and how they
wanted to be treated. We were not the typical ``Dude'' ranch.
We found a small niche to fill by being a hands on, jump in,
get dirty, get real, working ranch.
The business took off, the tents became cabins, our cowherd
grew and developed with careful selection and purchase of
quality stock. The same with our horses, we bought good
horses and started breeding and training our own. By 2000 we
had over 300 guests per year, with a return guest rate of 73
percent while the industry average was 12 percent. At this
time I employed three people full time and three others for
summer help. I bought locally supporting the Reserve
community; between payroll and doing business locally I put
at least $150,000 annually back into Catron County.
Back when the wolf reintroduction program was first being
discussed and later when initially implemented I was probably
the most wolf tolerant rancher around. The reintroduction of
the Mexican wolf has been devastating to our lives in so many
ways.
Financially: I first started seeing wolves in 2000 on my
allotment and around my house. I suffered my first loss in
2000. As I am sure you are very aware the cooperation was
non-existent, as was the compensation. My calf crop started
showing significant reduction by 2002 and continued until
2005 dropping from an average of 82 percent to 49 percent. In
2005 at 49 percent my cow herd should have been at it's peak
of production as the average age of my cows was five years
old and I was running a ten to one ratio of cows to bulls. I
estimate in 2005 alone I suffered $50,000 in losses and even
with confirmed kill reports for both cattle and horses, I
have never been compensated one cent from Defenders of
Wildlife. They are quick to pay the people on the fringe of
the recovery for their own P.R. but are slow or don't pay
those of us at ground zero knowing it is a burden we cannot
bear long. D.O.W. should not be the ones responsible for the
compensation. This is a Federally funded program and congress
should be the ones making the payments for their decision to
fund this failing program.
I have a mortgage of $78,000 per year. From the beginning
my business plan called on the cattle to pay the mortgage and
the guest business to pay all other expenses and
improvements. By 1999 I had reached this goal. In 2005 with
the horrific losses I suffered the calf income would not meet
my mortgage. I had no other choice but to sell most of my
horses to cover the difference. As a result I could no longer
accommodate the ten guests per week. We could only take four
guests. I could not just go out and by some cheap horses and
expect to continue the safe, quality operation I had
established. So in just one year I lost 50K in income from
cattle and 60 percent of my future income. I have had to let
go all of my employees.
Management: I have the Luna pack on my range and they have
been here for years now, I also estimate I have 11 uncollard
wolves. I have had to change my management of my cattle to
attempt to reduce my losses. I now have to bring in all my
cows with calves to my private land and feed them through the
winter. This results in an additional feed expense of $4,000
to $6,000 per year plus the several hours a day spent feeding
and watering them, which takes away from other tasks. I also
now use a feed supplement on the open range for the other
cattle to attempt to control their movement thus making it a
bit easier to check my cattle daily in the 14,000 acre
pasture in which they winter. This supplement has cost me
$6,200 each year for the last three years. There is $12,000
new expenses directly caused by the wolves.
[[Page H7161]]
I also have to stay out in a camp during March and April
and make rounds at night during calving season. Camping out
this time of year at 8,000 ft elevation is not a lark. We
don't have nice camp trailers, ours have no heat or water and
at 50 years old it takes its toll. I continue living with my
cattle until late November, on average I stay in camp 250
nights a year. Staying out at camp and keeping my pastures
busy has helped with my losses, I have seen a gain in my calf
numbers but it has taken away the quality of life we once
enjoyed.
Safety
We have wolves around our house constantly. I don't mean
just a few times a year, it is rare we do not see them every
day. They have no fear of us. They have attacked horses in my
corrals 50 yards from my house. They have killed newborn
colts and injured young horses. They have spent days digging
up our horse cemetery just a couple hundred yards from the
house, eating years old carcasses. They are in the corrals
every night in the winter eating frozen cow manure. They sit
on the hill a hundred open yards from our house at noon and
bark at us when we are outside. Up close and personnel
encounters are common. I have had them in my camp during the
day, eye to eye at 15 feet being given a challenge. I have
been stalked for miles while horseback. One of my cowboys was
stalked as well. While changing a tire on the main forest
road I had one come up behind me without my knowing till I
turned around and he was so close I was able to throw a
handful of road gravel in his face. My 11-year-old son will
not nor will I let him go hiking or adventuring away from the
house and barns. No more playing in the woods near the house
building forts and doing things a kid should do. He is
emotionally and mentally held captive by the wolves. He has
seen up close the killing they do. He was with me when full
of excitement we went to see if the mare had foaled that
night only to find it half devoured. We can longer go for
walks with our dogs for fear the wolves will attack. My wife
won't walk or hike alone anymore even down the driveway. I
never use to carry a weapon. I do now even when doing chores
around the house. Weekly I have to fire off shots both day
and night when the wolves are just too close to the house. It
has gotten that they don't run until the third or forth shot
and often only go a few hundred yards. I have chased them a
foot yelling, tried cracker shells, whistlers, not much
scares them anymore they are use to it all. These are not
wild animals.
The difference between this wolf recovery effort and that
done in the northern Rocky Mountain States is they started
with wild wolves. These wolves here are human raised animals
that relate people to food and safety. That is why we see so
many more wolf/human interactions here than up north.
The management practices of the wolf recovery team put
public safety at the bottom of the list. They have allowed
wolves to den within a mile of the most recreated campground
and lake in the entire Gila national forest. They have signs
posted along the wilderness boundary about the wolves but
there are no wolves in the Wilderness area. They are all up
in the general forest area. There are no warning signs posted
in these areas where people camp concerning the wolves and
safety of pets and children. This is done to perpetuate the
commonly held idea that the wolves pose no public safety risk
if you don't go into their habitat. I talk to campers all the
time who have had wolves come into their camps and they never
even knew they were in wolf habitat.
These wolves will kill a child soon.
As I write this, my guest business is no longer operating I
had to sell the last of my horses. I am trying to hold on to
the place working 300 cows and 125 sections of land by myself
hoping I can sell it as a ranch before I have to subdivide my
private land, which would only cause more human/wolf
conflicts.
The Mexican wolf has destroyed everything I have worked for
years. I am the first to go down as a direct result of the
Mexican wolf introduction, I will not be the last unless
something is done to stop this program which will never work
but will cost many people in this community their livelihoods
before it is decided to have been a failed effort.
Thank you for all your efforts, for this we all commend
you.
Sincerely,
Preston Bates.
____
Beaverhead Ranch,
Winston, NM, May 2, 2007.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
Within the last two weeks Alpha Female 667 began to den in
Taylor Creek. Accompanying her is male 863 and female pup
1046. Our family owns a private parcel in the bottom of
Taylor Creek and like most homesteads it was established at a
permanent spring. The majority of property sits in the bottom
of the canyon and the water rises at the lower end of the
property. This spring is not only a source of water for
wildlife, but also for our livestock. It is the only source
of water in the bottom of the canyon within a 2 mile radius.
According to recent activity and wolf locations, we believe
the female may be denning on our private property or within
1/4 of a mile of our private property. In order for her and
the other two wolves to drink, they have to enter our private
property and cross directly in front of our house. Our recent
discovery of these wolves is of great concern to us. First,
uninformed and unaware of the locations of these wolves, we
moved yearlings to this exact pasture just one week ago. As
the canyon sits in the middle of this pasture, cattle use the
canyon as a crossing to get to each side as well as a funnel
to water on our private property. When we are grazing this
pasture we use our house there as a residence and a place to
keep our horses.
Shortly after releasing our cattle, a cow elk carcass was
found 25 yards from the house. Suspicious of the kill, we
returned with a radio collar tracking devise (on loan from
the USFWS) to track wolf locations. Before entering the
canyon we received strong locations on two of the wolves. As
we dropped off into the bottom of the canyon we spotted Male
863 on our private property. Investigating closer, we spotted
numerous tracks on and around the spring. We have spent the
last three days with our cattle to avoid any depredations.
With all of our time and resources concentrated in one area,
we have no time to tend to remaining cattle elsewhere on the
ranch also threatened by nearby wolves.
Our family has fully cooperated and maintained a working
relationship with the wolf program up to this point. We had
informed the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service when cattle were
turned out on our allotment. We have asked and were assured
that we would be informed of wolf locations on or near our
allotment. We do not understand why a collared wolf was
allowed to den so close or possibly on our private property.
Time is of the essence; a major problem is quickly
developing. We request that these wolves be immediately
removed before any livestock depredations occur. If possible,
we would like to request that a representative from the New
Mexico Department of Game and Fish assist us with a solution
to this problem. Our family ranch has been fully cooperative
and hopes that the right decisions are quickly made in this
matter.
Thank you for your prompt attention and action.
The Diamond Family.
____
Adobe Ranch,
NM Department of Game and Fish.
May 1, 2007.
We have lost 5 cows and 10 calves to wolves on the Adobe
Ranch since January 2007. These confirmed kill reports have
been sent to the Defenders of Wildlife and we have not
received payment for any of these depredations. No payment
has ever been received for any of our numerous 2006
depredations to date.
Currently there are 3 packs on the Adobe Ranch. The Durango
pack was within twenty feet of one of our cowboy's house all
night last night, May 1, 2007 confirmed by Wildlife Services.
We have lodged complaints with NM Dept. of Game & Fish
representatives and the Federal Fish & Wildlife Service
recovery team, and have received no response from either. The
recovery teams response on past complaints has been that they
have neither the time nor personnel to investigate these
incidents.
The situation with the wolves is getting way out of hand in
this area both financially and with habituated wolves hanging
around our houses. The loss of game and livestock in this
area will soon reach catastrophic levels. Your attention to
this matter is urgently requested
Thank You.
Gene,
Manager Adobe Ranch.
____
Los Lunas, New Mexico, February 6, 2007.
Dear Representative Pearce: There is a situation in Catron
County, New Mexico, involving many of the residents there,
their children, their horses, cattle and pets, and the
reintroduced Mexican grey wolves. It seems to be reaching
crisis status, and yet nothing is being done.
Apparently, while these wolves are protected by law so that
no one may harm them, they are also far too habituated to
humans and have no fear of approaching human dwellings and
properties. People are finding wolf droppings on their front
porches! They are watching while their dogs are being killed
by the pack, unable to lift a finger to stop the slaughter.
Cattle and horses are likewise being preyed upon, and in one
instance, a child was surrounded by the pack for several
minutes. Fortunately for everyone, in that case the wolves
eventually decided to leave, but it doesn't always end that
way.
I am a bona fide ``tree-hugger'', and have long been happy
to send letters, sign petitions and even donate money--when I
have any to spare!--in order to further the cause of wolves
being assisted in reclaiming much of their former
territories. I firmly believe that there must be a way for
all of us to share this planet and live our lives. Indeed, I
have learned enough about nature to understand that each
element is necessary for a healthy ecosystem, and devastating
``domino effects'' occur when one species is extirpated and
the balance is upset. But no one can argue that a wolf that
learns to view humans as non-threatening becomes a very grave
threat to humans and all other animals in our charge. For
quite some time now, the National Forest Service has made
huge efforts to educate the public about the dangers of bears
becoming relaxed about approaching human-inhabited areas
looking for food in garbage. It invariably results in someone
having to shoot the bear because it endangered human life. It
hardly needs a college degree to realize that wolves are
equally dangerous when they lose their natural shyness of
human, and certainly no one can
[[Page H7162]]
argue about their intelligence. This means you have a number
of smart, fearless and frighteningly capable predators
claiming areas as their own when people already live there.
Something needs to be done, and sooner than later. I cannot
express my dismay to think that my support of wolf protection
programs might have in any way helped this dreadful
circumstance come into being. I think if many of the Catron
County residents were asked, you would find that they are not
against a wolf reintroduction program, but clearly they
weren't expecting wolves who can't be bothered to stay away!
Domestic animals represent some easy kills, and we cannot
blame the wolves for making that choice. But waiting until
they attempt to take down a human is beyond irresponsible,
it's criminal.
I am hoping I can count on you to take some immediate
action on this urgent issue. The people responsible for the
wolves being released in Catron County aren't residents there
and don't have to live every day with the consequences, but
they simply cannot be allowed to let the situation continue.
I appreciate the time you have taken to read this letter.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Bailey.
____
Wolves on a Killing Spree Prompt County to Take Action
(By Lif Strand)
Catron County, New Mexico. Wolf incidents in Catron County
are on the rise and Catron County's Commissioners, who
declared an emergency situation in February, 2006, are now
determined to take firmer action to protect the citizens
here.
``These wolves are on a killing spree,'' said Catron County
Commission Chairman Ed Wehrheim recently. ``They killed a
horse on Whitewater Mesa just the other day, the second horse
in just one month.''
Wehrheim is gravely concerned because these are just more
incidents in what appears to him and the other Commissioners
to be a never-ending spiral of killings of animals that the
Commissioners feel will ultimately end with the attack by a
wolf on a human being.
The County passed the emergency declaration last year
primarily to put a halt to the economic devastation caused by
the presence of Mexican wolves which not only hunt wild game,
but also kill cattle, horses, dogs, cats and other domestic
animals.
Now it appears that the situation has become more than an
economic emergency and has escalated to a high level of risk
for human lives in Catron County.
At base is the problem that many of these wolves are
habituated to humans. This means that, unlike normal wild
animals, habituated wolves are unafraid to be around humans
and areas where humans spend time. It becomes more and more
difficult to haze away habituated wolves when they have their
sights set on an easy meal--which may be a family pet.
This is just what happened with the Miller family on their
Link Ranch in Catron County south of Wall Lake--not far from
a dude ranch where families with children vacation. Last
November, the Millers' 8 year old daughter went out to the
corral near the house to let the horses in to feed them
grain. Right in front of her, the alpha male of the Aspen
wolf pack attacked the family dog which had accompanied her
to the corral. The wolf was unfazed by the Millers' attempts
to chase it off the dog, which was only saved from death by
the fact that it was wearing a large collar. This was the
second attack on one of the Miller's dogs in just weeks.
Then, early in January, wolves trapped the Miller's
daughter's horse, Six, in the same horse pen, where Six had
run for safety. There was blood everywhere. If this was a
typical wolf kill, Six would have been torn apart and eaten
while still alive. Hopefully the Miller's daughter is unaware
of that fact. The wolves continue to stalk the rest of the
Miller horses, sometimes chasing them for miles.
``The horses are back at our house but so are the wolves,''
Mark Miller reported last week. ``As of this morning, the
wolves are all around the house and the horses are huddled in
a corner of our property.''
Miller went on to express his concern for his daughter's
emotional health, since at eight years old, she cannot help
but be aware that if her dogs can be attacked and her horse
killed, she might be the next victim. Any child would have
nightmares about that.
Miller and his wife are both walking around in nightmares
of their own, as are many ranchers and others who live in the
wolf reintroduction area. They all are anxious about the
safety of their families and their pets, and are facing tough
decisions about whether they should abandon their homes and
their livelihoods for somewhere else where predators have
more protections than humans. But, of course, who would buy a
home surrounded by wolves that would make you and your loved
ones prisoners inside?
Is this any way to live?
The Catron County Commissioners don't think so. They know
that in a killing frenzy a wolf can attack a person who
happened to be nearby. This is not the idle speculation by
wolf haters, but simple science. Sharks do it, hyenas do it,
so do wolves. The Miller's little girl could so easily have
been killed weeks before Six was.
There have been quite a few wolf killings of dogs, cats,
horses and other domestic animals in Catron County. While
many people often feel that losing some cattle is not too
much to pay for reintroduction of wolves in the forests of
the southwest, people who live here don't feel it is fair
that they should pay the price they are paying for this wolf
program. And it looks like the price is becoming more than
economic--it looks like it might become the blood of a child.
People from out of this area have little idea of what it is
like to be constantly anxious and fearful because of wolves.
Many don't believe that there really is a problem in Catron
County.
``When a wolf howls and you know it's threatening your
family, your livelihood, the whole custom and culture of
where you live, you don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling,''
said Charlie Gould, ranch manager from northern Catron
County.
The Catron County Commissioners agree, and they feel it is
time that they do something about it. The County has worked
hard with U.S. Wildlife Service and other agencies in charge
of the wolf program, but the Commission--and the people of
Catron County--believe they just aren't taken seriously when
they express their fears about the risks to human life from
so many non-wild, human-habituated wolves in the area. And
they don't want to wait for the death of a child to have
someone take them seriously.
The Commission, charged with protecting the health, safety
and welfare of the citizens of Catron County, will have
before them on Wednesday, February 7, an ordinance which lets
them exercise their police powers granted under New Mexico
State Statute, when there is a threat to human life. This
ordinance will allow the Commission to issue a ``Dispatch
Order'', an instruction issued by the Catron County
Commission for physical removal of a wolf by lethal means
from within the borders of the County by an authorized
individual. If the U.S. Wildlife Service doesn't do it, then
the Commission will, because the Catron County Commission is
taking this situation very seriously.
``I want to be somewhere where my kids are safe.'' Katy
Leist, rancher, mother. July 2006.
Paragon Foundation, Inc.,
Mesilla Park, NM, April 6, 2007.
Alfredo Montoya,
Chairman, New Mexico State Game Commission,
San Juan Pueblo, NM.
Dear Mr. Montoya: I am once again appealing to you and the
New Mexico State Game Commission to help me find some relief
for the people, all citizens and taxpayers of New Mexico, who
unfortunately live and work within the Blue Range Wolf
Recovery Area and are suffering the consequences of the
Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Program.
There is not one person who lives within the BRWRA that has
not been impacted by this wolf recovery program, the vast
majority of whom have been impacted negatively. I can assure
you that most people who live within the BRWRA have had their
fill of wolves and want this program to end now.
Further evidence of the disruption this incredible program
has created in the lives of hundreds of people, is not
necessary. You have seen and heard enough and are fully aware
of the dilemma these folks are forced to live with each and
every day.
Also, Mr. Montoya, every elk hunter I see is now starting
to see the impacts of the wolf program on the elk herd in the
Gila and, likewise, wants the program to end today. Dr.
Thompson may tell you otherwise, but people who live and work
in the Gila National Forest are seeing a severe decline in
the numbers of elk throughout the forest. I do not need to
remind the commission of the huge economic benefits the' elk
hunting industry brings to the state at many levels.
We know the wolves are killing lots of elk. I spoke to one
property owner in the Gila who counted over 100 elk carcasses
in the area he hunted in last fall and another saw 17. A
rancher on the northern edge of the Gila has seen an 80
percent decline in the numbers of elk that he normally will
see on the ranch. He also told me that he sees lots of elk
carcasses and he's sure they were killed by wolves. He also
believes that for every elk that is killed by wolves, four or
five vacate the area and move to the north. So, if that is
the case, then the elk herd is being reduced by 4 to 5 elk
for every one that is killed by wolves.
Another rancher told me that when a pack of wolves moves
into an area that is inhabited by elk, as soon as the wolves
apply depredation pressure, the elk will move out of the area
and it is not unusual for them to travel 20 to 50 miles to
get away from the wolves.
So, in order to try and confirm this movement of elk out of
the Gila, I called two ranchers in the Grants/Gallup area. I
asked first if they knew of any wolves in that region of the
state and they told me that they had not heard of any. I then
asked them what the situation was with the elk numbers in
that area. They both said that the elk numbers were
increasing and that there were a lot of elk in the region.
Both ranchers told me that the elk were putting a huge
amount of grazing pressure on the available forage in the
region and that the Forest Service was trying to reduce
livestock numbers on grazing allotments to compensate. This
might be fine if the Forest Service were willing to
compensate the ranchers for the lost production, but we all
know that is not going to happen. This is the
[[Page H7163]]
same scenario that the ranchers in the Lincoln National
Forest are struggling with too many elk competing with
livestock for the available forage in the region.
The Forest Service sure doesn't have a problem forcing
ranchers to reduce livestock numbers but won't hold the
Department of Game and Fish to the same standard. If the
Forest Service was truly interested in protecting the
resources, then they should hold the Game Department to the
same standard as they do the ranchers who own the grass.
Anyway, my point is, the wolves are applying so much
pressure on the elk herds in the Gila, and aside from the elk
they kill, they are causing elk to move completely out of the
Gila and into other areas to the north. There is no other
direction for them to go.
So now what happens as the elk numbers decline in the Gila?
What will replace the elk as a primary prey base for wolves?
There are no deer. The only thing left will be the livestock.
Cattle are being killed on a fairly regular basis anyway and
will continue to be at risk. Horses are extremely vulnerable
because they respect fences and cannot leave the country like
the elk can. Is this part of the plan?
The wolves have had 10 years to reach some kind of
acceptable balance and get established in the Gila. They're
not even close. I offer to you that it is not within reach.
An acceptable balance of wolves, prey base and people in the
BRWRA is impossible and the program is already a dismal
failure.
At what point will, whoever is in charge of this program
(I'm not sure any of us know), say: ``OK. I guess that's
enough . . .this ain't gonna work''.
Where is that sacrificial threshold? Will it be when a
child is lost? Or maybe it's more than one.
All I'm asking for is honesty. What do the people you have
sworn to serve, have to do to end this unbelievable
injustice? Just tell us the truth.
Thank you for your time.
Joe Delk.
____
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 7:44 p.m.
From: Kim Tricky.
Subject: wolf incident
Dear Congressman Pearce: Here are a few wolf encounters we
have experienced first hand here on the H-V ranch. The ranch
straddles the Arizona/New Mexico line with the bulk of the
ranch in Catron County. The first incident is about a large
domesticated wolf that wandered into the ranch. This happened
about three years ago.
It was a very LARGE wolf, but obviously domesticated. Macky
saw him drinking out of the horse water trough and watched
him for quite awhile trying to decide what to do. The wolf
showed no fear but was not threatening at all--just very
thirsty. It then sort of followed him to the front of the
corral and went chest deep into to duck pond where it
continued to drink. When it came out of the water Macky threw
a loop made of baling twine around its neck and tried to lead
it to the trailer--it didn't lead very well, so was sort of a
half-lead and half-drag kind of deal. He had to lift it into
the trailer (yes, he really is that crazy!). We called the
wolf people and J Brad Miller, who called me back. I told him
the animal was obviously someone's pet, and absolutely
huge!!! Very wolf looking with no decernable dog traits. He
couldn't believe the size of the wolf when he came to pick it
up--He said it was a timber wolf-- like from Canada! They did
take it in and do the DNA tests and the last I heard some
lady came and claimed him. I'm sure someone had turned him
out and he was looking for someone to take him home! He
appeared to be older and had calluses on his elbows like he
had been laying on concrete for quite a while. We have had
several other wolf/dog episodes here around our house-- all
have proven to be hybrids turned loose.
Another episode was when we had three large black wolves
hanging around our corral on the hill. We had several cattle
in the corral and they were acting aggressive towards Macky
when he showed up. He scared them off and called the Game and
Fish. They determined that they were hybrids and tried to
trap them but were unsuccessful and finally were able to
shoot them. We lost a good cowdog the night before Macky saw
these wolves. My son had left him out of the pen overnight
and he simply disappeared. We never saw any sign of him
afterwards.
The third event happened last summer in August. The San
Mateo pack had been on our allotment since their release in
March. They had killed a calf in one of our upper pastures
(which was documented by the game and fish) but the calf
belonged to a neighbor, not us. Then they were suspected in a
couple of killings on the Arizona side of the line above our
house. We noticed one of our good ranch geldings did not come
in with the other horses and went to investigate. We found
him dead and pretty decomposed and eaten out. Macky looked at
his legs for signs of predation but could not tell anything,
and because he was my son's horse and my son was very
distraught over the death (at the time we assumed maybe he
had been hit be lightning or something) that we buried him
with the backhoe. The next day when Macky went out to catch
one of the younger horses to work with him he discovered
wounds and bite marks all over him. We called Game and Fish
and they confirmed a wolf attack on this two year old
thoroughbred colt (grandson of Seattle Slew). The colt has
since recovered, but is very frightened of dogs now. We
strongly suspect the other horse had been run and killed by
the wolves also.
The second spring after the wolves were released we
received a call from the Game and Fish about one collared
wolf and two uncollared wolves jumping up and running calves
in the Spur Lake Basin. They had tried to chase them off the
calves with the plane and had called Macky to report. We then
rode everyday over there with a USGF person looking for
possible kills. All we ever found were tight bagged cows
missing their calves. We would often see a cow ready to calve
and the next day see her again without a calf and obviously
tight bagged and bawling for the calf. When we gathered this
pasture to brand we noticed we were at least 20 calves short
of what we would normally expect to gather. These cows were
all preg tested in the Fall and pregnant at the time they
were turned out to this pasture.
____
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 1:48 p.m.
From: Mary Macnab.
Subject: Attacking the people--The Mexican wolf
This area has been inhabited for thousands of years and is
still laced with living communities. The landscape has
absolutely no ``core'' peopless area for wolves to recover
in. Respected wolf biologists Ed Bangs and Stewart Brecht of
the No. Rocky. Mt Wolf Recovery have recognized this and
stated that it can never work here. The wolves were dumped
right on top of us. Not ``over there'' or ``beside'', but
right on top of our backyards, towns, communities, children,
schools and the sensitive grazing/calving areas that support
the small family ranches which form the basis for our
regional, sustainable and generational economy here.
I am especially disturbed by the callous lack of concern
the involved government functionaries have regarding
incidents where wolves stalk and circle our children in the
woods, in their yards, and walking home from school. One
county is seeking funds for wolf-proof cages so children can
wait for the schoolbus in relative safety. Small children
cannot be let out of sight, even in their back yard, as many
incidents of ``prey testing'' (staring at, stalking/
following, showing no fear) have been experienced here,
especially with children. Children old enough to venture out
on their own and all others, to be safe, must carry a firearm
when leaving home.
This unconscionable situation of irresponsible lawlessness
in complete lack of respect for our foundational legal
protections for safety, happiness, and right to protect
private property have been thrown out the window in favor of
alien agendas contrary to all the participating officials
oath of office which (state and federal) upholds the most
important and supreme duty--the protection of the rights of
the people. ANYONE AWARE OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY OCCURING HERE
SHOULD BE VERY ALARMED! This percedent of callous
governmental disregard for the welfare of the people in favor
of an agenda which is alien and extremely dangerous to them
does not bode well for anyone's future in the United states.
Such careless disregard can destroy our communities, our
families, our economies, our whole world.
The ``pogrom'' personnel, whilst receiving their relatively
posh paychecks are flagrantly and regularly breaking federal
law in the form the rules and regulations supposedly
governing this program especially regarding the safety of the
people and their livelihoods--many illegalities are protected
by cover-ups. This is a program with no where to go but
cultural genocide (by wolves/land torpedoes) or, mercifully,
away.
I recently witnessed a dangerous dog attack another's pet
in an urban area. Witnessed by several people, the response
was immediate and loud. That dangerous animal ``should not be
out where it could threaten'' others or their pets. One man
said that if that dog ever threatened him or his dog ``it
would be dead''. It was quite obvious that these urbanites
would broke no dangerous animals ranging their and their
pets' territory.
Here in pogromland we have no recourse. Cattle on the range
are fair game unless you see the wolf attack which almost
never happens. Compensation is a joke. Children can be
stalked and monitored by known dangerous wolves daily with no
real legal recourse to protect their safety until the wolf
``touches'' (read attacks) the child's body. One bite of
these powerfully jawed animals can break the leg of a 1,200
lb. elk in half. Reporting incidents is fruitless as these
are downplayed to nonexistance to make the pogrom look good
to the higher-ups and the masses.
All is skewed or covered-up, by massive public information
campaigns with the actual ground zero reality carefully
censored. To these truly misinformed urbanites these
perception development operations make the pogrom seem not
only palatable, but charismatically desirable. This leads to
the ``public support'' so often used as the pogrom's
justification for existance.
THERE ARE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN DUMPING KILLER
PREDATORS IN PEOPLE'S YARDS AND COMMANDEERING AIRPLANES AND
FLYING THEM INTO BUILDINGS. In both cases the targets are
people, not government.
These federal functionaries who illegally and/or unsafely
dump killer predators are not attacking the U.S. government.
They are attacking average citizens in our homes and on our
properties.
Will you appeal to the Department of Justice to explain why
cover-ups and the breaking of federal law and rules leading
to illegal
[[Page H7164]]
predator dumping is not terrorism, and why they are shirking
their duty? Will you please prevail upon the U.S. Attorney to
explain to the world why planned and deliberate acts of
terror directed against the people are of no concern to his
office, if indeed this is the case?
Sincerely,
Mary Macnab,
Blue, AZ.
____
June 5, 2007.
Mr. Pearce: Here is our testimony regarding the Mexican
Wolf problem up to 2006. Since the beginning of 2007 we have
had another confirmed Cow kill along with her missing calf.
Our ranch is for sale now as we cannot sustain such financial
losses. Hope this will help.
Thanks for your efforts.
Narrative Statement of Our Claims, March 2, 2006:
The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) wolf management
program and actions adversely affect our civil rights and
property rights and investment-backed expectations and way of
life. We describe, below, the destruction of our property
rights, disregard for our rights and privileges and the
significant negative stress on our family.
In April of 2004, after many years of hard work and
planning we were at last able to purchase our life long
dream, a small business of our own, the Deadman Allotment we
call it the V Bar Ranch. In the Fall of '04 we started
finding lots of wolf tracks up and down the north fork of
Negrito in the area where our cattle were watering. This was
a concern to us as we had over $50,000.00 worth of cattle
inventory, and the future for our new business depended on
that inventory of cows and bulls. We soon found out that the
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Mexican Wolf Blue Range
Reintroduction Projects (MWBRR), San Francisco Wolf Pack was
in our area. The pack was causing much havoc on our
neighbors, the Blairs, Rainey Mesa, Y-Canyon, N Bar, and the
Tackman Ranches, and now we too were experiencing the same
problems. To add to everyone's wolf problems, in the early
part of 2005, the USFWS Wolf People re-released the Ring Pack
back into our area. (Note: the pack had been removed 365 days
earlier because of livestock depradation.) Ring female was
pregnant and ready to have her pups, in which she denned up
in our Eagle Peak Pasture to have them. These factors set the
stage for the disastrous spring of 2005.
In March of '05 we found 5 dead cows within a one mile
radius. Three of those cows were wolf kills, but we were
unable to have them confirmed because by the time we found
the carcasses in our rough terrain, they were too dry and
eaten up to verify wolf teeth marks. We went on the topical
evidence, wolf tracks, wolf scat, area, and position of where
and how the cow was laying. It was a positive of the three
out of five cows. So, there was $3600.00 worth of livestock
down the tubes, not to mention the $1500.00 worth of calves
the cows would have raised that summer.
As we continued into the spring of '05 the wolf situation
got worse. The Y Canyon Ranch had their cattle in the Collins
Park Pasture which neighbors our Collins Park holding
pasture. All of the Collins Park area is easy open landscape.
It is because of the topography of the area that our
neighbors were finding wolf kill after wolf kill in their
cattle in which were confirmed wolf kills by the USDA Animal
& Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Meanwhile all we
were finding in our Eagle Peak Pasture (very rough terrain)
was wolftracks, wolf scat with cow hair in it, and about six
tight bagged cows minus their calves. Another $3,000.00 worth
of calves lost. Adding all the topical signs up we knew what
was taking place; our new business's assets were literally
being eaten up by the wolves.
As we started gathering the cattle off the mountain into
our Collins Park holding Pasture to brand and vaccinate the
calves, we were very nervous about moving them down to where
even more slaughter was taking place. So we were working as
fast as we could. After gathering everything we came up seven
cows short, and that was not counting the five cow carcasses
we had found in early March. So, that added another $4,600.00
more to our losses thus far.
In mid June branding day at the Collins Park Corrals
revealed that we had sixteen calves to brand out of 91 cows.
Out of those 16 calves there were four that were injured. So
we caught 2 of the calves and had Richard Grabbe with APHIS
(Note: APHIS works hand in hand with USFWS Wolf Project)
inspect the calves with us. Our suspicions were confirmed,
there were indeed wolf bites and abrasions on the calves. Mr.
Grabbe wrote a report on one of the calves as to confirming a
non lethal wolf attack. So, here we were with 4 gimpy calves,
two of which never fully recovered from their injuries,
costing us another $800.00. (Note: understandably cattle
buyers do not like to buy crippled livestock.)
During our spring `05 round up time, the USFWS Wolf people
had taken out (Captured, and removed, not killed) the female
and one yearling pup of the San Francisco Pack thinking this
would relieve the livestock massacres taking place in our
area. (Much to their (USFWS) dismay, the killings did not
stop.) Simultaneously, the USFWS Wolf People were trying to
catch the Ring Pack Male, so we figured if the Wolf Project
Folks would do that it would break up the killer packs even
more and perhaps we would see some relief in sight from the
livestock losses. Unfortunately, when John Oakleaf (the Wolf
Project field team leader) was asked what their plan was when
they caught the Ring Male, he told us that the male Rings
radio collar was not working and that they would re-collar
the animal and turn him loose. That's when we decided to
remove our 16 cow/calf pairs in an effort to save what calf
crop we had left. This was a hard decision to make because we
had such good feed and water right there on our own little V
Bar Ranch, after all that's what we bought it for. The extra
cost of a hauling expense and pasture rent of around $1500.00
seemed ridiculous, but we felt we had to salvage what we
could.
The pasture we moved our cattle to was on the F Bar D
Ranch, 20 miles away, out of the Wolf Recovery area. It is
owned by our employer, Frank DalMolin. (We hold this job in
order to add income for improvements to our V Bar Ranch, so
that when we retire our small business would be up and
running.) Our safe pasture was to be short lived. Not even
one week later after our cows were barely settled into their
new pasture on the F Bar D, we found a F Bar D calf killed by
a wolf less than 250 yards away from the livestock drinker.
We were shocked, as the wolf people assured us when we
reported to them, that the lone wolf sighted, was a scavenger
and not a livestock killer and was probably just passing
through. The wolfs number was 859, and he stayed, killed, and
he dined on an F Bar D calf Here was a wolf in the private
land sector, out of the recovery range, killing. A loss to
our employer of around $700.00. Wolf #859 was trapped that
night off the kill and promptly removed, but only to be re-
released in the very near future, the spring of 2006. We now
realize, that not only the businesses inside the wolf
recovery areas are being destroyed but we were seeing what
the future would hold for other businesses outside the MWBRR
project areas. All businesses in our rural areas will be
destroyed by this Wolf Project, because every business in a
rural area upholds one another financially. It will indeed
have a dominoe effect.
In January of 2006 at our V Bar Ranch (Deadman Allotment),
we started the year off with a fat full grown cow (probably
heavy bred), found dead, stretched out across a boulder,
about 50 yards from our lick tub. It was a confirmed wolf
kill costing us yet another $1500.00. Mr. Grabbe with APHIS
set a trap and caught an uncollared male wolf. The MWBRR
Project protocol was to collar the wolf and turn the thief
loose to go about his wolfly business of killing. The newly
collared #1008 wolf was now on record. Since then we have
found the leg bone of a calf, 2 crippled calves, 1 crippled
bull, and 2 tight bagged cows missing their calves. Estimated
cost at this time is around $3700.00.
With the new year starting off with more wolf depradation
we are reminded of what John Oakleaf, field personel with the
MWBRR Project told us, he said, according to his studies from
the wolf project in Idaho, for every wolf kill you find,
there are 8 more that you are not finding. With this in mind,
we realize our small business cannot sustain such financial
losses and we will be put out of business by the Mexican Wolf
Blue Range Reintroduction Project. We have spoken with a
realtor about selling the ranch and were told that because of
wolf problem we would not be able to market our place as a
viable working ranch. So, all we are left with is the 115
acres of private land worth an estimated $115,000.00. This
would leave us well over $140,000.00 short of our investment.
It would seem like a small amount for a lot of people, but to
us, this was our life savings and dream eaten up by the
Mexican Wolf Blue Range Recovery Project.
In conclusion, the Mexican wolf introduction will make it
impossible for us to stay in business, to cover our
operational expenses into the next year, and it would
significantly restrict our ability to get loans. Unless there
is immediate relief from the actions by the FWS. We are being
denied our basic rights and liberties, including restraint of
trade and denial of pursuit of happiness.
Submitted by,
Jim and Sherri Haught,
V Bar Ranch (Deadman Allotment) Owners.
____
Dobson Family Farms,
Sheep Springs Sheep Co.,
June 5, 2007.
Hon. Steve Pearce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Pearce: I recently received an email
that was forwarded us from Laura Schneberger, Winston, NM. In
the email, Laura asked for testimony on experiences related
to the Mexican Wolf Program. As an Arizona neighbor, we are
facing the same problems. I hope this letter and accompanying
documentation will help you in your battle to set things
right.
On April 30th of this year, I visited Washington DC and was
able to meet with most of the Arizona legislators and discuss
several topics of concern with regard to the agriculture and
livestock issues facing our family business operation. Among
these topics of conversation was the reintroduction of the
Mexican wolf into Arizona and New Mexico.
As I told the Arizona delegation, I firmly believe the
money being spent on this endeavor is not only a waste of
taxpayer's dollars, but will in fact make it impossible for
future generations to make a living raising livestock on the
forest grazing permits. I am 68 years old. It is my intention
to turn my livestock operation over to the 4th generation of
the Dobson family. However, if things continue as they are
now, the 4th generation
[[Page H7165]]
of Dobsons will no longer be able to raise livestock. Wolves
are currently being reintroduced into areas less than \3/4\
of a mile from our private property. Cattle and sheep graze
on this property during the summer in our breeding season.
The wolves, if they are allowed to attack and kill our
livestock, will prevent us from having a normal breeding
season.
Enclosed is a current report from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service who confirmed a sheep kill by a Mexican Wolf
on our private property. This is what we are up against if
the wolves are allowed to remain in the area.
I have just this week sent this information to each of the
Arizona delegates and welcome your support in helping to
remove these wolves from our forest grazing permit. My family
and I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter and
offer any assistance that we can provide to help you in New
Mexico.
Respectively submitted,
Dwayne E. Dobson,
Sheep Springs Sheep Co.,
Dobson and Dobson Livestock.
____
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 9:30 A.M.
Subject: FW: What has the wolf program cost you?
Monday, June 04, 2007 5:32 P.M.
Subject: Fwd: What has the wolf program cost you?
Arizona needs to pitch in and tell our story too! Pass this
to your friends and neighbors who have been effected.
Send a letter, your testimonial. Thanks, your true story is
needed.
Darcy Ely,
Four Drag Ranch @ Eagle Creek.
From: Laura
To: Laura
Mon, 4 Jun 2007 8: 17 a.m.
Subject: What has the wolf program cost you?
All, If you have had Mexican wolf experience, whether it is
related to livestock, recreation, personnel, or anything
relating to your home life or your children's and your own
well being, please write it out and send it via email or
snail mail or fax, to Tim Charters at the above address. This
Must be done within the next two weeks.
Congressman Pearce is collecting actual incidents that have
caused people to be affected by Mexican wolf program problems
in their day to day lives. This program and it's managers are
adept at sweeping things under the rug and downplaying the
seriousness of the problems on the ground. Therefore, Your
testimony is needed at the congressional level. Congressman
Pearce wants a stack of letters to support his actions.
This is something that you can also help your neighbor do,
if your neighbors don't have internet, please please print
this and take it to them. Also, I have a lot of addresses,
but not every address of folks who have been impacted by this
program, so please call your neighbors and let them know
about this effort.
It is vital that this is done and the hundreds of incidents
and wolf problems are in the congressman's hands as soon as
possible. Even if you have written it all out before, please
do it one more time. If you have any questions please contact
me.
Laura Schneberger,
Gila Livestock Growers Association.
____
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 1:45 P.M.
From: Mary Macnab.
Subject: Mexican wolf crises.
Dear Congressman Pearce: This wolf program will affect
every person in this country whether they have livestock,
hunt, or like to hike in the woods or not as it is yet
another illegal, treasonous act by a corrupt government
designed to dispossess the citizens of their property and
turn them into a nation of helpless victims.
Supposedly we don't live in a country where the government
can do this to people. This country has a constitution which
is sacred and the highest law of the land and cannot be
violated without committing treason, the highest crime of a
civil nature of which one can be guilty. The Constitution
simply does not allow majority rule over the constitutionally
protected rights of others. This is the main point I wish to
make although the wolf (dog) program has affected people in
Catron County in many ways.
We are watching our communities and our culture die. At
public meetings we see first hand the looks of glee on the
faces of the evil fascists who are perpetrating this
destruction.
This all takes us back to the dark ages when people were
constantly under siege.
Children are afraid to walk home from their bus stops.
Parents must now see that they are safely attended and safely
escorted both going and coming.
What happened to our safety, peace, prosperity? This is
oppression! A war on the people!
Sincerely,
Tom Macnab
Catron County, NM.
____
Monday, June 04, 2007 1:21 PM
From: Jim Taylor.
Subject: wolf program cost.
We are involved in a small mother-cow operation, and
fortunately are fairly well removed from the areas wolves
have been introduced to-however-we did sight a pair on our
property (17 miles east of T or C, NM) and this sighting was
confirmed by our neighbors to the east of us and all the way
south to the Cutter area.
We reported this sighting to US fish and game--several
months later, one of their reps came by asking about the
sighting . . . as if they really cared. We attended one
``wolf meeting'' in T or C--hosted by fish and game I guess.
Forest Svc, State fish and game, US fish&game, and some more
reps from other govt agencies there. I did some rough,
unqualified math in my head in relation to what all these
talking heads with the govt agencies were making (salaries,
expenses, transportation, etc) then added what their
employees (field grunts) were making--then the cost of
equipment, feed, medicine, etc, then the scariest part--what
their bosses (the politicians, lobbies, and other general
carpet baggers) were milking us (the tax paying public) for.
I stated to the chair of that meeting that I surely didn't
begrudge anybody employment, but I felt our tax dollars--and
their educations, could certainly be put to better use than
feeding a bunch of wild dogs. Seemed pretty darn silly to be
messing with obsolete evolution while we have so many socio-
economic challenges in this country--(the homeless, the
hungry, the uninsured, just to scratch the surface). Instead
of feeding a wild dog, why not channel that money and all the
``brain power'' these wolf activists and their lackeys
control to a very evident and more worthwhile endeavor. I
don't like the tax burden I carry, but if I've got to pay
those taxes, I hate to see them squandered on the wolves.
From where I sit, the whole program stinks--I think it's
about how many dollars the carpet bagging activists can
garner, and the wolves are no more than a vehicle for them to
reach that end. AND AT THE TAXPAYERS EXPENSE. I also believe
the wolf program is a poorly masked assault on the livestock
industry and possibly even conspires to a future land grab,
as ranchers are forced out of business. Sorry, but I cant
find much nice to say about the program.
Jim Taylor,
Engle, NM.
____
Monday, June 04, 2007 12:49 PM
From: Frank Morris.
Subject: The wolf in the yard.
Sir: In 2005 I suffered a broken ankle and was home in a
cast. (No dramatic story here, I just fell over) on a March
morning at approximately 10 a.m. I heard both of my dogs
(ACDs) barking furiously on the front porch. struggling from
my chair I opened the front door. There, not ten yards away
was a Mexican wolf looking directly at me. The dogs nearly
knocked me over getting into the house. The wolf looked at me
for a full thirty seconds before turning and trotting away
absolutely unconcerned. The animal was a full grown adult
male and did not appear to be collared. It was in fact a
wolf, not a coyote. I know this not only from my observation
but also from my dogs reaction, typicly they run a single
coyote off the place.
I live far outside the ``Wolf study area'' at the very
southern most point of the Gila approx. 7/10 of a mile north
of hwy.152 @ MM10 bordering Nat. Forest.
Frank ``Two Jump'' Morris,
Hanover, NM.
____
Monday, June 04, 2007 2:23 PM
Subject: Point of Cattle on San Carlos Apache Reservation.
Dear Sir: We reported in the recent review that our cost
estimate on losses has been over $300,000.00 in cattle lost.
This was several years ago and just recently, we have reports
of 2 more cattle being killed by wolves. This has been
reported to FWS and hopefully we can get compensated for
these losses. Our reservation has 82% unemployment rate. Many
people do not work and Apaches have a host of social problems
from this cycle of poverty that we are in and the economic
harm caused by wolves eating our cattle herd compounds the
problem to a dispossessed people. Here an animal, through
federal policy, disposses us of income and causes economic
deprivation to Apaches on the reservation.
Thanks,
Steve M. Titla,
Globe, AZ.
____
Friday, June 8, 2007.
From: jwolkins.
Subject: The Wolf Program.
To Representative Stevan Pearce: We understand that you are
collecting incidents where citizens have encountered wolves,
since the reintroduction of the wolves into the Arizona-New
Mexico border area. We are ranchers on the Blue River, just
over the state line (Az. side). Since the outset of the
program, we have lost one pet dog to the wolves. However, we
have had several other unpleasant episodes with the wolves.
With the dog, it dragged into the yard with puncture wounds
in the hip and leg. The evening before there had been 3
wolves in our meadow by our barn. When I took the dog to the
vet, Dr. Duncan, he said the wounds were consistent with a
large canine attack. The dog had to be put down, but later
John Oakleaf (with the wolf program) went to look at the dog
and said it looked like it had been hit by a car! The dog had
no access to the highway so we knew that didn't happen! This
is how the wolf personnel always respond when a wolf is
implicated. We had the wolves chase our cows and calves in
the same meadow, but we always drove them off. Later, we
moved to a different ranch on the Blue River (partly because
of the wolf problems). At this ranch, all our cattle are
right near us and not on Public lands. So when the
[[Page H7166]]
wolves were dropped into the Blue and immediately started
attacking home-owners' dogs, etc. we knew we would soon have
them at the back door. Sure enough, three of them came and
tried to attack two of our dogs through the fence. Once
again, we drove them away, but now the fear is always there,
that the wolves will be back. The Aspen pack terrorized our
close-knit community for weeks, but the wolf program still
insists that they want to put 100 more wolves into the Blue.
There is no prey base here for the wolves, except cattle,
horses, pets and people. I have followed this program from
its very beginnings, and know that millions and millions of
taxpayer dollars have been spent, and to date, there are no
more than 2 or 3 breeding pairs. In my estimation it has been
a total failure, and has hurt the economy of our ranching and
tourist industries very badly. I truly hope you can do
something in your office to help people that are in a lot of
stress because of this predator which should never have been
put into a populous area.
Thank you for all your efforts.
Mr. and Mrs. Derrill O. Wolkins,
J Lazy W Ranch, Blue, AZ.
____
Inherent Potential for PTSD Among Children Living in Areas Where the
Mexican Gray Wolf Is Being ``Reintroduced''
In the spring of 1998 the Mexican Gray Wolf, who was on a
list of ``endangered species'', ``reintroduced'' into
ranching country in west-central New Mexico and east-central
Arizona. The wolves in question had been primarily breed and
``hand raised'' in captivity. The species was most probably
``endangered'' because the wolves had been systematically
eliminated, over a period of 150 years, by ranchers who were
settling the area and developing herds of beef cattle to
support themselves and their families. The cattle industry in
the west had become big business in the mid 1800s when,
during the civil war, the governments of both the North and
the South were buying beef to feed their armies.
It was very apparent to the ranchers that wolves and cattle
aren't gregarious companions! It was also very apparent that
wolves were also NOT compatible with the normal activities of
``family life'' within the ranching areas!
Ranchin continued to be both a way of life and a profitable
business in the areas above described until the concept of
``turning back the clock'' became popular.
Americans are proud of their heritage. It is admirable to
want to remember the past and preserve species that played a
role in our lives. However, reintroducing wolves in the
Southwest is about as intelligent as it would be to
``reintroduce'' smallpox!
Within a few years it became very apparent to the
inhabitants of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico that
the ``reintroduction'' of the Mexican Gray Wolf was
contributing to the demise of their lifestyle and their
communities!
Of paramount concern to the population was the effect of
the wolf ``reintroduction'' on the children in the region!
As a Medical Doctor with a background in both Pediatrics
and Child Psychiatry, I was asked to meet with ranching
children and their families within the ``reintroduction''
area to ascertain the psychological effects of the wolf
reintroduction program upon the children.
I was able to compare the results of the parent
questionnaire which I had constructed for parents in the wolf
reintroduction area with questionnaires circulated to
ranching families in New Mexico and Arizona who do NOT reside
in ``Wolf'' country. This was made possible through the
efforts of the Cattle Growers Associations in New Mexico and
Arizona, thus obtaining a control group for evaluating my
findings.
In my study group each child was seen face to face and
personally interviewed by me between February 1 and March 15
of 2007. Children were seen either in the schools which they
attended or in their homes. Questionnaires were completed by
their parents.
Weaknesses in this study include:
1. The lack of ``random selection'' of subjects from the
wolf ``reintroduction'' area. (All the ranches in this area
had been visited by wolves.)
2. Possibility of ``prejudice'' on the part of the author,
relative to her residence on a ranch within the
``reintroduction'' area.
3. The relatively small numbers in each group. It should be
noted that because the study involves ``ranching'' the total
population interviewed within the ``reintroduction'' area
includes at least 90 percent of all families with children
living on actual ``working ranches'' within the area.
Results of the Study:
To date questionnaire have been obtained from equal numbers
of children living on ranches in both the wolf
``reintroduction'' area and the ranching areas of Arizona and
New Mexico where the Mexican Gray Wolf has NOT been
``reintroduced''. Several returns were not calibrated because
of technical concerns (e.g.: reports about children 3 years
of age or less).
Within the ``reintroduction'' area parents report that:
93 percent of their children startle more easily (than
prior to the wolves arriving).
87 percent of the children believe that the wolves are
presenting a danger to themselves or family members. [Due to
depredation of livestock and family pets, this IS a VERY
REALISTIC concern!!]
80 percent of the children realize that they are HELPLESS
to control or stop the events they see occurring around them
because of wolves in proximity to their homes. One child
watched her horse attacked and killed in the barnyard. She
then ran up to the ranch house with one of the wolves in hot
pursuit!
80 percent of children in the ``reintroduction'' area . . .
who previously slept in their own beds/bedrooms through the
night, now frequently get out of their beds during the night
and come into their parents' room, wanting to get in bed with
their parents.
73 percent of the children awaken in the night crying or
screaming because of nightmares, not present prior to the
wolf ``reintroduction''.
73 percent of parents state that they believe that the
``wolf events'' which have occurred involving their children
have been very traumatic for the children.
67 percent of parents whose children have been involved in
``wolf events'' report that their children have ``become more
clinging.'' [Among the children who have NOT been exposed to
wolves (control group) 10 percent are reported to have
experienced recent traumatic events. None of these children
are reported to have become more clinging.]
53 percent of the children who have experienced traumatic
events involving wolves now appear to be unable to remain
focused during activities which they participated in for age
appropriate lengths of times prior to their exposures to
wolves.
None of the youngsters exposed to wolves are reputed to
have exhibited any of the symptoms described above prior to
their exposures to the Mexican Gray Wolf.
It is definitely noteworthy that the behaviors/symptoms
described above constitute the major symptoms involved in the
diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
None of these children are reported to have exhibited any
of the symptoms described above prior to the
``reintroduction'' of the Mexican Gray Wolf in the area of
their homes.
Questionnaires returned from ranches outside of the wolf
``reintroduction'' area indicate that 40 percent of these
youngsters have ``experienced one or more recent traumatic
events NOT involving wolves''. 20% of these children have
recently developed a fear of snakes. 10 percent are having
trouble staying focused on events they were usually able to
stick with for age appropriate periods.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major psychiatric
illness. While it may exist ``short term'', and dissipate
when the precipitating factors (e.g.:--wolves) are removed,
the disorder frequently becomes permanent, and, occurring in
childhood it may impede the child's normal psychological
development. Certainly, ongoing exposure to the events which
led to the original symptoms can be expected to interfere
with development of a stable psychological outlook.
The serious psychological problems currently being
expressed by children in the wolf ``reintroduction'' areas of
Arizona and New Mexico can best be addressed by the immediate
re-location of the offending wolf population!
In researching the ``reintroduction'' project it is
apparent that the ranching families within the area were NOT
consulted prior to reintroduction of the wolves!
As a physician who has dealt with children now for 50
years. I am convinced that concerns for the welfare of the
children involved MUST take precedence over any and all
concerns for the ``wolf project''!!!
Julia Martin, M.D.,
Luce Ranch,
Blue, AZ.
____
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 1:51 PM
From: Tom & Jeanie Hutchison.
Subject: Mexican Grey Wolves.
When the Aspen Wolf Pack was terrorizing the Blue River
residents, we had several incidences with them as they went
back and forth, many times, through our property. One
incident in particular sticks in my mind.
It was early January and I was home alone. My husband's
mother had suffered a stroke and he was in Tucson to tend to
her. It had been raining and snowing quite a bit, and the
river was in quite a flood stage. All of my neighbors on this
end of the river were gone, and the flooded river made it
impossible for me to get out, or for anyone to come in. So
not only was I home alone, I could expect no outside
assistance if I should need it.
I had not been sleeping well because of the constant wolf
harassment of our dogs and our small flock of Barbados Sheep.
The wolves would always come in in the middle of the night,
and thankfully, my dogs were a great ``early warning
system''. It was about 12:30 in the middle of the night when
I heard an awful dog fight right in my front yard. I jumped
out of bed and ran out the front door barefoot and in my
pajamas, and into the snow. I know that my dogs don't have a
chance against a wolf, but my brave dogs don't know that. As
I was running out the front door I started yelling . . . I
can't even tell you what I was yelling, only that I knew I
had to break up the fight and protect my dogs. The alpha pair
of the Aspen Pack were at my front gate, fighting with my 2
dogs through the wire fence. The wolves ran away to the north
toward my neighbor's home. One of my dogs had sustained a
bloody cut on the top of his nose, but that was all the
damage, that time. (Note: On another occasion, my dogs fought
with the Alpha male wolf through a back fence about 50 feet
from our back door, and just over the fence from my sheep.
That time, the same dog suffered
[[Page H7167]]
some cuts to his muzzle. The ``rag-box's'' battery had gone
dead.)
I came back into the house for a robe, slippers,
flashlight, wolf radio-collar monitor, and my shotgun with
``cracker shells'' in it. I knew the falling snow would soon
fill the tracks, so I quickly went into the road to confirm
my sighting. Indeed, the two adult wolves had walked right
down the road in front of my home and confronted my dogs at
the gate, then ran on up the road when I went out. As I was
walking toward the pens behind my house to check on our
livestock, I heard the ``rag box'' that the Wolf Program
people had provided, begin to flash and sound off. This is a
battery-operated system that starts making lots of noise and
flashing lights whenever it picks up a radio-collar signal
from the collared wolves. They were so close to me that I
didn't even have the antenna on the radio receiver, and the
signal was coming through very loud and clear on my hand-held
radio. I knew the wolves had circled back and were coming in
on my sheep! I began to run again and started yelling and
shooting ``cracker shells'' into the dark. I heard their
radio-collar signal lessen and fade as they headed north
again.
Needless to say, I came back into the house in a sorry
state. I'm in my 60's and far too old to be out chasing
wolves through the snow in the middle of a winter night. If
anything had happened to me, wolf-caused or not, I wouldn't
be here writing this story. I immediately phoned all the Wolf
Program people I had phone numbers for. One had the nerve to
ask me if I was SURE it was wolves!! Unless they've started
radio-collaring very large coyotes . . . yes, it was wolves .
. . two of them. Another asked me, well, what did I expect
them to do about it?? I suspect I singed his ear hairs with
my reply.
Jean Hutchison,
Blue, AZ.
____
Mr. Pearce: Few things relating to economic impacts on the
lake Roberts community, program issues I see (tip if the
iceberg) and the affects on my horses with 1 wolf showing up
on my property and the affects this had and will have on the
Lake Roberts community. The Lake Roberts community is bounded
on all sides by the Gila National Forest. Our community has a
general store and 4 lodging/hotels. All but one have recently
changed hands and are going through renovations. Additionally
our community has many retirees and horse ranchetts. The
majority of the families here have about 3 or 4 horses and
may from time to time have a foal. Our community is very
tourist based. People enjoy the lake, head to the cliff
dwellings, camp and enjoy the amazing beauty of this area.
This is a good community of good people. Everyone here
pitches in to help each other. We are all concerned here
about wolf impacts. Some people are concerned about speaking
up.
I was at a meeting in Silver City this spring where FWS
admitted they do not have funding and personnel to properly
manage this program but are going to continue to expand. The
complaints I have heard and stories continue to horrify me.
The lack of investigation, destruction of evidence, bending
of rules to suit the program mangers and truthful reporting
seems to be always in question.
From a program management standpoint this program has been
mishandled on so many levels and I find it hard to believe
they are under funded and unable to handle the wolves they
have now. Yet they are going to expand. That is a RED Flag to
me.
It also appears that they have trouble holding on to
quality personnel or have hired dysfunctional personnel or
that personnel are shifting between agencies and extreme
environmental groups. Not to forget the abuse and lack of
customer focus. The customers would be the people with the
people living with these wolves being the major customers. I
feel all the managers and the people working for them should
be focused on the people living with the program first and
the wolves second. That is not what has occurred.
I am concerned about the attitudes of the high level wolf
managers when they say things like a kid being attacked and
killed by a wolf is no different than dieing on the highway .
. . we do not stop building highways. What? I see the need
for transportation and the safety that has been incorporated
into highways and cars and the necessity of travel and
transportation differently that the desire for having wolves
and the lack of safety considerations of the wolf personnel.
This bias of not considering or dismissing child safety very
concerning to me. I wonder if they discount my life just as
easily or the lives of my four legged family members.
There is also a need transportation and a desire by some
for wolves both are not needs. Wolves are not needed in our
community of Lake Roberts and I am sure in other communities
in and around the Gila and AS National Forests. We function
just fine without wolves.
I could go on here but the key is no oversight. Would you
fly in a plane that was not independently certified? Would
you feel that the airplane developers could be trusted or do
you think oversight would be necessary? I feel this program
as any that has safety implications should have independent
oversight. I also feel the wolf program has been run in a
very insensitive way for the people forced to live with the
program and writing that up could take pages.
The things I see show signs of a very dysfunctional
organization in the wolf program.
I do hope for additional funding for USDA wild life
services as it appears they are very under funded to do the
investigations necessary. The trails here in the forest are
also a mess, dangerous and in disrepair. It would have been
nice if the wolf program money had been put into a more
positive use where all could enjoy the forest.
I with another local person, organize horse clinics where
people come from all over the west to attend. This has a very
positive economic impact on the Lake Roberts community as the
hotels are filled and meals and other local purchases on non
holiday weeks. We do 2 or 3 of these during the summer.
Usually June, July and August for more than a week each time.
If one wolf incident happens . . . and that would be as much
as a horse spooking or being unsettled these clinics will be
over. One howl and done forever!
No one wants to come to a beautiful place to put their
horse in danger. These are also very expensive horses. The
thousands of dollars of positive economic impact to the
community will be lost. I worry now about all the horses when
they are here.
I can also no longer take my dog on trail rides. He is very
sad and depressed about this as am I. My dog has been useful
to my safety in the past where he has assisted in running off
a bear and lion. Not bad for a little lab mix. I am concerned
when I am working my dressage horses in the arena and my dog
is not in sight that something bad might happen.
I also breed my horses to expensive warmblood stallions and
the foals are often worth more that 7,000 when born. One wolf
accident and it is a full economic loss. Often you have to
feed the lame horse for the rest of its life. A horse costs
at a minimum $1200 to feed and for shots every year. When I
raise a foal it is one a year. A lot rides on one foal. This
is also true for my neighbors. We have lots of small horse
farms here and many of us raise only 1 foal a year. But is
more than economics . . . it is really about the loss of
safety and enjoyment of my property and the protection of my
four legged family members.
While my wolf incident is very minor compared to others
they still have had an economic and safety concerns within my
family.
After the millers horse ``Six'' was slaughtered. I asked to
be educated on how to live with wolves as Defenders say I
should. I grew up in Canada and thought I knew but I am
always willing to learn. This call was placed to Bruce
Thompson about the middle of January 2007. It is now June I
am yet to be educated on how to live with wolves. I have
directly asked Bruce Thompson head of NM Game and Fish 3
additional times even stating I would get other horse owners
in the area together. Still the only call I got was the call
I will describe below. I have asked 4 times to Bruce and 1
time to a NM game official. It is now June. My local Game and
Fish guy (not part of the wolf program and I think he feels
bad) says he is going to try and put something together for
me and others to help. He is a good guy and I am disgusted
with the rest.
I also asked Bruce Thompson about oversight and other
issues with the program and he went into how that is not
needed and how FWS, AZDGF and NMGF all work together as one
big happy family. I feel with no independent oversight then
abuse will occur and it appears with this program that has
occurred.
The end of January I did get a call from Saleen Richter
(not sure of spelling) from NM Game and Fish she made it
clear that she was busy and did I really want educated
because wolves would probably not be in Lake Roberts. She
went on to discredit the Millers and state how they lived way
out there and this is why they had had the wolf problem, and
that they leave their horses for weeks at a time. I
understand from the millers this is not so. She definitely
implied the Millers were not good people and implied they
were responsible for the wolf slaughtering their horse and
that she was busy there protecting the wolves from their
other horses. I said to her what about my injured horse that
cannot run as fast as the others, or my neighbors older horse
or my other neighbors lame horse or the foals . . . and that
often I am gone for weeks at a time on business and I have
someone caring for my horses does that make me a bad person?
She then made it clear in her implications that she did not
want to come out to educate me as to how to live with wolves.
All and all a very weird and unprofessional conversation with
this NM Game and Fish official and I am offended to be paying
for this program.
Then on February 21, I left my home office to put my horses
in the barn for the night. I got to my horses and my dog
refused to leave the truck. I cannot remember when he has
ever not happy bounded out off the truck. My horses were
frantic and were racing around their paddock and nervously
looking up our mountain which borders with the national
forest. They had already run through the electric tape fence
that divides two of the paddocks. No horses were seriously
injured but my mare that is lame for life with a broken hip
did injure her hip again. I did have to administer pain
killers (butte) for about 1 week due to this re-injury.
I opened the gate and the horses blasted towards the barn.
They never go in their stalls at night until they are clean
and hay is in their waiting for them. My one mare later left
her stall ran back past me to return to her corral and in my
presence kept
[[Page H7168]]
stepping forward and nodding with her nose in pointing type
behavior looking up the mountain. I did not see a wolf. My
eyesight is bad and the mountain has lots of vegetation. I
think the wolf was about 100 yards up the hill which is 20
feet from the edge my paddock fence.
I then went to toss a lead rope over her neck and was
preparing to halter her when she blasted out (she never does
this) and back to the barn. She was covered in a sticky
panicky sweat and all my horses were very upset but did calm
down when I closed the barn doors. I could have been injured
with my mare's serious panic and was lucky that I did not get
run over by a 1000 horse.
Horses are prey animals and usually do not like to be
confined but on this day they felt their barn was the safest
place for them. I found this very interesting and had not
experienced this behavior before. Maybe this is why the
Millers horse Six ran to his corral . . . he was so panicked
he thought it was the only safe place for him. My horses like
their barn but often they enjoy being out even in the worst
weather.
For the next few weeks not only were they more on edge and
looking up the mountain constantly. One horse was always more
on watch more than normal. They also lost weight for two
weeks and were not eating well during the day when turned
out. My horses were not rideable for a week and I even
canceled going to a small show (no entry fees lost) due to
their upset.
For over a month when my horses were let out of the barn in
the morning they walk to the main door and look up the
mountain and cautious step out of the barn. In the past they
would be let loose from their stalls and confidently trot out
of the barn never even looking.
It is summer now and my horses are still in the barn at
night. This is extra expense of shavings of over $100 per
month. I will be spending 800 more dollars this year on
shavings. Also the time to clean the stalls which is more
time consuming that cleaning paddocks.
My fencing has to be repaired at a cost of $175 due to this
wolf panicking my horses. I can easily see this wolf program
is costing me more than $1000 per year not to mention the
time expenditure. I do not feel I am getting any benefit from
this program only a huge headache and I am not even in a
constant wolf impact area like Reserve and Winston New
Mexico.
I need to treat the wood in my barn again and make various
repairs. I do need to leave the horses out but I am in fear
of if that is the night that the wolves come through again?
Will I need to board them somewhere again at an additional
cost and gas expense.
I can also no longer take 2 horses out leaving one at home
without putting that horse in the barn. Where as before my
horse would remain at home calmly and eating now they are
unhappy, pacing in the stall and not eating. This might seem
minor but there has been a major shift in how I work with my
horses.
On this day that the horses were upset saw and heard the
wolf plane. It is a rarer sighting here . . . and never a
good thing to see either. It circled south of my home which
is south of Sapillo Creek. The flight report for that day
shows the wolf was north of sapillo creek based on the
locations given. I did not observe this plane circling north
. . . while it could have also I find in interesting that a
few hours later there was a wolf on my place.
My horses have seen lion and bear . . . even ridden up on
them on the trail. The fear level and panic with this
predator was different. When a lion is around the horses will
be a bit bothered and I call on of the outfitters and let
them know something is around. The predator usually ends up
leaving one way or another. Having the right to treat the
wolf like the lion and the bear would a helpful start as
wolves should not be hanging around my place.
I do worry about the direction of this program and I
consider the majority of these wolves very habituated. I am
very concerned about children and the people that come out
here to camp and trail ride. The tourists that come here want
to be safe and have fun. The hunters here (I am not a hunter
nor is my family) also have a very positive impact on the
communities. I benefit by these business being located in my
community. They are a positive economic impact to the
communities. I have not yet met one person at the local
restaurants or that has stopped to ask directions that were
here to see wolves. If they asked about dangerous wildlife
they are nervous at the idea of lions let alone wolves.
Thanks again for your time and understanding my story here.
I know it was a bit long winded but I wanted you to
understand the impact that appears so small is really pretty
big.
Barb Dawdy.
THE WOLF AT THE DOOR!
Here's one of those stories as told by Michele White, a
friend of Brittney's:
On November 30, 2004, about 8:00 P.M., Brittney Joy and I
(Michele White) were sitting in the family room watching TV
and we heard one of the dogs, named Tessa, pawing at the
door. Then, what we thought was a dog fight was the sound of
something much more. Brittney and I ran to the back door and
opened it quickly to realize that it was not two dogs
fighting, but was a big wolf standing five feet from the door
opening. The wolf jumped on the one dog named Tessa, which is
five years of age. While we were yelling at the dogs and
motioning her inside, the older dog, named Angel, which is 7
years of age, jumped and hit the wolf with her chest. Once
the wolf was off Tessa, it started to run the opposite
direction which the two dogs followed. Then the wolf turned
around and headed toward the house chasing the two dogs. We
then slightly closed the door in fear that it would run
inside, but the wolf stopped about ten feet from the door and
went the other direction. The one dog, Tessa, came in the
house and we lost sight of the other dog, Angel, as she was
still chasing the wolf. We called and called, and at this
point Cassie Joy, Brittney's mother, who was just getting out
of the shower when the incident took place, ran out the other
door with her pistol. She was wet, barefoot, and in her
pajamas. She fired four shots in the air. When Cassie came
back in the house, is when Angel came back. Both dogs are
spayed females.
Cassie came back in for another gun and a flashlight, plus
shoes and a jacket. Then she went out to the corrals, making
sure the mare and foal were all right. At this point, Dale
Beddow joined her and they came back to the house to use the
tracker. This tracker was loaned to them by the wolf office
in Alpine because members of the Aspen wolf pack had
previously been frequenting the Joy's home and had attacked
two of their other dogs in October. (Reported and verified in
the Field Notes.--Barbara Marks).
They received no signal and Brittney told them she saw the
wolf heading up Bush Creek, so they went back out to haze the
wolf away. They found the wolf about 250 yards away. It
turned and ran up the hill. They searched for about 20
minutes and couldn't find the wolf, so they fired the gun
three times in the air, then returned home.
During this time, Cassie's other daughter, Dustie, was
trying to calm her sister down and then made phone calls to
get phone numbers of wolf office staff.
There was a foul smell on the one dog, Tessa. It was so bad
that we had to put them outside again. At this point, we
called Shawn Farry who is in charge of the wolf activity.
Cassie told him everything that had happened and he told her
he would call Shawna Nelson who was on duty at the time to
come right up and investigate.
Approximately 30 minutes after the initial report of the
incident, Shawna and Valerie of the ``wolf patrol'' arrived.
Shawna then proceeded to inquire about the incident. The
residents at the Joy household told Shawna the story that is
in the first part of this paper. Shawna then asked if the
Joys were sure that the animal that attacked their dogs and
invaded their home was a wolf or ``just a common coyote''.
They were sure it was a wolf, but did not see a radio collar
on it. When they told Shawna about the foul smell on Tess,
Shawna smelled the dog. She said no four odor was identified.
No investigation of the surrounding area was done at this
point. The two women went up Red Hill Road (Forest Road 567)
to see if they could get a signal on any of the radio
collared wolves.
Cassie then made a call to John Oakleaf of the US Fish and
Wildlife Service on her neighbor's suggestion to confirm that
a report would be filed. After conveying to him the incident
that occurred, he told Cassie that it could have been one of
the uncollared wolves that had invaded their privacy. He
would have Shawna and Valerie return to the Joy residence to
fire off some `cracker' shells to try and avoid another
conflict, which they did.
The following morning, at about 8:00 A.M., Cassie observed
the wolf running across an opening up Bush Creek about two
hundred fifty yards from their residence and livestock. Jimmy
Joy and their neighbor went to investigate. After a short
investigation, fresh wolf tracks were found close to where
the sighting had occurred. Cassie then called Shawna to
report another wolf sighting within sight of their home.
About one full hour later, Valerie came to the Joys to now
investigate. Cassie then showed Valerie the wolf tracks that
were found earlier, and where the sighting had occurred.
Valerie could not find the tracks at first. Valerie told
Cassie that she thought that the wolf in question was the
uncollared male pup from the Aspen pack. Upon returning to
the house, Tessa was spotted napping in the sun. At this
point, Valerie then confessed to Cassie that the foul smell
that Cassie had pointed out the night before was obvious. She
also said it came from scent glands wolves have. Cassie asked
Valerie if they could come back and fire off some more
`cracker' shells because she thought that the wolf was still
nearby.
That evening, Shawna and Valerie returned to perform a
short investigation. That evening, Shawna returned to take a
written report.
____
June 13, 2007.
Mr. Pearce: We would like to justify why our 13 year old
daughter, Micha Miller has to carry a firearm everytime she
steps outside. It is because the Durango Pack has been in our
yard four times in five weeks, within feet of our door two
times & the other two times they have been within 70 yards of
the house. That is a little too close for comfort & Micha
needs a way too protect herself when she's outside. Micha is
very capable of handling a pistol or any other firearm, for
that matter, extremely safely. She has taken her Hunter's
Safety & passed with a 98%, she has also been around firearms
all her life & enjoys hunting. I can honestly say she is
safer carring a weapon than she is walking out of the house
without it because of the habituated Durango Pack.
[[Page H7169]]
The Pack was released the last of April & they were in our
yard on the 1st of May. The Wolf Recovery Program released
them at Miller Springs about 40 miles south of our house &
they were here on the ranch in two days. The reason they came
up here is because AF924 was in our yard multiple time from
September 2006 until November 2006 when she was captured &
her mate was shot for 3 depredations. AF924 still has 2
depredation strikes against her as does her new mate AM973.
We are not ranch owners, but we have lived & worked on the
Adobe Ranch for 9 years, this is our home. My husband, Mike
Miller, takes care of about 500 head of mother cows on about
100 square miles. He has to check one pasture twice a day to
make sure the Durango Pack has not killed a cow or calf, as
the Pack is denned up in the middle of it. The cattle may not
be Mike's but he is in charge of taking care of them & has to
answer to the manager of the ranch if anything happens to
them. Mike's hands are tied when dealing with the Wolf
Recovery people directly.
When we were kids we didn't have to worry about carrying
firearms or anything stalking us, we could just enjoy being
kids. Our daughter & the other kids in the Recovery area
don't have that privilege. They have to watch over their
shoulders & stay close to their homes & not venture out to
explore their own backyards. The fear of having a wolf attack
them is so great that they can't have fun anymore. It is
unfair to our kids what the Wolf Program & Bill Richardson
has done to them!! They have made our kids prisoners in their
own homes! They need to be told ``The wolves are NOT more
important than our children's lives & well being!!!'' What
I'm afraid of is one of our children getting seriously hurt
or even killed before the program & Richardson will open
their eyes to how wrong this whole program is.
The Durango Pack are not the only wolves close to our home.
There is a black collared wolf that John Oakleaf, with the
wolf program, claims to know nothing about. They say they
don't have a black wolf. We are not the only one's to have
seen it, two neighbors have also seen it. This isn't the
first time we've heard that they don't have a certain wolf.
We had a real light colored wolf in our yard & Dan Stark,
another with the wolf program said to us & I quote, ``That's
not one of our wolves!'' There are more wolves out there than
the Wolf Program is admitting.
The wolf program people are supposed to be watching this
Durango Pack to keep them out of our yard. When the workers
are out here they are sneaking around, they go by the house &
turn around just over the hill from the house or sometimes in
the driveway, then drive away real fast thinking no one has
seen them, instead of coming up to the house & letting us
know if the wolves are in the vicinity or if we might have
information that could help them track the wolves.
The Durango Pack has totally disrupted our lives! The
things we did without worry, like working in the yard or
mowing the grass, we now have to be armed & very aware of our
surroundings. The Durango Pack are not ``problem'' wolves or
``nusance'' wolves, they are habitual wolves. They will not
stop coming up into yards & hanging around people no matter
how many times they are captured & re-released. The only way
to stop a habitual wolf is to permanently remove them by any
means necessary!
Thank you, Mr. Pearce, for informing everyone that the Wolf
Program is not as wonderful as the Program wants them to
believe. We appreciate your concern about the families in the
Recovery Area. Thank you for all your help.
Sincerely,
Mike, Debbie, & Micha Miller.
____
New Mexico Wool, Growers, Inc.,
June 15, 2007.
Hon. Steve Pearce,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Pearce: We are writing to you today on
behalf of the membership of the New Mexico Wool Growers, Inc.
the state's oldest livestock trade organization, in reference
to the Mexican wolf reintroduction program. First we would
like to thank you for everything you and your staff have
already done on this issue. There is no question that you are
committed to your New Mexico constituents and the livestock
industry. With all that you have already done we know that
you understand the pain, anguish and loss that has and is
being suffered here in New Mexico.
We are seeing that folks have become hopeless in the face
of a predator placed in their midst by their own government.
That our government has been unwilling or unable to address
the needs of the citizens whose lives they are destroying. It
is not sensationalism to point out that children are not even
safe in their own yards or in walking back and forth from
their homes to the school bus. Life in America has changed
since the introduction of this program and children and
families should not have to be afraid to go outside. With
that said, we are writing to once again ask you to do
whatever you can to reduce the impact of the program on
children and families as well as livestock and pet owners in
the recovery area.
The public has been mislead for nearly a decade with the
theory that no one is suffering losses at the mouths of
wolves and that if there are losses they are being amply
compensated. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any
paltry compensation is not coming from the government that
caused the loss, nor does it begin to cover the costs to
private property owners. Furthermore, there is no way to put
a monetary value on human pain and suffering. Americans
deserve to feel safe and they deserve to be paid for what the
government has so willingly taken from them.
The Mexican wolf program is termed ``experimental and non-
essential.'' There is ample documentation that the experiment
has failed and it must be terminated. There are wolves in the
country and they need to be allowed to survive, or not, on
their own. Families and property owners must have the ability
to protect themselves without fear of fine or prison.
In the early years as settlers moved west, the prey base
was limited and wolves turned to what was available--
livestock. That holds true today under the conditions we are
experiencing, but livestock is not the only prey, pets,
children and families are part of the prey today.
There appear to be only two options for the program at this
point. One is to totally withdraw funding and let the animals
compete for survival just as other wildlife must do. The
other is for the government to come up with an appropriation
to cover the very real costs of the program on the people who
are forced to live with these government owned and managed
killing machines every day.
Once again we are thankful for all your work on this and
other issues. If we can be of service to you, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Mike Corn,
President.
____
New Mexico Federal Lands Council,
Roswell, NM, June 15, 2007.
Hon. Steve Pearce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Pearce: We are writing to you today on
behalf of the membership of the New Mexico Federal Lands
Council, which represents ranchers who utilize federal and
state lands. This letter is in reference to the Mexican wolf
reintroduction program. We are very fortunate that you
understand the pain, anguish and loss that has and is being
suffered here in New Mexico. Your commitment to your
constituents and the ranching industry has been a great
attribute in dealing with this program. Thank you to you and
your staff for the interest you have shown and the assistance
that you have already given.
Life in New Mexico has changed since the start of the
Mexican wolf reintroduction program. Residents in parts of
New Mexico are not safe to let their children go outside in
the yard to play or even to walk to the bus stop from their
home. This is truly a tragedy. We are seeing that folks have
become hopeless in the face of a predator placed in their
midst by their own government. That our government has been
unwilling or unable to address the needs of the citizens
whose lives they are destroying. With that said, we are
writing to once again ask you to do whatever you can to
reduce the impact of the program on children and families as
well as livestock and pet owners in the recovery area.
For nearly a decade the public has been misled with the
theory that no one is suffering losses at the mouths of
wolves and that if there are losses they are being amply
compensated. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any
paltry compensation is not coming from the government that
caused the loss, nor does it begin to cover the costs to
private property owners. Additionally, there is no way to put
a monetary value on human pain and suffering. Americans
deserve to feel safe and they deserve to be paid for what the
government has so willingly taken from them.
The Mexican wolf program is termed ``experimental and non-
essential.'' There is ample documentation that the experiment
has failed and it must be terminated. There are wolves in the
country and they need to be allowed to survive, or not, on
their own. Families and property owners must have the ability
to protect themselves without fear of fine or prison.
When people started settling in the west, the prey base was
limited and wolves turned to what was available--livestock.
That holds true today under the conditions we are
experiencing, but livestock is not the only prey pets,
children and families are part of the prey today.
There appear to be only two options for the program at this
point. One is to totally withdraw funding and let the animals
compete for survival just as other wildlife must do. The
other is for the government to come up with an appropriation
to cover the very real costs of the program on the people who
are forced to live with these government owned and managed
killing machines every day.
Once again we are thankful for all your work on this and
other issues. If we can be of service to you, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Mike Casabonne,
President.
____
Monday, June 25, 2007 11:00 a.m.
From: Robert Flowers
To: Charters, Tim.
Subject: WOLF ENCOUNTER.
In Sept. 06 bow elk hunt I was hunting with a freind in the
upper edge of 16c. The opening morning the bulls were
sounding off and very close to camp. We stalked the herd for
several hours until they got down into lower, open country.
That night we caught them going back to higher ground. We
could
[[Page H7170]]
not catch up with them and noticed some very large, fresh
``k-9'' tracks. The next morning we expected to intercept the
herd in the same area, but not a bugle one. We decided to go
up higher ground to find them. We drove on a road that
skirted the adobe and follwed it into a creek that washed the
road out. We then walk to the bottom of the draw to look for
sign. We found sign!!! A freshly killed calf elk. Blood was
still wet and the carcas warm. We found large, fresh ``k-9''
tracks, and long strands of grey hair in the brush. We must
have run the wolves of the kill. Needless to say we saw, nor
heard any more elk the remainder of the hunt.
Robert D. Flowers,
Dexter, NM.
____
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 2:23 p.m.
From: jeannie jones.
Subject: Hello Wolf!!
As I was in the yard cleaning out a pickup a WOLF caming
trotting thru the meadow! I ran for a camera and binoculars
(for the collar). He crossed to the road and disappeared. NO
picture.
It looked like it might have had a collar but not for sure.
So much for them laying around in the heat of the day! The
time was exactly 1:30 PM and it was 78 degrees.
Guess the poor thing was hungry and hunting for the next
innocent thing to kill or cripple.
May 29, 2007.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DICKS. The restoration of wolves in the United States is a
conservation success story. Wolves in the Great Plains and the Northern
Rockies have made a dramatic comeback.
Mr. PEARCE. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. DICKS. I will not yield. The gentleman had his 5 minutes. I am
going to take my 5 minutes.
Mr. PEARCE. I thank the gentleman, who has no wolves in his district.
Mr. DICKS. And we need to let the Mexican wolf population have the
same chance.
There is no doubt that there have been problems with the
reintroduction, but we cannot cancel the entire program because of
these isolated problems. There are programs in place that compensate
livestock operators when wolves prey upon their stock. I am in favor of
working to streamline and expand these programs. I am also in favor of
pushing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work more closely with
the affected livestock operators.
Finally, I believe we cannot interfere with the Endangered Species
Act, and that's what the gentleman is attempting to do here. His
amendment would overturn the Endangered Species Act, something that we
have never done on this House floor that I can remember, and I don't
think we should start today.
I have experience with the Red Wolf Program at Point Defiance Zoo in
the State of Washington where we regenerated the population, and then
we introduced them into North Carolina. That program has worked very
successfully. We have wolves in Alaska. We have wolves in Canada. There
were wolves in New Mexico. And this is part of nature.
I think the gentleman is completely overreacting to this. I urge him
to withdraw his amendment and not to try to overturn the Endangered
Species Act here on the floor of the House.
I urge all my colleagues to vote strongly against this ill-considered
amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Washington continue to
reserve his point of order?
Mr. DICKS. I withdraw my point of order.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman withdraws his point of order.
Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Chairman, there are really two ways to proliferate
wolves, one is in the wild, where they respect their distance from
humans, and the other is in captivity, where they have no respect for
humans. The Mexican wolves have been propagated and proliferated in
captivity, and as a result, they encroach into areas that put humans at
risk.
I think the gentleman from New Mexico has brought up a valid concern
because these isolated problems are now coming home to people who live
in this area and having to carry firearms with them everywhere they go.
I would like to yield to the gentleman from New Mexico to let him
complete his point.
Mr. PEARCE. I would thank the gentleman for yielding.
Recently, in Catron County, the local county commissioner started
posting signs like this, ``Dangerous Wolf Area.'' It just is a
continuation of the theme that we're trying to accomplish something in
the Second District of New Mexico that you're not willing to accomplish
in your own districts.
I will tell you that we heard testimony in the Resources Committee
that described the most provocative sound to a wolf is a crying baby or
a laughing baby. It's a matter of time until these wolves, which will
stalk for weeks and weeks and weeks at a time around local homes, it's
a matter of time until a wolf catches one of these children. Their
blood will be on your hands, my friend, because we've had the testimony
in committee.
I would say that this has nothing to do with endangered species but
instead has to do with protecting the lives of the people and the
livestock of the Second District.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to have a ruling from the Chair
whether the gentleman's comments about blood on my hands is a violation
of the House Rules.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman demand the gentleman from New
Mexico's words be taken down?
Mr. DICKS. Yes, I do.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman will suspend.
The Clerk will read the gentleman's words.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Chairman, I would ask unanimous consent to withdraw
my words.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Mexico?
There was no objection.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman may proceed.
Mr. PEARCE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We again have the issue of depredation. There is no fund that pays
ranchers when their livestock is killed. So we have the livestock,
which in these days of ranching, ranching is a very hard business, and
we have the livestock which is killed by these predators that continue
to eliminate more and more livestock each year, with no payments being
made from Fish and Wildlife Service.
I would simply point out, and I would thank the gentleman from Kansas
for yielding, that this program is restricted to only two very rural
parts of America. It is wrong; it is wrongheaded.
I would thank the gentleman from Washington for his suggestion to
withdraw the amendment but would instead ask for a vote on the
amendment.
Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the
noes appeared to have it.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Mexico
will be postponed.
Amendment No. 19 Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 19 offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
TITLE VI--ADDITIONAL GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. . None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used to limit outreach programs administered by the
Smithsonian Institution.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
[[Page H7171]]
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, let me again offer my
appreciation to the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking member
of the subcommittee for the courtesies of both of their staff.
This amendment was offered last year. It is a continued commitment I
have to the Smithsonian and the value of its programs and outreaching
across America.
My amendment is simple, and it simply has the Congress on record to
encourage and not limit outreach programs administered by the
Smithsonian Institution, as I indicated, an identical amendment that
was offered last year.
What are these outreach programs? These outreach programs involve
reaching out to communities, African American communities, Asian
American communities, Latino communities, Native American communities,
and yes, New Americana. It is a program dealing with Kindergarten
through college age museum education outreach opportunities. It
enhances the K-12 science education programs and facilitates the
Smithsonian's scholarly interactions with students and scholars at
universities. Some would say that it brings the scholars of America out
of the attics of America.
In addition, it has a program called the Mobile Museum, an exhibit
that can visit up to three venues per week in the course of only 1
year, at no cost to the host institution or community. The net result
is an increase by 150 the number of outreach locations to which SITES
shows can travel annually. And in addition, through its flexibility in
making short-term stops in cities and towns from coast to coast, a
mobile museum has the advantage of being able to frequent the very
locations where people live and work.
I believe America is a great country. We have a very rich history,
and that history sometimes is lost because of the lack of technical
assistance and education of our community. For example, may I share
with my colleagues, the community in Houston called Freedmen's Town? It
is a community that was settled by freed slaves. It now has a few
remaining structures after urban revitalization. Part of the complexity
of it is a lack of education, understanding of the value. Artifacts,
museums, preservation, all of that is part of the work of the
Smithsonian outreach that educates the community about the precious
jewels that they have. Cobblestone streets that were laid by slaves,
churches that were built by slaves, and a variety of other facilities,
like an old school that was attended by freed slaves.
The Smithsonian's outreach program educates us about our history,
provides mobile museums, connects America, connects us to this fabulous
and extensive museum's holdings of the Nation's history by visual
scenes. And so I would ask my colleagues to consider the importance of
reaffirming, if you will, the value of the outreach program of the
Smithsonian.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of
my amendment to H.R. 2643 the Interior and Environment Appropriations
Act of 2008 and to commend Chairman Dicks and Ranking Member Tiahrt for
their leadership in shepherding this bill through the legislative
process. Among other agencies, this legislation funds the Smithsonian
Institution, which operates our national museums, including the Air and
Space Museum; the Museum of African Art; the Museum of the American
Indian; and the National Portrait Gallery. The Smithsonian also
operates another national treasure: the National Zoo.
Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple but it sends a very important
message from the Congress of the United States. My amendment provides
that none of the funds made available in this act be used to limit
outreach programs administered by the Smithsonian Institution. An
identical amendment was offered to last year's appropriations bill,
H.R. 5386, and was adopted by voice vote.
Mr. Chairman, the Smithsonian's outreach programs bring Smithsonian
scholars in art, history, and science out of ``the nation's attic'' and
into their own backyard. Each year, millions of Americans visit the
Smithsonian in Washington, DC. But in order to fulfill the
Smithsonian's mission, ``the increase and diffusion of knowledge,'' the
Smithsonian seeks to serve an even greater audience by bringing the
Smithsonian to enclaves of communities who otherwise would be deprived
of the vast amount of cultural history offered by the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian's outreach programs serve millions of Americans,
thousands of communities, and hundreds of institutions in all 50
States, through loans of objects, traveling exhibitions, and sharing of
educational resources via publications, lectures and presentations,
training programs, and websites. Smithsonian outreach programs work in
close cooperation with Smithsonian museums and research centers, as
well as with 144 affiliate institutions and others across the Nation.
The Smithsonian's outreach activities support community-based
cultural and educational organizations around the country; ensure a
vital, recurring, and high-impact Smithsonian presence in all 50 States
through the provision of traveling exhibitions and a network of
affiliations; increase connections between the Institution and targeted
audiences (African American, Asian American, Latino, and native
American, and all of America); provide kindergarten through college-
aged museum education and outreach opportunities; enhance K-12 science
education programs; facilitate the Smithsonian's scholarly interactions
with students and scholars at universities, museums, and other research
institutions; and publish and disseminate results related to the
research and collections strengths of the Institution.
The programs that provide the critical mass of Smithsonian outreach
activity are: the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
(SITES), the Smithsonian Affiliations, the Smithsonian Center for
Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS), National Science Resources Center
(NSRC), the Smithsonian Institution Press (SIP), the Office of
Fellowships (OF) and the Smithsonian Associates (TSA), which receives
no federal funding.
To achieve the goal of increasing public engagement, SITES directs
some of its federal resources to develop Smithsonian Across America: A
Celebration of National Pride. This ``mobile museum,'' which will
feature Smithsonian artifacts from the most iconic (Presidential
portraits, historic American flags, Civil War records, astronaut
uniforms, etc.) to the simplest items of everyday life (family quilts,
prairie schoolhouse furnishings, historic lunch boxes, multilingual
store front and street signs, etc.), has been a long-standing
organizational priority of the Smithsonian.
SITES ``mobile museum'' is the only traveling exhibit format able to
guarantee audience growth and expanded geographic distribution during
sustained periods of economic retrenchment, but also because it is
imperative for the many exhibitors nationwide who are struggling
financially yet eager to participate in Smithsonian outreach. As
economic downturn and uncertainty continue to erode the ability of
museums to present temporary exhibitions, the ``mobile museum''
promises to answer an ever-growing demand for Smithsonian shows in the
field. A single, conventional SITES exhibit can reach a maximum of 12
locations over a 2- to 3-year period.
In contrast, a ``mobile museum'' exhibit can visit up to three venues
per week in the course of only 1 year, at no cost to the host
institution or community. The net result is an increase by 150 in the
number of outreach locations to which SITES shows can travel annually.
And in addition to its flexibility in making short-term stops in cities
and towns from coast-to-coast, a ``mobile museum'' has the advantage of
being able to frequent the very locations where people live, work, and
take part in leisure time activities. By establishing an exhibit
presence in settings like these, SITES will not only increase its
annual visitor participation by 1 million, but also advance a key
Smithsonian performance objective: to develop exhibit approaches that
address diverse audiences, including population groups not always
affiliated with mainstream cultural institutions.
SITES also will be the public exhibitions' face of the Smithsonian's
National Museum of Mrican American History and Culture, as the planning
for that new Museum gets under way. Providing national access to
projects that will introduce the American public to the Museum's
mission, SITES in FY 2008 will tour such stirring exhibitions as NASA
ART: 50 Years of Exploration; 381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Story; Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes; The Way We Worked:
Photographs from the National Archives; and More Than Words:
Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.
To meet the growing demand among smaller community and ethnic museums
for an exhibition celebrating the Latino experience, SITES will issue a
scaled-down version of the National Museum of American History's 4,000-
square-foot exhibition about legendary entertainer Celia Cruz. Two
1,500-square-foot exhibitions, one about Crow Indian history and the
other on basket traditions, will give Smithsonian visitors beyond
Washington a taste of the Institution's critically acclaimed National
Museum of the American Indian. Two more exhibits, In Plane View and
Earth from Space, will provide visitors in the field with a taste of
the Smithsonian's recently opened, expansive National Air and Space
Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.
[[Page H7172]]
Several exhibit tours will be extended by popular demand. The most
important of them are The American Presidency and Our Journeys, Our
Stories, the original itineraries of which could not accommodate
multiple exhibitor requests.
For almost 30 years, The Smithsonian Associates--the highly regarded
educational arm of the Smithsonian Institution--has arranged Scholars
in the Schools programs. Through this tremendously successful and well-
received educational outreach program, the Smithsonian shares its
staff--hundreds of experts in art, history and science--with the
national community at a local level.
The mission of Smithsonian Affiliations is to build a strong national
network of museums and educational organizations in order to establish
active and engaging relationships with communities throughout the
country. There are currently 138 affiliates located in the United
States, Puerto Rico, and Panama. By working with museums of diverse
subject areas and scholarly disciplines, both emerging and well-
established, Smithsonian Affiliations is building partnerships through
which audiences and visitors everywhere will be able to share in the
great wealth of the Smithsonian while building capacity and expertise
in local communities.
The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) will strive to increase
the number of ethnically diverse students participating in effective
science programs based on NSRC products and services. The Center will
develop and implement a national outreach strategy that will increase
the number of school districts (currently more than 800) that are
implementing NSRC K-8 programs. The NSRC is striving to further enhance
its program activity with a newly developed scientific outreach program
introducing communities and school districts to science through
literacy initiatives. Some of NSRC's goals are:
Double the number of school districts implementing NSRC K-8 programs,
growing from an estimated 15 percent of the school population to 30
percent
Significantly expand national outreach programs to ethnically and
culturally diverse school districts through the work of the NSRC's
three centers of excellence
Engage 125 school districts--representing an additional 5 percent of
the United States K-8 student population--bringing the impact of the
NSRC's work from 20 percent to 25 percent of the nation's youth
Continue to develop and bring first-class educational resources to
the nation by forging partnerships with school systems, educators,
education and museum professional associations, and others to expand
opportunities for development and dissemination of Smithsonian-based
education resources
Through a collaborative effort with other Smithsonian education
units, expand the educational opportunities available throughout the
country, particularly in the area of science education reform
Expand the number of science materials currently available to school
districts for grades K-3 and continue pursuing newly-published
children's books, which will enhance science education programs
throughout the country
Continue to develop and bring first-class educational resources to
the nation by forging partnerships with school systems, educators,
education and museum professional associations and others to expand
opportunities for development and dissemination of Smithsonian-based
education resources.
In addition, through the building of the multicultural Alliance
Initiative, the Smithsonian's outreach programs seek to develop new
approaches to enable the public to gain access to Smithsonian
collections, research, education, and public programs that reflect the
diversity of the American people, including underserved audiences of
ethnic populations and persons with disabilities.
For all these reasons, Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of my amendment
and thank Chairman Dicks and Ranking Member Tiahrt for their
courtesies, consideration, and very fine work in putting together this
excellent legislation.
Mr. DICKS. If the gentlewoman would yield, we are prepared to accept
the gentlelady's amendment. We accepted it last year. We think it's a
positive amendment.
Mr. TIAHRT. Will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I would be happy to yield.
Mr. TIAHRT. I wanted to congratulate the gentlewoman on a fine
amendment. We have no problems with it.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I conclude by thanking both
the chairman and the ranking member, and I ask my colleagues to support
this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
The amendment was agreed to.
{time} 1900
Amendment No. 34 Offered by Mr. Hensarling
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 34 offered by Mr. Hensarling:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
None of the funds in this Act may be used for the Clover
Bend Historic Site.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on this
amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. A point of order is reserved.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First I want to thank the chairman of the committee. I especially
want to thank the ranking member, my friend from Kansas, for all their
good work on this bill. I know a lot of good work went into this.
For one, I am still concerned that our overall spending levels in
growing this bill are roughly twice the rate of inflation, I think 7.6
percent over the President's request. But I know a lot of good work has
gone into this.
My amendment specifically would ensure that none of the funds in the
bill would go to fund the Clover Bend Historic Site in Clover Bend,
Arkansas, which, again, is one of the earmarks that is place in the
bill. I don't mind admitting before this House that I am not a huge fan
of earmarks. I am certainly not here to say they are all bad. Many are
worthy. Many do good things.
But too often, as I look at the earmarking process, too often we see
a triumph of the special interest over the public interest. Too often
we see a triumph of seniority over merit. Mr. Chairman, up until
recently, too often we saw a triumph of secrecy over transparency.
I will be the first to admit that this particular amendment and
earmarks, in general, are a very small portion of the Federal budget.
But, Mr. Chairman, I fear they are a very large portion of the culture
of spending in this institution.
Mr. Chairman, I've been a veteran of several of these earmark
debates. They tend to follow several different lines of argument.
Typically a Member will come to the floor to defend his earmark and say
he knows his district better than anybody else. That is true. They
typically come to the floor. They will say, well, good things can be
done with this money.
I am prepared to concede both of these points. I know the Member who
offered this project knows his district better than I do. I know good
things could be done with this money.
But let's put this expenditure in context, Mr. Chairman. We still
have a deficit. It is declining, but we still have a deficit, which
means that until we balance the budget, we are raiding the Social
Security trust fund. In addition, spending is exploding. Look at what
is happening in entitlement spending, which threatens to bankrupt
future generations. Right now, we are on a fiscal path to either double
taxes on the next generation or to have little Federal Government
besides Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Yet, as I look around,
almost every single State in the Union is running a surplus.
So, Mr. Chairman, I ask myself a simple question. There are a number
of earmarks submitted in this bill. Again, I am sure good things can be
done with this money. But can we continue, given this context, to fund
earmarks of this type simply because, one, we have done it before,
simply because we are creative and we can think of these things, simply
because it is a good project?
I am not here to necessarily say it is a bad project. But given the
entitlement crisis, given the fact that our Democratic colleagues in
their budget resolution voted for the single largest
[[Page H7173]]
tax increase in American history, I just ask myself this question, is
it truly a priority? Not is it bad, not is it wasteful, but is it truly
a priority? Because every time we plus up some Federal budget, we are
having to lower some family budget.
Again, I know the gentleman from Arkansas knows his district better
than I do, but I know my district better than he does. Taxpayers from
the Fifth District of Texas are going to have to help fund this
particular earmark.
Mr. Chairman, I just fear that if we end up saying yes to everyone's
program today, it is just a matter of time before we end up saying no
to our children's future tomorrow. It is a small step. It is a small
earmark. I understand this. But if you are going to lead, you need to
lead by example. This is one small step we can take for fiscal sanity.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. McDermott). The gentleman from Arkansas is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Dicks and the
ranking member, Mr. Tiahrt, for their leadership on this subcommittee
and for their bipartisan approach to these issues. I rise in opposition
to the Hensarling amendment. I respect his right to offer the
amendment.
I find it interesting that we have a sudden attack of fiscal
responsibility on the other side of the aisle after adding $3 trillion
in the last 6 years to the national debt. I find it interesting that we
suddenly have an attack of fiscal responsibility after a Democratic
administration had created almost a $6 trillion surplus, and that has
been squandered by the Republicans across the aisle.
I think it is sad that we would object to a small community in rural
Arkansas that has put tens of thousands of dollars into this project to
preserve a little bit of history and a little bit of heritage in this
wonderful community.
Clover Bend was one of the earliest settlements in Lawrence County,
serving as a significant river landing for the area's bustling cotton
and timber industry. Remote as the settlement was, it clung to
existence. In 1829, steamboats were finding their way to its landing.
The settlement was established as an important landing in river travel.
Some years later, the actual town was moved from the river to the
present site about 2 miles east.
The Clover Bend Historic Preservation Association was formed in 1983
at the historic site located on the former Clover Bend school campus.
In 1937, a transaction was made through the Resettlement Administration
to buy the plantation and establish 86 farmsteads from the original
Clover Bend plantation. It gave 86 families in the depths of the Great
Depression a new start, a new chance. It created a wonderful rural
community where people came together for the common good to get the job
done. It is something that is well worth preserving.
On the morning of May 4, 1939, after a decade of near starvation for
many Lawrence County farmers, some 36 families gathered on the banks of
the Black River to receive keys to their new homes. These were the
first families chosen from the many to buy about 45 acres with a house
on it. The site contains ten structures and was added to the National
Register of Historic Places as an historic district in 1991. Clover
Bend is a multipurpose site with a wide range of historical
significance. The ultimate goal for Clover Bend is to become a fully
functional museum and education center.
Funds will be matched by the State of Arkansas. This assistance is
needed in order for the Preservation Association to continue to
maintain and promote Clover Bend to the region and to preserve what is
there and what the heritage of that place is. Through the countless
hours of volunteers in the region and the support of the State, this
request will allow the goal of the Preservation Association to become a
reality.
As is the case so many times, there is one person, a wonderful woman
named Viola Meadows, that has held all this together. Through tons of
sweat equity, she has made it possible for us to be here today to see
this entire project come to fruition. It is not like they are asking us
to pay for the whole thing. They are asking us for just a little bit of
help. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of
words.
Mr. Chairman, I make no apology for the amount of money in this bill
to address problems in Member districts or the process through which
projects were selected. I just want to tell the gentleman from Texas,
Mr. Tiahrt and I did this on a bipartisan basis. We worked this out.
Our staffs worked together. We went through these projects very
carefully. We only approved one out of every ten projects that were
requested by the Members.
Now, I would remind the gentleman that in the Constitution of the
United States, the most fundamental power of the United States Congress
is the power of the purse, the power of the Congress to redress
grievances of the American people, to help on projects that are
important to the Members' districts.
Now, in this budget, we also laid out all the projects that are
requested by the President. I would just, as one example, point out to
the gentleman that in 2004 in terms of STAG grants, there were $533
million; in 2005, $513 million. These are all earmarks.
{time} 1915
In 2006, $282 million. In 2007, zero. In 2008, $140 million. This is
responsible. The administration even says we met their test on
earmarks. We went through these projects carefully, we looked at them
closely, and we did it in a professional way.
So I would urge the gentleman to consider these facts. We are not
going to be doing this the way it was done in the past, but we have the
right to do it. And even the gentleman from Texas can't give away the
power of the purse, because it is in the Constitution of the United
States, and the Founding Fathers of this country stated that this was
one of the most important powers that the Congress possessed.
Throughout history, the British Parliament worked feverishly over the
years to gain the power to be able to decide and limit the executive,
the king in this case, of Britain. That was one of the most important
powers that the Parliament developed over many hundreds of years.
So I am here tonight to defend our right to take care of our
constituents, and I defend the process by which we did this. We did it
in a professional way. We did it with both parties sitting in the same
room looking at all these projects, helping each other, so we didn't
make any mistakes.
I just want the gentleman to know how strongly I feel personally
about this. We did a good job, and we cut it way back, and I thought
the gentleman from Texas would be here applauding what we did, not
attacking it.
Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the
noes appeared to have it.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will
be postponed.
Amendment No. 44 Offered by Mr. Hensarling
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 44 offered by Mr. Hensarling:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
None of the funds in this Act may be used for the St.
Joseph's College Theatre.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would restrict funding
for the St. Joseph's College theater
[[Page H7174]]
renovation located in Indiana. Again, I want to follow up on some of my
earlier comments and address comments that the chairman made. If he was
listening to my earlier comments, I started out complimenting much of
what I see in the bill, and to the extent I see a reduction in the
number of earmarks, I take that to be a very good thing.
But I was elected by the people of the Fifth District of Texas, and
with all due respect to all of my colleagues, I yield my voting card to
no one or my judgment to no one. So I am not here to impugn the
judgment of the chairman, but I may have different concerns, and the
people of the Fifth Congressional District of Texas may have different
concerns as well.
I believe that historical preservation is a very good thing, but I
know that much of the funding that has come from the Save America's
Treasure program, what started out ostensibly geared toward Betsy Ross
and the Declaration of Independence, has ended up funding so many other
different projects.
Do you know what? I have got a lot of worthy historical and cultural
projects in my own district, in the Fifth Congressional District of
Texas. I am just not sure, at a time when Members, many who have come
to this floor and said they would not raid the Social Security trust
fund; as long as we are running a deficit, and we are doing that;
recently the Democrat majority in their budget resolution voted to
increase the debt ceiling; in their budget resolution, they voted for
the single largest tax increase in history; all I question is, given
all that background, government will be paid for. Sooner or later,
government will be paid for, either by this generation or the next.
So I am not saying these are necessarily bad projects, but I do
question whether or not, given the context, particularly the
entitlement spending crisis that is looming, if they are truly a
priority. Clearly they are a priority in the mind of the chairman, and
I sincerely respect his opinion, but they are not necessarily a
priority to me or the people of the Fifth District of Texas.
In my district, I have the Grand Saline Salt Palace. It sits on top
of one of the largest salt mines in the entire United States of
America. It is a very unique museum, actually made of salt. They give
away free salt samples so people won't go and lick the walls. This is
something that is unique in America, but is it truly a priority that we
should have Federal funding for? I don't necessarily think so.
Now, there has been a debate in this body before about the history of
the hamburger. Well, in the State of Texas, they say the birth of the
hamburger was in Athens, Texas, which happens to be in the Fifth
Congressional District that I have the honor of representing. It was
invented in the 1880s by Mr. Fletcher Davis at 115 Tyler Street in
Athens. Maybe that is something that is worthy of Federal expenditure
to preserve this.
The Texas State Railroad that takes people on an old steam locomotive
throughout beautiful Piney Woods of east Texas has been in existence
since the 1800s. It has some funding challenges. It is something that I
think is worthy of preservation. But, again, given the context of the
largest tax increase in American history, given that people are still
raiding the Social Security trust fund, it is not something I
personally feel comfortable coming to this body and requesting that we
use Federal funds for these purposes.
These are great historical and cultural locations within my district,
but I am not sure they rise to the occasion to meet the National
Treasures Act language, particularly when, again, all this spending has
to be paid for.
So, I understand that people are experts on their district, that they
want to defend their projects. But, again, it is taxpayers from, among
other places, the Fifth Congressional District of Texas, that are
having to pay for all this. Therefore, they start to lose their
American treasures, their ability to buy a home, their ability to send
their children to college, their ability to start a new business. I am
still working to preserve those American treasures, and that is why I
submitted this amendment, and I urge its adoption.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Indiana is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the recognition, and I rise
in strong and adamant opposition to the gentleman's amendment. During
my remarks, I would like to make three points and also indicate that
this project is in the City of Rensselaer, Indiana, at St. Joseph's
College. It is for the restoration of a historic theater that continues
to be used by the faculty and students of the school, as well as the
constituents and citizens of Rensselaer and Jasper County, Indiana.
The total cost for the renovation of this project is about $965,000.
The request and approval by the subcommittee was for $100,000. I would
want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Dicks, as well as
the ranking member, my good friend, Mr. Tiahrt, for their consideration
of this very important project.
The first point I do want to make is that this has great value to the
community in which it is situated. While the gentleman who offered the
amendment enumerated a whole series of other possible projects in
another State, that is not the subject of this amendment. It is the
restoration of a historic theater at St. Joseph's College in
Rensselaer.
It was built in 1914 and designed in revival style, referred to as
Collegiate Gothic. It is located in the college's historic district,
and the goal of the project is to restore the theater as an attractive,
useful centerpiece for the college and the City of Rensselaer while
retaining its notable contribution among historic sites and structures
in the great State of Indiana.
The second point I would want to make, and I would take off on the
remarks made by the chairman, is he suggested that we have a right to
spend this money. I agree with that assertion. I would take it a step
further and say, we have a responsibility to make an investment in this
country. We need to invest to preserve the past so we can continue to
learn its lessons. We need to invest in this country for our present
and for those who live here today. We need to invest in this country
and its infrastructure for the future of this Nation and for the
children of this generation and those yet to come. We have a
responsibility as well as a right.
The gentleman from Washington, Mr. Dicks, also mentioned we are here
to help each other out. I would conclude by stressing that point.
While I have a great deal of respect for the gentleman from the Fifth
District of Texas, I happen to represent the First District in Indiana,
and the last time I looked, society and the purpose of us joining
together in a free government is to help each other out and to look out
for each others' interests.
It is not the government that is paying this money, as the gentleman
indicated; it is the people of this country who are paying for this
project in Rensselaer, Indiana, that has value, which is the same
reason why I think it is absolutely appropriate that taxpayers in
places like east Chicago, Indiana, and Hobart, Indiana, expend some of
their tax moneys as individuals to help the City of Dallas, for
example, with their floodway to ensure that there is not property
damage in the future, that there is not loss of life, that there is not
injury to others in this country.
It is why I think there is a noble reason to ask people who live in
Lowell, Indiana, and Chesterton, Indiana, and Gary, Indiana, to help
fund research taking place at Oak Ridge in Tennessee. At first blush,
why should we have an interest in making that investment? Because it
inures to the benefit of not only everyone who lives in the United
States, but everyone worldwide.
We should get over this concept that we have to be parochial in what
we do and get over this concept that we should be selfish about what we
are about. We are here to make an investment, and, as the gentleman
from Washington rightfully pointed out, to help each other out.
So I strongly oppose the gentleman's amendment. I absolutely think it
is bad policy, and I would ask my colleagues' support.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DICKS. I move to strike the requisite number of words.
[[Page H7175]]
Mr. Chairman, I want to say to my friend from Indiana, who has been a
valued member of our committee for many years, that I strongly support
his project. Our committee evaluated it. We looked at all the details.
We think it is a worthy project that should be supported.
I urge my colleagues to oppose the gentleman from Texas' amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the
noes appeared to have it.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will
be postponed.
Amendment No. 56 Offered by Mr. Hensarling
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 56 offered by Mr. Hensarling:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
None of the funds in this Act may be used for the Maverick
Concert Hall.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit funds in
the bill from being used for Maverick Concert Hall preservation located
in Woodstock, New York. I think the committee report provides $150,000
for this particular local project.
Again, the debate that I want to present now is similar to one I
presented on some of the other earmark funds. I do want to address some
of what I have heard earlier in the debate.
I would like to make it very clear to the chairman of the committee
and to all my colleagues, I do not question the right to spend this
money. I don't question the right of this body to expend these funds. I
simply question the wisdom of expending these funds given that the
Nation continues to run a deficit, given that we have a looming
entitlement spending crisis. The Comptroller General of America has
stated we are on the verge of being the first generation in American
history to leave the next generation with a lower standard of living.
I question the wisdom of the expenditure, given the fact that we just
had a budget resolution passed, against my vote, passed against,
contrary to the debate I offered on the floor, that would present the
largest tax increase in American history, an average of roughly $3,000
per American family.
Now, I heard one gentleman early on, in defending his particular
earmark, say it was a small amount of money. Relative to the Federal
budget, I am sure it is a small amount of money. But for those of us
who have consistently throughout our careers come to this floor to
debate protecting the family budget from the Federal budget, to come to
this floor and debate more freedom and less government, you got to
start somewhere.
I don't understand the argument. It is either, well, this is such a
small amount of money, why are we bothering, or I hear the argument
sometimes, it is such a huge sum, we can't do that. That would be
Draconian.
I kind of feel like, well, especially since I have small children and
I read them bedtime stories, it is kind of like Goldilocks and the
Three Bears. Either the porridge is too cold or it is too hot. When is
the amount just right?
I heard one of the earlier speakers talk about responsibility to
future generations. I agree. I spend a lot of time thinking about
future generations. Again, I am the father of a 5-year-old daughter and
a 3-year-old son, and I know everybody in this body loves their
children and loves their grandchildren. But I think a lot about the
debt and the tax burden that is going to be passed on to future
generations. And, again, I fear that although earmarks represent a
small portion of the Federal budget, they represent a large portion of
the culture of spending that has now led to over $50 trillion of
unfunded obligations in the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
programs alone.
So, where do the steps, the baby steps towards fiscal responsibility,
start?
{time} 1930
I just believe again that with this looming entitlement crisis, that
we need to do more. We need to set even a higher standard. We need to
set even a higher bar for the expenditure of these funds. And I am sure
these are interesting and worthy sites, although I haven't visited
them. I am not sure if they are worthier or are more interesting than
many of the sites in my own district.
Again, I start to think about the people who will have to pay this. I
think about their American treasure. I think about a guy named Bruce in
Garland, Texas, in my district. And when I asked him what is this tax
increase going to do, and it is going to be a tax increase or debt that
is going to pay for these earmarks, he said, ``Congressman, in my
particular case, an additional $2,200 in taxes would cut into the
finances I use to pay for my son's college education. I really believe
that given more money, Congress will spend more money, so that is not
the answer. A control and reduction of spending is what is needed.''
And so I think about Bruce in Garland and about all of the Bruces in
Garland. You are talking about $100,000 here and $100,000 there, and to
paraphrase the late Everett Dirkson, pretty soon you're talking about
real money.
When we are helping each other out, let's think about future
generations who are going to end up paying for all of these earmarks.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from New York is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. HINCHEY. First of all, before I begin, I want to express my deep
admiration and appreciation to the chairman of this Environment and
Interior Subcommittee, for the marvelous job he has done in putting
this bill together. It is extraordinary in all that it does and
improvements that it makes.
Also, I express my appreciation to the ranking minority member, Mr.
Tiahrt, and all of the good work he has done and his responsibility on
this committee, and particularly with regard to this bill.
Ironically, I want to express my appreciation to the gentleman from
Texas because he gives me an opportunity to talk a little bit about the
Maverick Concert Hall.
This small amount of money in this bill would provide for the
restoration work on this Maverick Concert Hall. The Maverick Concert
Hall was handbuilt in 1916 in a very unique rustic style. It was done
so by famed Maverick Art Colony founder and philosopher Hervey White.
Local carpenters put the building together, along with a band of
resident ``maverick'' artists and volunteers.
The Maverick Art Colony was a key element in the emergence of
Woodstock, New York, as a nationally influential art colony.
Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the hall is the home
of the oldest continuous summer chamber music series anywhere in the
United States. For 91 years, America's leading professional artists
have presented summer concerts at the hall. The acoustics in this rural
building are nearly perfect. Maverick concerts became the prototype for
other summer music festivals, taking music from the cities and bringing
them into rural, bucolic settings.
True to the egalitarian spirit of the original colony, the concerts
are offered to the public and free for children and at very affordable
prices in a lovely wooded surrounding for adults.
It is a marvelous place, and I am very proud to be the sponsor of
this piece of this bill which would provide this very modest amount of
funding for this particular project in the town of Woodstock, New York.
With regard to some of the things that the author and the sponsor of
this amendment have put forward, I think it is important for all of us
to recognize that he is very grossly mistaken
[[Page H7176]]
in some of the things that he said. For example, there are no tax
increases in this budget, and no tax increases in any of the things
that we are dealing with here today.
In fact, what we are trying to do, this new Democratic majority in
this House of Representatives and in the Senate as well, what we are
trying to do is to rebalance the budget because in the several terms
that my good friend from Texas, the sponsor of this amendment has been
part of, we have increased the national debt by a huge amount of money.
We have almost doubled the national debt while he was in the majority
party and voting for all of those things that brought about that
increase in the national debt, almost doubling it.
He has been responsible, along with some others, really placing
future generations deeply, deeply in debt.
He talks about the need to be responsible in the way we provide
Federal financing for issues across the country. I would simply remind
the sponsor of this amendment that on a per capita basis, far more
Federal money goes into the State of Texas than goes into the State of
New York, for example.
So with that fact in mind, if he was really sincere and serious about
what he is saying, then he would be recommending that the people in his
district reject the Federal funding that they are receiving. I don't
advise him to do that, but I do advise him to be more serious, be more
sincere, be more knowledgeable and understanding about your
responsibilities here, the kinds of things that we are obliged to do,
particularly in the context of the way we are authorized under the
Constitution to provide for the people of this country. To spend the
money appropriately, intelligently, doing good things for all of the
people.
Mr. Tiahrt understands that. It is quite clear in the way that he has
helped put this bill together. And, of course, Mr. Dicks understands it
very well. And we understand it, too. That is why we are going to be
supporting this bill very enthusiastically and why I ask everyone here
to reject this amendment from our friend from Texas.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of
words.
I want to commend the gentleman from New York for his participation
on our subcommittee and for all of his good work during the year.
I must say, a performing arts facility in a town can be such a
fantastic thing. One thing I hope my colleague from Texas remembers is
that the local community has to match the money. I think in this case
this is a grant of $150,000 to Save America's Treasures which clearly
this is one of. And then the local community has to raise $150,000, and
out of that there are improvements to the facility and the structure
that are done over a period of time.
Again, as we analyzed all of these projects, this is exactly what we
had in mind. This legislation was authorized by Congress. And I would
mention also that Mrs. Bush has her program, the Preserve America
Program, which our committee has supported. Mr. Tiahrt has been a
strong supporter of that program. I saw Mrs. Bush the other night and I
told her we were working hard together up here to try and preserve this
program, which does exactly the same things as Save America's
Treasures. There may be a nuance or two, but basically it is the same
thing.
So again, I support the Hinchey project and oppose the gentleman from
Texas's amendment. I appreciate the good work of my colleague from New
York over all of the years we have been on this committee together.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the
noes appeared to have it.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will
be postponed.
Amendment No. 74 Offered by Mr. Hensarling
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 74 offered by Mr. Hensarling:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
None of the funds in this Act may be used for the Bremerton
Public Library.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit funds in
the bill from being used for the Bremerton Public Library Restoration
Project in Bremerton, Washington. The supplement to the committee
report provides $150,000 for this project.
According to a 2001 article in the Kitsap Business Journal,
restoration of the building previously received a $100,000 grant from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. An equal amount was provided by
the local government. The building is described in the same article as
being a unique art deco style building. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation has an endowment apparently of over $30 billion, and as of
April 2007, the State of Washington was projected to have the eighth
largest surplus in the country at $1.23 billion.
So, again, I question not that good things can't be done with these
Federal funds, not that this is not a project worthy of preservation
and restoration, I simply question the wisdom again of using Federal
taxpayer funds on such a project given the background. And I will
respectfully disagree with the gentleman who spoke before me, the
gentleman from New York, given the largest tax increase in history. He
may not believe it is the largest tax increase in history, but The
Washington Post, not exactly a bastion of conservative journalism
wrote: ``And while House Democrats say they want to preserve key parts
of Bush's signature tax cuts, they project a surplus in 2012 only by
assuming that all of these cuts expire on schedule in 2010.''
It may be an expiration to the gentleman from New York, but to the
people of the Fifth Congressional District of Texas, it smacks of a big
tax increase.
And as I look at all of the different projects that have been brought
forth tonight, I just ask myself a question: Is there any good project
back home that apparently is not worth a Federal subsidy? If we say
``yes'' to all of these projects today, I fear we will be saying ``no''
to our children's future tomorrow.
Again, where is this money coming from? Government will be paid for.
Either you are increasing taxes on the American people through the
largest tax increase in American history, or you are going to pass on
taxes even further by not doing anything to reform entitlement
spending. That is the real fiscal tragedy. That is where the real
scandal is. It is in the $50 trillion of unfunded obligations and not
one word, not one word, Mr. Chairman, in the Democrat budget about what
to do in entitlement spending.
Instead we have, again, local project after local project after local
project. Maybe we have fewer than we had last year, and I assume the
chairman is accurate when he says that and I salute him for that. But
still, given the fact that the Federal Government is spending roughly
$23,000 per American family, the largest level since World War II,
given that the Democrat majority, over the course of 5 years, is about
to impose a $3,000 increase in taxes on those same families, and given
that we still have a Federal deficit that I have fought against since I
have been here, often battling with my own party leadership, something
I wish some of the people on the other side of the aisle who espouse a
similar philosophy, I wish they would raise their voices occasionally.
Again, I would like to say that as worthy as many of these projects
are, America's true treasures are the treasures to be found in the
family, those dreams that are discussed around the kitchen table. That
dream of launching that first small business, that dream of being able
to finally send the first child to college. That dream of actually
being able to afford the health care premiums to make sure that the
family
[[Page H7177]]
is well. Those are America's true treasures, and those are the
treasures that I am trying to preserve.
We have to go further in changing the culture of spending and not
expending funds for any purpose simply because we think of it or
because we say good things can be done. Better things can be done when
the taxpayers keep their own money.
{time} 1945
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Washington is recognized for
5 minutes.
Mr. DICKS. This is an amendment that affects a project in my hometown
of Bremerton, Washington.
The downtown Bremerton library building opened in August 1938. Now,
that may sound recent, but, remember, Washington has only been a State
since 1889. The building was funded under the Works Progress
Administration. The WPA was one of Franklin Roosevelt's principal
public works programs that helped America recover from the Great
Depression. The building is constructed in an art deco style which was
a signature style during the twenties and thirties and a favorite today
of preservationists across the country. The building has a large
rotunda with skylights. Because of its distinctive style, the library
remains one of the most attractive buildings in downtown Bremerton.
Like many art deco buildings, the library has a very bright color, in
this case a vibrant yellow.
The downtown Bremerton library was constructed on land that has
housed a library for nearly a hundred years. When this library opened
in 1938, it served as the main library. The City of Bremerton and
Kitsap County combined their library system in 1955. In 1978, a new
headquarters library was built for the regional system and the downtown
library became a branch library.
The library in downtown Bremerton has been undergoing rehabilitation
for the last 1\1/2\ years. The city invested $100,000 last year in
general fund money and $100,000 from its community development block
grant funds. These were matched with $100,000 from Kitsap County and
$100,000 from the Gates Foundation. The moneys were spent replacing
windows and doors, remodeling bathrooms, rebuilding the roof and other
structural improvements which brought the building, to a reasonable
degree at least, up to current building codes and took care of pressing
life/safety concerns. This year, the city is spending an additional
$200,000 in general fund money to replace the existing heating, cooling
and air ventilation system, to remove asbestos from the heating plant
and associated piping, replace much of the building's plumbing, and to
rewire the entire building for additional electrical capacity and other
modern communication equipment.
When I was a kid growing up in Bremerton, Washington, this was the
library that I used to go to with my mother and father and my younger
brother, Les. Bremerton is a city where we have the Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard, probably the most effective and productive shipyard in the
United States. We have about 10,000 workers working there, and we have
thousands of sailors who are home-ported in Bremerton and at the
Trident submarine base at Bangor. I would like to think that this
facility would be available to those men and women serving us in the
military and for all of those thousands of government employees who
work in the Kitsap County area. This is a good project. The money that
we are providing, $150,000, will be matched by the city of Bremerton.
They've already put in a lot of additional money. And this is a
partnership. This is one of those good projects where there's a
partnership.
I urge my colleagues to strongly oppose this amendment and to support
this worthy project.
I would also say, again, to the gentleman, this is such a dramatic
reversal, what we have done on this side of the aisle on earmarks from
the comparison when the other side took power. In 1994, there were
about a thousand earmarks. In 2006, there were 13,000 earmarks.
The other thing I would suggest, too, it's one thing to go after the
projects of your colleagues, but the President has what we would call
earmarks, executive branch earmarks in this budget. If the gentleman
was evenhanded in his approach, and I think he has been very fair in
how he has selected these projects, but if he was evenhanded, he would
go after some of the things that the President requests. As I said, the
Preserve America Program is almost identical to Save America's
Treasures, but I don't notice the gentleman offering an amendment on
that particular project. No, I don't want to incentivize him, but I
guess we can't because there is a unanimous consent agreement.
But, again, I appreciate what the gentleman is saying, and it is
important. Dealing with the entitlements where two-thirds of our
spending is has got to be done, and I hope that we can approach those
problems just the same way as the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt)
and I have approached this problem, with approving only one in ten of
the projects that were requested from our colleagues.
Again, it is our power. Don't give up Congress's power of the
Constitution, which is the power of the purse. That would be a tragic
mistake that would haunt this House for many years.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the
noes appeared to have it.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will
be postponed.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Committee will rise informally.
The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Andrews) assumed the chair.
____________________