Transcript Item 16 Weiss CESA wolf listing testimony - 10 3 12 - CAL

The Gray Wolf in
California: a case for
listing under CESA
Presented by
Amaroq Weiss, MS, JD
Northern California Representative
for
California Wolf Center
Presented by:
On behalf of Petitioners:
1 Question
1 Wolf
1 Answer
CA Fish & Game Code §2072.3:
13 factors +
This Presentation Addresses Four of Them:
Population trend
Degree and immediacy of threats
Impact of existing management efforts
Range and distribution
Population Trend
Degree & Immediacy of Threats:
Inability to find a mate
Degree & Immediacy of Threats:
Predation by humans
• “We think they should
Some Northern
be shot on sight.”
Californian’s Opinions
About Wolves
• “If I see a wolf, it’s
dead.”
• “If I see an animal in my
livestock, I kill it. If I kill
a wolf, you going to
throw me in jail? I don’t
care what it is.”
Impact of Existing Management Efforts
• 1990’s – Rerouted funds for Olympic Peninsula to Idaho
• 2000 – Sought to remove protections in CA
• 2002 – Denied petition for DPS for N. CA and S.W. OR
• 2011 – Began status review for Pacific West
Impact of Existing Management Efforts
• Website and monitoring
• Wolf Report
• County Commission presentations
• Outreach to stakeholders
• Stakeholder joint meeting
• MOU with federal agencies
• Consult with outside experts
• Communicate with landowners
Range & Distribution
Range & Distribution
• Historically-Available Prey Species
• Historical Accounts of Wolf Sightings
• Cultural Evidence from California’s Native
Peoples
Wolf Presence & Distribution
in California:
Historically-Available Prey Species
California: Pre-European Settlement
And then they were gone . . .
• European settlement
• Agricultural development
• Displacement of native plants with non-native invasives
• Replacement of wild ungulates with domestic stock
• 3 Human population surges
• Market hunting of prey
• Persecution / Bounties
on predators
San Bernardino County
1922
(skull)
Lassen County
1924
(pelt)
Wolf Presence & Distribution
in California:
Historical Accounts of
Wolf Sightings
California:
1750
To
1924
(Schmidt, 1987, 1991; Weiss,
unpublished research)
Accounts from Diverse Sources
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scientists
Ranchos
Mountain Men & Fur Traders
Explorers & Traders of Goods
Writers
Bounty Records
Wolf Presence & Distribution
In California:
Cultural Evidence from
California’s Native Peoples
California:
Pre-European
Contact
WOLF
FOX
DOG
COYOTE
Evidence from
Native California
peoples includes:
•Language
• Creation stories
• Artwork
• Dance regalia
• Customs
• Beliefs
(Merriam, 1910; GeddesOsborne & Margolin, 2001;
McCarthy, 2003; Beers & Elrod,
2007; Weiss, unpublished
research )
Hupa, CA
Circa 1900
Yurok, Karuk and Hupa
World Renewal Ceremony
and White Deerskin Dance
Wolf fur blinders worn in
White Deerskin Dance / World Renewal Ceremony
of Karuk, Yurok and Hupa Tribes
Paiute
story
The Journey Ahead:
• / / CA = ??
Wolves will continue to disperse
to California.
Time frame:
OR = 9 yearsWA = 6-12 years
CA = ?? years
Opportunity:
Outreach / Accurate Information / Address Concerns
Siskiyou County
2012
Modoc County
2012
Opportunity: Develop pro-active programs to address concerns of livestock producers
Opportunity:
Pro-Active monitoring & research to
address concerns of hunters
Opportunity:
Develop plan to conserve
and recover the gray wolf,
a native species and part of
California’s natural history
and heritage
Opportunity:
Create structure and guidelines, develop programs and plan ahead for
staff time, budgets and other needs of the Department
Because one day . . .
In appreciation for several
photos and images:
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
California Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, Carter Niemeyer,
Equator Graphics, Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of
Anthropology.