EDWARD
J. MARKEY
MASSACHUSETTS |
218
RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-2742 | |
United
States Senate
January 30,
2015
|
Thank you for writing to me about the Endangered Species
Act status of the gray wolf. I appreciate hearing from you on this important
matter.
Last year, I lead a bipartisan group of over 50
lawmakers in calling on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue protections
for the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 2011, I wrote
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar expressing my opposition to the delisting of
the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the Senate, I will
continue to monitor this ongoing situation and advocate for the protection of
the gray wolf. The backbone of the ESA has always been its commitment to use
science to protect species from extinction. Science, not politics, should guide
the conservation and management of the gray wolves in America.
The continuing recovery of the gray wolf has been one of
the greatest success stories of the ESA. Through several decades of rigorous
federal protection, the gray wolf population has risen to roughly 6,100 across
three Great Lakes states and seven Western states. However, the recovery of gray
wolves still faces challenges today and it is premature to take it off the ESA
list.
The gray wolf once ranged across most of North America,
Europe, and Asia. As a keystone predator, restoring the gray wolf through the
Endangered Species Act is crucial to the long-term function of
ecosystems. Reintroducing wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the
1990s has had far-reaching benefits. Fear of wolves prevented elk from using
areas with aspen trees, which allowed the aspen to grow up, and this in turn has
been good for songbirds and beavers. Yellowstone wolves has helped grow the
local tourism economy in parts of the Northwest United States. Gray wolf
recovery in the lower 48 states is a wildlife success story in the making, and I
will encourage my Senate colleagues and the relevant federal and state agencies
to continue to work toward greater recovery of this important
species.
While in the U.S. House of Representatives, I served as
the Ranking Member on the Natural Resources Committee and protecting our
nation's wildlife has been one of my top priorities. I am honored to have
received a 100 percent score from the Humane Society of the United States as
well as a 100 percent score since joining the Senate from the League of
Conservation Voters because of my voting record on animal welfare and
environmental issues. In the Senate, I will continue fighting to protect
America's wildlife and our environment.
Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. If I
can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. To sign up
for my newsletter, visit http://www.markey.senate.gov/newsletter. You can
also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Sincerely,
Edward
J. Markey
United States Senator
United States Senator
No comments:
Post a Comment