Speak up for Wolves and other Arizona Wildlife!

Please Oppose Bills that would Harm Wolves and Other Wildlife!

Please vote no on HB2147, HB2158, HB2159, HB2162, HB2497, HB2787, HCM2006, and HCM2011 and oppose efforts to remove protections from Mexican gray wolves and other wildlife. Maintain the public trust responsibility for wildlife management. HB2147 (deer; taking; landowner permits) mandates that the Arizona Game and Fish Department issue a permit to landowners to kill deer on their property. This bill privatizes wildlife and is contrary to the North American Model of Wildlife Management and how Arizona has managed wildlife for decades, which holds that wildlife are a public trust responsibility and not the property of individual landowners. HB2158 (predatory animals; definition) expands the definition of “predators” to include bears, cougars, and mountain lions. HB2158 would remove these animals from science-based wildlife management and open the door to unregulated, extreme killing, including by traps, snares, hounding, and aerial gunning—practices that destabilize populations, and undermine the public trust. HB2159 (Mexican wolves; landowner permits; rules) allows the killing of Mexican gray wolves by landowners in Arizona. The bill would authorize the Arizona Game and Fish Department to issue permits to private individuals to kill wolves on private and/or public lands. In some cases, the Department would be required to issue those permits at the direction of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. This bill is contrary to the Endangered Species Act which protects the Mexican gray wolf as a listed species. HB2162 (game and fish commission; membership) requires that one member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission be a rancher. The livestock industry already has undue influence on the Game and Fish Commission and also has huge conflicts with the mission of the Commission because ranchers frequently advocate for the killing of various animals -- wolves, mountain lions, coyotes, and more – to advantage their business. Ranchers already have a seat on the Commission Appointment Recommendation Board where they have significantly influenced appointments. Besides, no other entity has a special seat on the Commission. There is no requirement for a Tribal representative, a wildlife biologist, a conservationist, or even a hunter. HB2497 (right to hunt; fish; harvest) asserts that the Arizona Legislature has exclusive authority over regulation of wildlife and says they "may" delegate it to Game and Fish. This undermines the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s authority to regulate wildlife. Creating a right to “harvest wildlife” would also include trapping and could undermine efforts to limit cruel trapping methods. This bill provides for political management of wildlife. HB2787 (federal nullification; Mexican wolf; reintroduction) prohibits the state from administering, enforcing, or cooperating or spending any money on Mexican gray wolf reintroduction and recovery. This is another short-sighted bill to hinder wolf recovery and would ensure that the state wildlife agency would have little say in the wolf recovery program. HCM2006 (endangered species act; urging reform) is a message to Congress asking for reform of the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Act, plus asking for regulations to be removed from livestock grazing. It seeks to weaken protections for wildlife to facilitate more cattle. HCM2011 (Mexican wolf; delist; urging support) is a message to Congress asking it to pass H.R. 4255 and delist the Mexican wolf from the endangered species list and to defund the Nonessential Experimental Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project. Decisions about delisting should be based on science and be informed by wildlife biologists, not enacted by politicians. Thank you for considering these important issues.