Please consider contacting Dave Kay and Matt Besko - AB Wildlife Management.

Recall, in June 2016, from the Rocky Mountain Outlook: "Dave Kay, commercial wildlife and priority species specialist with Alberta Parks and Environment, said the province is looking at ways to regulate against the use of wolf bounties by municipalities and hunting and trapping groups.“It might be legal, but socially it’s really not that acceptable and we certainly don’t promote them,” said Kay. “We’ve had some discussions internally about how we can regulate against the use of bounties on wolves.”

Please write and request a follow up on these statements in regards to the bounty programs in Alberta. It would also be wise to thank him (them) for taking this position and ask for a timeline when the public can expect bounties to be banned.

Reread the article here: http://www.rmoutlook.com/article/Debate-rages-over-wolf-bounties-20160602

• Dave Kay
  

        Commercial Wildlife and Priority Species Specialist Wildlife 
        Management Policy               
        Phone: 780 644-4646
        Fax: 780 422-9559
        E-mail: dave.kay@gov.ab.ca

• Matt Besko

         Section Head Wildlife Management Policy Environment and    
         Parks 
         Phone: 780 427-7769
         Fax: 780 422-9559
         E-mail: matt.besko@gov.ab.ca

An excellent letter regarding wolves in Alberta. Thank you Christina! Please let this article inspire you to write your own letters! Lets keep people talking about wolves and the issues they face in Alberta!! Read the article/letter here:

http://www.rmoutlook.com/article/Hopeful-for-change-on-wolf-policy-20160616

The Alberta Government's newly released Caribou Recovery Plan is making headlines today and asking for public input on their survey.  Note that they do plan to continue the wolf culls which have done nothing to increase the caribou recovery and the restrictions for ongoing land use does not go far enough. That said there are some very good points in the plan as well.



“Ultimately, caribou come first, and federal law requires each province and territory to develop range plans that protect, over time, at least 65 per cent of that habitat or face federal intervention.”

Alberta’s wolf cull began in 2005 in the Little Smoky Region of the province in an attempt to save the endangered woodland caribou.
Over the last nine years, more than 1,000 wolves have been killed along with 700 other animals.
Currently, the province shoots wolves from the air and uses strychnine bait and private trapping to kill the animals. But the report notes that some 20 moose and elk annually are killed from the poison as well.
“In conducting wolf control, society has embarked upon species valuation trade-offs that not everyone is comfortable with,” the report notes.
First Nations representatives told Denhoff that they would prefer to replace the poison with approaches that avoid killing other species unintentionally and have asked for direct participation in the cull."
Wolf Matters wonders if caribou come first why has habitat protection and restoration taken such a back seat?
We do however commend the Government of Alberta for looking at banning the use of poison and hope that they follow through with this in addition to the banning bounties as they indicated last week - The Province has said:
- the province is planning on banning wolf bounties for hunting and trapping groups and municipalities and counties.
- bounties are not acceptable
- province has never promoted them

PLEASE COMMENT on the survey in regards to the draft plan HERE

Read more about the plan in the News:

Press Release from Alberta Wilderness Association

One of our dedicated wolf supporters and volunteers recently wrote a letter to the editor and we wanted to share it as it is an excellent example of such a letter. We hope letters like this inspire you to continue to contact media outlets, your MLA, Minister Phillips and Premier Notley regarding your concerns about wildlife management issues in Alberta.

Some very sad news out of Banff today. But please don't jump to conclusions and come out swinging against Parks over this. This was a very, very difficult decision for them to have had to make and they would not have made this decision lightly. When an animal has become conditioned with respect to where it can obtain food it is incredibly hard to change that behaviour.

As soon as the pups began to become reinforced for that type of behaviour (getting food) pretty soon it would be an entire pack of wolves who would be posing this problem. We have got to be so careful about food/garbage storage and disposal as well as the less obvious passive feeding of wild animals like bird feeders and in some areas, not necessarily Banff or Canmore, but ornamental fruit trees like crap apple. These are all food sources for wild canids and can create animals who become reinforced for their behaviours of hanging out near people and populated areas by obtaining food. Hopefully there remaining pack members will be able to bring up these pups in a wild, healthy way that leaves them unconditioned as the Alpha female had become, but she will definitely be a substantial loss to the pack, which operates like a close knit family where every member is absolutely key to survival of the pack. Read more below.

http://calgaryherald.com/…/female-wolf-killed-in-banff-nati…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/banff-wolf-pack-sighting-has-park-officials-urging-caution-1.3426842

We are incredibly proud of a group of school kids who have set up an educational display and project about wolves at the Mayor's Expo! Wolf Matters representative Teena recently presented to this group of kids at their schools and that inspired them to take on a project about wolves and show it off at the Mayor's Expo in Calgary on June 8th, 2016! We are very proud!! And a big thank you to Teena for all her hard work in helping these wonderful children with their display about Alberta wolves!!
Please contact us if you'd like us to speak at your school or office, or group!! We love teaching about wolves!

"Dave Kay, commercial wildlife and priority species specialist with Alberta Parks and Environment, said the province is looking at ways to regulate against the use of wolf bounties by municipalities and hunting and trapping groups.

“It might be legal, but socially it’s really not that acceptable and we certainly don’t promote them,” said Kay. “We’ve had some discussions internally about how we can regulate against the use of bounties on wolves.”
Trappers and hunters must have a valid Alberta licence, but there is no quota for wolves, so they can kill as many as they wish. There are regulations on hunting and trapping seasons and wolf kills must be registered in many areas, though not all.
Under existing provincial regulations, any landowner can shoot a wolf on or within eight kilometres of their land, and any Albertan, without a licence, can shoot a wolf for about nine months of the year on land to which they have right of access.
In addition, any person or organization can, for any reason, offer a bounty on any species that can legally be killed in Alberta, which means wolves, cougars and coyotes and a host of other wildlife"

A new article has been published about the Bow Valley Wolf Pack becoming conditioned to humans and food/trash left behind. Read the article here: Things are looking bleak for the Bow Valley Wolf Pack in Banff National Park

Here are some tips about safely (for them and for us) coexisting with our wildlife (Please share!):



At Your Home:

• Do not feed wolves and other wildlife
• Since garbage can attract wolves and other wildlife, keep garbage in a secure location
• Do not leave any food outside, including scraps, pet food, or livestock feed. When possible, feed animals inside.
• Keep dogs under supervision. Wolves can be highly territorial toward other canids
• Do not leave pets outside unattended, especially at night
• Take steps to avoid rodent infestations as they can attract predators
• Avoid ornamental fruit trees or pick up fruit immediately if any has fallen - fruit may attract predators to your yard
• Avoid having bird feeders in your yard as these may also be predator attractants

While Camping, Hiking, Outdoors:

• Never feed, approach, or allow wolves to come near, or they may lose their fear of people.
• Do not bury garbage. If you pack it in – pack it out!
• Keep a clean and orderly camp. Cook and store food away from sleeping areas. Suspend food, toiletries, garbage and other loose objects on a rope between trees, or in secured kayak hatches, out of reach of wildlife. Wolves have been reported removing personal and other non-food items from campsites.
• Stay away from fresh wolf kills or other carcasses you may across, as well as avoid dens, and rendezvous sites.
• Wash dishes in a container and dispose of grey water.
• Near the coast use areas below high tide mark, away from camp, in an area of high tidal exchange for toilets – do not use the upland areas, wolves will feed on human excrement.
• Keep dogs on leash to avoid encounters. If you encounter a wolf, make the dog heel next to you immediately. Standing between the dog and the wolf often ends the encounter, but never try to break up a fight between a wolf and a dog.
  

In Your Community:

• Remind your neighbors to never feed wolves and other wildlife.
• Promote the reduction of potential wildlife food sources in and around your community.
• Notify authorities about wolves or other wildlife that seem comfortable around people, seek human food, or frequent human areas. Early intervention can keep a problem from getting worse.