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Mike Leahy, Defenders of Wildlife Regional Director, Northern Rockies

Posted on October 11, 2011

Mike is the Regional Director for the Northern Rockies( Defenders of Wildlife ). Mike talks about Defenders’ current efforts concerning wolf issues in the Northern Rockies, Boycotts , and an inside look as to what a day in the life of Mike Leahy looks like.

Mike Leahy runs the regional office in the Northern Rockies, and is based in Bozeman, Montana. Wolf issues are most demanding and when it comes to wolves, the Northern Rockies certainly remains the hotbed for a myriad of issues. I was fortunate to have this time with Mike as he talks about what Defenders is currently working on concerning wolves, and actions that supporters and advocates can get involved in to help.

One of the issues that some grassroots groups are engaged in is the boycotting of the three Northern Rockies states of M0ntana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We at NWC do not support a boycott for several reasons and have made our thoughts well known recently. Watch this video for some insightful information from Mike Leahy as to why he believes a boycott will not successfully benefit wolves , and we couldn’t agree more.

Mike also offers us a look into a day in his life as Director of the Northern Rockies Division for Defenders of Wildlife . Not an easy job to say the least, but Mike meets the challenges head on and we are most appreciative that he takes time from his busy schedule to meet with us and provide everyone with an inside look as to what is happening right now, and what we can do for wolves.

Thanks to Mike Leahy for his time, and more importantly for the drive and passion in which he does his job advocating for wildlife and wildlife habitat. We certainly appreciate Mike’s strong efforts on behalf of wolves. Thanks Mike.!

National Wolfwatcher Coalition is a strong supporter of Defenders of Wildlife

Please watch the video.

Dave Hornoff

Executive Director

National Wolfwatcher Coalition

Understand, Love, Protect

This entry was posted in All News, Front Page News, News, Northern Rockies, Regional Wolves, WolfWatcher and tagged defenders, director, leahy, northern, regional, wildlife. Bookmark the permalink.

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2 hours ago

Flagstaff Wolf Removal Violates Endangered Species Act, Conservationists Warntinyurl.com/yeyr4h43October 7 releaseThree conservation groups today notified state and federal agencies that ongoing efforts to trap and relocate Mexican gray wolves west of Flagstaff violate the Endangered Species Act. The wolves, known as the Kendrick Peak pack, have been thriving in this area near the Grand Canyon since at least June.Mexican wolves living north of Interstate 40 are fully protected under the Endangered Species Act, including its ban on trapping and other “take.” Today’s notice advises the USDA’s Wildlife Services and Arizona Game and Fish Department that they lack any permission to trap the Kendrick Peak wolf family.The only relevant permit authorizes trapping and translocation of Mexican wolves that have dispersed from what is called the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA). That area encompasses all of Arizona and New Mexico south of I-40 to the Mexico border.It’s entirely possible that these wolves were born to parents who have been living undetected outside of the experimental population area,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. ”The vast and wild Grand Canyon ecoregion is perfect habitat for wolves but the agencies insist on keeping wolves south of Interstate 40 for wholly political reasons.” The Kendrick Peak wolf family is being trapped for alleged conflict associated with public lands grazing allotments. No efforts to protect the cattle from predation have been implemented on these allotments, and the cattle are scheduled to be removed from the allotments at the end of October. Livestock owners are compensated for losses due to wolf predation.Breaking the law:These tenacious Mexican wolves belong right where they are, so we’re putting wildlife officials on notice that they’ll be breaking the law if they try to relocate them,” said Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Instead of trapping and removing the Kendrick Peak pack, state and federal officials should be doing everything they can to ensure that Mexican wolves recover.Wolves are essential to the ecological health of the Grand Canyon ecoregion and should be allowed to find territories naturally,” said Claire Musser, executive director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. “Instead of translocation, we should work with communities to prevent conflict and foster a culture of tolerance and respect for these vital predators.”Trapping risks injury to the endangered wolves, even when done by the agencies. At least 17 Mexican gray wolves have died as a direct result of agency trapping and handling since 1999. Moreover, the conservationists have explained that allowing Mexican wolves to expand their range northward into the Grand Canyon ecoregion would further their conservation, as the Endangered Species Act requires.The Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project and the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project filed today’s Notice. The Endangered Species Act requires such a written notice of the violation as a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit.Wolfwatcher would be surprised if theyTry to trap. Southwest representatives are on very this ground and it may be. A day to day situation.It would be. Ice to say the have been put on notice for their behavior, but we shall have to see information coming into our Creator..We are in creator when we begin the posting for any information we put on Wolfwatcher.Photo. Photo: Adobe Stock ... See MoreSee Less

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Wolfwatcher

1 day ago

Development in Ontario limiting wolves’ rangetinyurl.com/5fyjk5edA loss of habitat in southern Canada has made it more difficult for wolves to travel from the Laurentian Mountains to the Adirondack Park.If there were to ever be wolves coming back into New York, the odds of this taking place is getting worse and worse because of the habitat loss in Ontario, and … a little bit in Quebec.Those nice big patches that were in Ontario are gone, and so the dispersal distances are now almost double than they used to be. Without extensive restoration in Ontario, it’s going to be tough, or tougher anyway, for them to get down.As recently as 2000, it was easier to get to New York from Quebec. They could go maybe (12 to 19 miles) and get to a stepping stone patch, then maybe another (12 to 19 miles) to get to another stepping stone patch, then get into New York.Habitat patch areas decreased from 2000 to 2015 by 695 square miles, including by 28% in the Quebec portion, 95% in the Ontario portion and only .3% in New York.New York’s still offers opportunities for migrating animals other than a few pinch points in places such as St. Lawrence County and northern Franklin County.Extensive habitat restoration and protection” needs to happen within the Ontario and Quebec portions of the study area, road development needs to meet certain thresholds, and cross-border cooperation needs to happen to keep habitat intact.But even with restoration efforts, wolves and coyotes need better protection from hunters and trappers in New York and Canada. Several wolves discovered in New York and Northeast in recent decades have been killed by humans, including one shot by a hunter in 2021 in the northern Catskills.Gray wolves are listed as an endangered species in New York, but they resemble coyotes and can be killed mistakenly. In Canada, eastern wolves received additional protections in June when they were listed as threatened. ... See MoreSee Less

Study: Development in Ontario limiting wolves' range

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Study says a loss of habitat in southern Canada has made it more difficult for wolves to travel from the Laurentians to the Adirondacks.

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