Vote on letter prompts visit by wolf supporters

By JIM OWEN

Daily Press Staff
Supporters of wolf reintroduction and protection of roadless forest areas Thursday night told the Grant County Commission they represent the majority view in the county.
The wolf issue was raised because of the commissioners' unanimous vote to send a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The letter notes that the federal agency is required to draft an evaluation report at the end of the third year of the reintroduction program, which was launched in 1997.
The commission "strongly recommends that the report effort be contracted out to a neutral third party (because) if the service undertakes the evaluation in-house, critics and supporters of the program will have good reasons to challenge the report and the findings," the letter states.
It requests that the commissioners be "an active participant" in the evaluation.
Resident Sharon Morgan said she saw "something very contradictory in the letter," referring to the commission's position against wolf reintroduction.
She accused the commission of "ignoring" wolf supporters, and said if commissioners take part in the evaluation it could not be a "neutral" process.
Michael Sauber, who also spoke in favor of wolves, agreed with that concern.
Michael Robinson, a Silver City resident who works with the Center for Biological Diversity, said he has "no problem with a review" being conducted. He criticized the Fish and Wildlife Service for having "responded way too much to (wolf opponents)."
He asked commissioners to practice "some modicum of openness on this issue, even though you are on record opposing it."
Robinson added: "Let's see if we can lower the temperature on the issue a notch; maybe have a little more rationality. If we can have an open discussion that's not dominated by a few people, that can't hurt."
"The truth is that the wolves belong," Morgan said. "It's up to us to adapt, if we're wise enough."
Another wolf supporter, Deirdre Wolf, noted that several Silver City stores are selling wolf T-shirts. Galleries are offering wolf art, and pro-wolf booths and floats at several events have been well supported.
She said a friend "in the lodging business" reported people coming to the area for the chance of hearing a wolf howl.
"Most people are pro-wolf," she said.
Tom Cobb told the commission that "no person has been attacked by a reintroduced wolf, and no one has lost any money because of them."
He said a "vocal minority" is opposed to the reintroduction, and that wolves help control disease-carrying rodents.
Connie Barlow urged commissioners to not "foment anti-wolf sentiments, (but) teach us how to live with the wolves. This is a national forest; the nation's first wilderness area. We have the potential in this county ... to make up for past wrongs (like) using the entire landscape for human needs."
Donna Stevens was next at the microphone. "I resent (wolf supporters) being presented as fringe elements. You seem to think we are the exception instead of the rule, and I don't think that is the case."
Van Clothier added: "I wonder where you get your data that the majority of the people in Grant County are opposed to the wolf. Look who showed up tonight."
"There are 130 (national forest grazing allotment) permittees in the county," Morgan said. "That is not a majority."
Commissioner David Conway responded: "In the mining district, everyone tells me to keep the wolf out."
When Commissioner Carl Scholl asked for a show of hands, most of those attending the meeting indicated support for wolf reintroduction.
Still, he said many anti-wolf people have spoken to him.
"Your biases are very well known, so the people who agree with you tend to seek you out," Wolf said. She pointed out that more than 70 wolf supporters attended a previous commission meeting.
Robinson cited a League of Women Voters poll of residents in Grant, Catron, Sierra and Otero counties that found 52 percent in favor of reintroduction and 34 percent opposed.
"I don't hold any stock in any of these polls," Scholl snorted.
"Sure, if I didn't agree with (the results), I wouldn't like the poll, either," Robinson replied.
No one at the meeting spoke in opposition to wolf reintroduction.
The commission also voted unanimously to approve a letter, signed by Scholl and mailed in July to federal officials, that blasted President Clinton's proposed protection of 43 million roadless acres in national forests.
Scholl, who is concerned the ini-tiative could result in road closures, has been criticized for sending the letter without it being officially ap-proved by the commission.
The federal proposal would prohibit road-building, logging and mining in roadless areas of 5,000 acres or more. Livestock grazing and recreational uses of the areas would still be permitted, according to officials.
A 1978 inventory identified 28 roadless sections of 5,000 acres or more on the Gila, totaling 746,751 acres.
"Because of the letter controversy regarding the (alleged) violation of the Open Meetings Act, we put this on the agenda to review the letter and enter into official record whether the commissioners support what the letter states," explained County Manager Luis Cardoza.
James Baldwin chided the commission for its "attempt to sanitize what Mr. Scholl did and make it look like it was a consensus."
"A lot of uninformed people seem to write letters to the editor," said Scholl, referring to his critics. "We did not hold any clandestine meetings or anything else. It was implied that I did this on my own, and I did not."
He has pointed out that the commission in December 1999 approved a similar letter opposing the roadless initiative.
"I feel the commissioners do not speak for the (majority of residents in the) county on this issue," Morgan said, contending that many opponents of the plan are uninformed.
Referring to the environmentally friendly crowd, Scholl said: "There are a lot of repeat customers here who think they are the majority view."
He explained that he takes issue with the federal government mandating such protections, and said "the people of Grant County should be involved in the planning."
Robinson said many residents "strongly support protection of the remaining roadless areas of Grant County."
Cobb added: "It's not a roadless proposal; it just says 'don't build new roads.' It's absolutely benign."
Scholl disagreed. "I think it does do away with a lot of roads," he said.
"I disagree with everything in (the letter)," Sauber said. "I don't think it reflects (the majority view in the county). I detest the way our county government is acting these days."
Clothier and Wolf also spoke in favor of the roadless proposal.

	Vote On Letter Prompts Visit by Wolf Supporters
	From the 2000