News & Commentary | Wildlife for All

September 2022 Newsletter

Sep 20, 2022

September 2022 Newsletter

From the Desk of the Executive Director: It’s National What Day? Coming soon: 2023 Calendar Photo Contest, Do You Know: American’s Wildlife Values results in your state, Our Coalition Partner: Attorneys For Animals, Join Now.

Letter To The Editor: Gov Gordon’s Praise Of Wyoming Wolf Management Is Wrong

Sep 15, 2022

By Kristin Combs

“Wyoming’s policies are bad for Wyoming wolves and residents, and the Governor should stop pretending otherwise.”

This compelling letter, written by Wildlife for All coalition member Kristin Combs, challenges Wyoming Governor Gordon’s claims that wolf management in the state deserves praise. Combs explores the many ecological and economic benefits of wolves, while disproving the Governor’s claims that wolves are recovered and that the state is using best available science in its management practices.

“No matter what Governor Gordon claims, Wyoming has proven itself unable and unwilling to effectively manage our state’s wolves, and our residents deserve better.”

The Sale of a Product Responsible for Bloodshed and Fear Is Still Tied to Our Wildlife

Aug 26, 2022

By Christopher Ketcham

85 years ago, hunters were one of the primary user groups of public lands, and so the passage of the Pittman-Robertson Act seemed reasonable. However, over the past century, hunters have become a minority among gun owners, which begs the question, “Should the sale of a product that today is responsible for so much bloodshed, mayhem, fear and social division be tied to the financing of conservation?”

Why Republicans Turned Against the Environment

Aug 15, 2022

By Paul Krugman

In this op-ed in the New York Times, Paul Krugman argues that the current opposition of Republican politicians to environmental protection is not based on ideology or contributions from polluters, but rather because the environment has become part of a culture war with its roots in issues of race and ethnicity. Although Krugman focuses on climate policy, the same argument could be made about wildlife policy, as described in this excellent article in the New Yorker.

Symposium: Modernizing State Wildlife Management to Restore Wildlife Resiliency

Aug 10, 2022

Wildlife for All presented a symposium at the 2022 North American Congress of Conservation Biology in Reno, Nevada on July 18,2022. Panelists included Kevin Bixby, Wildlife for All; Michelle Lute, Project Coyote; Jeremy Bruskotter, The Ohio State University; and Don Molde, Nevada Wildlife Alliance.

This session discusses the imperative and challenge of transforming state wildlife management to align it with modern ecological knowledge and changing public attitudes. We explore the issues surrounding current state wildlife management and present specific examples of how current management works against biodiversity protection. We also provide information about current efforts to modernize state wildlife management.

Watch Here

Video Presentation: It’s Time to Decouple Conservation from the Gun Lobby

Aug 9, 2022

Kevin Bixby

This slide presentation by Kevin Bixby, Executive Director, was given via Zoom in July, 2022 based on his op-ed published July 11, 2022 in Truthout by the same name.

Watch Here

Let’s Talk Hunting: Part 2

Aug 8, 2022

By Don Molde

This opinion piece examines the notion of ‘sustainable yield’ versus intrinsic value of wildlife. Don Molde explains the American Wildlife Values survey and the different ways that people view and value wildlife. These values differ widely between the general public and the agencies that manage our wildlife, with agency personnel viewing wildlife “as something akin to property, managed for the sole benefit of humans.” Molde goes on to explore the outdated beliefs that many state wildlife agencies hold, and how these clash with today’s updated scientific understanding and cultural appreciation of wild lives. “Taking action to show the public that non-human lives matter, and that management decisions can be made to reflect the public’s interest, would be a wise move if public support and a broader constituency will be needed to keep the agency viable in the future.”

August 2022 Newsletter

Aug 6, 2022

August 2022 Newsletter

From the Desk of the Executive Director: What Is Wildlife Conservation, News: Wildlife for All brings reform message to prestigious science conference, Did You Know: R3 efforts, Our Coalition Partner: Project Coyote, Join Now.

Roadblocks to good wildlife management: beavers could be the answer to flooding and drought issues caused by climate change

Jul 27, 2022

By Matthew Wills

With climate change transforming the American West, an industrious mammal could help mitigate some of the worst of the coming drought and flooding crises. The West is getting drier in the dry season and more prone to flooding in the wet season. Beavers could well be a relatively low-cost part of resiliency efforts. As natural ecosystem engineers, these largest-of-North-America’s rodents “increase water storage in ponds and surrounding floodplains, thus slowing winter flows, increasing riparian and meadow water availability, and extending stream flow up to six weeks into dry summer seasons.”

Op-Ed: It’s Time to Decouple Wildlife Conservation From the Gun Lobby’s Agenda

Jul 12, 2022

By Kevin Bixby, Wildlife for All Executive Director

It’s time to get guns out of wildlife conservation.

The firearms industry and state wildlife agencies have been joined at the hip since Congress passed the Pittman-Robertson (PR) Act in 1937. The law redirected an existing federal tax on firearms and ammunition to the states to help restore depleted game populations.

At the time, taxing firearms to produce more game animals to benefit hunters under a “user pays” model made sense. It was assumed that most gun owners were hunters, and hunters were seen as the main “users” of wildlife.

The proliferation of guns in the U.S., however, has upended this model. Nonhunting gun buyers have far surpassed hunters as the main source of PR Act funds.