“If we leave wolves alone, we’ll be the ones to benefit.” Marybeth Holleman

This guest Call to Action is by Marybeth Holleman, co-author of the book Among Wolves – Gordon Haber’s Insights into Alaska’s Most Misunderstood Animal. Ms. Holleman has also written a wonderful opinion page –  Just Like Us, Wolves Need Family to Thrive- which painstakingly recounts the fatal flaws in the US Fish and Wildlife proposal to delist the gray wolf.

“Wolves go to great lengths to stay with family; when important members are lost, families can disintegrate and remaining individuals often die.”

Among Wolves: What You Can Do by MaryBeth Holleman

Ask State of Alaska and U.S. Department of Interior to work together to create a     permanent protective buffer for Denali’s wolves on state lands along the northeastern borders of Denali National Park. Ask for this “win-win” solution: that the State of Alaska transfer a permanent no-take wildlife buffer conservation easement east of the national park to the federal government, in exchange for the federal government transferring a like-valued easement, or federal surplus property, or purchase value, to the State of Alaska.  A no-take buffer northeast of the park is the only way to rebuild and then sustain Denali’s wolf populations.

Write to:
Governor Sean Parnell: governor@alaska.gov
Don Striker, Denali National Park Superintendent Don Striker: don_striker@nps.gov
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell: secretary@ios.doi.gov

copy:
Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director in DC: jon_jarvis@nps.gov
Joel Hard, NPS Alaska Deputy Regional Director: joel_hard@nps.gov
Cora Campbell, Commissioner, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game: cora.campbell@alaska.gov
Joe Balash, Commissioner, Alaska Dept of Natural Resources: joe.balash@alaska.gov

“Whenever an alpha wolf was shot or trapped, it set off a cascade of events that left most of the family dead and the rest scattered, rag-tag orphans.”

Ask Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell to condition the annual transfer of federal funds to state wildlife agencies – through the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act – upon the state cooperatively managing wildlife around federally protected areas, such as national parks and wildlife refuges.  Alaska received $49 million from the Dept. of Interior just this year, most of it going to the ADFG Game Division, which conducts “intensive management” (predator control) that subverts national goals of wildlife conservation and restoration.

Write to:
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell: secretary@ios.doi.gov, feedback@ios.doi.gov

copy:
Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director in DC: jon_jarvis@nps.gov
Joel Hard, NPS Alaska Deputy Regional Director: joel_hard@nps.gov

Cutting down the Black Locust

People who have visited Wolf Haven before might have noticed some large trees in a small grassy area, just west of the parking lot, near three bat boxes. Those trees were Black Locust Trees, also known as False Acacia, or by its scientific name Robinia pseudoacacia. Black Locust trees are native to the Southeastern United States, but have been transplanted by people to other parts of the world, and have become invasive in many areas, including the Pacific Northwest. The Black Locust trees on Wolf Haven’s property were likely planted by the family of a homesteader who owned the area previously. As part of our mission to restore and protect native prairies, the Center For Natural Lands Management (CNLM) had a volunteer day at Wolf Haven to get rid of the invasive Black Locust Trees.

We started in the morning by cutting the trees down with chainsaws, then we cut the trees up into manageable sizes. Meanwhile, a fire was being started with kindling and smaller branches. As the fire grew, we were able to put larger and larger pieces of black locust onto the burn piles, or bonfires as they can be called. Some of the logs were so large that we needed Wolf Haven’s Grounds/Facilities Manager, Tim McElwee, to help us on the tractor.

Using tractor to move tree

Like true Acacias, False Acacias have thorns, which we had to be careful with

Thorns!

when cutting and holding the branches. These thorns are up to 2 centimeters long, and grow in pairs along most of the smaller branches. In addition to these thorns, Black Locusts have a toxin that can make livestock who eat parts of the plant sick, as well acting as a fish toxin. Through the day, we noticed a foul-smelling white foam boiling out of the ends of branches and logs. This foam was probably the toxin oozing out of the plant and becoming inactive by the heat.

Foul smelling substance from burnt wood

Burn Pile

By the end of the day, we had two huge burn piles, which were too hot to get within a few feet of, burning white hot. CNLM and Wolf Haven hope that with the removal of these invasive trees, the small oaks and apple trees in the same area will get more sun, the bat boxes will get more use (since bats prefer to use boxes in open areas), and the area will be turned into a demo-prairie to grab visitor’s attention as they enter Wolf Haven.

Anne Schuster

Center for Natural Lands Management AmeriCorps, Wolf Haven Outreach and Restoration Technician