Friday, October 14th, 12pm-2pm, Gov. Schweitzer’s Office, Helena, Montana
Join Friends of Animals members, Predator Defense and other wolf advocates to deliver an urgent message straight to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s door: Stop slaughtering wolves in Montana.
Montana’s wolf biologist Jay S. Mallonee has charged the state’s wildlife agency with justifiying wolf slaughter with flawed data: “Money and convenience are some of the reasons to hunt wolves, which implies conflict of interest, especially when no scientific protocols were followed.”
The Howl-In and Press Conference will take place on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the Montana State Capital Building in Helena from 12:00 pm-2:00pm. We’re asking everyone who cares about wolves and wolf recovery to attend.
“We’re demanding an immediate end to state-sponsored wolf slaughter and, until it ends, we’ve called for a complete boycott of the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming,” says Friends of Animals’ president Priscilla Feral.
Montana’s Senator John Tester is responsible for attaching a de-listing rider to the budget bill, which changed the wolves’ protected status –and avoided public and scientific scrutiny-even though it’s estimated that nearly 1500 wolves remain in the Northern Rockies.
In response, Friends of Animals quickly called on members and supporters across the country and around the globe to boycott Idaho, Wyoming and Montana-including Yellowstone National Park, which exists in all three states-as long as these states continue persecuting wolves.
High-profile Howl-Ins organized by Friends of Animals were held in Washington, DC and New York City, gaining national press attention from media outlets such as CNN, Huffington Post, as well as state, local and regional print publications.
Wolf biologist Jay S. Mallonee recently published a peer-reviewed scientific paper, “Hunting Wolves In Montana ““ Where Are the Data?” in the journal Nature and Science-concluding that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks does not know how many wolves exist in the state and disregards their role in the ecosystem altogether.
Priscilla Feral says, “We won’t stop until gray wolves are given federal protection. It shouldn’t take a slaughter to make that happen. Senator Jon Tester apparently thinks the state’s biggest wolf-hater will garner the most votes in Montana.”
Your attendance is very important. Please bring colorful posters, spirited banners, placards and noisemakers to the rally. We’re targeting Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Senator John Tester and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar-all of whom contributed to the persecution of gray wolves in Montana and beyond. Posters should emphasize the economic boycott of WY, ID and MT. Because the media will attend, it’s important to present creative posters that are large and legible.
What: Howl-In and Press Conference
When: Friday, October 14th, 2001, 12pm-2pm
Where: Montana State Capital Building, 1301 EAST 6TH AVENUE, Helena, Montana 59620-0801
If you plan to attend this important rally, or have questions, please contact:
Edita Birnkrant — E-mail or Phone: (212) 247-8120
or
Dustin Rhodes — Email or Phone: (202) 986-1693