The Maine Wolf Coalition, Inc. announces its new Northeast Wolf Recovery website at http://mainewolfcoalition.org .  The primary purpose of the website is to provide the public with up to date information regarding the natural recolonization of wolves in the northeast U.S. after an absence of a century.  In recent years several wolves have been killed in the northeast, the most recent being an 85 lb. animal identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an “eastern gray wolf” killed in western Massachusetts in 2007.  In addition to the Massachusetts wolf, since 1993, wolves have also been killed in Maine, Vermont and New York.
 
The closest acknowledged wolf population to the northeast U.S. is located in and around Quebec’s Papineau-Labelle Reserve which is some sixty miles from New York.  These animals are smaller so-called “eastern” wolves which weigh an average of approximately 50-65 pounds.  To the east, the larger gray wolf lives in Quebec’s Laurentide Reserve, just seventy-five miles from the Maine border.
 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently conducting a review of all available information regarding the taxonomy of wolves in North America.  This review is essential given the occurrence of gray/eastern wolves in the northeast and the need to determine their legal status under the Endangered Species Act.
 
The Maine Wolf Coalition, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to support wolf recovery in Maine through research, education, and protection.
 
For more information, contact John Glowa at (207) 445-2360 or Walter Pepperman at (802) 235-3700 or through the website.

Comments are closed.