Protection from wolves needed

English professor Paul Lindholdt and environmental activist Laura Ackerman (“Wolf plan needs a chance,” Sept. 8) claim that “good wildlife management has never come from the barrel of a gun.” That bit of information would be news to our federal and state fish and game departments, who consider hunting seasons, predator management and game quotas to be based on careful scientific evaluation of herd size, habitat carrying capacity and species sustainability.

Contrary to environmentalist propaganda, gray wolves are not a threatened or endangered species. The global population of wolves is stable and covers a wide range. For this reason, gray wolves are officially classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as a species of “least concern.”

The bottom line is that Lindholdt and Ackerman would like to see ranchers who graze cattle on public land go out of business to make room for more wolves. This attack on independent local food producers must stop. Private citizens not only have a right to protect their property and livelihood, they have an obligation to do so on behalf of the rest of us.

Steven Busch

Spokane