Mexican Gray Wolf

Disaster. That’s how commission chair Robert Mansell describes the proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the handling of Mexican gray wolves.

The proposal is drawing fierce opposition from Arizona’s Game and Fish Commission. The commission recently sent a letter to ranchers and sportsmen in Arizona and New Mexico.

Mansell said it would not define a cap on the number of wolves allowed in the Southwest or focus on wolf management in areas that include suitable habitat and prey. He said the proposal fails to establish circumstances that would constitute unacceptable impacts to wildlife.

Mansell said the commission and Arizona's Game and Fish Department will continue negotiating changes to the proposal in an effort to protect the state's interest. The Fish and Wildlife Service expects to issue a final decision by January.