Comments about ‘Utah Legislature: Divided Senate panel approves tamer version of wolf measure’

"This is very much a 10th Amendment issue, which is such a growing concern around the country," she said.
The Constitution is a growing concern??????

many millions did they wasted on this now?

A step in the right direction, but not as strong a step as should be taken.

And, would the News please find a photo of a wolf covered in blood with the carcass of their freshly killed livestock or game animal instead of the cuddly little fuzzball they selected to go with this story?

Predators must be eliminated.

The encroachment of the Federal government into areas that are clearly defined within the 10th Amendment is the concern. The Federal government has been pushing the envelope more over the last decades.

It's truly sad to witness the widespread ignorance of man regarding the criticality of species diversity. Apex predators are the key link in the health of food chains. Man's continued insistence on livestock and "game animals" is simply a fool's errand perpetuated by greedy individuals. Why not initiate a tax on beef to cover the costs of protecting farmers livelihood while maintaining the necessary biodiversity within these precious ecosystems? When are people going to grasp that protecting this delicate balance is the key to our own continued survival?

Would the News please find a photo of deer suffering from CWD or a chart showing the exact numbers of livestock killed by apex predators to go with the wolf photo? It may help alleviate Move forward's unfounded concerns about the harm these animals cause. After all, natural population control of "game" is important, and wolves don't kill cattle. If they do, there's recompense in it.

Predators must be protected. If the states won't do it, then go for it, Federales.

senator & supporters: your actions are inexcusable and despicable. humans like you are the problem... not the wolves. man does not rule the roost!! learn to co-exist as the universe intended!

Why does Christiansen think that Utah should be above Federal law? That's like a child trying to decide rules for the parent. "Move forward" YOU sound like a predator to me - should I destroy you?

By Killing off ALL WILD LIVE we have also sealed our own Destination and Existence.
ALL Wolfs in ALL Parts of the US and the World should be put back on the Protective List,PERMANENTLY !

I am all for PROPER management, but why pass a bill over something that is not even a problem? More Govt. waste.

It's sad that environmentalist fail to see that humans have a place in species diversity. We have replaced your precious “apex predator” (happens all the time in nature). We are much smarter and compassionate stewards of these ecosystems then the wolf.
The wolf's idea of management is to eat, prosper, wipe out prey, starve; repeat.
If you were an elk, would you rather be perused all year by a pack of wolves that will eventually catch you, eat you, and kill you (in that order)? Or, live a less-anxious life, loosing a few calves to coyotes and bears and a measure of your herd to humans?
All those who support wolf reintroduction should realize the misery they inflict on other wildlife; it must be so nice to hear a wolf’s howl, that you forget the agony of their prey.
All food chains have agony, but let’s acknowledge our, God-given, place at the top of the food chain and our ability to manage it humanly.
Utah has great species diversity (including, humans and livestock) however; our wildlife numbers cannot support two apex predators. I vote we let the smarter; more compassionate ones, manage things.

By disturbing wildlife or cutting if off that affects on our environment in the future

Any bill which endangers any creature we have put so much time into saving, only to destroy it again is a waste of our tax dollars. Leave the wolf and mother nature to do what is best. you cant have a survivable ecosystem without predators. We just got the wolf into survivable numbers, and now you want to kill them off again. I don't think so.

All I can say is please read Barry Lopez's book, "Of Wolves and Men" and then think about what you are all doing....managing? Managing an animal that has more right to be here than we do?
Let the wolves be what they are....a protection for our forests, the elk, the deer, the moose. They kill the weak and the sick and prefer not to be anywhere near humans or our animals. The wolves are the last really magnificent animal in our forests, beside mt. lions, and I for one want to see and hear them when I go camping. Wolves are loyal, intelligent, loving, strong family members, harmless to the land, beautiful, protective, and honest in how and what they are. Can we say that about humans? Is that why people want to kill them, envy?

Somewhere along the line Mr. Christensen, Big Chicken,and others like them, have lost sight of the balance that was part of the creation. They misinterpret the meaning of dominion: it does not mean domination by a "superior" being--it means protecting and caring for. The wolf is fulfilling the measure of its creation, providing a natural control through removal of the weak and sick. How is the hunt of the wolf pack worse than the tracking and killing of a healthy elk by a two legged hunter who wants nothing more than a head to put on the wall? These people don't hunt to feed their families because they have no other food, or because venison is their main source of nutrition. They hunt by putting out a corn feeder to attract the deer, climb a tower, sit in the blind until the unsuspecting deer comes to eat, and then shoot it. Is that the only way they can feel good about themselves? "Running" down a wolf and killing it from a helicopter is not humane! If this is their idea of "compassionate" I feel sorry for their families.

In Northern Italy (my home) and Spain, Poland and other areas of Europe we have wolves in our forests, we also have wild boare fallow deer and red deer. Wolves are rarely seen not even by the boare shoot around September for two weeks ONLY. Wolves do not prey on farm animals as a rule, there will always be rogues in any Species just take humans! In Ireland we have serious problems with mink - each Spring herds of sheep with young lambs are attacked in packs of 25 in the night next morning farmers find half the herd with their throats ripped open bleeding to death. Shooting DON'T Work, trappers have to be employed by the local council. Who ever let those devilish things free needs to see how they are all over the bogs in Ireland. Wolves DO NOT belong in this category they make a better job of culling and cleaning up than the shooters leaving carcases to rot on the road side in New England each fall, an awful site to a visitor from Ireland to the USA, there are no natural predators on road sides other than rats!

"we have serious problems with mink - each Spring herds of sheep with young lambs are attacked in packs of 25 in the night next morning farmers find half the herd with their throats ripped open"

Of course, this would be attributed to wolves if it happened in the USA, not to Coyotes or other predators, making BigChicken jump on it saying "Look what wolves do!"

Truth is, wolves sometimes do kill livestock. It happens. They would prefer not to, since there is easier game to be had. The problem is, everyone since they were 2 has heard of "werewolves" or "the big bad wolf" and now thing all wolves are evil and kill people as well as anything else they can sink their teeth into. This is not so. There has been NO DOCUMENTED cases of wolves killing humans in the USA. Bears kill people EVERY YEAR. Should we exterminate them? What about Coyote/mtn.Lion-caused predation on livestock? Those numbers are far larger than from wolves (just Google it).

The irrational decision of "shoot on sight" is simply trying to protect the interests of ranchers with no concern of the consequences. Take some time and think about it.

It will not be very long before a person will have to pay to use any Federally controlled land. BLM and Forest Service controlled land will be much like the National Parks. You will have to pay a fee before you can go onto the public lands.

There is still misconceptions and half truths about wolves. Wolves, like other predators, hunt to survive. This is part of the natural world. People kill cows + pigs by the millions every year to eat. People eating meat is no different than wolves eating wild animals BigChicken. Yes, wolves can occassionaly kill livestock but if we stopped impeding on their territory + hunted for fun less, more of their natural prey would be around.

Environmentalists love to hear a wolf’s howl and smell the clean mountain air. Why? Because you (humans) are part of nature, you evolved in nature; you belong in nature, just like the wolf! So please don’t try to take humans out nature, we have a place there, just as the wolf does.
If you can get that in your well-intended minds, then you will realize that humans also have the same right to compete with wolves in this common ecosystem (with no apologies). Just as a wolf has the right to kill its competition (other wolves, coyotes, etc), humans have the right to compete in the same way. If the human “pack” wants to hunt the same elk as the wolf pack, let “nature take its course” and the top predator gets the elk. The same could be said for territory, the strongest pack gets the biggest territory (there are more humans than wolves).
So please, environmentalists (herbivores), continue to support nature as you do, but please stop trying to deny hunters (carnivores) and game managers the same privilege. After all, predators are certainly part of any balanced ecosystem, wolves and humans included.