Slain wolf becomes martyr for reintroduction, fund-raising efforts

Spurred by Western ranchers and other anti-wolf groups, Republican lawmakers are working to cut Interior Department funds slated for federal wolf-recovery programs in Idaho, Yellowstone National Park, and other parts of the Northern Rockies.

Fortunately for the wolves, a cluster of environmental groups and individuals are stepping in to fill the gap, donating cash and much-needed equipment.

In one case, the Yellowstone Recovery Fund recently received a $12,000 check from last year's Wolfstock fund-raiser. In another, Montana artist Dan Smith has contributed about $16,000 from sales of limited-edition prints of "No. 10," the male wolf shot dead last spring near Red Lodge just a few months after being released in Yellowstone.

While the shooter, Chad McKittrick, was convicted of violating the Endangered Species Act, No. 10 was transformed into what Smith describes as "an incredible martyr" and has become a poster child for the fund-raising and recovery efforts.

"Our goal is $100,000 for 1996," says Curt Hawkins, vice president of the Salt Lake City Enterprise weekly business paper and a founder of Wolfstock. "If we don't win this fight, it's over."

Federal biologists overseeing the recovery program say the proposed funding cuts come at a critical time. Although recovery is proceeding smoothly, officials say the reintroduced populations are not yet firmly established. Any major reduction in personnel or operating budget--as is being pushed by Senator Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican--could effectively erase previous progress.

"We don't intend to suck on the federal teat forever," Mike Phillips, Yellowstone wolf-project leader, told the Salt Lake Tribune. "We've got to wean ourselves. But cutting funding now is akin to restoring a beautiful automobile and never putting gas in it."

Ironically, the wolves have turned into a major tourist attraction for the National Park Service. Officials at Yellowstone say visitation in June, several months after the wolves' highly publicized release, was up 22 percent over last year.

This story compiled by the Outside Online staff