Science vs Policy: Future of the Mexican Wolf with David Parsons
Our own Dave Parsons was recently interviewed by Eli Weiss on “Our Wild World“
You can listen to the episode here or tap on the pic below!
The saga of the Mexican Grey Wolf is a story of how politics interferes in the efforts of independent scientists to recover an endangered species. With my guest David Parsons, who formerly led the USFWS efforts to reintroduce the Mexican Grey Wolf to the American Southwest from 1990-99, we learn how difficult it is to reintroduce a species and save it from extinction when powerful vested interests who control legislators hijack the policy process down to even the scientific modeling results for how many wolves are needed to recover the species.
The problem for these wolves is that all of the critical states for reintroduction reject accepting the number of wolves necessary for true recovery. But this lack of political tolerance for wolves in our government is not reflective of the general public and a result of a subset of society that controls our decision makers. As David explains, we have a huge political fight ahead to save this iconic animal that once roamed by the thousands.
Read Dave’s great article: The Saga of the Mexican Gray Wolf (el Lobo) to learn even more!
Director of Digital Outreach (D.O.D.O.) for The Rewilding Institute
Host and Producer of the Rewilding Earth Podcast
Jack started Rewilding work as Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance in the mid-1990’s, organizing the Sky Island Wildlands Network design, ripping up illegal roads on forest service lands, installing wolf acclimatization pens on Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch & conducting howling surveys to help make way for the final stage of the Lobo reintroduction program in the Southwest.
Through the years, Jack has worked with Dave Foreman and the Rewilding Gang to further Rewilding initiatives and education.