"Red Wolf" restoration scandal

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Jett

Ten Pointer
9/20/14 Update:

For those just now joining us, this Red Wolf Restoration Scandal has now evolved into a $30,000,000 tax payer funded violation of the Administrative Procedures Act by USFWS as they illegally released their nonessential-experimental, invasive, nonnative, genetically engineered super coyote extensively on private lands throughout eastern NC with absolutely NO legal authority.

This will likely be be largest Wildlife Disaster to ever impact the State of North Carolina. Scroll to more recent pages for this part of the Tax Payer funded scandal.


Previous begins:

Guys,
I do not condone the violation of any laws. I do, however, know that there is another side of the red wolf story which our media refuses to acknowledge.

In 1995 the USFWS agreed to remove any unwanted red wolves from private property in exchange for the continuation of the red wolf program in NC. They assured citizens that these wolves would remain on the public refuges. This was sort of like Obama's lie that you can keep your health care if you want to. USFWS knew this promise was a lie when they committed to it.

I have battled them for over 10 years on this issue. It is interesting that the USFWS is using the very ACT that they have violated for countless years to prosecute others. Now, do not take this wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right!!!! Please stay above the law and help me fight this battle through the correct process.

I welcome any assistance you can give me to help get this story told in the media. Our wildlife in NC is dependent on not allowing the continuation of this red wolf experiment gone horribly wrong.

The wildlife on my Tyrrell County farm has been decimated by these wolves and their resulting hybrids. For the record, USFWS has collared almost as many coyotes (60) as they have wolves (69). A collar just as likely identifies a coyote as it does a wolf. The dirty secret is they don't want you to kill any of them.

Below is a direct quote from Kim Wheeler of the Red Wolf Coalition who is currently suing our state:

KIM WHEELER:" I do, I do believe. You know hunting is the number one cause of red wolf mortality. Last week we had two wolves killed, one on Monday one on Wednesday. Something has to give and that again in my perfect world would be to not have any hunting in that five county recovery area."

please note: David Rabon of USFWS sits on Kim Wheeler's board of directors.
http://wunc.org/post/are-people-confusing-protected-red-wolves-coyotes
Yes you read it correctly. She wants to ban ALL hunting in the recovery area.

My thoughts are that these wolf killings may not be accidental. It is likely that the local citizens are just fed up with the Feds lying and imposing their wishes on us. Because our State and Federal government will not listen to our concerns, they are probably fighting back in a way that only makes sense to them.

Once again "big brother" knows best. I assure you my Tyrrel County farm will never be the same. It is now a wasteland of hybrid coyotes. Please contact your Wildlife commissioners and demand they protect our wildlife from this experimental nonessential canine!

If any of you have media contacts, I would love to tell my side of this story.
I need your help.

Jett Ferebee

MEDIA CONTACT: 252 714 2774

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Red Wolf Recovery Program, red wolf hybridization, red wolf facts, red wolf endangered species act, red wolf pictures, canis rufus, coywolf, red wolf habitat, red wolf prey, red wolf coalition, Red Wolf (Canis rufus) 5-Year Status Review - U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Dan Ashe, NC Wildlife Resource Commission, U.S. Department of Interior, red wolf diet, red wolf recovery area, wolf facts, wolf hybridization, Dare County, Hyde County, Tyrrell County, Washington County, Beaufort County, Red Wolf, red wolf taxonomy
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
From: Jett Ferebee [mailto:jettferebee@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2013 06:50 PM
To: leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov <leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov>
Cc: gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org <gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org>; Martin@aol.com <Martin@aol.com>; mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org <mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org>; david_rabon@fws.gov <david_rabon@fws.gov>; jack_arnold@fws.gov <jack_arnold@fws.gov>;
Subject: Re: Will you identify these please?

Leo,
Wow, it is even worse than I thought. I found in the 2007, 5 Year Status Review of the Red Wolf Recovery Program that in 2003 there were 21 breeding pairs of red wolves. So 26 years ago, the program started with 4 breeding pairs, maxed out at 21 breeding pairs 10 years ago and now sits at just 11 breeding pairs. This is just nonsense. In 10 more years, maybe we will be at just 1 breeding pair, of wolves that is. No telling how many breeding pairs of hybrids will exist. Can you please run some numbers and tell me over the last 26 years how much tax payers have invested in the net increase of 7 breeding pairs? The program started with 4 breeding pairs. 26 years later you now have 11 breeding pairs. The cost per pair of these 7 additional breeders will be a nice number to know. And I don't mean just annual operating budget costs. I want all costs including the capital expenditures on two red wolf centers in Manteo and Columbia. Maybe Ms. Beeland can reveal this secret in her next book about the "secret world of red wolves". I'm completely serious, I want this number.

Leo, my frustration is not with you. You have been nothing but great to deal with. I understand you are new in your current position and need time to understand what is happening with this program. But... when these status reviews are conducted by the very Directors and biologists whose jobs depend on the continuance of this ridiculous program, I doubt you will ever know what is truly happening. The response that more studies are necessary is not going to cut it with me. You guys have had 26 years to study this mess you all have created. I assure you, I am passionate about my pursuit of this matter.

One last thought, I also saw the only public comments in this status review came from the Red Wolf Coalition and the Defenders of Wildlife. That is really convenient. When you send me the cost per breeding pair information, will you please let me know where and how to find these public notices in order to provide comment in the future. Better yet, can you please inform me of any opportunities to provide comment regarding the Red Wolf Program.
Jett Ferebee

Source:
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/5yearreviews/5yearreviews/RedWolf-5YrR.pdf
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
From: Jett Ferebee <jettferebee@aol.com>
To: leopoldo_miranda <leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov>
Cc: gordon.myers <gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org>; Martin <Martin@aol.com>; mallory.martin <mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org>; david_rabon <david_rabon@fws.gov>; jack_arnold <jack_arnold@fws.gov>; danwoody <danwoody@bellsouth.net>; jrprewitt007 <jrprewitt007@gmail.com>
Sent: Sun, Sep 1, 2013 5:19 pm
Subject: Re: Will you identify these please?

Leo,

Hunting season begins next week. For safety reasons, we must know who is on our farm at all times. Accordingly, we are changing the codes to all the gates and ask that your personnel no longer enter our farm. If a wolf enters our property, please notify me and I will meet your biologist to make arrangements for the wolf's removal. Thank you for the clarification on the statutes.

I appreciate your recent involvement in our red wolf issue and especially your efforts to trap the red wolves on our farm. I have found you to be very forthright and sincere. With that said, I want to push further on the bigger issue facing NC that we discussed in our meeting in Raleigh this spring. I laid out some facts that you and Gordon both found disturbing. You both also assured me that if my analysis was correct that you would seriously consider recommending the Red Wolf Program be discontinued.

I will once again plead my case and ask that you act upon the following facts. Below is my synopsis of where this 26 year old program is today. All of this information was gleaned from both of your own agency's web sites. The facts of the matter are that conditions favorable to a successful Red Wolf Program in eastern NC have greatly changed since its inception. These conditions no longer exist and likely will never exist again. Below is where I think this program is. My conclusions are based on data gained from both the USFWS web site and the recent NCWRC coyote study. Source links and quotes are provided.

- Honoring the commitments to private land owners to remove unwanted
Red Wolves made in the 1995 Rules Revisions is not sustainable.

- Coyotes have rapidly spread throughout the recovery area in great
numbers.

- Red wolves are readily breeding with coyotes and producing
unaccountable numbers of hybrids throughout the state.

- Visually, many hybrids are indistinguishable from red wolves.

- 40% (9 of 23) of the current tracked red wolf packs contain coyotes.

- There is an entire additional unmonitored population of wolves, hybrids,
and coyotes whose breeding is not and can not be monitored or managed
by your "adaptive management techniques".

- Almost 50% of the collared canines in the program area are coyotes, not red wolves. (60 coyotes and 69 wolves).

- By 1999 more than 20% of all wolf litters were hybrid litters. Today 9 of 23 monitored packs (40%) contain a red wolf paired with a coyote.

- 26 years after its inception, The Red Wolf Program population in NC has
stagnated and in fact declined in the last several years to a point which is less than 50% of the stated goal of 220 wolves. (90 - 100) There were more
breeding pairs of red wolves in the recovery area in NC in 1999
than there are today.

-The program began in 1987 with 4 breeding pairs. There are now 11 breeding pairs and 9 wolves paired with sterilized coyotes! The concept that your three biologist can sterilize every coyote in NC which may breed with your wolves is as ridiculous as the claim that USFWS will remove any unwanted red wolf from private property. NC hunters killed over 38,000 coyotes in 2010/2011 and the coyote population was not deterred. USFWS has given tubal ligations and vasectomies to 60 coyotes. The claim that this will stop the hybridization is ludicrous given the quantity of coyotes that exist in eastern NC at this time. The Red Wolf Program has become a complete abomination of what was originally sold to North Carolinians. It is time that it is ended.

- The Red Wolf Program whether successful or not is creating an entirely new
population of hybrid canines which are larger and more destructive than their coyote relatives which NCWRC has virtually declared war on because of their disastrous impact on our wildlife. I can not imagine the number of hybrids and their impact on NC wildlife if the Red Wolf Program was successful. At this point, The Red Wolf Program has failed its stated goals, wasted millions of tax payer dollars and created a wildlife disaster in NC. Can we afford 26 more years of this????

Why was the 2012, 5 Year Status Review of the Red Wolf Recovery Program never done? Is it because the facts that I am bringing forth now would necessitate the end of this program? In the grave financial situation we find our government in, living on borrowed money, do you really believe we should be borrowing money from China to fund this program? Can you justify the expenditures of this program to our Congress? The Red Wolf Program failed in Tennessee. It failed in Western NC. Both programs were dismantled. The Red Wolf program has not only failed in Eastern NC, but it has done irreparable damage to our state by creating hybrid "super coyotes" and must now also be dismantled.

Leo and Gordon, this program is an obscene disaster in the making. The wildlife population on my family farm has been decimated as a result of the Red Wolf Program. As the red wolves move west and the coyotes move east in great numbers, the Achilles' heel of this program has become exposed. I do not see how this is a sustainable or justifiable program in today's environment, especially considering the current disastrous consequences. It is time that action is taken on this matter. I greatly appreciate your help.

Sincerely,
Jett Ferebee

Sources:
"Do red wolves breed with coyotes?
The short answer is yes, they can."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/wolvesandcoyotes.html

"5.) Do red wolves hybridize with coyotes?
Red wolves, gray wolves, domestic dogs and coyotes are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/faq.html

"However, coyotes are
now present in the area and
hybridization again threatens
the Nation&#8217;s only population
of wild red wolves"
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/archives/rw1-2.pdf

"Initial estimates
indicate that the red wolf
population in northeastern
North Carolina would be un-
recognizable in as few as 3-6
generations (12 to 24 years) if
hybridization was not con-
trolled. Hybridization in wolves and
similar species is poorly un-
derstood."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/archives/rw1-2.pdf


"Brian Kelly, Red Wolf Coordinator of Field Projects, presented current
red wolf/coyote hybridization data from the project in northeastern
North Carolina. Since the inception of the program in 1987, 11 hybrid
litters have been born in the wild; 6 litters were known hybrid and 5
were suspected. About 53 wolf litters have been born." 1999
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/archives/rw1-1.pdf

"During the initial site selection process for the red wolf restoration program, the northeastern North Carolina (NENC) Red Wolf Recovery Area was uninhabited by coyotes."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/wolvesandcoyotes.html

"Currently, in addition to the ~70+ radio-collared red wolves, we are actively tracking and monitoring 60+ sterilized, placeholder coyotes."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/wolvesandcoyotes.html

"1987
Restoration effort begins with the experimental release of red wolves at ARNWR, North Carolina"
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/timeline.html

"A total of 69 known red wolves occupied the Red Wolf Recovery Area (i.e., 1.7 million acres in five counties in northeastern North Carolina) at the end of the third quarter of our fiscal year 2013. The population includes 14 wolf packs (comprised of 45 wolves and 11 breeding pairs), and nine mixed packs (comprised of nine wolves and nine coyotes)."
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/Images/20130709_RedWolf_QtrReport_FY13-03.pdf

"There are 10-15 breeding pairs or packs in the recovery area." 1999
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/archives/rw1-1.pdf

Over 38,000 coyotes were taken by NC hunters and trappers in the 2010/2011 season
http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Species/Fox_CoyotePopulationsReport.pdf

"The current recovery goal for the species
is 550 animals (at least 220 in the wild)"
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/pubs/alwolf.pd
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
-----Original Message-----
From: Miranda, Leopoldo <leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov>
To: Jett Ferebee <jettferebee@aol.com>
Cc: Gordon S. Myers <gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org>; Martin, Mallory G. <mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org>; David Rabon <david_rabon@fws.gov>; Jack Arnold <jack_arnold@fws.gov>
Sent: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 1:02 pm
Subject: Re: Will you identify these please?

Dear Jett,

Sorry for the delay. I cannot identify these but I can say that the last report I got from field staff is that the remaining wolf is not using your property on a regular basis. His presence in the area is also apparently keeping the neighboring wolves out. Based on our telemetry it appears that the territorial borders between the wolf occasionally using your property and adjoining wolf packs are holding firm. However, now that we don't have a pack in the area we have in fact noted an increase in Coyote presence (based on observations). This is not a surprise because we know that the wolves displace coyotes. Of course, all bets are off if/when we remove that male. For now, though, it seems to be a win-win situation -- the wolf is primarily not using your property and his presence is stabilizing the surrounding packs.

Back to your request, we don't see any issues with you taking action against coyotes on your property. You have the right to do so following the state regulations. Our regulations (50 CFR 17.84) describe that only intentional or willful take is prohibited on private lands. The basic premise is that a red wolf that is incidentally taken in any type of legal activity (e.g., taking coyotes following state regulations) on private lands will not be a violation of the federal regulation. In the event that a wolf is incidentally taken as a result of a lawful activity, our regulations require that the taking of a red wolf must be reported to the Service.

I hope this will help with your concerns. I really appreciate your willingness to work with me, the NCWRC and our team in solving some of these issues. If you have any questions just give me a call.

Sincerely,

Leo

Leopoldo "Leo" Miranda
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services
Southeast U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
1875 Century Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30345
1-404-679-7085 (phone)
1-404-353-6448 (Blackberry)
1-404-679-7081 (fax)
Leopoldo_Miranda@fws.gov


On Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 1:03 PM, Jett Ferebee <> wrote:

Leo,
I know you have enjoyed not hearing from me for a while, but..... My camera system has been down until recently. The canine activity has actually increased on my farm. You had mentioned in our last conversation that you may be able to offer me some relief from my concern about accidentally killing a red wolf. I have been very cooperative as have you; however, my problem appears to be worse. Based on our last email, can I assume there are no wolves on my property? I am assuming the attached pictures are of coyotes or hybrids. Can you confirm this? I really have a major problem and am asking one more time that I be allowed to remove what ever canine predators remain on my farm. I think we can all agree that USFWS has had ample time to remove their wolves from my property.
Thanks,
Jett
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
Short term actions on your property
From: Miranda, Leopoldo <leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov>
To: Jett Ferebee <jettferebee@aol.com>
Cc: Jeffrey Fleming <jeffrey_m_fleming@fws.gov>; Gordon S. Myers <gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org>; David Rabon <david_rabon@fws.gov>
Date: Fri, May 17, 2013 7:39 pm
Dear Jett,

After discussing with staff we were able to put together a quick short term action plan. Please find a proposed method to remove wolves from your property. As discussed last Tuesday, we understand that this is a short-term and unsustainable method, but will be implemented until a longer-term solution is developed. Also, we are only trapping on your property. Obviously, some of the unanswered questions will need to be resolved in the coming weeks, but for now, we will at least attempt to remove the known wolves (there are 3 animals in the area) that use your property.

We will need confirmation that we have your permission to enter your property and your contact information so the field biologists can contact you (or your manager) early next week to coordinate the access and activities on your property.

Our immediate goal is to only remove the wolves in that pack (3 known wolves) from your property. We will begin the process next week sometime, after getting approval to access your property. We will keep the wolves at Sandy Ridge (our holding facility at Alligator River NWR) until we can decide what to do with them for the long-term. Due to safety considerations, we will stop trapping when the temperatures consistently exceed 85 degrees. We will continue monitoring the site once the three wolves are captured, at least on a weekly basis, but we will not trap as long as the temperatures are consistently above 85 degrees. If we are successful in capturing the three wolves, then we can complete the trapping component in the next couple of weeks. There are a number of unanswered questions that will need to be addressed for the not so distant future, though. We mentioned a few of these during our meeting last Tuesday. We will coordinate with Gordon and his staff and our staff on these.

I have copied Dr. David Rabon, our recovery program coordinator so he can get your contact information and permission to work on your property. If you have any questions please let us know.

Once again, thank you for your time last Tuesday and your openness to discuss these very complicated issues.

Sincerely,

Leo

Leopoldo "Leo" Miranda
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services
Southeast U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
1875 Century Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30345
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
Thank you for the meeting
From: Jett Ferebee <jettferebee@aol.com>
To: gordon.myers <gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org>
Bcc: jettferebee <jettferebee@aol.com>
Date: Wed, May 15, 2013 2:35 pm
Gordon,
I sincerely thank you for arranging our meeting yesterday, but more importantly I thank you for affording me the opportunity and forum to express my grave concerns about the Red Wolf program to an audience empowered to make changes. Yesterday was a great discussion with reasonable men seeking reasonable solutions. I feel very good about where we are headed with our proposed short term solution to my red wolf problem. Mr. Miranda certainly lived up to your expectations and far exceeded mine. My feeling of helplessness in this situation was finally met with a concern for the facts. This was a breath of fresh air and I appreciate your valuable role in this meeting.

I have done much research on the Red Wolf program and would be more than glad to share my information with the Commission regarding where this program is. In a nut shell, an originally identified critical success factor for the Red Wolf program no longer exists. One of the reasons Eastern NC was selected as a re-introductory site in 1987 was because of the lack of coyotes. This was a critical success factor because biologists knew the red wolf would readily breed with coyotes. In fact, this hybridization is recognized as one of the major causes for the extinction of the red wolf species. The data in studies show that with just a minimal amount of interbreeding with coyotes, the red wolf will become genetically indistinguishable in just a few generations. We know this interbreeding is happening presently at an alarming rate. The exact rate is unknown due to a large number of uncollared wolves and hybrids. Unfortunately for the Red Wolf program, is the fact that conditions on the ground have dramatically changed in eastern NC since 1987 when the program began. As you know, coyotes now abound in the red wolf territory. Adaptive management of coyotes and wolf interbreeding by vasectomies and tubal ligations of the large and ever growing coyote population is no longer feasible.

I honestly believe when one looks at the stagnant growth of the wolf numbers since 1999 at less than 50% of the stated wild population goal of 220 and the rampant hybridization with the growing coyote population, there is no choice but to end this program in NC. It is OK to admit that this 26 year old program was afforded an opportunity but has not been successful and is no longer sustainable or even advisable due to current conditions. Likely the program's only success has been to create a new coywolf subspecies in our State. It is not OK to proceed on in a wreckless manner which ignores facts, wastes money and resources and also jeopardizes North Carolina's valuable wildlife resources. Again, I am more than happy to share my thoughts and information with the Commission. Below is a link to the Red Wolf program reports and archives where much of my information was gleaned.

Thanks again Gordon.

Sincerely,

Jett Ferebee
http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/reportarchives.html
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
Tue, Apr 30, 2013 2:34 pm

Mr. Miranda,

The arrogance of you to think that you can operate your program outside of the law is utterly amazing. Once again, the "common ground" was clearly defined in 1995 and the USFWS agreed to it.

Are you really serious? You can make the statement: "I am responsible for the implementation and management of the Endangered Species Act and the Red Wolf Recovery Program" and yet you are unable to answer two very basic critical questions regarding the laws governing your program.

Your failure to answer these questions is understandable, because your truthful answers will not stand the test of public scrutiny.

In our meeting 3/22/13, regarding the 1995 revisions, Gordon Myers (NCWRC Director) clearly told David Rabon (USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator) " you may not like the law, but it is the law". You were asked to be in this meeting and declined.

I do not need to be told by USFWS, any more, that red wolves are the next best thing since sliced bread. I have been told this for years by your program directors and biologists.

My family's ability to use our as we had envisioned has been destroyed by USFWS's failure to obey the law. I am intimately familiar with your program and how it has morphed into something totally different than what was promised the citizens of NC.

For the record, I am an owner of Durant Island. This was one of the first sites that you were allowed to release your wolves on private property.

I have met with your biologists, Chris, Art and Ford, in Manteo and on my farm. In fact, Chris Lucash is on speed dial on my phone. He gave me not only his cell phone, but also his home phone number. These are very nice and dedicated individuals, but this does not mean your program can operate outside of the law. I have spoken and written to Bud Fazio, David's predecessor, many times. I have met with David Rabon (Red Wolf Coordinator) twice in Manteo. I requested and received a special meeting in Raleigh with Gordon Myers - NCWRC Director, Mallory Martin - NCWRC Chief Deputy Director, David Rabon - USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator. You were invited, but did not come.

I have discussed your program with your team at the Dixie Deer Classic of all places. I notice you have given up on convincing that crowd how your deer-eating wolf is good for them.

I have sent certified letters to your directors requesting removal of your wolves. Responses have ranged from "walking" the wolves over a period of weeks (so as not to unduly disturb them) across to my neighbors farm, using air horns to scare the wolves across the property line, a threatening denial letter from Department of Interior Attorneys, to now absolutely no response!!!!

I believe, when either Bud Fazio or Mike Phillips was the Red Wolf Coodinator, they did in fact capture a wolf or two only to turn them loose within a few miles of the capture site. Returning wolves are supposed to be placed in a captive breeding program. This was not done.

I resent the fact that you will not comply with your very own rules.

I resent the fact that your breaking the law leaves me defenseless to protect my farm from an arrogant government.

I resent having wolves fill my rifle scope rather than deer.

I resent your program when my 5 year old son cries and is scared to leave the deer stand because four of your wolves, bigger than he, have just departed down the very trail he must walk to return to the house.

I resent having to explain to my 15 year old son why he must obey the law and not shoot your returning wolves in light of the fact that you will not obey the law and remove these very wolves. This is not the lesson that I should have to teach a 15 year old about our government.

I resent that my friends and family no longer want to go to our farm and spend time hunting and enjoying the outdoors.

I resent that not only our deer population but also our rabbit population has been decimated. The turkeys are likely next.

I resent that David Rabon refused to share with me and the NCWRC the pack and tracking information on the wolves, hybrids and coyotes on my farm as requested.

I resent that we can no longer train our bird dogs and pups on our own land without fear of losing them to your wolves.

I resent that you told the farmers the wolves would eat the deer that ate their crops, and now that hunters are crying foul, you claim your wolves eat mostly nutria and beaver!!!

I resent that we used to be able to run rabbits all day long and now these very same fields are barren except for the occasion deer carcass we find with the beagles.

I resent the fact that you have collared wolves, hybrids and coyotes. The already arduous task of differentiating these animals is now impossible.

I resent the fact that I am a law abiding citizen.

I resent that I have not taken the local advise to just "shoot 'em in the gut and let 'em walk off".

I resent that I have obeyed the law and not stacked your wolves up like firewood and delivered them to your door step.

I resent that my obeying the law and your failure to do likewise has left me defenseless to protect my property rights. And you wonder why your program is despised by so many.

Sadly and amazing as it may be, the fact that you will not comply with the law and remove your wolves from my property is not the critical issue.

The real issue is that you have knowingly introduced a top predator that has proven it will readily interbreed with coyotes.

In our 3/22/13 meeting, I handed David Rabon fifty or so pictures of wolf looking canines taken on my farm. I asked him to identify what ones were wolves, hybrids and coyotes. After many minutes and several perplexing looks, he handed the stack back to me and declared he was unable to tell the difference.

I then asked him what a successful wolf program would mean to NC and it's wildlife populations in terms of the obvious resulting explosion of hybrid coywolves. He said it must be researched!!!!

Your most recent wolf reports show that of the 25 wolf packs in Eastern NC, 11 contained coyotes! So, 44% of all your wolf packs now contain a coyote, simply amazing and distressing.

I know you claim to sterilize all the coyotes east of Highway 32 and we shouldn't shoot them because you can manage them. Do you really expect anyone to believe this?

How do you accomplish such an undertaking with three biologist operating on only federal lands?

Or are you just grasping at strings to save your jobs and this extravagant waste of tax payer money that jeopardizes all of NC's wildlife population.

Are you trapping coyotes on private land without permission? Are you trapping out of season? Should I worry that my prize competition bird dog will end up ensnared in your illegally set leg hold trap? Oh, I forget, you are above the law.

Below is a map created in a study by the NC Wildlife Resource Commission that shows the rampant amount of interbreeding of red wolves and coyotes:

Now, I am just a simple man, but it sure looks to me like a successful Red Wolf program will and has resulted in an all new subspecies, the coywolf or hybrid, whose growth will far surpass that of the red wolf.

Your own studies reveal that the diet of a coyote and that of a red wolf are virtually indistinguishable. The NCWRC has determined that the spread of coyotes presents one of the most problematic issues facing NC's wildlife population.

Now you and your program have blessed us with a "super coyote" mix breed that is somehow beneficial to us!

Most NC sportsmen have not had the experience of a 15 member wolf pack residing on their property like I have. It is only a matter of time before either the wolves or the hybrids will become prominent in the Roanoke river basin and begin destroying the great trophy deer herds there and across the state as they have done on my farm.

As I am telling my story, stakeholders from across our state are becoming more educated about what you have done.

Your program has failed in Tennessee and also western NC due to anti wolf public sentiment.

As the Navy discovered with the OLF, eastern NC is not a wasteland set aside for the US government to run wild over!

I assure you, my pursuit of justice on this matter will be unrelenting.

Now Leo, you answer my two questions and answer them NOW!

Most Sincerely,
Jett Ferebee
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
Tue, Apr 23, 2013 11:16 am
Mr. Miranda,
For over 10 years I have demanded the removal of your wolves from our property. Not once has USFWS complied in the manner described in the attached 1995 rules revisions. We, better than anyone, understand the "dynamics" of the red wolf population on our management goals for our property and we want your wolves gone. The choice of having a nonessential experimental wolf on our property is our choice and has nothing to do with your or the alleged "public's conservation goals".
The solution to "our" problem has been in place for 18 years! Our specific problem was clearly addressed in the 1995 Revision of the Special Rule for Nonessential Experimental Populations of Red Wolves in North Carolina and Tennessee. I will try to make our position painfully clear by asking you to give us a one word yes or no answer to two basic questions. Text from the attached 1995 rules revision document will be quoted to provide guidance for your answers.

Question One: Will you remove your wolves from our property as we have repeatedly requested?

Guidance:
1. "Therefore, the special rule is modified to provide that all landowner requests to remove wolves from their property will be honored"

2. "Any animal that is determined to be in need of special care or that moves onto lands where the landowner requests their removal will be recaptured"

Answer: Yes or No

Question Two: Since you have been unwilling and/or unable to remove your wolves from our property, will you permit us to remove them ourselves?

Guidance:
1. "(v) Any private landowner may take red wolves found on his or her property in the areas defined in paragraphs (c)(9) (i) and (ii) of this section after efforts by project personnel to capture such animals have been abandoned, Provided that the Service project leader or biologist has approved such actions in writing

2. "Notification would allow the Service to remove the offending animals, which are still valuable to the recovery objectives as breeding animals. If unsuccessful in removing the animals, the Service will permit the landowner to take action to remove any returning animals"

Answer: Yes or No

If you had difficulty in answering these questions, I will provide you with two parting pieces of guidance:

1. "programs to purposely reintroduce predators, such as the red wolf, must be accompanied by provisions to protect private property from the presence of such reintroduced animals if the landowner does not want them on his property. Such protection is necessary in order to obtain local public support, which is essential to success. Without such support, reintroductions are doomed, because the animals can be efficiently eliminated, as evidenced by past history."

2. "although some expressed concern about the effect of red wolves on activities on private land. The Service assured them that, because free-ranging wolves are legally classified as members of an experimental nonessential population, the wolves would not negatively impact legal activities on private or Federal land"

Please provide us with yes or no answers to the above questions no later than 5:00 pm on 4/23/13. Your refusal to honor our above requests to remove your wolves from our property amounts to a government take of private lands for your intended purposes. We are asking our representatives charged with the duty of protecting our constitutional rights to please step in and force you to comply with the rules you helped write and agreed to in exchange for the expansion and continuation of your nonessential experimental program. We are asking that the NCWRC step in and honor their mission statement: "To conserve North Carolina&#8217;s wildlife resources and their habitats and provide programs and opportunities that allow hunters, anglers, boaters; other outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy wildlife-associated recreation." Red wolves and now rampant hybridization of red wolves and coyotes have destroyed our farm for our intended purposes. No longer are our families able to enjoy this incredible dream we once had.

Sincerely,
Jett Ferebee (252) 714-2774
Rob Prewitt
Dan Woody
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
Mike,
It is critical that NC sportsmen are made aware of the real story on the wolf program before it is too late. Now is the time to make our case. The NCWRC must take a stand in our favor and demand the termination of the Red Wolf program now! A failure to win the current law suit regarding hunting coyotes in eastern NC will change our ecosystem in NC forever. My facts should be used in the current law suit to not only allow coyote hunting but to also eliminate the Red Wolf program all together. My understanding is the NCWRC is leery of opposing the wolf program because they risk losing some federal funds. It is amazing that they can be bought out like this and jeopardize the very wildlife in our state which they are charged to protect. I have more correspondence and information to disseminate.
Mike, is it possible to take my information and make it a sticky so we can easily send the link to our wildlife commissioner's and government representatives and demand their attention?
Does anyone here have a connection to the Raleigh News and Observer? I have sent this information to them before and they have ignored it. I know they are liberal and will not want to oppose the red wolf program, but with the right pressure and message we can maybe get the other side of the wolf story published.
Once again I urge all of you to demand from the NCWRC action on this matter. Let them know that you know the other side of the story. Make this a BIG deal! The NCWRC is in possession of all the research they need to determine that this program has failed, endangers our ecosystem and must be ended as it was in western NC and Tennessee. Let a pack of wolves set up camp on some of the prime deer clubs in the Roanoke river basin and watch what happens. Help me by acting now before it is too late. Please pass my information on to all you can and help me get it published at the state and national level.

Thanks,

Jett Ferebee
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
Guys, I know Jett. He is one of the good guys. I had no idea he was having such a huge problem in Terrell County. From what I just read, it sounds like he has bent over backwards to help the Feds do their jobs and the Feds can't produce results. He is a more patient man than I.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
the op ed in the N&O today supports the end of the program in NC. it declares the red wolf to be exactly what those on here have said: a mixed up canine..

written by a biologist from WS.
 

DRS

Old Mossy Horns
I fairly positive many of the hybrids and maybe some wolves are a long way from this 5 county area, from some of the evidence I have seen. The red wolf reintroduction could have maybe been a success without the coyotes around, one reason the Alligator River area was chosen. With the population of coyotes in NC now its done IMO. Never mind if the red wolf is a hybrid in itself.
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
Today I learned that the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition and the Defenders of Wildlife may likely be granted an injunction which would grant protection to coyotes in the counties of Dare, Tyrrell, Washington, Beaufort and Hyde. THIS INJUNCTION WILL LIKELY COME NEXT WEEK!!! I urge all of you to please contact your wildlife commissioner, county commissioners, state and local representative tomorrow and demand proper representation of our rights. For a coyote to be given a protective status in our state is absurd and only highlights the fact that citizens and sportsmen of NC are not being properly represented and defended. Once the injunction is granted it will be too late. Below is a my letter requesting help from USFWS. All NCWRC commissioners, all 5 counties Boards of Commissioners, all State and US legislators were copied on this email. Please do your part and contact someone. This red wolf program has morphed into something that was never intended and must be ended. Who would have ever thought that a coyote would become a protected species in our state.

LETTER to Leo Miranda SE Regional Director USFWS:
11/26/13

Leo,
You have proven to me that you are compassionate and will listen to reason concerning the Red Wolf program. Knowing this, I am asking for your help once again. I learned yesterday that Federal Judge Terrence Boyle may very soon issue an injunction prohibiting the shooting of coyotes in five North Carolina counties. I know that the USFWS, SELC and the Defenders of Wildlife very often demand that environmental impact studies be done to determine the effects of an action and its impacts on wildlife. Now, you and I both know that your three biologists can hardly keep up with the 100 or so red wolves. It is a physical impossibility for these biologists to also live trap and give tubal ligations and vasectomies to even a fraction of the coyote population that now roams the 1.7 million acres of these five counties. What additional private property rights will USFWS have to trample over in order to wander the countryside on private property performing birth control measures on coyotes? The Red Wolf program's "placeholder" concept is a biologist's pipe dream. The "non essential experimental" red wolf has been experimental enough. For a judge to now grant coyotes the same protective status as these wolves have, most certainly will prove disastrous for the remaining wildlife populations in these counties. Already, my farm in Tyrrell county has only a very small percentage of the rabbit and deer population that it once had before the wolves, hybrids and coyotes began to call it home.
With all this said, I strongly believe that a wildlife impact study is imperative prior to anyone asking for any injunction or even commencing a court hearing regarding protecting coyotes. It is absolutely critical to understand the impact of all wolves, hybrids and coyotes having undeterred free reign over our five counties. This is not what the USFWS agreed to in the 1995 Rules Revisions in order to continue the Red Wolf Program. It defies logic to ignore the potential devastating effects on our wildlife resources that would result from an uncurbed wolf, hybrid and coyote population. Your biologists may enjoy playing "animal farm" on our land, but remember it is OUR land and we have vested interests that do not revolve around your red wolf program.
Leo, I am asking you to write a letter to Judge Boyle requesting a postponement on any rulings regarding coyotes and the red wolf program until the consequences of any potential actions can be studied and analyzed. As Assistant Regional Director - Ecological Services (Southeast Region) at US Fish and Wildlife Service in charge of the Red Wolf program, you will have credibility with Judge Boyle. I believe you also have a responsibility to protect all wildlife resources, not just wolves. I know USFWS is not a party to this current law suit. The Red Wolf Coalition is however a party to this law suit and the USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator, David Rabon serves on their Board of Directors (I am not certain the DOI Code of Ethics allows this by the way).
Furthermore, the USFWS bears much responsibility for the current problems we are now facing with the Red Wolf program. Had the USFWS abided by their commitments in the 1995 Rules Revisions, in particular their covenants given to private land owners, I do not believe we would be having the conversations we are now having. It is just my opinion and I am not condoning it, but I truly believe the red wolf killings are not a result of misidentified coyotes. (Although by your biologists collaring coyotes certainly did not help!) I believe these acts are citizens fighting back in their own way against a government program built on lies and promoted by legions of conservationists who do not even live in our state or even our country. You have a PR problem with the citizens of eastern North Carolina and a ruling by a judge to strip them of even more protective private property rights, by protecting coyotes of all things, is most likely going to make matters worse.
Leo, be a leader and do the right thing. Call a time out and you and Gordon Meyers get a grip on what the Red Wolf program has done to our state. Determine what a 220 wolf population in our five counties really means to our wildlife populations and what it means in light of coyotes, hybrids and interbreeding. I really believe you taking the lead on this is your responsibility to us and is imperative in order for the USFWS to regain any local support.
I sincerely thank you for considering this request. I believe you are a vital key to fixing this mess. Please call me to discuss further.
Sincerely,

Jett Ferebee
(252) 714-2774
 
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bryguy

Old Mossy Horns
Judge Terrence Boyle needs to be removed from the bench....that guys is a joke as far as a judge goes.........do a little research on his handling of the Cape Hatteras lawsuit and his marked one sided allowance of proven false scientific data......it appears the same is about to happen here.
 
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GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
Jett: Pardon my ignorance but what is the most effective way to get our voices heard here? I get the sense that the NCWRC doesn't need convincing but rather our efforts should be focused on our representatives. Or am I wrong? Should we be lobbying with both? You mentioned earlier to contact 'everyone' but who really needs to hear our thoughts?

Thanks for educating me on this issue. I know others have been saying similar things for years but your participation has brought it to light much more for me.
 

bryguy

Old Mossy Horns
Jett, have you per chance contacted any of the big heavy hitters in the outdoor industry about this? Not a huge fan of him, but I bet Ted Nugent or Tom Miranda would likely give this some air time if made aware of it. I would also imagine that the NRA-ILA could also be of assistance. Just some thoughts I had.
 

Quackman

Twelve Pointer
^^^^This sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Uncle Ted is pretty good at making his issues heard.
 

GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
I emailed the commissioners asking them to stop the FWS and to actively oppose the lawsuit on stopping the coyote hunting.
 

bryguy

Old Mossy Horns
Jett, found this ......might be worth checking into it and see what they could do for you. http://www.narlo.org/
not sure they would do anything, but every bit helps. I did take a few minutes to compose and email and send it to Tom Miranda and Ted Nugent. I have added the text below, if each of us would send a couple of emails to people or groups who are in the outdoor industry, perhaps we could get this fiasco in the public spotlight and get this shutdown once and for all. email text below:

Good morning and I hope this email finds you well. I am contacting you on behalf of the sportsman of eastern NC and the disaster that is about to be unleashed upon us by the United State Fish and Wildlife service, Judge Terrence Boyle and several environmental groups. That disaster is the Red Wolf and its hybridization with Coyotes. This is leading these groups to seek an injunction seeking to end the ability of landowners in a 5 county area to control coyotes on their private property. I have attached a link to this email to this email that details one landowners struggles with the FWS and their unwillingness to do what they promised years ago. Please if you could, help us to bring this to the public light and to show how once again the lumbering behemoth that is the federal government is trampling the rights of eastern NC landowners. Thanks you for your time and hopefully Mr/Mrs. assistance with this matter.



http://www.nchuntandfish.com/forums/showthread.php?95624-quot-Red-Wolf-quot-restoration-scandal


Sincerely,
 

bryguy

Old Mossy Horns
I also just sent my representative and senator an email about this as well. Time to rattle the bushes over this one boys.......
 

nchunter

Twelve Pointer
Judge Terrence Boyle needs to be removed from the bench....that guys is a joke as far as a judge goes.........do a little research on his handling of the Cape Hatteras lawsuit and his marked one sided allowance of proven false scientific data......it appears the same is about to happen here.

If the Defenders of Wildlife get a case in front of him, they know they will win. There's no doubt, not in my mind, based on the record.
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
Guys, thank you so much for your help. The suggestions you made are great. I have contacted many individuals and groups large and small, but to date I have been a single lone voice. Your time will not be wasted pushing the NCWRC. I believe they have been asleep at the wheel on this major issue. Perhaps it was intentional, as they are scared of losing some Fed funds. One commissioner yesterday told me that in his opinion, this current court case could have the largest impact in his lifetime upon the wildlife in NC. Please contact your commissioner and urge the NCWRC to use their bully pulpit, website, magazine and media connections to publicize this red wolf fiasco and actually disclose to its constituents what is happening. Demand proper legal representation. If the State attorneys are not up to the task, then NCWRC should employ private attorneys who will not be pushed around by Derb Carter and SLEC. A novel idea would be to ask the commission to actually acknowledge the red wolf issue and put it on their agenda for once!!!! I believe our State must take an aggressive approach at this point. We are the ones that need to be filing a law suit asking for an injunction to stop the Red Wolf program until they can prove what the coyote influx into the red wolf recovery area will mean to our wildlife resources. Furthermore, we must demand that USFWS abide by the 1995 Rules Revisions. I will try to find a way to post this document. In short it says that if a private land owner does not want red wolves on his property, then the USFWS is required to remove the wolves. If they are unable to remove the wolves, then the land owner will be allowed to remove the wolves themselves. This was the protection negotiated for private land owners in return for the continuation of the red wolf program. I urge all land owners to write a certified letter to Leo Miranda and demand trappers be sent to your property and have the wolves removed. This is where you will quickly find that they have no ability or desire to fulfill this legal requirement. I would say a flood of requests of this type to USFWS, with your commissioners and representatives copied, would be a great way to expose this scandal that has decimated the wildlife populations in the five county area. I can not do this all by myself. Please help. A small amount of time on your part can create a snowball effect that can end this program. One final request, can anyone get me in front of the News and Observer, preferably John Drescher, the Editor.
Thanks,
Jett
 

Jett

Ten Pointer
Here is the 1995 Rules Revisions document. Happy reading! Notice NC Farm Bureau was instrumental in negotiating on behalf of landowners. I contacted Larry Wooten, President of NC Farm Bureau and documented my case to him that USFWS was in violation of the rules his organization had negotiated. That contact went no where. Perhaps contacting your Farm Bureau agent to push for Mr. Wooten's help again may work. NC Farm Bureau is a powerful lobby group which can and should help. If they choose not to help, then there are plenty other places to buy our insurance.

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr2810.pdf
 

bryguy

Old Mossy Horns
Well, I took a few minutes to email Richard Burr, George Holding, The WRC directors, the staff at WRC, as well as my local state senator and representative about this issue. Let's see what those emails do.

Perhaps if each of us would take a few minutes and do this, it would end this program once and for all.
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
Bryguy,
Thank you!!!! that is the exact kind of help we need.

On another thread, here is my information regarding the Hunter Education card that many of you may have seen.

Wildlifer,
Yes, The card is useless. If you read the hunter education card well, it was put out by the Defenders of Wildlife and the Red Wolf Coalition. It was mocked up to look otherwise. That card said "Do not shoot any coyotes east of Highway 32". These conservation groups definitely overstepped their bounds on that card and it has been reported by me to Gordon Meyers, who was unaware that the card was being distributed!!!!

Describing the difference between the looks of coyotes and wolves is a farce. In meetings with NCWRC and USFWS, I presented 50 or so close up high quality pictures of yotes/wolves taken on my farm. I asked David Rabon, Red Wolf Coordinator, to identify which were red wolves and which were coyotes. After a long period of looking at pics, he shamefully looked up and told Gordon Meyers and myself that he could not tell what they were!!! I have also gone through the same exercise with Leo Miranda SE Regional Director of USFWS with the same results. This is what prompted Leo's response to me that only an intentional shooting of a Red Wolf was a crime. He said if I thought I was shooting a coyote ,which is legal, then the act of accidentally killing a red wolf was not a violation of the law. Pretty amazing stuff!!!
 
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Jett

Ten Pointer
Here is a link to the contact information for our Wildlife Commissioners:
http://www.ncwildlife.org/About/Commissioners.aspx
Here is a link to the NCWRC Staff contact information:
http://www.ncwildlife.org/About/DirectorsOffice.aspx

Let them know you are deeply concerned about this issue and it's impact on NC's wildlife. Remind them of their mission statement:

To conserve North Carolina&#8217;s wildlife resources and their habitats and provide programs and opportunities that allow hunters, anglers, boaters;other outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy wildlife-associated recreation.

Tell them our wildlife resources are too precious to expose them to FEDERAL EXPERIMENTS that do not know what their impact on our wildlife may be.

Here is a direct quote from the USFWS Red Wolf Coordinator David Rabon in an interview with the News and Observer:

"The red wolf reintroduction was always designed as an experiment, Rabon said. Nobody knew what was going to happen with the wolves, other species or the landscape".

And our NCWRC has done NOTHING to monitor this liberal experiment gone disastrously bad!!!!!!!!
 
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