Message from the CEO
May/June 2010
MDF…Fighting the Good Fight!
Spring is finally here and not a second too soon for some of you. Winter seemed to hold on as long as it could in southern Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Colorado. This overload of moisture should pay huge dividends later this fall, and I would suspect that we see some big bucks coming from these areas this year. Ironically enough, many of us in the northern latitudes experienced slightly below-level precipitation this winter; providing a much-needed break for our deer herds.
Another much-needed break for Utah’s deer herds came in the form of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Wildlife Services conducting an aggressive predator program. The mission was to shoot coyotes in areas where the deer herds were currently below population objectives. When the dust settled, Wildlife Services killed over 3,000 coyotes on several of the targeted areas. They were able to be so successful this year because the snow covered many areas that typically stay snow-free. It will be interesting to see the results of coyote control in southern Utah this spring when the fawns are born. Deer herds can only rebound if we have good moisture, along with habitat improvement and aggressive predator control.
Speaking of predator control, MDF is currently working with other conservation groups to keep the wolves delisted in Idaho and Montana. If you live in one of these states, you have seen first-hand the dramatic impact wolves have been putting on your elk, moose, and deer herds during the past several years. With wolves now being seen in Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado, something has to be done to keep the management of wolves in check.
According to the US Fish & Wildlife’s 2009 Annual Report, they estimate a population of over 1706 wolves, consisting of 242 packs and 115 breeding pairs. These numbers far exceed the original recovery goal of 10 breeding pairs in each of the 3 recovery areas for 3 successive years. Both Idaho and Montana just recently completed their wolf seasons and although they were successful, we must keep managing these voracious predators by keeping them at the population levels agreed upon in the Northern Rocky Mountains Recovery Plan. As of this writing, we are waiting for a Circuit Court decision on the future designation of wolves in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.
As with the rest of the conservation community, MDF understands the importance of having state wildlife agencies put in charge of managing wolves…not the federal government. We need your support in seeing this through and you can help by donating to MDF’s “Wolf Fund”. This special account has been set up for the sole purpose of battling to keep these animals off the Endangered Species List. Again, management must be in the control of the states and with your help…it can be so.
By the time you read this, MDF’s National Headquarters will be moved to our new office/warehouse space. We have been able to find a new combination location which is capable of accommodating our growing inventory of merchandise. We moved across the Salt Lake Valley and are now located two miles south of the Salt Lake International Airport and I-80 in a business park. It isn’t fancy, but please come by and see us if you are ever in Salt Lake.
The economy remains weak in several areas of the country but fortunately, our 2010 banquet season has started off strong and continues to meet, or exceed, our projections. While 2009 was a tough year for fundraising, we here at MDF are committed to putting as much of your money on the ground as possible. We have remained committed to keep our operating expenses as low as possible no matter the costs. In fact, as a result of these trying times, we have asked much of our staff and volunteers and we want to thank you all for your efforts.
We hope to have some exciting announcements in the near future about some great corporate sponsorships for MDF and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. Save the dates, February 3 – 6 2011, for the 5th Annual WHCE which again will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. We already have several national hunting celebrities lined up for seminars and we are committed to getting the major nightly events underwritten to reduce the cost of attending the Expo. Thank you again to all our chapter committees and volunteers for all you do for mule deer!
Yours in Conservation,
Miles Moretti