A Plea for Science to outweigh Politics coming from nearly 1300 USA Biologists.............their letter seeking the U.S. Senate to immediately cease circumvection of the Endangered Species Act relating to delisting Wolves

March 30, 2011

Dear Senators:

As scientists with expertise in biological systems, we are writing to urge you to vote against any

legislation that would undercut the use of best available science as the basis for adding or removingany particular species from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Allowing Congress toremove or add protections for particular species would set a dangerous precedent, as the fate ofevery species on the endangered species list (or any candidate for that list) would then be subject topolitical interference.

Because of its strong scientific foundation, the Endangered Species Act is the most critical and

successful law for ensuring the protection of threatened and endangered wildlife in our country.

Objective scientific information and methods should be used in listing or delisting species,

subspecies, and distinct population segments as endangered or threatened. While non-scientific

factors may appropriately be considered at points later in the process, their use in listing decisions is

inconsistent with the biologically defensible principles of the Endangered Species Act.

We are aware that there are legislative attempts to remove individual species from the EndangeredSpecies Act. For example, congressional proposals to delist the gray wolf forgo scientificdetermination of whether the species, or populations of the species, have recovered and whether

sufficient regulatory mechanisms are in place to ensure the species' survival. In the northern RockyMountains the return of wolves has restored key predator-prey dynamics in and around YellowstoneNational Park that have resulted in changes throughout the entire ecosystem. To remove protectionsfor wolves before the best available science tells us recovery is ensured would place one of ourcountry's greatest conservation success stories at risk.

Biological diversity provides food, fiber, medicines, clean water, and myriad other ecosystem

products and services on which we depend every day. To undermine the careful and thoughtful

scientific process that determines whether a species is endangered or recovered would jeopardize

not only the species in question and the continued success of the Endangered Species Act, but the

very foundation of the ecosystems that sustain us all.

We strongly urge you to oppose any legislation that circumvents the use of best available science inEndangered Species Act decision making.

Respectfully,

[Signers listed alphabetically by state]-NOTE BELOW IS ONLY ALABAMA AND ALASKA SCIENTISTS(IN THE NAME OF SAPCE CONSTRAINTS--bIOLOGISTS FROM ALL OVER THE USA SIGNED THIS DOCUMENT

Alabama

Michael Barbour, M.S.

Database Manager

Alabama Natural Heritage Program

Auburn University, AL

Luben Dimov, Ph.D.

Department of Natural Resources & Environmental

Sciences

Alabama A&M University

Huntsville, AL

Sarah Duncan

Doctoral Candidate

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

William Gates, M.S.

Wildlife Biologist

Madison, AL

Susan Hunter

Master's Candidate

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Robert Lawton, Ph.D.

Huntsville, AL

Nichole Mattheus

Master's Candidate

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

Kenneth Ward, Ph.D.

Academic Program Coordinator

Department of Natural Resources & Environmental

Sciences

Alabama A&M University

Huntsville, AL

Alaska

William Armbruster, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist

Institute of Arctic Biology

University of Alaska

Fairbanks, AK

Leslie Cornick, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Environmental Science

Alaska Pacific University

Wasilla, AK

Duane Howe, D.V.M.

Homer, AK

Christa Mulder, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Biology & Wildlife

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Fairbanks, AK

Andrea Repetto

Master's Candidate

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, AK

Derek Sikes, Ph.D.

Curator of Insects

University of Alaska Museum

Fairbanks, AK

Stephen Stringham, Ph.D.

Director

Bear Viewing Association

Soldotna, AK

Stephen Stringham, Ph.D.

Director

WildWatch LLC

Soldotna, AK

Lynn Wilbur

Master's Candidate

Sitka, AK

Bruce Wright, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Conservation Sci

A Letter from 1,293 Scientists with Expertise in Biological Systems to the United States Senate

Concerning Science and the Endangered Species Act