Verde Independent (original) Posted on March 27, 2013
The Mexican Gray Wolf no longer exists in Mexico, and there are only 58* remaining in the wild in the Southwestern U.S. and 300 in captivity.
These numbers make "El Lobo" the rarest type of wolf in the world and the most endangered land mammal in North America.
Emily Nelson, Program Director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, is the speaker for the fourth and final lecture in the 2013 Sedona Lecture Series on Monday, April 8, 7 p.m., at the United Methodist Church, 110 Indian Cliffs Road and SR 179 in Sedona.
The Lecture Series has been presented annually for 29 years by the Sedona Muses and the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA).
The Recovery Project is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health in the Grand Canyon region.
Nelson will provide information about the history and present status of Mexican wolves, their role in ecosystems of the Southwest, and current efforts to help them recover in the wild on the Colorado Plateau.
Widespread trapping and poisoning in the U.S. in the early to mid-1900s was responsible for their ongoing danger of extinction, and they were bred in captivity and reintroduced to the wild in Arizona beginning in 1998. The goal was to restore at least 100 wolves to the wild by 2006. Unfortunately, the present count is only 58.
Tickets are $6/MNA members, $7 non-members at Weber's IGA in VOC, Bashas' in Sedona, at the door the night of the lecture, or by calling Ruth Kane, 284-2875. Proceeds benefit the Museum of Northern Arizona.
*Note: The current population number is up to 75 with three breeding pairs of Mexican wolves in the wild as of the end of 2012.
