Question of safety if wolf population grows
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A Mexican wolf emerges from a crate for relocation in the Gila National Forest in 2010 Photo courtesy of the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team[/caption]Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? As it turns out: a lot of people in Tombstone are. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering an expansion of the Mexican Wolf Blue Range Reintroduction Project in Cochise County, and some are raising concerns.
The proposed change would mean that the area of land on which Mexican wolves are allowed would be expanded—part of it reaching into Tombstone.
The new zoning would include all of the area in Arizona and New Mexico between Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.
Meetings have been held in both states to gauge reactions and gather public comment on the issue. And the Tombstone Unified School District has weighed in, expressing opposition to the expansion in a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying in part:
“Tombstone Unified School District is a rural area where many of our students walk a sizeable distance to and from school bus stops and have to wait for the bus in isolated areas. Wildlife is very abundant at many of our school bus stops. Tombstone Unified School District Governing Board feels the introduction of predators like the Mexican Gray wolf would be a very real danger to our students, particularly the younger ones.”