Controversial Legislation

The hunting of the Gray wolves has been a controversial topic in Minnesota for decades. Over hunting caused the species to be nearly extinct forcing the federal government to take action. Minnesota had to comply. In 1974, wolves in the lower 48 United States were listed as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. This listing gave complete protection to wolves in Minnesota, and prevented the state from managing wolves in any way that caused harm or death. Wolves in the northern United States have always been an issue for ranchers as packs of wolves have been known to attack rancher livestock. Should ranchers have the right to kill an endangered animal if their property, industry, and means of income are being vandalized by wolves? Protection from the Federal Endangered Species Act has successfully protected wolves in Minnesota giving Minnesota the highest population of Gray wolves to date. Current restrictions have been lifted allowing ranchers to kill any wolf harming agriculture or livestock as the Gray wolf is no longer an endangered species. Legislation regarding this animal have gone in circles in regards to its wildlife status.

On March 12, 2007, Minnesota's wolf population was removed from the federal endangered species list. Wolves were managed under State Statute, Rule and by the Minnesota wolf management plan.

On September 29, 2008, after 18 months of state wolf management, a federal district court ruling placed wolves back on the endangered species list.

May 4, 2009 -20In order to comply with the federal court ruling, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service submitted another federal rule in April 2009 to delist wolves in the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment. Wolves in Minnesota were removed from the federal endangered species list and returned management authority to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

July 1, 2009 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to a settlement that reversed the decision to delist gray wolves, returning Minnesota’s wolves to the "threatened" classification under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Solution: Make it illegal to kill any Gray wolf in the state of Minnesota. History repeats itself, don’t let this animal become extinct again, doing so would greatly affect the food chain and equilibrium of Mother Nature. Ranchers should realize that wolf aggression is natural to livestock and should let nature run its course. If it is allowed to kill wolves sparingly, whose to monitor which killing is just and unjust?

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At the height of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, 29 states began lowering their drinking age to more closely align with the newly reduced military enlistment and voting age. And of those 29 states drinking ages varied from 18 to 20 and sometimes even varied based on the type of alcohol being consumed. Minnesota was one of these states. Traffic fatalities rose as did a ccidents on national highways. On July 17, 1984, President Reagan signed into law the Uniform Drinking Age Act mandating all states to adopt 21 as the legal drinking age within five years.

Opinion: Around the same time President Carter made it mandatory for men ages 18 to 25 to register for the selective service in regards to the United States military. If young adults can be drafted and possibly die for their country, they should be able consume alcohol. It’s that simple. Alcohol has been a cultural norm in society for generations and young adults will always find ways to get a hold of it. Don’t punish young adults for an unjust law, spend time and effort on more important laws.

source http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/wolves/index.html