I just got the news that some Minnesota officials in Washington, D.C., proposed SR 164 and HR 424 which would remove Minnesota gray wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act and then ultimately re-start hunting of wolves in Minnesota. This is devastating news because it will mean massive killing and the potential disappearance of the gray wolf not only in Minnesota, but Wyoming, Wisconsin and Michigan as well.

This is a problem — and I’m writing this letter to urge others to stand up for the wolf and stand up for what is right.

Why is this happening? It is because politicians have let the interests of trophy hunters take precedence over those who have no voice. This is what could happen if this amendment is ratified: cruel and inhumane trapping methods that mangle wolves increased livestock deaths by causing smaller/younger wolf packs and the degradation of our northern ecosystem. The extinction of the gray wolf — a Minnesota state symbol —would be a devastating loss.

Our legislators on the federal level do not seem to understand the importance wolves have historically and the critical role they play in our native landscape and ecosystem. Please, elected officials in Washington, D.C.: Oppose this proposal and support wolves.

Tina Miranda

St. Michael