Dana Cole Herald/Review
BENSON — As part of an ongoing recovery program for the Mexican Wolf, U.S. Fish and Wildlife is proposing to expand the wolf recovery area to include all of Cochise County.
However, there are concerns about the potential impact the wolves could have on rural residents throughout the county.
Searle has requested the Board of Supervisors hold its own public hearing to gather comments to submit to Fish and Wildlife. The hearing is scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the County Board of Supervisors building, 1415 Melody Lane, Building G, in Bisbee.
The expanded recovery area will include a region that extends from I-40 to the Mexican border, in the states of Arizona and New Mexico, Searle said. Currently, the recovery area is limited to the White Mountains in Apache, Graham and Greenlee counties in Arizona, and Catron and Grant counties in New Mexico, he added.
“If the recovery area is expanded to include everything to the border and wolves show up, we will be limited in our ability to deal with them,” Searle said. “Having watched the wolf depredations and the stress that rural residents in the current recovery area have experienced for the last 10 years, I don’t wish this on Cochise County residents.”
Alan Baker, director of the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture said, “I’m not sure what productive outcome would come from the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf to Cochise County.”
“Certainly, we love nature and animals but maybe we should reintroduce the eastern diamondback rattler into Washington, DC first to see how it works and then we can talk about this issue,” he said.
Searle also said there have been complaints regarding how Fish and Wildlife officials have handled issues with wolves in the current recovery area and believes that expanding it would only compound the problems. He also noted that, with the exception of livestock, Cochise County does not have the prey base to support a wolf population.
In addition, Searle points to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s attempt of reintroducing antelope to areas of Cochise and Santa Cruz counties.
“To allow another predator in the area just does not make sense,” he argues.
“I would encourage anyone that has a concern to attend and voice their thoughts,” Searle said.
(Editor’s note: Arizona Range News Reporter Carol Broeder contributed to this article.)