Morgart is named Mexican wolf program coordinator
Contributed Article
Dr. John R. Morgart, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been selected as the coordinator of the high-profile and controversial Mexican Gray Wolf recovery program.
The service began reintroducing wolves into southwestern New Mexico and eastern Arizona in 1998 under an experimental and non-essential population designation, allowed under the Endan-gered Species Act.
The controversial program affects Greenlee and Graham counties. Wolves have been released in northern Greenlee, much to the objection of ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts. Ranchers point to the loss of cattle to wolves and what many feel is an inadequate system in determining actual kills by wolves.
Some hikers say they now fear going into the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest due to the presence of wolves. One woman reported her dog was attacked by wolves when she stopped at a rest area between Clifton and Alpine.
A Black Hills rancher in Graham County has had at least one calf killed by the predators. The Black Hills straddle Greenlee and Graham.
All three members of the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors have been highly vocal in their opposition to the wolf program.
A news release from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) said the Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator serves as the service’s lead scientist in the endangered wolf’s recovery and reintroduction and recommends and interprets policy at the federal level.
The wolf program is a collaborative partnership among several state and federal agencies, Native American tribes and county governments. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the White Mountain Apache Tribe have the lead for on-the-ground management in their respective states and tribal land.
H. Dale Hall, director of the USFWS Southwest Region, said Morgart “is the quintessential research scientist and an accomplished leader who has successfully overseen a multi-agency, international recovery effort that involves state, federal, university and Mexican partners.”
Morgart holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Arizona, and an M.S. in zoology and a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, both from Arizona State University. He is active in The Wildlife Society and several ornithological professional societies.