PHOTO: Rep. Nita Lowey, with (from the left) Wolf Conservation Center Executive Director Maggie Howell, WCC Founder Helene Grimaud, WCC Education Director Regan Downey, Mr. Stephen Lowey, and Richard Melnikoff

HOWLS of THANKS to Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY), a leading Congressional proponent of wildlife and environmental protection, for her unwavering commitment to defend and preserve the integrity Endangered Species Act and the species whose survival depend on this vital federal law.

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) is currently serving her thirteenth term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 and is the first woman to lead either party on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart, the United States House Committee on Appropriations is charged with regulating expenditures of money by the government of the United States. As such, it is one of the most powerful of the committees, and its members are seen as some of the most critically influential in our nation.

In 2011, federal protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was stripped from wolves of the Northern Rockies by an unprecedented act. Wolves were “delisted” via a congressional rider attached to a must-pass appropriations bill marking the first time in history a species was removed from the ESA via an act of Congress rather than federally mandated scientific analysis.

In the years that followed, some members of Congress have repeatedly attached riders to government funding bills seeking to remove federal protections for wolves in other states – including the critically endangered Mexican gray wolf!

Thanks to her leadership, Congress has been able to defeat such political maneuvers and Lowey pledges to continue to stand strong to prevent history from repeating itself during upcoming appropriations debates.

On Mother’s day, the Wolf Conservation Center’s wolves and staff were able to extend their howls of thanks in person to Lowey for her commitment to protecting and preserving endangered species.

Congresswoman Lowey, you are a true champion for America’s wolves!