Harbored in a picturesque mountain meadow surrounded by pine-studded hills, the town has one stop sign, a gas station, a general store, and a blacksmith shop. It's the kind of place where residents leave their doors unlocked and neighbors help each other with their bathroom plumbing. Ariz. Attempts to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf have been thwarted by deadly gunfire. Five wolves have been shot to death in what U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials believe is a systematic effort to undermine a program designed to revive the Mexican gray wolf population. In this latest drama pitting man against wolf, environmentalists suspect area ranchers who oppose the reintroduction effort.
Ranchers blame hunters from Tucson and Phoenix.
But they're also taking the opportunity to demand that the federal government halt what they believe is an ill-conceived attempt to force the wolves on agricultural interests in Arizona and New Mexico. The tensions surrounding the program symbolize the clash between science and local values that has met many attempts to reestablish endangered species in the wild. Federal authorities have no intention of backing off. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt recently reiterated that the wolves are here to stay, and the Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release an additional 10 to 15 wolves between December and March. The goal is to have at least 100 of them eventually living in the Apache and Gila national forests along the Arizona-New Mexico state line.