You are here

Federal Government to Back Off on Wolf Delisting In Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Share

Federal wildlife officials say they'll withdraw their proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections from the gray wolf in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Kurt Repanshek photo.

Federal wildlife authorities who once were so confident the gray wolf could survive without Endangered Species Act protections now say they didn't do all their homework as completely as they should have.

Back in February, Lynn Scarlett, a deputy to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, announced the government's intention to remove ESA protections from the gray wolf in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, saying that, "The wolf population in the Northern Rockies has far exceeded its recovery goal and continues to expand its size and range. States, tribes, conservation groups, federal agencies and citizens of both regions can be proud of their roles in this remarkable conservation success story."

While there were an estimated 1,500 or more wolves and at least 100 breeding pairs in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, conservation groups sued the government to stop the delisting, arguing that a sound recovery program can't sustain itself, genetically, without two or three times that number.

In July a federal judge in Montana agreed with the conservationists and issued a preliminary injunction to put a hold on the hunting of wolves until a trial could be held to fully explore the groups' claims that the Interior Department was premature in removing ESA protections from the wolf in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy stated that, "In my view, Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the majority of the claims relied upon in their request for a preliminary injunction. In particular, (1) the Fish & Wildlife Service acted arbitrarily in delisting the wolf despite a lack of evidence of genetic exchange between subpopulations; and (2) it acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it approved Wyoming’s 2007 plan despite the State’s failure to commit to managing for 15 breeding pairs and the plan’s malleable trophy game area.

"In both instances, the Fish & Wildlife Service altered its earlier position without providing a reasoned decision for the change based on identified new information."

But now a trial might not be necessary, as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have decided to withdraw their delisting proposal.

Ed Bangs, who long has overseen the wolf recovery program for the agency, told the Idaho Statesman that the agency didn't clearly lay out why it thought wolves in the ecosystem could indeed survive without ESA protections.

"There's going to be a thorough, fine-toothed comb going through it to decide what we can do better," he told the newspaper.

Comments

This is pretty big news. And, until Wyoming ever gets its act together, things won't change. Wyoming, through its draconian wolf management, has become the best friend of the wolf by keeping them under federal control, even though the population is very strong.

Jim Macdonald
The Magic of Yellowstone
Yellowstone Newspaper
Jim's Eclectic World


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.