More wolves dead...

An article that came out this morning detailing more of the wolf deaths occurring in the Yellowstone area.  This time it was one of the 10 remaining members of the Phantom Hill pack

Body count continues to rise........

Just an update to everyone.  As of yesterday it was reported that a total of 21 wolves had been killed in Idaho and  9 had been killed in Montana

The current body count......

15 wolves have been killed in Idaho and 5 wolves killed just barely north of Yellowstone and so far  the season has only just begun. We'll keep you updated as we hear more and we continue to evaluate our legal options and do what we can in the region

Lords of Nature Movie

Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators

May 8, 2009- November 18, 2009
Western U.S. (assorted locations)

Wolves and cougars, once driven to the edge of existence, are finding their way back -- from the Yellowstone plateau to the canyons of Zion, from the farm country of northern Minnesota to the rugged open range of the West.

The new movie, Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators, tells the story of science now discovering the great carnivores as revitalizing forces of nature, and a society now learning tolerance for the beasts they had once banished.

For more information visit http://www.lordsofnature.org/

Not a good day to be a wolf

Same bad plan for wolves
Salazar strips federal Endangered Species Act protection from wolves in Idaho, Montana

WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced he has decided to follow the Bush administration’s flawed decision to remove the protections of the Endangered Species Act from wolves in Idaho and Montana.

The following is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president for Defenders of Wildlife:

"Today is a truly disappointing day for Americans who care deeply about the Northern Rockies wolf population and for the integrity of the Endangered Species Act. We are outraged and disappointed that Secretary Salazar has chosen to push the same, terrible Bush administration plan for wolf delisting just six weeks into President Obama’s administration.

"We all expected more from the Obama administration, but Defenders of Wildlife will now move to sue Secretary Salazar as quickly as possible.

"Just three days ago, we were thrilled when President Obama stood before employees of the Department of the Interior, with Secretary Salazar at his side, and vowed to ‘help restore the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act.’ Yet today, Secretary Salazar announced that he is adopting a rule that is just as flawed now as it was when the Bush administration issued this appalling plan. Americans voted for change last November. Today Secretary Salazar gave us more of the same discredited approach to conservation followed by the Bush administration for the past eight years.

"All the reasons why this plan was a bad idea when the Bush administration proposed it still stand today. If this rule is allowed to stand, nearly two-thirds of the wolves in the Northern Rockies could be killed. This plan would undermine the goal of ensuring a healthy, sustainable wolf population in the region. Secretary Salazar’s terrible decision leaves us no choice. We will stand up for wolves and endangered species conservation by moving immediately to challenge this delisting in court."

The following is a statement by Suzanne Stone, northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife.

"Nothing about this rule has changed since it was rejected and deemed unlawful in a federal court in July of 2008. It still fails to adequately address biological concerns about the lack of genetic exchange among wolf populations in the northern Rockies and it still fails to address the concerns with the states’ wolf management plans and regulations that undermine a sustainable wolf population by killing too many wolves.

"We had hoped for a new delisting plan, based on current science that provides for a healthy, well connected wolf population in the region. Instead we are forced to, once again, challenge a bad rule forcing the expenditure of time and money that would have been much better served towards developing responsible state management plans.

"Delisting the wolf at this point completely undermines the serious work, consideration and cooperation among all stakeholders that is necessary before being able to seriously declare the gray wolf recovered."

###

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

FWS continues to push outdated delisting rule

On October 24th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the re-opening of a public comment period on its February 8, 2007 Northern Rockies wolf delisting rule – a rule that has not only been criticized by a federal court, but was also voluntarily withdrawn by the FWS a little over a week ago. Below is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife, regarding their announcement.

“It is shocking - although not entirely surprising - that the FWS is still trying to push a failed delisting rule out the door before the Bush administration turns out the lights.

“This hasty action undermines the serious work, consideration and cooperation among all stakeholders that is necessary before proposing any new rule. Rushing to ram this flawed and repackaged rule does not give the Fish and Wildlife Service time to address the flaws underscored by the court when it rebuked the agency earlier this year.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is merely repackaging a severely flawed rule instead of taking a fresh look at the management of wolves in the region. The original proposal allows around 1,000 wolves to be killed as soon as they lose the protections of the Endangered Species Act –slashing the population by as much as two thirds.

“What we need is to take a step back, bring all the stakeholders to the table and devise a plan that is informed, inclusive and balanced. Without full cooperation among interested parties, we’ll end up in the same ineffective tug-of-war that has dominated the scene during this administration. The Bush administration had its chance to come up with a responsible management plan and blew it.

A Great Victory for Northern Rockies Wolves

Wolves protected again!
FWS voluntarily removes delisting rule

According to recent statements by senior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) officials, FWS intends to rescind its own wolf delisting rule - issued in March - sometime this week. This will place the Northern Rockies gray wolf back under federal protections.

This action comes on the heels of a decision in July by the U.S. District Court in Missoula granting a request by a coalition of twelve conservation groups for a preliminary injunction, which temporarily placed wolves back under federal protection. The court determined that plaintiffs were likely to prevail against FWS on its claims that delisting was premature because of concerns regarding genetic isolation and the adequacy of state management plans. FWS now intends to ask the court to remand the issue to FWS so it can reconsider its delisting decision.

--

This is a great victory for wolf conservation in the Northern Rockies and everyone working for wolf conservation.

We're extremely pleased that the Fish and Wildlife Service has finally bowed to reality by recognizing that there are serious scientific and legal problems underlying their delisting rule – as biologists and conservation groups have said since this flawed delisting rule was proposed, and which the federal court clearly recognized this summer.

This action is vital for the continued survival of wolves in the region. The delisting of wolves was inappropriate and illegal in large part because existing state management plans are inadequate to ensure the long term conservation of wolves in the region, allowing far too many wolves to be unnecessarily killed.

We are glad the wolves are back under the protection of the Endangered Species Act and we hope that the next administration will put politics aside when making wolf management decisions, instead making them based on sound science and the participation of all interested stakeholders.

We hope that the state agencies will take this opportunity to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation groups to revisit their plans and put the long term conservation of wolves in the wild in the forefront of future wolf management efforts. If they do, we are confident that agreement can be reached on science-based responsible, balanced management plans that will benefit wolves, ranchers, hunters, Northern Rockies residents and all Americans who care deeply about wildlife conservation.

Huge News: Wolf Protections Restored

The Associated Press reports that a federal judge has granted wolves a temporary reprieve in Defenders of Wildlife v. Hall, a legal challenge to delisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region. The Associated Press reports:

"A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall."

Read more from the Washington Post or read our press release.

Wolves being shot as varmints Says John Hollenhorst

According to a recent news story from KSL of Salt Lake City, at least 20 wolves have been killed within Wyoming's anti-wolf "shoot on sight" zone. That means there's likely less than a dozen wolves now left there - maybe even fewer, as it's possible that all of them have been killed and just not reported.

Soon, young wolves from Yellowstone will disperse to this area, which includes national forests with lots of elk and deer. Unless the courts step in to bring balance back to Wyoming's management plan, these wolves will suffer the same fate as the wolves that were shot on sight this year and the cycle will repeat with every new year.

This isn't hunting or wildlife management -- it's senseless killing and the tragic abandonment of a valuable wildlife resource.

View the news story.
Related: Wolf Watch

Stay Tuned...

Today U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy will hear the request by 12 environmental groups (including us) for a preliminary injunction. We'll keep you posted.