Wolves could be removed from endangered species list

The U.S. government said on Friday it had struck a deal with wildlife advocates to remove some 1,200 wolves in Idaho and Montana from the endangered species list.

Federal protections could be lifted from the wolves if a federal judge signs off on a settlement agreement filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Montana.

The wildlife groups had sued to keep roughly 1,600 wolves in the Northern Rockies on the endangered species list.

Under the proposed agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 10 conservation groups, the estimated 1,200 wolves in Idaho and Montana would be delisted and management of the animals, including target population numbers and hunting quotas, would be handed back to those states.

The government in 2009 approved wolf-management plans by Idaho and Montana and removed federal protections in those states, which established public hunts.

But the Fish and Wildlife Service declined delisting in Wyoming because its plan would have allowed most wolves to be shot on sight.

A U.S. District Court ruling in 2010 relisted wolves in Idaho and Montana. The federal judge in the case sided with 14 conservation groups, which had argued wolves in the Northern Rockies were part of a single population and that protections could not be left intact in Wyoming while they were lifted in the other two states.

Ten of the 14 conservation groups behind that legal action are now seeking to settle with the Fish and Wildlife Service, opening the way for licensed hunting in Idaho and Montana.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (right) on Friday hailed the move, calling it "a significant step forward."

"We need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day," he said in a statement.

But it is by no means clear if the proposed agreement - even if the federal judge approves it - will give Montana and Idaho that authority.

Four of the 14 conservation groups have not agreed to settle, which could mean more legal filings to come.

Wolves were hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the Northern Rockies before being added to the endangered species list.

Federal protection of wolves has been especially controversial since they were reintroduced to the wilds of central Idaho in the mid-1990s over the strong objections of ranchers and hunting outfitters, two powerful constituencies in the West.

Wolf foes say the animals are a constant threat to livestock and to big-game animals like elk.

Mike Clark, head of Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said that conservation group and nine others hope the settlement will provide relief in a region where anti-wolf sentiments have been running high.

"It's a way for people to accept that wolves are here to stay and to find a permanent way to manage them," he said.

The proposed agreement comes as a host of U.S. senators and representatives from Western states have pushed to delist wolves through congressional action, which would be unprecedented in the history of the Endangered Species Act.

Idaho officials said they were still reviewing the legal filings and would not be prepared to comment until next week.

Representatives of the four conservation groups that have not signed onto the settlement could not immediately be reached for comment.

Source:
Reuters,"Wolves could be removed from endangered species list",accessed March 21, 2011

Montana governor threat: shoot wolves now, ask questions later

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer declared on Wednesday he was ready to order state game officials to kill off entire wolf packs in defiance of federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the two-term Democrat cited his authority as governor to uphold citizens' rights "to protect their property and to continue to enjoy Montana's cherished wildlife heritage and traditions."

Schweitzer said he was driven to act out of an urgent need to assist ranchers and sportsmen left unable to control wolves posing a serious threat to livestock and elk herds (at right: wolves run down elk).

"If there is a dang wolf in your corral attacking your pregnant cow, shoot that wolf. And if its pals are in the corral, shoot them, too," Schweitzer said in a telephone interview.

His letter comes as rising tensions over wolves in the Northern Rockies, including Idaho and Wyoming, are playing out in the courts, Congress and state legislatures.

"I cannot continue to ignore the crying need for workable wolf management while Montana waits, and waits, and waits," Schweitzer wrote.

Last week, federal wildlife officials proposed letting Idaho kill off scores of wolves in what would be the largest government-sanctioned wolf culling in that state since the animals were reintroduced to the Rockies in the mid-1990s.

Schweitzer is threatening to act without seeking federal approval in advance, to order state wildlife agents to "respond to any livestock depredation by removing whole (wolf) packs that kill livestock wherever this may occur."

The governor said he would allow ranchers themselves to kill any wolves that attack their livestock, and to do so without the need for an investigation by wildlife officials.

An estimated 1,700 wolves roam parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, all of them generally protected from sport hunting.

Asked if he felt he was violating federal law, Schweitzer said his attorneys had reviewed his letter and advised him that his decrees were "well within our powers."

A spokeswoman for the Interior Department, Kendra Barkoff, said the administration of President Barack Obama agreed that wolf numbers have recovered and should be managed by the states, but "the governor's letter is not the answer."

The government in 2009 removed the wolf from the list of endangered species in Montana and Idaho, but environmentalists sued, and a federal judge in Montana last August ordered wolf protections restored in those two states.

Source:
Reuters,"Montana governor threat: shoot wolves now, ask questions later", accessed February 16, 2011

From the Inbox: States threaten to kill Wolves - Help protect them

Anti-wolf authorities in Idaho and Montana are pulling out all the stops to kill federally protected wolves in the northern Rockies. The Earthjustice legal team in Bozeman, Montana is rushing to the wolves' defense, but we need your support to succeed. Help save the wolves today.

Help Save the Wolves! Idaho and Montana are scheming to kill federally protected wolves in the northern Rockies. Please donate now to help us defend the wolves. Dear Friend, Anti-wolf interests are trying an end run on the Endangered Species Act to kill wolves in the northern Rockies. Authorities in Idaho and Montana are planning to use a Bush-era rule that would allow them to continue to kill wolves despite their federally protected status. Help us save the wolves. Make an urgent donation today. In the last year of the Bush administration, anti-wolf interests won an amendment to Endangered Species Act regulations that allows Idaho and Montana to kill protected wolves if they contribute to local declines or behavioral changes in elk or deer populations—even while elk and deer populations in those states are booming. Now, that rule is being manipulated to allow Idaho and Montana to indiscriminately kill a protected species whose very survival is in question. Idaho officials are vowing to kill up to 65 percent of the wolves in certain parts of the state. And Montana is exploring its options to begin aerial gunning. The Earthjustice legal team that I lead in Bozeman, Montana has swung into action to defend the wolves. But we need your support to see this fight through. Please donate now to fund the defense of the wolves of the northern Rockies and help secure their survival. With your support, Earthjustice's seasoned and successful wolf legal defense team will... oppose Idaho and Montana officials' backdoor efforts to kill protected wolves with poison, aerial gunning, and state-sanctioned hunts fight to overturn parts of the Bush-era regulation—known as the 10(j) rule—that allow states to unjustifiably kill protected wolves urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to update its paltry 300-animal wolf recovery goal to a figure closer to the 2,000 to 5,000 wolves recommended by independent scientists press for the establishment of state laws governing wolf management that will prevent the population from being reduced to an unsustainable levels My team in Montana scuttled this fall's public wolf hunts when we won federal protections for the wolves last month. But if Idaho and Montana’s backdoor efforts go unchecked, the results could be disastrous. Please make an emergency contribution to help us fight for the wolves. Ultimately, we would all like to see the wolves come off the Endangered Species List—but only after they have fully recovered and there are laws in place to ensure their survival. Until that time, our team will fight on. Thanks for all that you do to support our efforts on behalf of the wolves and other threatened wildlife and wild places. Sincerely, Doug Honnold Managing Attorney, Northern Rockies Office Earthjustice P.S. We pulled the plug on public wolf hunts this fall—but unless we can defeat Idaho and Montana's state-sanctioned efforts to kill more wolves despite their protected status, the results could be disastrous. Please make a generous gift in support of our defense of the wolves.

From the Inbox: Wolf pups face guns, poisons in Rockies

Hostile Future for Wolf Pups in the Northern Rockies Will pups like these face hunters, baits and traps this fall? Please donate now to support our comprehensive five-point plan to save wolves in the northern Rockies and other wildlife. Your support is critical to win our court battle on June 15th and fight for a lasting future for wolves in the northern Rockies.

Dear Friend,

Wolf pups in the northern Rockies face a daunting future. With new threats like trapping, baiting and possibly even illegal poisonings, the region is becoming a more dangerous and hostile place for these wolves.

But wolves are an important part of Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies -- and we’re dedicated to ensuring that this year’s pups have a fighting chance at survival.

Please donate now to support Defenders’ efforts in the courts and on the ground to save wolves in the northern Rockies and other wildlife.As Defenders works on the ground and in the courts, anti-wolf extremists may be taking matters into their own hands.

A rash of dog poisonings in Idaho have pointed to the possibility that anti-wolf vigilantes are targeting wolves with toxic strychnine-laced sausages left along forest trails¹ -- a terrible poison that causes painful and traumatic deaths.

And that’s not the end of it. Idaho officials are planning to allow traps and baiting for this fall’s wolf hunts as they target even greater numbers than last year’s hunt.²

In Montana, state officials could target up to 216 wolves³ -- nearly triple the amount targeted last year -- with the goal of lowering the number of wolves in the state for the first time in decades.

Despite the end of this year’s wolf hunt, Idaho officials have given the green light to backcountry outfitters to target up to 20 more wolves in the northern part of the state through June⁴ -- just as wolf pups in the region, born just weeks ago, are leaving their dens.

With your compassionate support, we can stop these deadly hunts and save these wolves.

On June 15th, Defenders’ legal team will be in court, fighting for vital federal protections for wolves in the northern Rockies. It will be a difficult battle against powerful groups like Safari Club International and the misleadingly named Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, and we have a real chance to stop the deadly wolf hunts -- but we need your help to win!

Please donate now to help us save the lives of hundreds of wolves.

Our court battle is just one part of our comprehensive five-point plan to ensure a lasting future for wolves in the northern Rockies. Right now, Defenders is…

• Fighting in court to restore protections for wolves.
• Countering anti-wolf lies in the media.
• Working on the ground to reduce conflicts between wolves and livestock producers.
• Mobilizing wildlife activists to save wolves.
• Working to bring lawless wolf poachers to justice.

Help support our important wolf-saving work. Please donate today.

Wolves in the northern Rockies are facing growing hostility, making our work in the region ever more critical.

With your help, I know we can save the lives of these magnificent animals and protect their vital role in the northern Rockies.

For the Wild Ones, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Please donate online to support our wolf-saving efforts. Or call 1-800-385-9712 to donate by phone.

Notes:
¹ http://www.krem.com/news/local/Dog-dies-after-eating-sausage-on-trail-92560964.html

² http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/may/19/idaho-fish-and-game-weigh-traps-bait-wolf-hunts/

³ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gINEu2y7CkxeF00gkYBTaTLG-XpwD9FIAFC00

⁴ http://www.idahoreporter.com/2010/outfitters-can-harvest-five-more-wolves/