In October 2020, grey wolves were removed from the Endangered Species List, leaving them vulnerable to hunters and trappers. Wolf populations soon began to suffer, and conservationists were outraged. But with the help of advocates and petitions, the US laws, the Endangered Species Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Center, wolves were finally relisted on February 10th, 2022. Now, wolves have been protected as well as the wolves in Colorado and the 47 other states in the US alone—but this doesn’t apply to wolves in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho But grey wolves in the Rocky Mountains are still in danger. Although wolves are protected now, we have to keep going. This includes convincing the administration—such as Judge Whites' ruling. We can also defend wolves through the Wisconsin Conservation Congress—which is a program that helps people submit their resolutions and they could be taken into action by their peers. In January 2021, conservation groups and advocates filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for their choice to remove protections for wolves. Dr. Sylvia Fallon who is the senior director of Wildlife at NRDC says… “This is a great win for wolves as the courts, once again, side with science over politics.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service explains…“failed to adequately analyze and consider the impacts of partial delisting and historical range loss on the already-listed species.” Despite this, wolves in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest still remain endangered. As wolf populations recover, the USFWS (US Fish and Wildlife Service) attempted to remove ESA (Endangered Species Act) protections for the wolves due to ‘too many wolves’ instead of helping the conservationists in the wolf recovery plan.
Kristen Boyles says “wolves need federal protection, period.” And from the New York Times, Catrin Einhorn says “The Fish and Wildlife Service should be ashamed of defending the gray wolf delisting.” The new ruling protects wolves in 44 US states, when wolf hunting spiked high and the states finally took action and relisted them. In Montana, hunters killed over 24 wolves who wandered beyond the protected border. Wisconsin halted its wolf hunting season in the Spring of 2021 after 200 were killed. Many Ojibwe tribes also spoke up for the wolves after the wrongful laws got out of hand.
Yes, wolves are protected in 48 states, but they still need federal protection in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Click here to sign my petition to assist wolves in this aspect, or click here to sign the petition on Relist Wolves
Comments