As we progress through the Spring of 2023, the gray wolves of the Northern Rockies find themselves in the crosshairs of politically driven management policies. Despite a victory in early 2022 that restored Endangered Species Act protections to thousands of wolves across 44 states, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming remain battlegrounds in the war against wolves.
This week’s Idaho ruling, allowing a controversial wolf management plan to cut the state’s wolf population by nearly two-thirds, marks another distressing turn in this saga. This plan, deeply flawed in its methodology and dismissive of the ecological balance, aims to reduce the estimated population of 1,337 wolves to a mere 500 — a 62 percent cut.
These states have forged a path of destruction with controversial laws and regulations, extending hunting seasons, increasing limits, allowing year-round trapping seasons, and even legalizing hunting methods that show a flagrant disregard for ethical wildlife management. In Montana alone, the 2021-2022 season saw the killing of 273 wolves, including Yellowstone wolves, cherished as the "most-viewed" wolves worldwide.
In addition to all of this, Lauren Boebert’s “Trust the Science Act”, which threatens ESA protections for wolves across the entire country, and threatens Colorado’s 2023 wolf reintroduction plan, is making it’s way through congress with disturbing ease.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the dire situation in 2021 and initiated a 12-month status review, yet no substantial action has been taken. The silence from USFWS speaks volumes, but we refuse to stand idle.
Join us in urging the Biden administration to enact an emergency listing of wolves in the Northern Rockies. The recent Idaho ruling underscores the urgency of this call to action. We must challenge the states that continue to flout science and engage in the unwarranted killing of wolves.
Wolf recovery hinges on fostering a healthy relationship with these crucial predators, acknowledging their ecological importance, promoting non-lethal coexistence measures, and denouncing unjustified persecution.
Urge the Biden administration to immediately issue emergency relisting protections for wolves in the western United States.
Rescind the appeal and maintain protections for gray wolves
Dear [Decision Maker],
I urge you to show support for the endangered wildlife you are tasked with protecting and withdraw your appeal to reinstate the Trump administration's 2020 delisting rule. Gray wolves are not yet recovered across their native range and a removal of Endangered Species Act protections will be deadly, as history has sadly shown. When the delisting rule first went into effect in 2021, Wisconsin held a wolf hunt - 291 wolves were brutally killed in just 60 hours. If the delisting rule is reinstated, wolves in Wisconsin and other states could be subjected to immediate hunting seasons.The removal of protections for gray wolves, especially when they're not fully recovered, isn't something to be celebrated. Studies show that government-sanctioned killing of wolves, and lack of protections, can lead to an increase in wolf killing. By filing to reinstate the rule and give control to state agencies, you're sending the message that "wolves don't matter," a message that is misleading and deadly. The Service only recently announced their intent to finally complete a national recovery plan for gray wolves. Please withdraw the appeal and follow through on your work to truly protect and recover wolves.
Sincerely,[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP][Your Email]
