Gray Wolf Management in Wyoming
Legal Ruling Returns Gray Wolf Management to the Feds
A July ruling by District Judge Donald Malloy returned gray wolves to the Federal Endangered Species List--a decision that has been lauded by wolf conservation advocates. In his decision, Malloy indicated that concerns over the states’ management plans played heavily in his decision to revoke management authority from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. This move derails wolf hunts planned for the fall, and restores federal protection for the species, catapulting us into the next chapter of the legal battle that has surrounded wolves since their controversial reintroduction to Yellowstone in April 1995.
Wolves in Grand Teton and Jackson Hole
Learn more about Wyoming’s more elusive wolf packs. Download a copy of our new brochure, “Wolves in Grand Teton and Jackson Hole” (PDF, 2.5 MB) or purchase a laminated copy through the Grand Teton Natural History Association by calling (307) 739-3403 for $2.25.
NPCA was particularly concerned about Wyoming’s plan to manage wolves. The most debated aspect was its predator classification of wolves in 90% of the state, allowing them to be shot on site, regardless of whether or not they were depredating on livestock. In addition, a proposed state hunt would have allowed a designated number of wolves to be taken from a trophy game area, directly adjacent to the national parks. NPCA supports the judge’s ruling and will continue to actively work to strengthen the weak protections for wolves under the current Wyoming plan to ensure the long-term health of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Judge Malloy based his decision to grant a preliminary injunction on his assessment that the federal government had not met its own standard for wolf recovery, nor managed for sufficient genetic exchange between the states’ wolf packs to ensure the survival of the population. Given these deficits, wolves would not likely survive an increased level of human-caused mortality that was permitted under state management plans. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will likely to appeal the decision.
In 2004, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected Wyoming’s proposed wolf management plan, largely based on concerns over the predator zone, but later reversed their decision, with little justification, and accepted Wyoming’s plan in 2007. The revised plan still retained the predator classification throughout most of the state, and offered minimal protection measures to manage for 7 breeding pairs of wolves outside Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Of the estimated 2000 gray wolves in the region, 100 have been killed since protection was removed in March 2009. The collective state management plans would have allowed for 500 wolves to be killed.
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