Protections restored for N. Rockies wolves

Source: MSNBC/AP

BILLINGS, Mont. - 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.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.

The region has an estimated 2,000 gray wolves. They were removed from the endangered species list in March, following a decade-long restoration effort.

Environmentalists sued to overturn the decision, arguing wolf numbers would plummet if hunting were allowed. They sought the injunction in the hopes of stopping the hunts and allowing the wolf population to continue expanding.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25741975/

Hoping the local officials won't wink and look the other way, while the hunters eliminate the remaining wolves, after all. Once they're gone, they won't be coming back, and that would be so deeply wrong.

good because i don't trust montana, idaho, and wyoming's management plans. it seems that the hunting licenses (especially in idaho) were to be given out willy nilly, without any regard to pack dynamics. heck, wasn't it the governor of idaho who proposed to personally hunt them down by helicopter? (http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/idaho_governor_declares_wolf_public_enemy_number_one/)

however, as a wildlife biologist i look at this from a population standpoint as well. one of the main goals of the ESA is to bring threatened and endangered species back up to sustainable numbers - which the wolf reintroduction has successfully done. species delisting is the final outcome of the ESA and the main measurement of success. it would be great to have an example of how ESA is working to shove in the face of RW skeptics.

that said, this decision has made me happy and i will sleep well tonight. congrats my canis lupus friends!

...a pathetic lot who make their money off of out of state rich people who claimed the wolves were killing their trophy species.

This is the best news that I have heard in a long time. I support the Defenders of Wildlife:

www.defenders.org

associations are worried about competing with wolves for elk, but some actually advocate wolves as a trophy species too (but i don't think hunting has started as they were just delisted in feb?). livestock owners are also a major player in the equation and i support what defenders of wildlife do, too. there is also the historical prejudice against wolves that has died down quite a bit since reintroduction but still lingers here and there.

as an undergrad studying wildlife, i had the opportunity to go to ID, MT, and WY to talk with different parties involved (researchers, livestock owners, hunters, developers, wildlife advocates, environmentalists, eco-tourism industry)- not just for wolf delisting, but also grizzly bear. my main point is that the wolf has recovered under the ESA. in 2005, yellowstone np reported that in ypn alone wolf packs had increased 3 → 16 and individuals increased 48 → 325 since 1995-96. in 2004, there had been > 10 packs with successful breeding pairs for three successive years - a major requirement for delisting. ESA, though not perfect, can work and should be hailed as essential legislation. the delisting of the wolf would have been an ESA success story. however, the management plans for wyoming and idaho don't pass delisting requirements as they fail the overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes and the adequacy or inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms standards.

for a while. I don't believe those states are going to let this stand. I know, with so many problems in this country now, this ruling might not rank high with most people. But it is important. I also know that there are some human hunters that can't stand to see a hunter better than them. The wolf hunter vs. the human hunter. I hope this ruling stands.

there are too many who would like to see them all gone. We have to keep on it- this is just the first step.
And a big welcome to you life long demo!

Source: AP

Judge restores protection for Rockies wolves

By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press Writer

BILLINGS, Mont. - 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.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.

The region has an estimated 2,000 gray wolves. They were removed from the endangered species list in March, following a decade-long restoration effort.

Environmentalists sued to overturn the decision, arguing wolf numbers would plummet if hunting were allowed. They sought the injunction in the hopes of stopping the hunts and allowing the wolf population to continue expanding.

"There were fall hunts scheduled that would call for perhaps as many as 500 wolves to be killed. We're delighted those wolves will be saved," said attorney Doug Honnold with Earthjustice, who had argued the case before Molloy on behalf of 12 environmental groups.

In his ruling, Molloy said the federal government had not met its standard for wolf recovery, including interbreeding of wolves between the three states to ensure healthy genetics.

<snip>

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080719/ap_on_sc/wolf_delisting

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I'm always amazed to learn there are still one or two actual judges left in America...

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

These wolves need help. As a member of Earthjustice, I applaud the hard work by the activists!

http://debatebothsides.com/showthread.php?p=932114#post932114

Some asshole claims he killed three Grey Wolves before they were fair game.

What an asshole.

Dang, sure is good to get some actual good news about the environment!

Than you, Judge Molloy! :thumbsup: