Federal court considers wolf protection status in the West

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 21:03 · Archive

A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing is examining whether wolves in the Northern Rockies should regain federal endangered species protections.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing in Missoula on Tuesday to determine the future of federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies and beyond. The case addresses a decades-long legal battle between hunters, conservation groups and federal wildlife officials over wolf protection status.

In 2011, a Congressional budget rider removed wolves from the endangered species list in Montana, Idaho and portions of other states, transferring management to state authorities. Since then, states have implemented hunting seasons to control wolf populations. In 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups petitioned the federal government for an emergency relisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies, citing threats from state laws they viewed as encouraging aggressive wolf hunting. A separate petition requested listing wolves across the entirety of the Western United States.

In 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that wolves in the Northern Rockies no longer constitute a 'distinct population segment' because the population has expanded across state lines. The agency found that gray wolves now occur in one interconnected metapopulation with packs distributed across California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, with recent documentation in Colorado. The court's decision could reshape protections across the region.

How it is being reported

• Federal appeals court weighs future of wolf protectionsA Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing could determine whether federal officials reconsider Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and across the West. The post Federal appeals court weighs future of wolf protections appeared first on Montana Free Press .Montana Free Press · 15 Oct, 20:36
• At Ninth Circuit, a Fight Over What ‘Recovered’ Means for Montana’s WolvesFor nearly two decades, hunters, conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have fought in court over whether discrete populations of gray wolves should be listed as endangered or threatened. A case argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday could settle the question for wolves in Montana by reversing […] The post At Ninth Circuit, a Fight Over What ‘Recovered’ Means for Montana’s Wolves appeared first on Flathead Beacon .Flathead Beacon · 15 Oct, 20:32

In this story: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Center for Biological Diversity · Montana · Northern Rockies

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