[MCN] Gray wolves get their day in court

[Matthew Koehler]

At 10 am this morning, oral arguments will begin in federal district court
in Oakland, CA for our lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service’s decision to prematurely strip gray wolves of Endangered Species
Act (ESA) protections in the contiguous United States.

Unfortunately, the results of the lawsuit will have no impact on wolves in
Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming due to Senator Jon Tester's 2011 rider that
simply delisted the wolves in the northern Rockies from Endangered Species
Act protections. However, some recent progress has been made and many
organizations, individuals, and Tribes continue to apply endless pressure
to defend wolves across the lower 48 states, including here in Montana.

Please raise your voice and demand that President Biden and Interior
Secretary Haaland immediate restore ESA protections to all gray wolves in
the lower 48 states: https://guardiansaction.org/ActForWolves

*Gray wolves get their day in court*
By John Horning, WildEarth Guardians
https://wildearthguardians.org/brave-new-wild/wildlife/gray-wolves-get-their-day-in-court/

This morning, oral arguments start for our lawsuit
<https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/guardians-coalition-challenge-nationwide-wolf-delisting/>
challenging
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to prematurely strip gray
wolves of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections in the contiguous United
States.

The legal hearing is happening today in federal district court in Oakland,
California—but the results of our lawsuit could have far-ranging
implications for wolves.

The future of gray wolf recovery hangs in the balance. Will states be
allowed to continue waging a war on wolves through hunting, baiting,
bounties, trapping, and snaring? Or will wolves be granted the freedom to
roam by being placed back on a path toward science-based recovery and
coexistence?

I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that it’s been an arduous 12-months
for wolf advocates. In November 2020, the Trump administration removed the
gray wolf from the endangered species list, unleashing a torrent of
bloodshed.

This February, in less than 60 hours, trappers and trophy hunters—some
using hounds—killed at least 216 wolves in Wisconsin, sparking national and
international outrage.

Meanwhile, earlier in 2021, Republican-dominated legislators in Idaho and
Montana—where wolves have been delisted since 2011—felt so emboldened by
nationwide delisting, that they passed a series of draconian laws
<https://wildearthguardians.org/brave-new-wild/opinion/management-of-wolves-in-idaho-and-montana-harkens-back-to-extermination-era/>
that
could result in the death of 1,800 wolves in just these two states by some
of the most brutal and unethical means imaginable.

Within the first week of the Montana wolf hunting season, two female pups
and a female yearling from Yellowstone’s Junction Butte pack—the most
viewed wild wolf pack in the world—were killed just outside the park’s
northern boundary.

How do we as wolf advocates deal with all this loss? We fight back.
Incessantly. Relentlessly. Fiercely. We leave no stone unturned in defense
of wolves.

Our voices are more powerful together. In just the past year, you and other
Guardians have written President Biden, Interior Secretary Haaland, members
of Congress, and other decision makers over 75,000 times—urging them
<https://guardiansaction.org/ActForWolves> to immediately relist all wolves
across the country and shield them from persecution.

You and your fellow Guardians have *given generously to our Wolf Defense
Fund* <https://guardiansaction.org/WolfDefenseFund>, providing us with the
critical resources needed to wage this battle for wolves in the courts, in
Washington, D.C., and at the state level across the West.

In addition to our lawsuit challenging nationwide wolf delisting, here’s
what else we are doing to guard wolves together:

• In October, Guardians and our allies demanded that the state of Montana
abide by terms it agreed to in a prior legal settlement for lynx, terms
that could literally save the lives of hundreds of wolves this year. The
settlement forced the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks to restrict wolf
snaring on millions of acres of public lands west and south of Glacier
National Park and north of Yellowstone National Park that otherwise would
have been open to snaring of wolves.

• In July, Guardians and our allies petitioned
<https://www.westernwatersheds.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Wolf-Petition-Western-DPS.pdf>
the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore ESA protections for wolves across
the West, including the Idaho and Montana populations.

• We launched a campaign this summer to overhaul state management of wolves
<https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/campaign-launched-to-overhaul-state-management-of-wolves/>
across
their range by providing resources that agencies can use to facilitate
coexistence and stewardship, as well as tools for advocates to use to push
for management reforms.

• In Colorado, Guardians is working to ensure that Colorado Park and
Wildlife develop a management plan that ensures the highest protections for
wolves that will be released in the state by the end of 2023, following the
passage of Proposition 114, a ballot initiative requiring state
reintroduction of wolves.

• We’ve been working closely with the Global Indigenous Council
<https://www.globalindigenouscouncil.com/wolf-treaty> to educate the public
and decision makers about the Wolf Treaty and promote their film *Family*,
which appeals to Secretary Haaland to honor President Biden’s promises on
tribal consultation and return ESA protections to the gray wolf.

Again, we can’t possibly do all this wolf work without your generous support
<https://secure.wildearthguardians.org/site/Donation2?df_id=8880&mfc_pref=T&8880.donation=form1&autologin=true>,
and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Stay tuned for updates about today’s court hearing challenging wolf
delisting. We’re not sure how quickly the judge will rule, but please keep
your paws crossed, and let out a howl if you need to. We are in this
together, and together is how we will defend the wolves and the wild.

*John Horning is executive director of WildEarth Guardians. Learn more
at www.WildEarthGuardians.org <http://www.wildearthguardians.org/>. *
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