U.S. judge restores federal protections to wolves in Wyoming
Source: Reuters
U.S. judge restores federal protections to wolves in Wyoming
By Laura Zuckerman
Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:58pm EDT
(Reuters) - A U.S. judge restored federal protections to wolves in Wyoming, at least temporarily, in a victory for wildlife conservationists that was sure to draw criticism from ranchers and hunters who see wolves as a threat to livestock and big-game animals.
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead said the state would ask a higher court to block the judge's order and allow the state to keep its wolf management policies intact, including licensed hunting of the animals and rules permitting some to be shot on sight.
Wyoming assumed control over its wolves from the federal government in 2012 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that their numbers had rebounded sufficiently to justify taking them off the endangered species list.
The wolf population inside Wyoming at the time was estimated at 350 but has declined to about 300 animals since losing its protected status.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/24/us-usa-wolves-wyoming-idUSKCN0HI2LL20140924?rpc=401
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The wolf is a major predator that had been missing from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for decades until its restoration in 1995.
History
Late 1800s– early 1900s: predators, including wolves, are routinely killed in Yellowstone.
1926: The last wolf pack in Yellowstone is killed, although reports of single wolves continue.
1974: The gray wolf is listed as endangered; recovery is mandated under the Endangered Species Act.
1975: The long process to restore wolves in Yellowstone begins.
1991: Congress appropriates money for an EIS for wolf recovery.
1994: EIS completed for wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone and central Idaho. More than 160,000 public comments received—the largest number of public comments on any federal proposal at that time.
1995 and 1996: 31 gray wolves from western Canada relocated to Yellowstone.
1997: 10 wolves from northwestern Montana relocated to Yellowstone National Park; US District Court judge orders the removal of the reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone, but stays his order, pending appeal. (Decision reversed in 2000.)
1995–2003: Wolves prey on livestock outside Yellowstone much less than expected: 256 sheep, 41 cattle
2005: Wolf management transfers from the federal government to the states of Idaho and Montana.
2008: Wolf populations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming removed from the endangered species list, then returned to the list.
2009: The US Fish and Wildlife Service again delisted wolf populations in Montana and Idaho, but not in Wyoming. A legal challenge resulted in the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population being returned to the federal endangered species list.
2011: Wolf populations were again delisted in Montana and Idaho by action of Congress within the previous year, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting wolves in Wyoming.
2012: Based on a Congressional directive, wolves were delisted in Wyoming and the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population is no longer listed.
Current Status
Wolves are now delisted throughout the northern US Rocky Mountains, including Wyoming. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will monitor the delisted wolf populations for a minimum of five years to ensure that they continue to sustain their recovery.
We traveled light
Whatever we could smuggle through the night.
Running from the rangers who pursued us,
Giving them another day to lose us,
Then we'd be free.
As wild as we were every meant to be...
Will the wolf survive?
Through the chill of winter
Running across the frozen lake
Hunters are out on his trail
All odds are against him
With a family to provide for
The one thing he must keep alive
Will the wolf survive
Drifting by the roadside
Climbs each storm and aging face
Wants to make some morning's fate
Losing to the range war
He's got two strong legs to guide him
Two strong arms keep him alive
Will the wolf survive
Standing in the pouring rain
All alone in a world that's changed
Running scared, now forced to hide
In a land where he once stood with pride
But he'll find his way by the morning light
Sounds across the nation
Coming from your hearts and minds
Battered drums and old guitars
Singing songs of passion
It's the truth that they all look for
The one thing they must keep alive
Will the wolf survive
Will the wolf survive
