Almost 2 weeks ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) announced that the Wyoming population of gray wolves is recovered and no longer warrants protection under the ESA. Beginning September 30th, wolves in Wyoming will be managed by the state under an approved management plan, as they are in the states of Idaho and Montana.

Wyoming’s wolf management plan is incredibly controversial. It calls for the state to:

Deem wolves predators in 90% of the state (all but the northwest corner of Wyoming), where they could be killed by any means, at any time, without a license.

In Wyoming’s northwest corner, right outside Yellowstone National Park, classify wolves as trophy game animals meaning they could only be hunted with a license.

Maintain only 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park

Thankfully, on September 10th a coalition of grassroots conservation groups filed a notice of intent to sue the UUSFWS for its decision to prematurely rescind ESA protection for wolves in Wyoming.

Please read the official Press Release.

If you agree that this delisting decision turns the fate of Wyoming’s wolves over to a hostile State government, please take a moment to thank the organizations fighting to protect these wolves.

National Wolfwatcher Coalition
WildEarth Guardians
Alliance for the Wild Rockies
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
Conservation Congress
Friends of Animals
Friends of the Clearwater (Idaho)
National Wolfwatcher Coalition
Western Watersheds Project