Organizations

RMEF Appeals Northern Rockies’ Wolf Ruling, Calls for ESA Reform

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed an immediate appeal to a decision by a federal judge that orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reconsider Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the West.

RMEF Appeals Northern Rockies’ Wolf Ruling, Calls for ESA Reform

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed an immediate appeal to a decision by a federal judge that orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reconsider Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the West.

Environmental groups filed two petitions in 2024, challenging an earlier USFWS decision that gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Western United States did not warrant ESA listing.

Not counting those born this spring, the minimum population in the West is at least 3,200 wolves. That number continues to grow with expanded range, including populations in Idaho and Montana that are respectively 700 percent and 600 percent above federal minimum recovery levels. Wyoming’s population met minimum recovery criteria the last 22 years, and wolf numbers are expanding in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

“This ruling is the latest string of nonstop litigation by environmental groups seeking to frustrate the original intent of the ESA, which is to recover endangered species and return them to state-based management, not keep them perpetually listed and under the authority of the federal government,” said RMEF President and CEO Kyle Weaver. “Whether it’s the wolf or the grizzly bear, once an animal receives ESA protections, it becomes nearly impossible to remove them, even if populations meet recovery criteria over an extended period of time. The ESA needs an adjustment to renew its focus on real species recovery.”

The judge’s decision does not change the status of wolves in the Northern Rockies, which remain under state management, but calls on USFWS to revisit its 2024 ruling that denied relisting wolves.

Other groups joining RMEF in the appeal are Safari Club International and Sportsmen’s Alliance.

“As an organization committed to scientific wildlife conservation, RMEF maintains resources should go toward proven, state-based wildlife management, not endless court battles,” said Weaver.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:??

Now in its fifth decade of conservation accomplishment and fueled by hunters, RMEF has conserved more than 9.1 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation” ® at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.