Building on over 20 years of support for science-based management, Safari Club International (SCI) and its litigation partners continue to defend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decisions in federal court.
SCI, Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed their final brief in three consolidated cases challenging the Service's denial of petitions seeking to restore Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of Oregon, Washington, and Utah. Wolf populations in these states have grown rapidly, with Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming now reporting more than 2,600 wolves- well above the Service's 2009 recovery benchmark.
For decades, the Service has sought to reduce or remove ESA protections for recovered wolf populations. Each effort has been challenged in court. SCI has been part of every such lawsuit. Yet despite the science showing that wolf populations have recovered and are well protected by state laws, courts have repeatedly overturned the Service's findings.
Wolves were finally removed from the ESA the Northern Rocky Mountains by a 2011 Congressional act, and a 2012 Service rule. These states have maintained stable or increasing wolf populations for the past 15 years. Nevertheless, activist organizations petitioned the Service to renew federal protections for these wolves. These petitions threaten to undermine the ESA's goal of recovering species to the point where federal protections are no longer necessary.
The Service denied the petitions, but a federal court in Montana overturned the Service's science-backed rule. The decision was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. With SCI and partners' recent brief, that case is fully prepared for argument before the Ninth Circuit in October 2026.
"The ESA was never intended to be a permanent federal management program for recovered species. Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains are recovered and thrive under state management. Attempts to relist these wolves under the ESA are not about science or conservation. SCI will continue fighting to ensure that recovered wolf populations remain under the stewardship of the states that have successfully conserved them for the last fifteen years," said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin.
If the challenges prevail, management authority over wolves in these States would return to the federal government, ending state-regulated hunting programs. But state management programs are critical to balancing wolf populations with impacts on elk, deer, moose, and local communities.
About Safari Club International: Safari Club International is a global leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. Through advocacy, litigation, and education, SCI fights to promote the sustainable use of wildlife resources and to defend the rights of hunters. Visit www.safariclub.org today to join the mission.