Wildlife Groups To Challenge Recent Gray Wolf Decision

Wildlife advocates and environmental groups have announced that they are challenging the removal of federal protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. Two coalitions filed formal notices over the past several days that they plan to sue the U.S. Interior Department in federal court unless protections are restored. The notices are required as a precursor to lawsuits brought under the Endangered Species Act.

Last week, the Trump administration finalized a decision that ends longstanding federal safeguards for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states except for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest. The Administration said gray wolves have recovered from near extinction in parts of the country to thousands now roaming the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rocky Mountains to the western Great Lakes.

However, environmental groups say the wolves remain absent from much of their historical range meaning protections are still needed.

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