Defend Protections For Wolves

Northern Rockies wolves are in peril! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed to remove wolves in Wyoming from the endangered species list. This deadly proposal would allow unlimited, shoot-on-sight killing of wolves in nearly 90 percent of the state.

Under intense political pressure from Wyoming state officials, the Fish and Wildlife Service cut a deal that could hand wolf management over to the state, allowing politics—not science—to decide the fate of wolves in the region.

Independent scientists say that 2,000 to 3,000 wolves are needed for a sustainable, fully recovered population. But at the end of last year, only an estimated 1,650 wolves were living in the Northern Rockies—with just 343 wolves in Wyoming.

The federal government has spent 16 years and millions of dollars to reintroduce wolves in the West. This proposal combined with the recent congressional delisting and hunting of wolves in Idaho and Montana threatens their very survival. Help us fight back against this deadly proposal.

Take action to speak out for strong wolf protections and a plan that supports a full recovery for the species.

Take Action Today: Make your voice heard! To send your comment, enter your information HERE and click on the “Submit Comment” button.

Important Note on Privacy: This is an official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service request for comments. All comments submitted are part of the public record and may be posted to Regulations.gov (the web-based Federal rulemaking application). All personal identifying information (e.g., email, name, etc.) submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. If you wish to submit an anonymous comment, FWS will accept anonymous comments at http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FWS-R6-ES-2011-0039-0001

RE: Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2011-0039

I oppose the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to eliminate federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming and allow shoot-on-sight killing of wolves in nearly 90 percent of the state.

Any decision to delist wolves must be based on science, not political whims. Until Wyoming has a management plan that will maintain a viable wolf population, Wyoming wolves should remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. Any plan that is not science-based will jeopardize wolf recovery in the entire Northern Rockies region.

I support wolf restoration in the Northern Rockies. The federal government has spent 16 years and millions of dollars to return wolves to the West, but the Wyoming proposal combined with the delisting and hunting of wolves in Idaho and Montana threatens their very survival.

This devastating plan permits wolf hunting in important wildlife corridors and unregulated wolf killing throughout most of Wyoming, virtually isolating wolves to the safety of Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. It is estimated that nearly half of Wyoming’s already struggling wolf population would be killed.

I urge you to develop a better plan for wolves that allows for their full recovery in the region.