AP: Federal judge says gray wolf hunts can continue
MT Backcountry
9/9/09 9:46am
FYI
Federal judge says gray wolf hunts can continue
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 50 minutes ago
BILLINGS, Mont. — A federal judge says gray wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho can go on, denying a request by environmentalists and animal welfare groups to stop the first organized wolf hunts in the lower 48 states in decades.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Wednesday that plans to kill about 20 percent of the two states' estimated 1,350 wolves would not cause long-term harm to the population.
But he adds that by carving Wyoming out of the recent decision to remove wolves from federal protection, the government appeared to violate the Endangered Species Act by making its decision based on political boundaries. Molloy says that means environmentalists could ultimately prevail in their bid to restore endangered species protection for the animals.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Federal judge says gray wolf hunts can continue
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 50 minutes ago
BILLINGS, Mont. — A federal judge says gray wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho can go on, denying a request by environmentalists and animal welfare groups to stop the first organized wolf hunts in the lower 48 states in decades.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Wednesday that plans to kill about 20 percent of the two states' estimated 1,350 wolves would not cause long-term harm to the population.
But he adds that by carving Wyoming out of the recent decision to remove wolves from federal protection, the government appeared to violate the Endangered Species Act by making its decision based on political boundaries. Molloy says that means environmentalists could ultimately prevail in their bid to restore endangered species protection for the animals.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
4,087
It is far from over, there will be more law suits and listing and delisting I am sure in the future.
The only real hook that the animal rights groups can use now is procedural. By splitting off the WY portion of population in the delisting, the feds might have violated the ESA in how the delisting was conducted. It isn't what they did, it is how they did it... that is an important distinction. If it was the other way around, we would be in bigger trouble.
If Wyoming creates a management plan that is similar to those in Idaho and Montana, and the entire 3 state population is delisted as a whole, it is likely that the animal rights groups will have little to hold on to.
That is a fundamental victory in my book. Problem is, if WY doesn't change their management plan so they can be delisted in all three states, it is possible they will go back on the list everywhere in a year or so...
my take anyway.......... zzz ................