COURT RULES BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE WOLF CONSERVATION UNLAWFUL
Minneapolis, MN — On Monday, a federal judge in Oregon ruled that the Bush administration may not reduce protections for the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act, to the relief of conservation groups across the country. This decision has special meaning for Minnesota wolves because it derails the Bush Administration's plans to replace federal protection with state management.
"With this decision the Bush Administration will need to move forward with wolf conservation that relies on the best available science, not ideology," said Mike Smith, Chair of Sierra Club's national Wildlife and Endangered Species Committee.
District Judge Robert E. Jones in Portland, Oregon ruled that the Bush administration has a duty to uphold the intent of the Endangered Species Act to recover populations of at-risk fish and wildlife across all significant portions of their historical ranges. The decision declared the actions of Interior Secretary Gale Norton to down-list the gray wolf unlawful.
"This is a victory for science-based wildlife conservation," said Collette Adkins Giese, a member of the Sierra Club's North Star Chapter legal committee. "The Bush administration's attempt to prematurely end federal wolf recovery is part of a politically-driven agenda to weaken application of the Endangered Species Act — the safety net on which America's wildlife depends."
The decision vacates the 2003 federal rule that created three "distinct population segments" and down-listed the gray wolf to threatened status in the Eastern and Western distinct population segments. The gray wolf now reverts back to endangered status nationwide, except for Minnesota where it has been listed as threatened since 1978. The new "4(d) rules" that allowed the killing of wolves to protect livestock are also revoked nationwide and will continue to operate only in Minnesota. Because of the court's ruling, the Bush Administration cannot move forward with a proposal to delist wolves in Minnesota and throughout the entire Eastern distinct population segment. This means that the states will not take over wolf management.
"This decision is of particular importance for Minnesota, because the state's proposed management plan for our wolves amounted to little more than open season," said Ginny Yingling, Conservation Chair for the North Star Chapter. "Continued federal protection, with allowances for removal of wolves that prey on livestock, is the best way to ensure the future of wolves in Minnesota until a better state management plan can be developed."
The Sierra Club was joined by 18 other conservation groups in the suit including the Defenders of Wildlife. The case is Civil case No. 03-1348-JO. For a copy of the 35-page decision, contact Lois Norrgard at the North Star Chapter of Sierra Club,