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Aug. 5th, 2010 07:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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carols_stuffJudge orders wolves back on Endangered Species List, ending hunting
By Rocky Barker and Cynthia Sewell - idahostatesman.com
A federal judge ruled Thursday against the Obama administration and returned wolves in the Rocky Mountains to the Endangered Species List.
That means that hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana will not be allowed to continue.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said leaving wolves listed as endangered in Wyoming while delisting them in Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and northern Utah violates the Endangered Species Act.
"The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a "species" as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does," Malloy wrote. Idaho's wolf hunting season could have begun as soon as Aug. 30.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners were slated to set wolf hunting quotas and finalize rules at their Aug. 16 meeting in Idaho Falls. Hunters killed 134 wolves in Idaho and 72 in Montana in 2009 and early this year.
Wolf advocates say that the current population is not big enough to ensure that long term genetic health of the population. Their attorney told the judge they believe 2,000 to 5,000 wolves may be necessary.
But Molloy did not rule on the issue.
"Because the Rule does not comply with the ESA, it is unnecessary to resolve all of the issues raised by the parties." Idaho had 835 wolves at the end of 2009 and the region, including Montana, Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Utah, had an estimated population of 1,706. Since then new pups have joined the packs and before hunting the overall population had been growing at a rate of about 20 percent annually.
By Rocky Barker and Cynthia Sewell - idahostatesman.com
A federal judge ruled Thursday against the Obama administration and returned wolves in the Rocky Mountains to the Endangered Species List.
That means that hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana will not be allowed to continue.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said leaving wolves listed as endangered in Wyoming while delisting them in Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and northern Utah violates the Endangered Species Act.
"The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a "species" as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does," Malloy wrote. Idaho's wolf hunting season could have begun as soon as Aug. 30.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners were slated to set wolf hunting quotas and finalize rules at their Aug. 16 meeting in Idaho Falls. Hunters killed 134 wolves in Idaho and 72 in Montana in 2009 and early this year.
Wolf advocates say that the current population is not big enough to ensure that long term genetic health of the population. Their attorney told the judge they believe 2,000 to 5,000 wolves may be necessary.
But Molloy did not rule on the issue.
"Because the Rule does not comply with the ESA, it is unnecessary to resolve all of the issues raised by the parties." Idaho had 835 wolves at the end of 2009 and the region, including Montana, Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Utah, had an estimated population of 1,706. Since then new pups have joined the packs and before hunting the overall population had been growing at a rate of about 20 percent annually.
