All Oregon Wolves May Get Protection Under Endangered Species Act

by Isobel Charle – Public News Service

A ruling by a federal court in Montana has major implications for wolves in Oregon.

The federal judge ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act by denying protections for gray wolves in the western United States. Conservation groups had sued the agency, arguing it failed to properly evaluate threats to wolf populations. The decision requires a new assessment based on the Endangered Species Act and best available science.

Sristi Kamal, deputy director of the Western Environmental Law Center, said it was a much-needed victory for Oregon wolves.

“They basically sent Fish and Wildlife Service back to the drawing board to reevaluate the threats and make an assessment using the best available science,” Kamal explained. “Now, this is opening the door to the whole state being listed, potentially.”

Wolves in Western Oregon are already protected under the Endangered Species Act but in the Eastern third of the state, where most of Oregon’s wolves live, they can legally be killed for predation of livestock. If all Western wolves gain federal protection, killing them would become illegal.

Kamal acknowledged it is uncertain whether Western gray wolves will gain Endangered Species Act protection after this ruling but she hopes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will recognize, based on the science, they need greater protection for their populations to recover.

“Under the Endangered Species Act, there are much stricter rules and regulations under which you can take an endangered species,” Kamal pointed out.

Despite the victory, wolves still face political threats. A bill introduced to Congress in January seeks to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states, mirroring the 2011 delisting of Northern Rockies wolves. If passed, all wolf management would shift to state control.