One of the most pressing challenges we face is the fate of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies region. Right now, state laws pushed through by anti-wildlife lawmakers allow hunters and trappers to hunt and kill wolves using horrifying tactics like strangling them with neck snares, or chasing them with all-terrain vehicles until they're too exhausted to run.
In Montana and Idaho, these laws were passed with the intention to wipe out as many as 90 percent of the gray wolves that call these states home.
Our fight to protect vulnerable gray wolves suffered a major setback last month when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rejected a petition to restore federal protections for the species in this region. Along with our partners, we notified the USFWS that its denial of the petition violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA), setting the stage for a potential lawsuit – one we'll need Sierra Club supporters like you to help us win.
With your support, we're also on the front lines of the battle to defend critical endangered species protections from attacks in Congress, where anti-wildlife lawmakers are trying to weaken the ESA. By attempting to slash budgets and undermine common-sense safeguards, they pose a massive threat to the future of whales, manatees, sea turtles, Florida panthers, and other species being pushed to the brink by habitat destruction, climate change, and other threats.
The health of our wildlife and our wild lands go hand in hand. And the ESA has been overwhelmingly successful at saving endangered species from extinction – it's the reason we still have bald eagles in our skies, grizzly bears in our mountains, and humpback whales in our oceans today. But we cannot assume that this vital legislation will endure on its own. We must act now to protect it.
