Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Feds deny protections for gray wolves, environmental groups sue
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Gray wolf near Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. Jim Peaco, National Park Service ([link removed])
On Monday, environmental organizations filed two lawsuits ([link removed]) against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), challenging its decision not to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the West. Currently, gray wolves are listed as endangered in 44 states and threatened in Minnesota. In Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of Eastern Oregon and Washington, wolf management is under state jurisdiction.
The environmental groups claim that the analyses conducted by the USFWS failed to accurately consider the increasingly aggressive measures that states like Montana and Idaho have taken to substantially reduce wolf numbers. Montana has legalized the use of neck snares, hunting with bait, night hunting, and even authorized the reimbursement of wolf hunters' expenses. In Idaho, the use of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, and dogs to hunt wolves is allowed.
Similar authorizations have been made in Wyoming, where recently ([link removed]) a man intentionally hit a wolf with his snowmobile, taped its mouth shut, then brought it to a nearby bar before killing it. The man received a ticket for violating laws prohibiting the possession of live wildlife, but the killing of the wolf was not considered an offense.
“The end goal of the wolf ‘management plans’ in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming is to once again exterminate them from the Northern Rockies,” said ([link removed]) Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. “They think the only good wolf is a dead wolf.”
** Quick hits
------------------------------------------------------------
Conservation groups sue Fish and Wildlife Service over delistment of wolves as an endangered species
Montana Free Press ([link removed]) | Casper Star Tribune ([link removed]) | Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | KMVT ([link removed])
Opinion: I was a wildfire fighter for six years. The reason they’re quitting is simple
Washington Post ([link removed])
Wildlife advocates urge stronger safeguards for Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Public News Service ([link removed])
Grassroots group urges EPA to take more time to determine how to address Superfund site in Montana
Montana Free Press ([link removed])
Column: Project 2025 seeks to repeal one of America's greatest conservation tools
Substack ([link removed])
Meet the Hayduke Trail, southern Utah’s most backbreaking backcountry route
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
How thin air and summer snow can heal the soul
New York Times ([link removed])
BLM acquires 480 acres of land in Colorado known for its scenic and recreational resources
Denver Gazette ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
------------------------------------------------------------
” I think the idea is just getting out there into this harsh environment on your own, the things you’re going to experience are unique to the desert… Like, I wouldn’t shut my eyes at night until I got to see one shooting star. It’s things like that that you just aren’t going to find anywhere else.”
—Mike Coronella, hiking guide and just-retired member of Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** Picture This
------------------------------------------------------------
@yellowstonenps ([link removed])
The night sky has inspired us for generations. Nighttime views and environments are among the critical Yellowstone features we protect. The night sky is more than a scenic canvas–it’s part of a complex ecosystem that supports both natural and cultural resources. #DarkSkyWeek ([link removed])
============================================================
** Website ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
Copyright © 2024 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
