Federal Court Hears Arguments for Reinstating Federal Gray Wolf Protections

Today, Defenders of Wildlife and several conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice, argued in court that gray wolves in the Lower 48 states should regain federal Endangered Species Act protections. The hearing took place in the Northern District Court of California, with Senior U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White presiding. 

“Gray wolf populations are a fraction of what they once were and need federal protections to recover,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. “We hope that the court has heard our concerns and sees that delisting wolves was reckless and premature.”

The hearing stems from a November 2020 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove federal protections for the gray wolf in the Lower 48 states, despite a dearth of scientific evidence justifying the decision. The decision, which took effect on January 4, 2021, affects gray wolves in at least 44 states, most prominently in the Great Lakes, central Rockies and Pacific Coast states. 

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Jacob W. Frank/NPS

The removal of protections had immediate consequences for wolves, leaving them vulnerable to hunting, trapping, poisoning and other lethal control measures. After the new designation took effect, Wisconsin held a wolf hunt in February 2021 that killed at least 218 wolves, and up to a third of Wisconsin’s total wolf population. 

Previous delistings have shown how quickly wolf populations can be decimated. Since wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain states lost federal protections in 2011, more than 3,500 wolves have been killed under state management. 

After today's hearing, the next step will be for the judge to issue a ruling. A date has not been announced.