Northern Rockies and Yellowstone Area Wolf Management and Policy

Sneak Attack on Wolves!


October 24, 2008 - The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced the re-opening of a public comment period on its Northern Rockies wolf delisting rule, a highly criticized rule that was voluntarily withdrawn by them on Oct.14.

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My Yellowstone Wolves

More than 30 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act has allowed wolves to regain their natural place in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. But that recovery is now at risk.

Endangered Species Act Protections Restored!

On April 28, 2008 Defenders and 11 other conservation groups filed a federal court lawsuit challenging the federal government’s February decision to remove the northern Rockies gray wolf population from the list of endangered species. As of March 28, 2008, this left wolf management in the hands of state agencies.

Unfortunately, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have stated their intention to kill many of the wolves living within their borders. The states' management plans could put wolves at grave risk, and do not guarantee the long-term survival of the species.

Defenders opposed the proposal to remove federal protections for the Northern Rockies wolf population and so did important members of Congress.

On July 18, 2008, the U.S. District Court in Missoula granted our preliminary injunction to wolf conservation temporarily placing Northern Rockies wolves back under federal protection and preventing the hunts from going forward but not before we lost all the known wolves in southwestern Wyoming. These animals and their pups had already been killed.

Today, we have renewed hope for wolves in our region. On October 14, 2008, the U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana granted the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s request to officially withdraw its 2008 Delisting Rule for Northern Rockies wolves. Wolves are now back on the federal Endangered Species List throughout Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington and Utah!

While this legal victory stops the wolf hunts and indiscriminate killing of wolves in our region for now, it means that the Delisting process will now start over again. If you're a resident of the northern Rockies or Pacific Northwest and support having a healthy wolf population in the region, please contact Suzanne Asha Stone (Phone: (208) 424-9385 ) for more information about how you can help.

We recently joined with the Natural Resources Defense Council in petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a national recovery plan for wolves in the Unites States, with regional recovery goals aimed at supporting sustainable populations of wolves in the northern Rockies, the northeast and the southwest.

Idaho Wolf Management and Policy

On May 22, 2008, Idaho's Fish and Game Commission adopted a regulated wolf hunt that will allow up to 428 of Idaho's 700+ wolves to be removed.  Idaho's governor has publicly announced his intention to kill more than 80% of the state's wolves, which would leave just over 100 wolves in Idaho. That's too extreme. It's time for Idaho to manage wolves in a responsible and sustainable manner. But this time, we need a process that brings together a balance of stakeholders to craft wolf and livestock management plans based on solid science. For those who share a deep respect for our natural resources, we can work together to make this a reality. We have another chance to get it right this time.

Related Documents

Comments from Defenders and other groups on Idaho's originally proposed hunting plan that allowed 328 wolves to be removed (May 2008)

Final Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan 2008-2012 (March 2008)

Idaho Draft Wolf Population Management Plan (Oct. 2007)

Defenders of Wildlife's Comments on the Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan (Dec. 2007)

Idaho Wolf Management Plan 2002

Defenders of Wildlife's Comments on the Idaho Wolf Management Plan - Comments sent to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (Jan. 2000)

Feds Reject Idaho's Proposed Wolf Killing Plan - Story from the Associated Press by John Miller (Sept. 2006)

Defenders Comments on Idaho Fish and Game Wolf Control Proposal Comments sent to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game(Feb. 2006)

Wyoming Wolf Management and Policy

Wyoming's wolf management plan would allow 16 of the existing 23 packs of the wolves in the state to be killed on sight. To accomplish this goal, the state would authorize poisoning, trapping and shooting within 90% of the wolf's current home range outside of the national parks.

Learn more at:

Wyoming Wolves

Wyoming Wolf Management Plan

Defenders of Wildlife’s Comments on the Wyoming Wolf Management Plan

Montana Wolf Management and Policy

Montana has a more balanced conservation-oriented plan, but it still threatens that state’s wolf population.

Read more:

Montana Wolf Management Plan

Defenders of Wildlife’s Comments on the Montana Wolf Management Plan

Proposed Montana Wolf Hunting Regulations (Dec. 2007)

Defenders of Wildlife’s Comments on the Montana Wolf Hunting Season (Feb. 2008)