THE SPORTSMEN ’ S ALLIANCE INTENDS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON OUR FEDERAL WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN .
FORCING THEIR HAND
THE SPORTSMEN ’ S ALLIANCE INTENDS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON OUR FEDERAL WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN .
When the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance Foundation ( SAF ) filed two petitions with U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service ( FWS ) on June 29 , 2023 , the agency had 90 days to respond according to law under the Endangered Species Act . On Nov . 10 , well over a month after the deadline and with no word from the agency , the SAF was forced to file a notice of intent to sue over the silence surrounding our petitions and blatant disregard of the law .
“ FWS has had more than enough time to consider our petitions and issue a finding , one way or another , as required by the ESA , so we are ready to sue to force a decision ,” said Todd Adkins , vice president of government affairs at the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance . “ Our petitions will get wolf management back on track with sound science driving decisions instead of the irresponsible and unsustainable anti-science of the extremists , so we will fight to get this done .”
As previously reported , the first SAF petition would delist gray wolves in Michigan , Minnesota and Wisconsin – otherwise known as the “ Western Great Lakes ” ( WGL ) population . Gray wolves in the WGL have long surpassed recovery goals for each of the three states , but animal-extremist organizations have tied up the delisting process for nearly two decades , filing one lawsuit after another to hinder decision-making and obstruct wildlife management every step of the way .
The second SAF petition provides FWS with a blueprint that follows previous federal court rulings disallowing WGL delisting because of the potential impact delisting could have on wolves in other regions of the country . By combining the two petitions , FWS would have a roadmap that puts wolf management back in the hands of wildlife biologists .
The Michigan Bear Hunters Association , Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen Association and Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association joined the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance Foundation in filing the initial petitions and now in the notice of intent to sue .
NORTHWEST WOLVES
Washington
Eleven animal-rights organizations , led by the Center for Biological Diversity , are calling for Gov . Jay Inslee to interfere with wildlife management once again on their behalf after the state ’ s fish and wildlife commission rejected their petition to restrict the state killing of problem wolves . The groups claim the vote was taken hastily and the commission was intimidated by the presence of camouflage- and hunter orange-clad sportsmen in the room . In a leaked email from Commissioner Lorna Smith , she cited similar concerns and pointed out the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance and our lawsuit against her . In 2020 , Inslee stepped in on behalf of the same national groups , after the commission rejected a similar petition , and demanded they act on it .
Oregon
After suffering rejection from Idaho , Montana , Wyoming and Washington , Colorado turned to Oregon in search of wolves to release in the Centennial State as mandated by Proposition 114 . In late December , Oregon sent 10 wolves to Colorado , which according to news outlets were all problem wolves involved in livestock depredation cases .
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