Using the ESA to Protect Wolves

Another courtroom battle pitting environmentalists against some government entity is about to start.

This time, it’s our friends over at EarthJustice filing a suit on behalf of a couple of conservation organizations, including the Sierra Club and the Defenders of Wildlife (two organizations who themselves are filing suit against the Department of Homeland Security, as I mentioned in a different post), to challenge the removal of the northern Rockies gray wolf from the list of protected endangered species.

The species was removed from the list exactly a month ago today (March 28), and the impacts have been drastic. The population of wolves in the northern Rockies is estimated at about 1,500. That’s an awesome improvement over what it was previous to the wolves’ listing as an endangered species, but it’s still not quite enough. Different wolf populations must be able to interbreed with other populations, or the genetic pool of the wolves begins to get muddy because of inbreeding. But because of various modern, human impediments, the wolves are having a hard time interbreeding. For instance, the famous Yellowstone wolves have been isolated for over a decade, and scientists are troubled over the lack of genetic diversity.

If that’s not enough, in Idaho, it is now legal to kill a wolf without a permit!

(c) Control of Depredation of Wolves. Wolves may be disposed of by livestock or domestic animal owners, their employees, agents and animal damage control personnel when the same are molesting or attacking livestock or domestic animals and it shall not be necessary to obtain any permit from the department.

Pretty interesting. I think that this law is especially bad because it circumvents any need to go through an environmental impact statement process (which I’m pretty sure would be required under any normal circumstances). This means that there is literally no environmental regulation on wolf killing, other than the need to report a kill to the FWS.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the brief online (I’m emailing EJ after I post this), so I’m not exactly positive what the exact cause of action is. Anyway, I know I often promise an update after I post something then don’t actually have an update, but this time, I hopefully will. I mean it.

Any people out there who actually have experience with the law that would like to comment are more than welcome.

EDIT: The bill, if you were curious, is Idaho Senate Bill No. 1374.