Wolf Pact

This past spring, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service proposed to strip the gray wolf of its endangered species protections in the northern Rockies region, including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Utah. It was just 11 years ago that the gray wolf was intentionally reintroduced to the area, having been hunted to near extinction in the early twentieth century. Today the wolf helps maintain a natural balance in the northern Rockies by forcing elk to vary their grazing patterns, which allows crucial streamside vegetation to stay robust; and by keeping the coyote population in check, which in turn benefits the pronghorn antelope and the red fox. If dropped from the endangered species list, wolf protection would fall into the hands of the states, most of which favor liberal hunting policies. NRDC studies indicate that if Wyoming alone were to allow year-round hunting of the wolf, some two-thirds of the Yellowstone-area population could be killed. NRDC staff and members attended public hearings to speak out against the delisting proposal. The public comment period is over, but NRDC intends to fight for the protection that the gray wolf deserves.