SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Removing gray wolves from the endangered species list is premature, the Natural Resources Defense Council is arguing in a lawsuit against the Department of Interior.
The suit, filed Jan. 25 in California federal court, says even though wolf population has rebounded in the Great Lakes states, there are still less than 60 in the Pacific Northwest and only seven established breeding pairs.
“This nationwide delisting would stop wolf recovery in its tracks, particularly in areas where wolves have only begun to regain their historical footing,” the suit says.
There are 4,200 wolves in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin but far fewer in the Pacific Northwest, the Central Rockies and other places in America.
“Gray wolves remain endangered throughout significant portions of their range,” the suit says. Delisting gray wolves prematurely will doom their nationwide recovery.
“In promulgating the (Delisting) Rule, the Service violated the (Endangered Species Act) and the Administrative Procedure Act by improperly relying on one or two populations to delist gray wolves throughout the country…”