The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners filed an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that supports an environmental group challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) refusal to relist gray wolves in the West. 

USFWS denied petitions by the anti-hunting organization Center for Biological Diversity in early 2024 to place wolves in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah under the Endangered Species Act. Citing the history of state management and expanding wolf populations, USFWS professional biologists and game managers concluded that Western wolves are not at risk of extinction, now or in the near future. 

Not counting those born this spring, the minimum gray wolf population in the West is at least 3,100 wolves. That number continues to grow with expanded range, including populations in Idaho and Montana that are respectively 700 percent and 600 percent above federal minimum recovery levels. Wyoming’s population met minimum recovery criteria in each of the last 23 years. 

Other groups joining RMEF in the appeal are Safari Club International and Sportsmen’s Alliance. 

Having met federal minimum recovery thresholds in 2002, Hunt 2 Conserve strongly supports state-based wolf management and maintains the population is recovered and not in need of relisting. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)