From Phys.org:
The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado this month will proceed as planned after a federal judge on Friday 15 Dec. denied ranchers’ request to stop the state’s efforts to allow for further environmental analysis.
From The Colorado Sun:
U.S. District Court Judge Regina Rodriguez agreed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife that the wolf reintroduction plan did not require additional federal review
From the deseret.com:
Ranchers this week argued the federal government failed to do a sufficient review of the ramifications of the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado, with the case coming under review by a federal judge.
Judge Regina M. Rodriguez ruled late Friday evening against the ranchers, signaling reintroduction can begin in days on the western side of Colorado.
From MPR News:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to draft a new national recovery plan for gray wolves as part of a legal settlement approved by a federal judge in the District of Columbia.
The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.
The group had challenged the agency’s decision in 2020 to remove most gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protection. A federal court later restored wolf protections in the lower 48 states.
From Outdoor News:
A study recently published by a University of Minnesota research team shines new light on deer behavior, by comparing populations considered “savvy” and “naive” to wolf predation. Dr. Ellen Candler, postdoctoral associate and lead author of the study, said it should be of interest to hunters in that it looks at how humans, their prey, and the predators they share it with all interact and affect each other.
From the Daily Montanan:
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted new administrative rules Thursday regarding grizzly bear and wolf management that have drawn criticism from environmental and conservation groups throughout the rulemaking process.
The adoption of the rules for both species marks key steps as the state updates its wolf management plan for the first time in two decades and prepares to manage grizzly bears in the event the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides to delist them in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem – a decision currently under review.
From Western Slope Now:
DENVER (AP) — A federal judge said she would decide by Friday whether to temporarily halt the impending reintroduction of gray wolves to Colorado under a voter-approved initiative, after representatives of the state’s cattle industry went to court to try to stop the predators’ release.
If the judge sides with the industry, the decision would scramble Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s plans of searching for, capturing and transporting up to 10 wolves from Oregon starting Sunday.
The wolves are supposed to be released by Dec. 31, the deadline imposed under a 2020 ballot proposal that passed by a narrow margin. The animals would be among the first gray wolves in Colorado in decades.
From The Journal:
Two ranching groups in Colorado are suing Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in federal court to block the release of wolves in western Colorado.
“There is just a point where you get down to ‘this is not right,’” said Ken Spann with the Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association, which joined the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association in the complaint filed late Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver. “This is not an objection to the voter mandate. This is about how CPW is proceeding vis-à-vis the livestock industry in the Western Slope.”
From Smoky Mountain News:
According to a study published last month in the scientific journal Animal Conservation, wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina had a significant ecological impact prior to their dramatic decline in recent years.
The study tracked wildlife detection rates from 2015 to 2021 using dozens of motion-activated camera traps in the Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges, the core of the red wolf recovery area.
From U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today launched a new effort to create and foster a national dialogue around how communities can live with gray wolves (Canus lupus) to include conflict prevention, long-term stability and community security.
To foster the long-term conservation of wolves and address the concerns of varied communities, the Service recognizes a need to bring interested members of the public together for transparent and thoughtful conversations. These discussions will include those who live with wolves and those who do not but want to know they have a place on the landscape.
The International Wolf Center uses science-based education to teach and inspire the world about wolves, their ecology, and the wolf-human relationship.