Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts new administrative rules on grizzly, wolf management

From the Helena Independent Record:

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.

 

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Tulare County wolf pack gets a name and is larger than originally believed

From Bakersfield:

A pack of gray wolves discovered in the Tulare County mountains last summer has been named — and is larger than scientists originally believed.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday reported that the wolf pack will now be called the Yowlumni Pack. In a news release, the state agency said it was honored to partner with the Tule River Tribe to name the pack formally.

 

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Colorado wolf reintroduction to move forward as ranchers’ legal effort fails

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.

 

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Colorado wolf releases may happen within days after federal judge rejects ranchers’ lawsuit

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

 

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Federal judge rules against ranchers in Colorado wolf lawsuit

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.

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Feds agree to draft new national recovery plan for gray wolves

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.

 

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Newly-published study examines deer behavior in the presence of wolves

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.

 

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Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts new administrative rules on grizzly, wolf management

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.

 

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US judge to decide Friday if Colorado can reintroduce wolves over cattle industry objections

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.

 

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Colorado ranchers launch last-ditch effort to block wolves. Here’s how.

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.”

 

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