From an AP article posted to today’s Flathead Beacon . . .
Facing mounting pressure from Congress, wildlife advocates and the U.S. Department of Interior on Friday reached an agreement to lift gray wolf protections in Montana and Idaho and allow hunting of the predators to resume.
The settlement agreement — opposed by some environmentalists — is intended to resolve years of litigation that have shielded wolves in the Northern Rockies from hunting, even as the predator’s population has sharply expanded.
Also see Earthjustice withdraws from wolf lawsuit , cites rift among groups in the Missoulian.