Tag Archives: Endangered Species List

New rule proposed to end endangered species listings by state

The federal government has proposed a new rule to govern endangered species listings that seems to make no one happy except, perhaps, a few attorneys and policy wonks. Here’s today’s AP coverage . . .

The Obama administration proposed a new rule that would end a practice in which some endangered species were classified differently in neighboring states.

The new policy would clarify that a plant or animal could be listed as threatened or endangered if threats occur in a “significant portion of its range,” even if the threat crosses state lines and does not apply in the species’ entire range.

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Officials debate way forward on grizzly bear management

A good article by Rob Chaney posted recently to the Missoulian . . .

As the Rocky Mountain grizzly bear population grows, its managers have encountered something of a vision problem: They’re not sure what success looks like.

“We have a pretty good road map on how to recover grizzly bears – reduce mortality and provide them a place to live, and bears will slowly increase,” Idaho Game and Fish Director Jim Unsworth told his colleagues at the Interagency Grizzly Bear Commission last week in Missoula. “I’d like to see us move more into proven areas instead of hanging out in the past.”

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Enviro groups file to stop Montana and Idaho wolf hunts

From today’s Missoulian . . .

A group of wolf advocates have requested an emergency halt to wolf hunting in the Rocky Mountains, one week before the general rifle season begins in Montana.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Clearwater and WildEarth Guardians want to return the gray wolf to federal Endangered Species Act protection.

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Feds ready to delist wolves in Wyoming, shoot on sight

An AP article posted in today’s Missoulian . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a plan Tuesday to remove wolves in Wyoming from federal protection and allow them to be shot on sight in most of the state.

The draft plan posted online and set for publication in the Federal Register on Wednesday opens the way for Wyoming’s wolves to be removed from the endangered list perhaps next summer and no later than a year from now.

The proposal follows a delisting framework that Fish and Wildlife and Wyoming officials agreed to last summer after months of negotiations.

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Feds, Wyoming announce plan to delist wolves

From the Missoulian . . .

Wyoming ranchers and hunters fed up with wolves attacking livestock and other wildlife would be able to shoot the predators on sight in most of the state under a tentative agreement state and federal officials announced Wednesday.

Gov. Matt Mead and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said they’ve come to terms over how to end federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming – the last state in the Northern Rockies where the animals remain under federal management.

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Federal judge upholds delisting of wolves in Montana and Idaho

From the Missoulian . . .

Strongly disagreeing with his own decision, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy on Wednesday upheld a congressional rider removing gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protection.

Barring a successful appeal, the decision means wolves are delisted in Montana and Idaho, and those states may go ahead with their scheduled wolf hunting seasons this fall.

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Related story: Groups to appeal wolf ruling to 9th Circuit

Wolverine, other animals jump to top of endangered review list with recent agreement

Here’s an excellent article by Rob Chaney posted to today’s Missoulian. Recommended reading . . .

In part because they’re so good at evading biologists, Montana’s elusive wolverines nearly escaped a bureaucratic roundup – and a chance at earning federal Endangered Species Act protection.

Now they’re at the top of the “to-do” list.

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Environmental group seeks delay in proposed endangered species settlement

Last week, WildEarth Guardians cut a deal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to clear the long-neglected backlog of candidates for the Endangered Species List. Today, the Center for Biological Diversity entered the fray . . .

An environmental group asked a federal judge on Monday to delay action on a proposed legal settlement that would require the government to consider new protections for hundreds of imperiled animals and plants.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed court documents in Washington, D.C., seeking to put the settlement agreement on hold. The Tucson, Ariz., group said the deal was hatched in secret and suffers from serious flaws.

Announced last week, the agreement between the Obama administration and Denver-based WildEarth Guardians received strong praise from many conservation groups.

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(UPDATE: The Center for Biological Diversity got a federal judge to put the deal on hold.)

Feds agree to clear backlog of ESA requests; eco-group agrees to stop suing

A good write-up from today’s Missoulian . . .

A proposed settlement could unkink the backlog of 251 plants and animals awaiting attention from the federal Endangered Species Act, including Montana’s arctic grayling and sage grouse.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and WildEarth Guardians announced an agreement on Tuesday where the federal agency commits to clearing its candidate species list within five years, while the environmental group promises to stop suing the government for missing its legal action deadlines.

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