Tag Archives: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Environmental group seeks delay in proposed endangered species settlement

May 17, 2011Environmental Issues, NewsCenter for Biological Diversity, Endangered Species Act, Endangered Species List, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WildEarth Guardiansnfpa

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.

Continue reading . . .

(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

May 10, 2011Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species Act, Endangered Species List, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WildEarth Guardiansnfpa

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.

Continue reading . . .

Wolf delisting almost certain to be passed by congress

April 12, 2011Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species List, Idaho, Montana, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wolf hunt, wolf management, wolvesnfpa

It now looks very likely that wolves will be removed from the Endangered Species List. Late last night, Senators Tester and Baucus successfully placed a rider in the “must pass” budget bill that restores the 2009 U.S. Fish and Wildlife rule returning management of gray wolves to state-level control in Montana and Idaho. The rider also prevents judicial review of that rule.

In other words, it looks like there will be wolf hunt in Idaho and Montana this year.

Here’s the actual text of the rider, as posted to Sen. Jon Tester’s web site:

SEC. 1713. Before the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall reissue the final rule published on April 2, 2009 (74 Fed. Reg. 15123 et seq.) without regard to any other provision of statute or regulation that applies to issuance of such rule. Such reissuance (including this section) shall not be subject to judicial review and shall not abrogate or otherwise have any effect on the order and judgment issued by the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming in Case Numbers 09–CV–118J and 09–CV–138J on November 18, 2010.

U.S. FWS investigating wolf poaching in Flathead Forest; reward offered

November 18, 2010Environmental Issues, NewsFlathead National Forest, poaching, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wolvesnfpa

From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the recent shooting of two wolves on the Flathead National Forest.

The carcasses were found on the same day, Nov. 6, in different locations on the forest.

One was found along Coal Creek Road in the North Fork Flathead drainage and the other in the Miller Creek area west of Olney.

Read the full article . . .

The Missoulian also posted an article on this incident.