FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2025

Eugene, OR — Today, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released in its annual report of the minimum 2024 gray wolf population and pack count for the state, which shows encouraging growth after years of stagnation. In both 2022 and 2023 the minimum wolf count was just 178. From 2019-2023, Oregon’s minimum wolf population increased by just 5. The 2024 minimum count is 204, the largest in the state’s history, and the first time the population tops 200 since wolves began naturally returning to the state in 2008.

“After several years of very concerning population trends for Oregon’s wolves, the significant growth in our minimum wolf population is very welcome news,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “As wolves face serious threats at the national level and Washington state’s population declined for the first time, it’s heartening to have positive news in Oregon.”

Additional positive news in the report includes seven breeding pairs documented in western Oregon and 25 total packs, an increase from 22 in 2023. Wolves in the western third of Oregon enjoy federal Endangered Species Act protections and are primarily managed by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service.

Illegal wolf killings remain a significant threat to wolves in Oregon, with at least seven wolves killed by poachers in 2024. While the news that Oregon now has seven breeding pairs in the western portion of the state is encouraging, it is tempered by the recent poaching of the Metolius pack breeding male. That death is not reflected in the 2024 report. Of the 26 documented wolf deaths in 2024, 22 were caused by humans. It is illegal to kill a wolf anywhere in the state of Oregon without authorization. Killing a wolf in the western portion of the state is both a federal and state crime.

As the report notes “[w]ith seven breeding pairs documented in the West Zone in 2024, Phases 2 or 3 [of the Oregon Wolf Plan] could be reached as early as 2027. But for a poaching incident in 2023 that reduced the number of breeding pairs that year, the West Zone would have moved to Phase 2 this year.” 

“Poaching remains a primary threat to Oregon’s wolves, yet the Governor’s draft budget for the agency cuts all anti-poaching funds,” said Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “We call on the legislature and the Governor to ensure those funds are restored so that our state’s progress toward wolf recovery is not further undermined by the poaching crisis.”

Additionally, predation incidents decreased in 2024, with 69 total events, down from 73 in 2023. Oregon is home to over 1.38 million cows and sheep. Wolves present a very minor impact to this population, with weather and disease responsible for orders of magnitude more deaths and injuries. The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s compensation program granted all requests for livestock confirmed or deemed probably killed or wounded by wolves at fair market value in full in 2024. The program granted a total of $789,565 in public funds across 13 counties. Of the requests made to the program, 61% were for non-lethal coexistence tools assistance. That figure decreased from 2023 when 84% of the requests were for coexistence tools.

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Contact:
Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463 

State’s Wolf Recovery Threatened by Poaching, Agency Authorized Killings

Eugene, OR — Today the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) revealed Oregon’s wolf population did not grow in 2023. The stagnation in the wolf population marks the worst year for wolves in Oregon since the species began returning to the state in 2008 after decades of absence. This concerning news for Oregon wolves caps a multi-year trend of very low population growth: the 2022 minimum wolf count was 178, just three wolves more than the 2021 year-end count of 175, which itself was just two wolves more than 2020’s minimum count of 173. Oregon’s wolf population has grown less than 3% in the past four year combined.

Over 20% of the state’s wolf population died in a single year: at least 36 wolves were confirmed dead in 2023, 33 of which were human caused. Of those 33, 16 were killings were authorized by ODFW, four wolves were hit by cars, one was lawfully shot by a hunter, and a dozen were poached: 10 poisoned in multiple incidents and two separate shootings. The stagnant wolf population and the sharp increase in wolf deaths are cause for great concern in a state with significant suitable –  yet unoccupied –  wolf habitat. Also of concern, the total number of wolf packs shrunk from 24 in 2022 to 22 in 2023, and western Oregon’s nascent wolf population lost a breeding female to poaching.

“Oregon is facing a toxic mix of threats to our wolf population: a poaching epidemic and unreasonably high levels of agency authorized killings,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director with Cascadia Wildlands. “To ensure Oregon meets our wolf conservation and recovery goals, we need to reign in both poaching and agency-approved killings.”

Among the limited good news in the report, confirmed and probable livestock predations by wolves dropped in 2023. Despite this positive news, ODFW authorized killing 16 wolves in 2023, double any previous year. All requests for compensation for probable or confirmed livestock predation by wolves were paid in full through the state compensation program. Additionally, 84% of the funds allocated through the compensation fund were used for non-lethal coexistence tools.

“ODFW needs to do more to protect Oregon’s small wolf population: The agency can start by not being one of the two primary causes of the population’s failure to grow. Until poaching is brought under control and Oregon’s wolf population increases for several years, the agency needs to stop authorizing wolf killings and concentrate on implementing proven effective coexistence tools,” said Cotton.

Wolves in the western third of Oregon enjoy federal Endangered Species Act protections and are primarily managed by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the killing of four wolves in western Oregon in 2023, one shooting and three deaths by poison.

In December 2023, Colorado Parks and Wildlife live captured and transferred 10 Oregon wolves to Colorado. While this transfer is positive conservation news for Colorado, removing 10 of Oregon’s young, healthy wolves further undermines Oregon’s wolf recovery. Those wolves would otherwise have been likely to disperse to create new packs and could have occupied areas of appropriate wolf habitat where the animals are still absent.

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Background:

Oregon wolves have had critical protections removed and then restored in recent years. The Trump administration stripped federal Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves across most of the country in January 2021, including in western Oregon. In February 2022, a federal court restored those protections, agreeing with plaintiffs, including Cascadia Wildlands, that removal of federal protections was not grounded in science.

Since 2011 wolves in the eastern third of Oregon have not enjoyed federal protections and have been managed by the state. In 2015, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission prematurely stripped wolves of state endangered species act protections.

The post Press Release: Oregon’s Wolf Population Stagnates first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity
Danielle Moser, Oregon Wild

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Wildlife Coalition, conservation partners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are offering rewards totaling $26,500 for information leading to arrests and convictions following the separate killings of two wolves in Oregon.

“I’m so saddened to learn of the illegal killings of two more Oregon wolves, which add to the enormous spike in human-caused wolf mortality we’ve been seeing here the past several years,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Wherever wolves live in Oregon, federally protected or not, there is no hunting of wolves allowed. Killing this wolf was illegal and also morally wrong.” 

Wildlife conservation groups today announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the illegal killing of a collared male wolf found Nov. 13 in southwestern Oregon’s Jackson County. Since the wolf was killed in a part of the state where wolves are still federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Service has offered a $5,000 reward, for a total of $15,000.  

The conservation groups announced a separate $11,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the illegal killing of a collared female wolf found Nov. 27 in northeast Oregon in Baker County. 

The poaching incidents were publicly reported Dec. 5 by the Service and by Oregon State Police. The Oregon Wildlife Coalition and conservation partners have a standing reward offer to assist in prosecuting all illegal wolf killings. 

“Poaching is cowardly and illegal. Poachers are stealing from all Oregonians and undermining decades of conservation efforts,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director with Cascadia Wildlands. “We call on the public to come forward with any information that may help bring those responsible to justice and for law enforcement to redouble their efforts.” 

The wolf killed in Jackson County, known as OR-125, was found dead Nov. 13 near Union Creek, east of Crater Lake. He was a member of the Indigo pack, whose territory is north of Crater Lake straddling Douglas and Klamath counties.  

Authorities were alerted Nov. 27 to the second poached wolf discovered within the Keating Wildlife Management Unit about 25 miles east of Baker City. State wildlife agency officials have indicated that this female wolf, OR-95, was a member of the Cornucopia pack.  

“Wolf poaching continues to be a tragic assault on Oregon values and our natural heritage,” said Danielle Moser with Oregon Wild. “Each death is a blow to the resilience and integrity of our wild landscapes.” 

Since 2001 at least 34 wolves are known to have been poached across the state, with most killed in eastern Oregon. Scientific research has shown that removing protections for wolves is associated with increased illegal killings. For every illegally slain wolf found, another one to two wolves have been killed and remain undiscovered. 

Anyone with information regarding the OR-125 case is urged to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131 or the Oregon State Police TIP line at (800) 452-7888. Callers with information on the wolf killed near Baker City should reach out only to the Oregon State Police line. Callers may remain anonymous. Reports also can be made online at https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/fw/pages/tip.aspx 

Background

Oregon wolves have had critical protections removed and then restored in recent years. The Trump administration stripped federal Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves across most of the country in January 2021, including in western Oregon. In February 2022 a federal court restored those protections.  

However, since 2011 wolves in the eastern third of Oregon have not had federal protections and have been managed by the state. In 2015 the state Fish and Wildlife Commission prematurely stripped wolves of state endangered species act protections.  

At last count, Oregon had a minimum of 178 wolves. Following a significant increase in poaching and agency kill actions in 2021 and 2022, Oregon’s wolf counts those years show minimal annual growth of the state wolf population, only 1% in 2021 and 1.7% in 2022. The 2023 population count is expected to be issued in April. 

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Cascadia Wildlands defends and restores Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forests, in the courts and in the streets. 

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. 

Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations. 

The Oregon Wildlife Coalition includes the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Portland Audubon, Willamette Riverkeeper, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Voters Oregon and Western Environmental Law Center. Speak for Wolves and Greater Hells Canyon Council also contributed to the standing reward offer. 

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Contact:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463

Mixed News for Oregon’s Wolves: Population Stalls Statewide While More Wolves Move West

Today, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released its annual report of the minimum 2022 gray wolf population and pack count for the state, which shows a continuing pattern of very low growth. The 178 wolves documented in 2022 is only an increase of three wolves over year-end 2021 numbers, while the number of wolf packs increased from 21 to 24. The state’s minimum wolf population only grew by two wolves in 2021, from 173 to 175 wolves. The stagnant population numbers are a cause for great concern in a state with significant suitable –  yet unoccupied –  wolf habitat. Removal of state Endangered Species Act protections was predicated on an assumed steady population increase, an assumption that has proven false since 2020.

More positive aspects of the report include four breeding pairs documented in western Oregon and six wolf groups documented in the Cascades. Wolves in the western third of Oregon enjoy federal Endangered Species Act protections and are primarily managed by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service.

“It is deeply concerning that Oregon’s wolf population has essentially stalled for two years,” said Bethany Cotton with Cascadia Wildlands. “Humans remain the biggest threat to the recovery of this iconic native species, and we can and must do more to coexist and hold poachers accountable.”

Illegal killing of wolves remained extensive in Oregon and clearly played a role in the plateaued numbers. A minimum of seven wolves were illegally killed, a number called “unacceptable” by ODFW. Six of the seven cases remain under investigation. The seventh wolf was killed by a man who claimed he thought he was shooting a coyote, though the wolf was wearing a visible radio collar. Of the 20 documented wolf mortalities in 2022, 17 were caused by humans.

“Oregon’s wolves remain under threat – in large part driven by overblown and unscientific rhetoric from a small but vocal minority of anti-wolf voices,” said Cotton. “Unfortunately, state management is failing this species – it’s time to restore Endangered Species Act protections statewide.”

High resolution, public domain photos of Oregon’s gray wolves can be found here.

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Contact:       
Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Sophia Ressler, Center for Biological Diversity
Lizzy Pennock, WildEarth Guardians
Jocelyn Leroux, Western Watersheds
Tim Coleman, Kettle Range Conservation Group

Requirements for Nonlethal Measures Sought for State Endangered Species

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Five conservation groups filed a lawsuit today asking a state court to enforce Gov. Jay Inslee’s order directing state wildlife officials to enact wolf management rules. The rules should have outlined what steps must be taken before wolves can be killed for conflict with livestock.

Today’s filing notes that Gov. Inslee ordered the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to undertake a formal wolf rulemaking process in 2020, following a petition from conservation organizations. The petition asked the state to require the use of nonlethal deterrence measures by livestock operators before authorizing the killing of wolves involved in livestock conflicts. While the department started this process, in July the state’s wildlife commission voted 5-4 not to enact the proposed rules.

“Gov. Inslee recognizes that Washington needs science-based nonlethal strategies to protect wolves and livestock, but some wildlife commissioners are ignoring his request,” said Sophia Ressler, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re asking the court to recognize the governor’s authority and require commissioners to finally approve wolf rules they were supposed to finalize long ago. We need rules that put a check on the state’s trigger-happy approach to managing imperiled wolves.”

The groups filed their May 2020 petition in response to state officials’ repeated killing of wolves on behalf of one livestock owner in northeast Washington, where the lack of adequate conflict-deterrence measures has resulted in chronic conflicts. The petition also aimed to prevent chronic conflict areas from developing elsewhere in the state by standardizing accountable and enforceable measures statewide.

“Unfortunately, by failing to take action to promulgate science-based wolf management regulations despite Gov. Inslee’s clear direction, the WDFW Commission has aligned itself with anti-wolf minority interests,” said Nick Cady, legal director for Cascadia Wildlands. “We were only asking the agency to follow its own guidelines.”

“Washington’s wolves needed the commission to put enforceable rules in place requiring livestock producers to use effective nonlethal conflict mitigation measures,” said Lizzy Pennock, carnivore coexistence advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “Instead, five members of the nine-member commission wasted two years of work and voted for the status quo: irresponsible livestock grazing and government-sponsored wolf killing.”

“The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s July decision to not enact a rule to better protect Washington’s wolves from agency killings was not only disappointing, but illegal,” said Jocelyn Leroux, Washington and Montana director with Western Watersheds Project. “The commission ignored Gov. Inslee’s direction to create a rule that would ensure improved livestock-wolf conflict management and save wolves now and into the future.”

“Rulemaking is an important process in the governance of public resources, in this case, gray wolf recovery in Washington,” said Timothy Coleman, executive director for Kettle Range Conservation Group. “An essential element of a rule is to establish a level playing field, that is, clearly defining standards and processes that government and the public must follow. The current wolf management strategy of the Department of Fish and Wildlife is more like a game of rugby, whatever comes out of the scrum of pro and con wolf interests is how the game is played. But that’s arbitrary and it’s really more about who has more mojo rather than a fair set of rules that everyone abides by – that’s what this petition is striving to achieve.”

Today’s lawsuit was filed in in Thurston County Superior Court on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands, Kettle Range Conservation Group, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians.

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Species’ Recovery Undermined by Poaching, ODFW Killings

EUGENE, OR — Conservationists are concerned about the plateau of Oregon’s wolf population in 2021, largely resulting from poaching and agency killings. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) annual wolf population report, released late yesterday, shows Oregon’s wolf population grew by the lowest percentage (just over one percent) since wolves naturally returned to the state. The 2021 minimum population of 175 wolves increased by just two animals from the 2020 minimum count of 173. While 20 packs were identified, just 16 met the criteria of breeding pairs (an adult female and adult male with at least two pups surviving to December 31st of their year of birth), one fewer than at the end of 2020. Eight additional small groups of two to three wolves were identified, though these groups are not considered packs because a pack is defined as four or more wolves traveling together in winter. The percentage of wolves in Oregon in the western management area also did not grow between 2020 and 2021, with just 13% of Oregon’s wolves in the western portion of the state.

Known wolf deaths sharply increased from previous years. Of the 26 confirmed wolf deaths, 21 were caused by humans. Eight wolves were illegally killed in four poisoning incidents. A $50,000 reward remains in place for information leading to a conviction for the poisonings. ODFW also killed eight wolves — nearly the entire Lookout Mountain pack —  including several 12-week old pups incapable of predating on livestock, an unprecedented action.

“Nearly three times as many wolves died in Oregon in 2021 than 2020, with fully triple the human-caused mortality,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director with Cascadia Wildlands. “We are deeply concerned about the impact of unprecedented poaching and state sanctioned wolf killings on Oregon’s wolves. State management if failing this keystone species: we need restored federal protections statewide.”

None of the poaching incidents have yet resulted in arrests. Oregon recently hired a new wildlife poaching prosecutor, housed in the state Department of Justice. Conservationists are calling on ODFW and state law enforcement to work closely with the prosecutor to ensure poachers are held accountable for their crimes. At least three additional poachings have occurred thus far in 2022.

“Oregon’s wolf population simply cannot sustain such high levels of human-caused wolf mortality,” said Nick Cady, legal director with Cascadia Wildlands. “The state needs to both seriously prosecute poachers and stop killing wolves to subsidize commercial livestock operations.”

Wolves in Oregon no longer have state Endangered Species Act protections, and are managed under the Oregon Wolf Plan, which designates two management zones based on specific criteria. Oregon’s wolves were likewise without federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the entirety of 2021. In February 2022, federal ESA protections were restored to wolves in the western two thirds of the state when a federal court threw out the Trump administration’s removal of protections. The court agreed with plaintiffs, including Cascadia Wildlands, that removal of federal protections was not grounded in science.

The one piece of more positive news in the report is that wolves expanded into four new “areas of resident wolf activity” in Jefferson, Klamath, Grant, and Union Counties.

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$22,500 Reward Offered for Info on Illegal Killing of Wolf in Northeast Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. — Conservation and animal-protection groups announced a combined $22,500 reward today for information leading to a conviction in the killing of a collared wolf outside the town of Cove in Northeast Oregon.

On Feb. 15 Oregon State Police troopers, investigating a report from wildlife officials, found a collared wolf lying dead in a field. The troopers believe the black female wolf to be OR-109, who had been shot and killed that morning.

This killing follows 2021’s fatal poisoning of eight wolves in the same area of the state and another similar killing by firearm in January 2022, making this the 10th illegal killing  over the past year alone. The combined reward offered by conservation groups for the killings totals at least $66,500.

“This onslaught of wolf killings in Oregon is deeply upsetting,” said Sophia Ressler, an Oregon-based staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We need to find the poacher and hold them accountable for killing this precious wolf. We have a wolf-poaching crisis on our hands, and Oregon officials must take strong action.”

“Oregon’s wolf-poaching crisis is reaching a critical level,” said Kelly Peterson, Oregon state director at the Humane Society of the United States. “The death of OR-109 at the hands of a poacher is infuriating, especially given all of the other losses Oregon’s precious few wolves have suffered over the past two years. While this reward cannot bring her back, we hope it brings these cruel actors to justice and helps finally put an end to the illegal slaughter of our wolves.”

“Criminality continues in Oregon, bringing the total wolves illegally killed to 10, with no sign of rightful prosecution in sight,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, an Oregon-based national wildlife advocacy nonprofit. “Eight poisonings and two shootings in the last year, and not a word from Gov. Brown. It is absolutely critical that the perpetrator(s) be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

“Our hearts are breaking at another senseless killing of this iconic species,” said Darilyn Parry Brown, executive director of Greater Hells Canyon Council in La Grande, Oregon.

“The number of wolves poached in Oregon is growing sickeningly high,” said Sristi Kamal, senior northwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “This lone female wolf was gunned down during her search for territory and a mate. Her death is yet another grim example of why emergency federal protections for wolves are desperately needed in the eastern half of our state. Each wolf lost to poaching is a significant hit to Oregon’s wolf population’s slow recovery.”

“This rash of wolf poaching is undermining wolf recovery in Oregon,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director with Cascadia Wildlands. “We call on Oregon law enforcement to immediately dedicate all resources necessary to identifying the perpetrators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Anyone with information about any of these cases should contact the Oregon State Police TIP line at (800) 452-7888 or *OSP (677) or by e-mail at TIP@state.or.us. Callers may remain anonymous.

The $22,500 in combined rewards are offered by the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands, Defenders of Wildlife, Greater Hells Canyon Council, the Humane Society of the United States, Oregon Wild, and Predator Defense.

Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Cascadia Wildlands defends and restores Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forests, in the courts and in the streets.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities.

Greater Hells Canyon Council‘s mission is to connect, protect, and restore the wild lands, waters, native species and habitats of the Greater Hells Canyon Region, ensuring a legacy of healthy ecosystems for future generations.

Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States fights the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, we take on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries. With our affiliates, we rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals every year through our animal rescue team’s work and other hands-on animal care services. We fight all forms of animal cruelty to achieve the vision behind our name: A humane society. Learn more about our work at humanesociety.org.

Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations.

Predator Defense is a national nonprofit advocacy organization devoted to protecting essential native predators, helping people learn to coexist with wild animals, and ending America’s war on wildlife. They have been championing native predators with science, sanity, and heart since 1990.

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CONTACTS:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Kelly Nokes, Western Environmental Law Center
Lindsay Larris, WildEarth Guardians

Judge restores gray wolf protections, reviving federal recovery efforts

Wolves in Northern Rockies still face brutal slaughter

OAKLAND, CA — Today, a federal court restored Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf after they were eliminated by the Trump administration in 2020. The ruling orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to resume recovery efforts for the imperiled species. Today’s decision redesignates the gray wolf as a species threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states with the exception of the Northern Rockies population (map), for which wolf protections were removed by Congress in 2011.
 
The most recent data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its state partners show only an estimated 132 wolves in Washington state, 173 in Oregon (with only 19 outside of northeastern Oregon), and fewer than about 20 in California. Nevada, Utah, and Colorado have had a few wolf sightings over the past three years, but wolves remain functionally absent from their historical habitat in these states. In 2020, Colorado voters directed the state to reintroduce wolves by 2023.
 
“The science is clear that gray wolves have not yet recovered in the western U.S. By design, the Endangered Species Act does not provide the federal government the discretion to forsake western wolf recovery in some regions due to progress in other parts of the country,” said Kelly Nokes, Western Environmental Law Center attorney. “Today’s decision will bolster recovery of western wolves – a keystone species wherever they exist – and improve ecosystem health more broadly.”
 
From the decision: “…the Service did not adequately consider threats to wolves outside of these core populations. Instead, the Service avoids analyzing these wolves by concluding, with little explanation or analysis, that wolves outside of the core populations are not necessary to the recovery of the species… In so concluding, the Service avoided assessing the impact of delisting on these wolves.” Opinion at 11.
 
In delisting wolves, the Service ignored the science showing they are not recovered in the West. The Service concluded that because in its belief there are sufficient wolves in the Great Lakes states, it did not matter that wolves in the western U.S. are not yet recovered. The Endangered Species Act demands more, including restoring the species in the ample suitable habitats afforded by the wild public lands throughout the western U.S. Wolves are listed as endangered under state laws in Washington and California, and only occupy a small portion of available, suitable habitat in Oregon.
 
“This ruling is a huge win for wolves in states like California, Oregon, and Utah where they have yet to achieve stable, robust populations,” said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist and executive director with Western Watersheds Project. “We are relieved to have staved off premature delisting with this case, but there is still a huge amount of work ahead to protect wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming where they face some of their biggest threats.”
 
“The nation has witnessed the brutality that happens when ‘management’ of wolves is returned to anti-wolf states like Montana and Idaho, which have implemented an aggressive eradication agenda, including surrounding Yellowstone National Park,” said Lindsay Larris, Wildlife Program director at WildEarth Guardians. “Restoring federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves is essential to their recovery throughout their historic range, so while we are thankful for this ruling we also call on Secretary Deb Haaland to issue emergency relisting protections for the Northern Rockies wolf population to halt the senseless slaughter taking place.”

The conservation groups have long been active on wolf recovery issues in the western U.S., including working with western states to develop science-based wolf management plans, mounting cases to rein in rogue federal government wolf-killing programs, promoting recovery efforts in the Southwest for critically imperiled Mexican gray wolves, and working with local governments and landowners to deploy non-lethal tools that prevent wolf-livestock conflicts.

“Over the past two winters, we lost icons of wolf recovery when OR-7 and his mate OR-94 passed away in southern Oregon’s Cascades. These two wolves represent the first generation of wolves in western Oregon in nearly a century,” said Michael Dotson with the conservation group Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center based in southwest Oregon. “Delisting is premature and obviously politically driven.”
 
“Wolves are an integral part in the health and resilience of western ecosystems,” said Adam Gebauer, Public Lands Program director at The Lands Council. “Local land managers, state wildlife offices and the federal government must work together and rely on science and not politics to ensure their recovery. Wolves are our allies in the conservation of wildlands.”
 
“Today’s victory injects hope and resources into ongoing efforts to restore wolves across their historic range,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “We look forward to engaging with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure wolf management is guided by sound science, not prejudice.”
 
“The politically driven delisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies by Congress incorrectly included all of eastern Washington, east of US Highway 97. It was an arbitrary decision then and it still is today,” said Timothy Coleman, director of Kettle Range Conservation Group and former member of the Washington state Wolf Advisory Group.  “Eighty-five percent of wolves killed in Washington were from the Kettle River Range, where unfortunately the gray wolf is still at risk despite the court’s excellent decision. And though Washington has kept state endangered species protections for wolves, that clearly provides little protection. Had wolves retained federal Endangered Species Act protection, entire wolf families would not have been slaughtered and could have dispersed into unoccupied areas of the state with excellent habitat such as southwest Washington, Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park.”
 
“California’s wolves are just starting to return home,” said Tom Wheeler, executive director at the Environmental Protection Information Center. “Today’s decision means these animals will have the help of federal wildlife managers to establish a true foothold in their historic habitat in the state.”
 
“We must learn to coexist with gray wolves. These highly intelligent and social animals play a key role in balancing entire ecosystems,” said Kimberly Baker of the Klamath Forest Alliance. “Federal protection is paramount to safeguarding this nation’s rightful heritage.”Unfortunately, today’s decision will do nothing to stop the ongoing slaughter of wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming—including surrounding Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. These states removed wolves’ endangered species protections via federal legislation. The current war on wolves in the northern Rockies shows the stark reality of what happens when “management” is turned over to states hostile to wolves. In just the past few months, at least 23 Yellowstone wolves—more than 20% of the park’s entire wolf population—have been killed outside the park, causing widespread outrage and condemnation from Yellowstone National Park’s supervisor, wolf researchers, and wildlife professionals. Hunters in Montana and Idaho can lure wolves out of Yellowstone with bait, strangle them with snares, and shoot them at night on private land.
 
Both states have established wolf bounties and in Idaho it’s legal to run down a wolf with ATVs and snowmobiles. While celebrating today’s positive ruling for wolves, the groups also call on the Biden administration to immediately issue emergency relisting protections for the Northern Rockies population of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act.  

The coalition of western wildlife advocates involved in this legal challenge includes WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project, Cascadia Wildlands, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), The Lands Council, Wildlands Network, Klamath Forest Alliance, and Kettle Range Conservation Group, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center.

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