Endangered Species Act Archives - Endangered Species Coalition

Trump Administration Declares a War on Wildlife with Nomination of Brian Nesvik

Endangered Species Coalition — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:01:01 +0000

Last week, the Senate confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While his appointment was endorsed by some within the traditional wildlife community, the Endangered Species Coalition and numerous conservation partners strongly opposed his confirmation based on his track record of undermining federal protections for imperiled wildlife and prioritizing extractive interests over science-based recovery.

Brian Nesvik has long championed efforts that weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including campaigns to prematurely delist gray wolves, eliminate habitat protections, and sideline federal oversight, all while serving the interests of politically powerful industries in the West. His approach reflects the same harmful ideology behind recent legislative attacks like the ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897), which aims to hollow out the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act is one of our nation’s most successful and beloved environmental laws. It has prevented the extinction of more than 99% of listed species — from bald eagles to gray whales — and remains a beacon of bipartisan conservation. What imperiled wildlife need now is a science-driven leader committed to recovery, not one who pushes states to sidestep federal accountability and science.

We are not alone in our concerns. Organizations across the country, including Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and GreenLatinos, stood firmly against this nomination. These are frontline groups who have seen the real impacts of policies that erode protections, fragment habitats, and put species on a collision course with extinction.

In the words of our Executive Director, Susan Holmes:

“The Endangered Species Act only works when science leads the way. Political appointees who disregard habitat science, suppress recovery recommendations, or champion premature delisting put our most vulnerable wildlife at grave risk. This confirmation is a setback — but our fight to defend endangered species is far from over.”

We remain committed to holding the Fish and Wildlife Service accountable and to protecting the integrity of the Endangered Species Act against political interference. We urge members of Congress and the public to stand with us and with the science to ensure the future of America’s most at-risk species.

What our partners are saying:

“Nesvik has a track record of favoring industries over wildlife. Ranching and agriculture and extracted industries get all the concessions here in Wyoming,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “There’s no reason to think that it would be any different at the federal level.”

“Rather than ensuring the survival of America’s most at-risk wildlife, Nesvik’s history suggests he will do the opposite—greenlighting more destruction, more killing, and more habitat loss,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “WildEarth Guardians and our allies will fight every step of the way to hold this administration accountable and protect our nation’s wildlife from this disastrous leadership.”

“Nesvik’s lackadaisical response to the tormenting of that young Wyoming wolf speaks volumes about his lack of care for wildlife,” said Stephanie Kurose, Center for Biological Diversity Deputy Director of Government Affairs. “But his larger record truly underscores how deeply he despises the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fundamental mission. Most Americans want our imperiled wildlife protected, but we can’t count on Nesvik to lift a finger to prevent extinction.”

“Nesvik’s tenure as head of Wyoming Game and Fish prioritized trophy hunts and weakened protections for imperiled species over scientifically sound wildlife management,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “One of the USFWS most important roles is upholding the Endangered Species Act, and given his experience, it’s not clear whether Nesvik will be able to fulfill that duty. Unfortunately, it appears that wildlife will pay the price.”

“California’s national wildlife refuges are a cornerstone of Latino communities’ access to nature and biodiversity,” said Pedro Hernandez, California State Program Manager for GreenLatinos. “Our refuge system and successful Endangered Species Act implementation have supported California as a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet, Brian Nesvik’s nomination risks years of progress and his track record threatens to roll back the clock to a time when our refuge system was even more under-resourced and dominated by extractive interests. Our communities can’t afford leadership that deprioritizes science, equity, species protections and ecological integrity.”

“Brian Nesvik has repeatedly used state power to undermine the very laws he’s now charged with upholding. His confirmation as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a gift to extractive industries and a threat to imperiled species across the West,” said Josh Osher, Public Policy Director for Western Watersheds Project. “From sanctioning wolf slaughter to promoting unsustainable livestock grazing on public lands, Nesvik has consistently prioritized industry profits over ecological integrity. We need leadership rooted in science and recovery — not someone who treats the Endangered Species Act as an obstacle to be dismantled.”

“Nesvik has a track record of favoring industries over wildlife. Ranching and agriculture and extracted industries get all the concessions here in Wyoming,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “There’s no reason to think that it would be any different at the federal level.”

“Rather than ensuring the survival of America’s most at-risk wildlife, Nesvik’s history suggests he will do the opposite—greenlighting more destruction, more killing, and more habitat loss,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians.

“WildEarth Guardians and our allies will fight every step of the way to hold this administration accountable and protect our nation’s wildlife from this disastrous leadership.”

“Nesvik’s lackadaisical response to the tormenting of that young Wyoming wolf speaks volumes about his lack of care for wildlife,” said Stephanie Kurose, Center for Biological Diversity Deputy Director of Government Affairs. “But his larger record truly underscores how deeply he despises the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fundamental mission. Most Americans want our imperiled wildlife protected, but we can’t count on Nesvik to lift a finger to prevent extinction.”

“Nesvik’s tenure as head of Wyoming Game and Fish prioritized trophy hunts and weakened protections for imperiled species over scientifically sound wildlife management,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “One of the USFWS most important roles is upholding the Endangered Species Act, and given his experience, it’s not clear whether Nesvik will be able to fulfill that duty. Unfortunately, it appears that wildlife will pay the price.”

“California’s national wildlife refuges are a cornerstone of Latino communities’ access to nature and biodiversity,” said Pedro Hernandez, California State Program Manager for GreenLatinos. “Our refuge system and successful Endangered Species Act implementation have supported California as a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet, Brian Nesvik’s nomination risks years of progress and his track record threatens to roll back the clock to a time when our refuge system was even more under-resourced and dominated by extractive interests. Our communities can’t afford leadership that deprioritizes science, equity, species protections and ecological integrity.”

“Brian Nesvik has repeatedly used state power to undermine the very laws he’s now charged with upholding. His confirmation as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a gift to extractive industries and a threat to imperiled species across the West,” said Josh Osher, Public Policy Director for Western Watersheds Project. “From sanctioning wolf slaughter to promoting unsustainable livestock grazing on public lands, Nesvik has consistently prioritized industry profits over ecological integrity. We need leadership rooted in science and recovery — not someone who treats the Endangered Species Act as an obstacle to be dismantled.”

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Over 150,000 Americans Oppose Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Effort to Eliminate Habitat Protections for Vulnerable Wildlife

Endangered Species Coalition — Mon, 19 May 2025 17:30:00 +0000

Scientists, legal experts, and environmental groups also urge Trump administration to drop proposed rule

WASHINGTON D.C. — Over 150,000 Americans have opposed a proposed rulemaking by the Trump administration to eliminate major habitat protections for endangered species in the U.S. after it was unveiled in April — and as the period for public input concludes today. The proposed rule would rescind the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s and National Marine Fisheries Service’s definitions of what counts as illegal “harm” to threatened and endangered wildlife under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“Harm” is currently defined to include significant habitat modification that kills or injures species by removing necessities such as food and shelter. The current definition of “harm” is an important tool for habitat conservation that has been in place for over 40 years and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995.

It has been integral to the ESA’s role in saving more than 99 percent of species under its protection including the bald eagle, Florida manatee, gray wolf, and many other iconic American wildlife. Even with the incredible success of the ESA, over 90 percent of listed species remain threatened by human-caused habitat destruction. If anything, the case for habitat protection under the ESA has grown even stronger over the years, with mountains of scientific evidence linking habitat and species’ survival.

The ESA was passed by Congress in 1973 with virtually unanimous bipartisan support. The lawmakers behind the ESA knew that scientists — not politicians — should decide whether vulnerable animal and plant species should be protected. In their spirit, three U.S. senators have officially demanded that the Trump administration explain how it came to its determination to eliminate habitat protections for U.S. wildlife and to answer whether industry influence was involved.

Additionally, a group of the nation’s leading scientists and experts on wildlife sent a letter to the Trump administration urging it to abandon the proposed rule, which the scientists state “lacks any scientific basis and misinterprets the Endangered Species Act.” And 25 legal scholars expressed “vehement opposition” to the proposed rule in a letter to the administration. The outpouring of public opposition to the proposed rule change is no surprise. Over 80 percent of Americans support the ESA. Most Americans know how important conserving habitats, lands, and waters are to our everyday lives and that protecting them should be a national priority. The stakes aren’t limited to wildlife — when ecosystems degrade, people suffer from threats to clean water, food security, and public health.

In response to the tens of thousands of Americans who are calling on the Trump administration to abandon its effort to eliminate habitat protections for vulnerable wildlife, 131 environmental and animal welfare groups from across the country issued the following statements:

“Tens of thousands of Americans have rejected the Trump administration’s callous effort to steal habitat away from our endangered species,” said Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles. “Trump’s proposed rule recklessly ignores common sense and common science. We’ll do all that we can to ensure vulnerable wildlife continue to have a livable habitat and a chance at survival.”

“Wildlife cannot survive without habitat — that’s not opinion, that’s biology,” said Josh Osher, public policy director for Western Watersheds Project. “This proposed rule is an industry-crafted blueprint for extinction, designed to let corporations destroy the very ground endangered species stand on, while pretending no harm is being done.”

“Loving wildlife is baked into our national heritage. Americans are very proud that our nation has prioritized conserving birds, fish and other wildlife that make our country so special,” said Ramona McGee, leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Wildlife Program. “Here in the South, the stakes are much higher because of our world-renowned biodiversity, which is increasingly at risk from human-made factors like habitat destruction from unchecked, harmful development. It is unconscionable that our leaders are unnecessarily attempting to remove vital wildlife and habitat protections to placate extractive industries.” 

“This nonstarter proposal ignores critical conservation provisions in a law that supports America’s most at-risk fish, wildlife, and plant populations, including over 600 species with habitat in our national parks,” said Christina Hazard, legislative director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “When food sources, nesting grounds or mating grounds are lost outside of national park boundaries, park wildlife will be lost as well.”

“Habitat integrity is among the most significant determinants of species’ survival; this rule change would jeopardize imperiled animals and entire ecosystems,” said Danielle Kessler, US Country Director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “Effective, science-driven implementation of the Endangered Species Act–including habitat protection–benefits animals and people alike.”

“The Trump administration is attempting to dismantle and discredit one of America’s most popular and successful laws,” said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “The current definition of ‘harm’ is a large part of what has made the ESA so effective at conserving imperiled species. This isn’t just redefining one word — it is gutting the heart of the Act. It will have cataclysmic consequences to the habitats, lands and waters that America’s wildlife relies upon, and goes against Congress’ intent for the law.”

“Extinction is forever,” says Katherine Miller, Country Director for FOUR PAWS USA. “If we allow the ESA to be weakened and species’ habitats to be destroyed for profit, the consequences of these decisions will reverberate for generations. Science has shown that protecting a listed species’ habitat is vital to their survival and recovery. This is why we urge FWS and NMFS to withdraw their proposed rule and uphold America’s commitment to save endangered species, ensuring a livable planet for all of us.”

“Loss of habitat is the number one reason species become endangered,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “Trump’s draconian proposal to end habitat protection for our most vulnerable wildlife rips out the heart of the Endangered Species Act and would put countless species on the path to extinction.”

“The Services’ proposal shows they are not serious about protecting imperiled species,” said Rebecca Riley, managing director for Food & Agriculture at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Habitat destruction is the number one threat to species’ survival, and yet they are coming up with weak excuses to claim Congress didn’t intend to address this existential threat.”

“Trump’s smash-and-grab habitat plan could welcome bulldozers and drilling rigs into the beautiful wild places that America’s most imperiled animals call home,” said Tara Zuardo, a senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The administration’s proposal seeks to rip a bloody hole in the Endangered Species Act, prioritizing industry profits over protecting habitat that’s crucial to preventing extinction. This is an illegal attempt to nullify a landmark wildlife law that’s supported by nearly every American who isn’t an oil executive, a timber baron or a Trump appointee.”

“Piping Plovers were set on a path to extinction due to millinery and hunting at the turn of the 19th century,” said Chris Allieri, founder and executive director, NYC Plover Project. “These are not the challenges the species is currently facing. The number one threat today is habitat loss, wherever they are found, including their wintering and breeding ranges. Without habitat protection, this species, and countless more, will go extinct.”

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Endangered Species Coalition Responds to Republican-led Congressional Attacks on Endangered Species Act and Gray Wolves

Endangered Species Coalition — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:18:56 +0000

Groups express wide opposition to proposed legislation.

Washington, D.C. —Today, the Republican-led House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries will consider legislation that would dramatically weaken the widely popular Endangered Species Act (ESA) and strip protections for gray wolves in 48 states.

The first bill — the “ESA Amendments Act of 2025” — would gut the critical protections that the ESA provides for thousands of imperiled species, upend the scientific consultation process (which has been the cornerstone of American species protection for 50 years), slow listings to a crawl while fast-tracking delistings, and allow much more exploitation of threatened species and shift their management out of federal hands to the states, even while they are still nationally listed.

The second bill — the so-called “Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025″ — would reissue the first Trump administration’s delisting of the gray wolf across most of the U.S. and bar judicial review of that action. In 2022, a federal court reversed this delisting, after conservation groups challenged it.

In addition to the Republican-led Congressional attacks on the ESA and gray wolves, the Trump administration recently terminated hundreds of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees — nearly 5 percent of the agency’s workforce — which is already critically understaffed. Without those employees, it will be even harder for disappearing vulnerable species to receive crucial protections, and for vitally important ecosystems across the U.S. to remain intact.

In response to attempts to undermine the ESA and delist gray wolves, organizations from across the country sent a letter to HNR leadership outlining opposition to the bills. Additionally, groups from the Endangered Species Coalition issued the following statements:

“These attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act, or to go around it by picking off species like the gray wolf, represent a fundamental disconnect between a small number of legislators and millions of Americans,” said Earthjustice legislative director for lands, wildlife, and oceans Addie Haughey. “The ESA — and the iconic species it protects — enjoys immense support across the political spectrum. If these bills move forward, Congress will be acting against popular will and ignoring science to sacrifice the wildlife we love and the ecosystems we rely on.”

“Congressman Westerman’s bill would eviscerate the Endangered Species Act and push imperiled species to extinction,” said Ellen Richmond, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “The Endangered Species Act is the backstop for our nation’s wildlife already at the brink of extinction and this bill would sanction their swift descent into nothingness. We urge our representatives in Congress to listen to the American public’s overwhelming support for the Endangered Species Act and reject this disastrous bill which does nothing to strengthen wildlife protections and instead reverses decades of conservation success.”

“We are in a biodiversity crisis, and Congress is playing with fire. These bills would accelerate extinction at a time when we can least afford it,” said Josh Osher, public policy director for Western Watersheds Project. “The Endangered Species Act isn’t just about saving wolves, grizzlies, or sea turtles—it’s about protecting the ecosystems that sustain us all. Weakening these protections pushes our planet further into collapse. Congress must open its eyes and reject these reckless attacks before it’s too late.”

“These extreme bills would gut protections for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. They are being introduced against a backdrop of sudden and indiscriminate firings across the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, robbing these agencies of the experts who implement these crucial protections based on the best available science,” said Susan Millward, executive director and chief executive officer for the Animal Welfare Institute. “These assaults on wildlife protections come at a time of staggering biodiversity loss, and imperiled species don’t have the luxury of waiting out these political games.”

“Extinction is forever,” says Katherine Miller, Country Director for FOUR PAWS USA. ” If we allow the protections afforded by the ESA to be weakened and undermined by legislation like this, the consequences of these decisions will reverberate for generations. The ESA protects both iconic native species like Bald eagles and non-native species like Bengal tigers. It has also protected millions of acres of habitat, ensuring a livable planet for all of us.”

“The ESA Amendments Act of 2025, introduced by Representative Westerman, is severely out of step with how most Americans view and support wildlife protection. It prioritizes big industry and special interests ahead of decades-long, science-based protections that work,” said Chris Allieri, executive director and founder, NYC Plover Project. “Radicals in Congress are fast-tracking extinction and looking to severely weaken, if not entirely remove, bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.”

“The Endangered Species Act is one of the country’s most popular and successful conservation laws, and Donald Trump wants to throw it in the garbage to pad the bottom lines of his corporate supporters,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “Since Day One of his administration, Trump has shown again and again that he wants to hand over control of our public lands and waters to billionaires and corporations. Imperiled wildlife will suffer the consequences. For more than 50 years, the United States has made amazing progress bringing species back from the brink of extinction. It’s because of the ESA that species like the grizzly bear and bald eagle are living symbols of America and not just photos in a history book. If Trump and his allies in Congress get their way, that progress won’t just come to a screeching halt – it could be completely reversed.”

“For decades, the Endangered Species Act has been a critical lifeline in preventing the irreversible loss of our nation’s wildlife. Legislation like H.R. 845 and H.R. 1897 would undermine this powerful tool against extinction and jeopardize ongoing recovery efforts of our iconic native species, like the gray wolf.” said Jennifer Eskra, Director of Legislative Affairs at Humane World Action Fund “At a time of growing biodiversity loss, it is essential that legislators prioritize science over politics and stand with the millions of Americans who support the ESA.”

“The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most respected and successful conservation laws. Unfortunately, Representative Westerman’s ESA amendments are crafted for greedy billionaires clinging to a 19th-century vision of plundering the planet,” said Endangered Species Coalition National Policy Director Jewel Tomasula. “This bill would devastate the sea turtles people love to see at the beach, the bumblebees that pollinate our food crops, and the spotted owls that indicate healthy forests. This bill would destroy wildlife and wild places, not protect them.”

“These reckless attacks on the Endangered Species Act and gray wolves are nothing more than a giveaway to industry at the expense of our nation’s most imperiled wildlife,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “Gutting protections for species on the brink of extinction is not reform—it’s a death sentence. Americans overwhelmingly support the ESA because it works, and we urge our representatives in Congress not to stand by while Trump and his allies try to dismantle one of our most effective conservation laws.”

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Endangered Species Act, Gray Wolves Targeted by Congress

Jewel Tomasula — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 13:50:04 +0000

House Natural Resources Committee considers bills to eliminate protections for threatened and endangered species and for the gray wolf

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2025
Contacts:
Jewel Tomasula jewel@endangered.org
Susan Holmes sholmes@endangered.org

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries will consider legislation to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and a separate bill to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list today.

Introduced by Representative Westerman (R-AR), the ESA Amendments Act of 2025 (H.R. 1897) would gut core protections for our most endangered wildlife. The bill would bring back regulations put in place by the Trump administration in 2019, which the Biden administration subsequently revised. It would slow the species listing process, speed up delisting, undermine the work of experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and gut the consultation process that ensures federal agencies do not take actions that could drive a species extinct.

“The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most respected and successful conservation laws. Ninety-nine percent of the species listed are with us today because of the ESA. Unfortunately, Representative Westerman’s ESA amendments are crafted for greedy billionaires clinging to a 19th-century vision of plundering the planet,” said Endangered Species Coalition National Policy Director Jewel Tomasula. “This bill would devastate the sea turtles people love to see at the beach, the bumblebees that pollinate our food crops, and the spotted owls that indicate healthy forests. This bill would destroy wildlife and wild places, not protect them.”

The hearing will also consider H.R. 845, sponsored by Representative Boebert (CO-04), which seeks to remove gray wolves from the list of endangered and threatened species and prohibit any challenges to the law in court. Specifically, the bill would reinstate a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) delisting decision issued in November 2020, the end of the first Trump administration, which was overturned in court because FWS did not use the best available science, among other serious errors.

“The return of the gray wolf to the lower-48 states is one of America’s greatest conservation success stories,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition. “Removing protection for wolves would reverse the recovery of one of our most beloved species and take us back to a time when wolves were shot, trapped, and poisoned until they disappeared from the landscape. Endangered Species Act protections remain key to ensuring gray wolves return to the American landscape where they belong,” said Holmes.

“Both these bills are completely out of step with the public and their love of wildlife, “ continued Holmes. “The Endangered Species Act has overwhelming bipartisan support. Eighty-nine percent of democrats and eighty percent of republicans support the ESA,” said Holmes. According to a recent poll by the National Parks Conservation Association, 84 percent of Americans support returning wolves to suitable national park landscapes in the Lower 48.

Background on the Endangered Species Act

The ESA provides practical solutions to recover plant and animal species threatened with extinction. As of 2023, 99% of all species listed as “endangered” or “threatened” under the ESA have been saved from extinction. Hundreds of species are on the path to recovery, thanks to actions facilitated and enforced under the ESA, which include partnerships with dedicated researchers, field workers, citizen scientists, and volunteers working to save species throughout the country.

Background on gray wolves

Approximately two million gray wolves roamed North America in the early 1800s, but both legal and illegal efforts eradicated them from the continental United States. Today, gray wolf numbers are fewer than 7,000, and they occupy only about 10 percent of their historic range in the Lower 48 States. A successful U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-led restoration effort in the mid-1990s, in partnership with Nez Perce Tribe, brought wolves back throughout the Northern Rockies region, and a voter-initiated effort to restore the species to Colorado began in 2024. Other areas of suitable habitat in the U.S. do not yet have an established population of gray wolves.

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Together We Have Power to Stop Trump and Congress from Gutting Protections for Endangered Species and Marine Mammals

Endangered Species Coalition — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:14:55 +0000

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are unjustly firing thousands of federal employees who make the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act work. They have also frozen funding for nonprofit organizations that partner with the agencies to conserve wildlife.

In addition, they are devising new policies to undo vital species protections. And, leaders in Congress are seeking to rewrite wildlife laws to favor wealthy industry bosses.

The damage is already being done to wildlife and the people who work to protect them. We’ve heard stories of endangered species recovery efforts being stalled and outright stopped. When species are on the brink, delay often means doom.

But our community has power if we speak with one voice. Now is the time for collective action to turn up the heat. Congress needs to be the check on executive power that they’re supposed to be.

What can we do?

Pressure Members of Congress with emails, calls, on social media, and asking questions at town halls or other events.

Send an email to your Representative and Senators

Tweet to your Representative and Senators

Script to Call Your Representative

Hello. My name is [YOUR NAME], and I live in [TOWN, STATE]. I am a constituent.

I urge the Representative to support the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and reject actions to dismantle and rewrite these laws.

Thank you.

Get ready to organize by watching Activist Training Lab videos on YouTube.

Make in-person connections with other wildlife advocates and take action together. Need a starting point? Check out our coalition member organizations.

Learn More about What’s Happening

A ‘recipe for extinction’: can the US’s envied nature protections survive Trump and his ‘God squad’? (The Guardian). A slew of early actions by the Trump administration has set about throwing open more land and waters for the fossil fuel industry, triggering the reversal of regulations that strengthen the Endangered Species Act.

Trump’s job cuts at this overlooked agency put every American at risk (Vox). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service terminated around 420 employees who were newly hired or recently promoted, amounting to about 5 percent of the agency’s workforce.

Leaked emails show the nation’s leading wildlife agency has halted critical funding for conservation (Vox). Several nonprofit organizations that receive funding from the Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed with Vox that they received stop-work orders.

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Honoring Pete McCloskey — Endangered Species Champion

ESC — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 20:34:58 +0000

By Susan Holmes, Executive Director

Pete McCloskey, a Republican member of Congress, co-author of the Endangered Species Act, longtime Endangered Species Coalition supporter, and member of our Advisory Board, passed away on May 8th at the age of 94.

A liberal Republican who represented an area south of San Francisco for fifteen years, Pete rose to national prominence in 1969 as an opponent of the Vietnam War. Bold and visionary, the following year, he co-authored the Endangered Species Act (Rep. Dingell was lead and Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Fish and Wildlife; Pete was the Ranking member) and co-founded Earth Day. During his time in Congress he was a champion for many strong environmental laws, including the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

But what I love most about Pete is that he made protecting the environment and endangered species a winning political issue. In his first race – a special primary against the childhood actor Shirley Temple Black – Pete won by mobilizing young voters in support of open space protection and the environment.

I first met Pete when he came out of retirement in 2006 to run a campaign to unseat Representative Richard Pombo, Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. Pombo had pledged to weaken the ESA and we knew that if he returned to Congress wildlife protections were on the chopping block. Although Pete lost the primary challenge to Pombo, he succeeded in winning 32% of the vote on a conservation platform. He went on to endorse Representative Jerry McNerney, a Democrat, who then defeated Pombo. The Sierra Club recognized Pete in 2006 for his work to unseat Pombo with their highest honor for public officials, the Edgar Wayburn Award.

Pete McCloskey wrote for the 40th Anniversary of the ESA, “…I consider co-authorship of the Endangered Species Act as the greatest contribution I have made in my lifetime to the welfare of this nation.” Thank you Pete! Endangered species, from alligators to whooping cranes, and all of us are so grateful for your life and legacy!

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Congressional Attacks on Endangered Species, New ESC Film on Colorado Wolves, Honoring Pete McCloskey and Chalk Art Contest Winners and More – The Saving Species Newsletter – Summer 2024

ESC — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:39:33 +0000

At the Endangered Species Coalition, we love wolves. Sharing the same genetic background as the dogs we welcome into our families, wolves are intensely social, curious, and form deep family bonds. They are also keystone species with the power to heal damaged ecosystems like Yellowstone. After being almost entirely gone in the lower 48 states, wolves are returning. This month, we are celebrating new pups from the wolves recently reintroduced to Colorado. Today, over 6,500 gray wolves live in the West’s wild open spaces, filling the night with their howls.

But, at the same time, we are seeing an epidemic of cruelty and killing that threatens to reverse this wildlife comeback story – one of the most important successes in the history of conservation.

In Wyoming, the tragic torture and killing of a young female wolf have shined a spotlight on the state’s indiscriminate killing of wildlife. 85% of the state is a designated “predator zone.” That means wolves and other predators can be killed without a hunting license, using almost any method, including hounding, baiting, neck snares, leg-hold traps, M-44 cyanide bombs, and running over with a snowmobile.

In Wisconsin, a state-managed wolf hunt in 2021 took place during the breeding season, killing pregnant females and disrupting family packs when it was critical for pups to survive. More than 85% of the wolves who lost their lives in this hunt were killed by hunters using packs of dogs. Hunters and trappers killed 216 wolves in fewer than three days – 20% of the state’s population and far above the state-imposed quota of 119 wolves.

In Idaho and Montana, it is the 1800s all over again. State leaders have passed laws to allow hunters to use chokehold snares, night goggles, aerial gunning, all-terrain vehicles, bait stations, hounds, and even bounties in the pursuit of killing wolves. In 2022 and 2023, Idaho hunters and trappers killed more than 560 wolves. In Montana, during the same period, over 450 wolves were killed. The average lifespan of a wolf in the Northern Rockies outside of Yellowstone is only 2-3 years.

In this month’s newsletter you will read more about our work to protect wolves including the premiere of the ESC film “Welcome Home,” in Colorado, and the launch of our National Wolf Recovery Campaign. With these new efforts we will ramping up our wolf work and advocating for new national and state policies to end wolf persecution and to promote recovery of wolves to wild ecosystems across the U.S.

We could not do this without your continued support. Thank you for helping us bring back the howl of the wolf and for keeping the world a little more wild!

Susan Holmes, Executive Director

Pete McCloskey – Endangered Species Champion and Environmental Giant

Susan Holmes – Executive Director

ESC and Member Groups Take Wolf Protection Message to Capitol Hill

In June, the Endangered Species Coalition organized Capitol Hill meetings in Washington, DC, for wolf advocates to let their elected officials know about the epidemic of wolf cruelty taking place in the U.S.

We met with dozens of Members of Congress, including Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) pictured left, to educate them on the horrific treatment of wolves in the Northern Rockies where wolves are not protected under the Endangered Species Act. Several policymakers expressed interest in helping secure better treatment for wolves, such as stopping “wolf whacking” (running down wildlife with motorized vehicles like snowmobiles), securing greater protections for wolves on federal lands, and protecting predators like wolves with animal cruelty laws.

Susan Holmes speaks at wolf rally in Washington, DC

Joining the wolf advocates were Jonas Black and fellow bikers, the Hogs for Hope, who organized a ride for wolves from his hometown of Austin, TX, to Daniel, WY (the location of the recent wolf torture) and then onto Washington, DC.

ESC and member groups participated in a rally with the Wild Beauty Foundation on the lawn outside the Capitol building. Dozens of people joined from across the country to show their support for wolves.

Take action to protect wolves from cruelty.

Wolf Pups in Colorado and the Premiere of ESC’s film, “Welcome Home”!

Ryan Sedgeley – Southern Rockies Field Representative

Colorado has wolf pups! Our first wolf family, the “Copper Creek Pack,” is now established with the confirmation of pups being born to one of the reintroduced wolves from Oregon. For months, the momma wolf has been exhibiting all the right signs, including a den. We welcome our new bunch of Colorado-born wolf puppies, the next generation of wolves in Colorado.

Along with this happy development, we are excited to announce the completion of a new 20 minute film celebrating the success of Colorado wolf reintroduction efforts by award winning . Director Alan Lacy. Called “Welcome Home,” the film will premiere in Denver on Thursday, July, 18th at 6pm. To see the trailer and to attend the premiere, please visit our Welcome Home webpage. Stay tuned for details on how to view the film online. Read more…

Fundraising Match Campaign for Wolves LIVE NOW

Any donation made between now and the 31st of August to our wolf campaign will be matched. Wolves are facing multiple challenges and threats. The Administration recently declined to protect them in the Northern Rockies and a legislation from Lauren Boebert that would slash their protections nationwide passed the House of Representatives and could be voted on by the Senate as a part of funding legislation soon.

We are working with our member groups and allies to stop that legislation and to support legislative and regulatory solutions to prevent wolf-whacking (killing wolves with snowmobiles) and to shape future policy for wolf recovery nationwide.

Please make a matched gift today to help us reach our goal.

Congressional Attacks on the Endangered Species Act Increase Ahead of 2024 Election

Jewel Tomsula – Policy Advisor

The Endangered Species Coalition serves as an important resource for wildlife champions in Congress. We work to track legislative attacks, provide the most up to date information, coordinate on strategy to shore up opposition to attacks and activate public support for the ESA.

This Spring we worked closely with the Congressional ESA Caucus to request full funding for the Endangered Species Act. This year’s request was signed by 137 Members of Congress, an increase from previous years and a testament to the dedicated outreach of our advocates. This is the good news.

Unfortunately, leaders on the House Appropriations Committee continue to ignore the widespread support for the Act and for wildlife conservation, instead catering to industry interests. Rep. Simpson’s (R-ID) FY25 Department of Interior Funding bill slashes money for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and contains at least 15 anti-wildlife poison pill riders—the largest number of policy amendments that has ever been included in the base bill in the 50-year history of the Endangered Species Act. One of the poison pill amendments would delist the gray wolf across the continental United States, while others would block grizzly bear reintroduction, protections for wolverines, and stop improving the management of National Wildlife Refuges. Other funding bills include poison pill riders that would harm salmon recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest and risk extinction of the North Atlantic right whale.

Attacks on the Endangered Species Act have also been proposed for other must-pass legislation – including the five-year Farm Bill and the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Ultimately, what passes into law will come down to negotiation among the leaders of the House, Senate and White House – and all signs indicate that these negotiations will happen after the November elections when new Congressional leadership will be determined. Take action to stop these harmful amendments.

Endangered Species Day Chalk Art Contest Engages Schools and People to Learn about At-Risk Wildlife

Tara Thornton – Director of Institutional Engagement

Art contests are one of the highlights of our annual Endangered Species Day celebration. We’ve been asked, why chalk art? We use chalk art because it’s a medium people of all ages and skill sets can relate to. It’s inexpensive and can be done anywhere- a school playground, a sidewalk, or a rooftop.

This year, on Endangered Species Day, we received 180 chalk art submissions from across the US and as far away as India through our social media channels.

At ESC, we use art in our work on Endangered Species Day and throughout the year. We believe art can be a powerful tool for the many individuals who may not identify as traditional activists. Art provides an entry point into civic participation, and communicates a powerful story to the public. Engaging people in this way helps shift our culture toward a more profound respect for nature.

Schools and zoos across the country and even overseas have participated in our art competitions. This is our fourth year using chalk art to engage students and the public. Virginia Preparatory School had this to say about their participation: “We like celebrating the beauty of the endangered and threatened animals (or plants) and raising awareness of their plight in a fun and creative way. The impermanent nature of chalk art speaks to the threat of extinction these species face.”

And from Immaculate Heart Academy of NJ: “ The AP Bio students are in their final academic unit on Conservation Biology and Global Change and are excited to be featuring a threatened or endangered species of their choosing in their chalk art to… raise awareness for these organisms that are threatened with extinction.”

While all the works are amazing, we could only recognize a few…

Tiger, Nithya

Grand Prize Award went to Nithya for her Tiger. “I am an artist of Indian origin. The Bengal tiger is an iconic symbol of India and I have seen the decline of this species to around 2500 tigers. I felt that art has the power to inspire change and advocate for these magnificent species.”

Red Panda, Phoebe

With 309 “likes” on social media for her chalk art the People’s Choice Award went to Phoebe for her Red Panda. “I mostly did this for fun and to help spread awareness about the endangered species of animals. The red panda really speaks to me, and I love its beautiful design, so that’s why I drew it!”

To learn more go to: https://www.endangered.org/chalk-art-contest-winners-chosen/

Member Group Highlight – Wyoming Wildlife Advocates

Tara Thornton – Director of Institutional Engagement

This month, we are highlighting our member group, Wyoming Wildlife Advocate (WWA), for their leadership in fighting for endangered and keystone species. WWA is advocating for permanent grizzly protection, ethical, science-based elk management, and returning wolves to their rightful place in Wyoming’s ecosystem. They work to inform, educate, and empower communities across Wyoming to protect wildlife and modernize wildlife management.

WWA’s work on wolves came to a head when a yearling female wolf was cruelly tortured and killed in late February. Run down by a Daniel, Wyoming, resident on his snowmobile. Her mouth was taped shut, and she was paraded around a local bar for hours before finally being shot.

Local and state laws allow this behavior. Wolves are considered predators in 85% of the state, and it is legal to kill them on sight, year-round, without a license, using any method. Wyoming Wildlife Advocates is working to change these laws. They are working with state legislators, who have formed a stakeholder committee to review the treatment of “predatory” animals. We’re hopeful that significant changes for wolves and other predators will be made in the state’s next legislative session, and we will continue to work with WWA and our member groups in the region to protect wolves.

ESC Uses Bear Awareness Week to Send a Message to Department of Interior

Derek Goldman – National Field Director

ESC projected a message on US Department of Interior

This year, national Bear Awareness Week fell in mid-May, and we decided to use that opportunity to raise awareness about grizzly bears, in a most unique way. ESC worked with the Backbone Campaign and a few of our conservation partners to project the image of a grizzly bear onto the wall of the U.S. Department of Interior. The following day, our staff returned to Interior and delivered over 100,000 petition signatures Sec. Haaland and FWS Director Martha Williams, urging them to keep grizzly bears protected.

ESC and member organization staff delivering petition

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering removal ofESAt protections for two populations of grizzly bears—the Yellowstone and the Northern Continental Divide (think: Glacier) populations. While progress has been made towards recovering these bears from a century of persecution, they still face threats from expanding development and recreation in their habitat. More recently, states like Montana and Idaho have passed aggressive, anti-carnivore policies that could jeopardize future recovery and progress so far. Some politicians and government bureaucrats in these states are hostile to grizzlies and other carnivores, and they have demonstrated intent to reduce the grizzly population once FWS oversight is removed. That’s why ESC is opposing efforts to delist grizzly bears at this time.

Add your name to tell the US Fish and Wildlife Service to keep grizzly bears protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The Grizzly bear is an American wildlife icon, and a key component of our unique Western wildlife heritage. Lewis and Clark wrote about encountering grizzly bears when they explored the West more than 200 years ago. As one of the slowest-reproducing mammals on the planet, grizzly bears will always be sensitive to mortality, and will require continuous, strong conservation measures. We need to keep ESA safeguards in place until the science shows grizzly bears are fully recovered, and until the states have adequate rules in place to ensure grizzly bears will thrive for future generations.

Celebrating and Conserving Sonoran Desert Species

Jeanne Dodds – Creative Engagement Director

Saguaro cactus. Agave. Monarch butterflies. These are just a few of the iconic plant and animal species of the Sonoran Desert spotlighted at one of our recent community events for biodiversity conservation, in Arivaca, Arizona. On April 20th, we celebrated and raised awareness of imperiled species, through visual art, community outreach, native plantings, science lectures, and youth activities. In partnership with the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project, and with a generous donation of agaves from member organization Bat Conservation International, the Endangered Species Coalition installed agave and other native plants to create a night blooming garden for nighttime pollinator specialists, including pollinating bats and moths.

While community members installed the native plants, including the agave along with night blooming yucca, datura, and others, Tohono O’odham artist Paul ‘Nox’ Pablo painted a representative mural, illustrating the nighttime garden species and the plants on which they rely. The center panel of the mural features a whirlwind design, which has significance in the Tohono O’odham culture as a representation of the wind and is an important symbol of pollination and the element of air. Read more…

Art and Storytelling Move People to Protect Orcas

John Rosapepe, Pacific Northwest Field Representative

On the evening of June 12th, tribal members, whale activists, salmon researchers, and so many more gathered at the Seattle Aquarium for All Our Relations: Tribute to the Orca. It was the Endangered Species Coalition’s honor to sponsor the commemoration and to be in the presence of so many people who bring us immense hope for the future of our Southern Residents. The energy and inspiration of the night will not soon be forgotten.

There was reflection and grief for the passing of the mother orca Tokitae, Tahlequah, and all the orca mothers who have lost their children. But there was hope for healthy orcas, returning salmon, and a free-flowing Snake River. The program opened with a statement from Duwamish Tribal Council Member Ken Workman. His words went beyond the Duwamish, thanking the many tribes of the Salish Sea for their millennia of stewardship.

In addition to the main program speakers and education tables from organizations, artwork was a key piece of the event’s focus. Part of Gabriel Newton’s Superpod collection, acrylics of the Southern Residents painted on driftwood pieces, were hung on the walls. And Cyaltsa Finkbonner’s striking welded sculpture, filled with its symbolism and imagery, was center stage. They served to remind us of the power art has to make connections and tell stories. Read more…

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Update: Colorado has wolf pups!

Ryan Sedgeley — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:27:37 +0000

Colorado has wolf pups! Our first wolf pack, the “Copper Creek Pack,” is now established with the confirmation of pups being born to one of the reintroduced wolves from Oregon. The momma wolf has been exhibiting all the right signs including a den for months now. We welcome our new bunch of Colorado-born wolf puppies that are the next generation of wolves in Colorado.

Along with this exciting development, we are excited to announce the completion of our new short film celebrating the success of Colorado wolf reintroduction efforts. The film by Director Alan Lacy is titled “Welcome Home” and we are excited to share it with you! This 20 minute film will premiere in Denver on Thursday July, 18th at 6pm. Stay tuned for details on how to view the film online.

Along with creating an amazing new film. We have been advocating for Colorado wolves at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meetings. We’ve been asking for patience from ranchers, CPW and all folks learning to live with wolves. Thankfully, the Commission heard us and they have decided to assemble a working group to determine questions about what constitutes “chronic depredation.” We have also been asking the Commission to do all they can to protect wolves on the border with Wyoming where they are not only without protections, they are often brutally killed there as part of the culture of disdain and abuse of wildlife there.

We need to continue to give ourselves and our wolves room to learn what life together is like again while keeping in mind that Colorado can do this and do this right. We need to choose restraint and thoughtfulness even in the face of provocateurs who are cynically spreading lies and generating fears about wolves.

As we enter summer let’s look at the hope and promise that wolf pups bring. Let’s remember to speak up for the wolves who need advocates like you to ensure they have a chance to thrive.

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Wyoming Wolf Tortured and Killed. USFWS Must Act.

ESC — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:58:31 +0000

On February 28th of this year–just 26 days after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service denied gray wolves protections–Cody Roberts of Daniel Wyoming tortured and killed a female yearling gray wolf after running her down with a snowmobile and taping her mouth shut.

This abhorrent act of cruelty cannot become normal or acceptable. The wildlife that you and I fight for every day face enough threats from habitat loss, climate change, and over consumption by lawful hunters. Torture cannot be added to that already-grave list.

Share this story to build pressure on decision-makers to act.

While this disgusting action likely shocks you as much as it does me, Mr. Roberts is currently facing a mere $250 fine for possessing a live wild animal. To put a fine point on that: running a wolf to exhaustion with a snowmobile and incapacitating her, taping her mouth shut, parading the still-live wolf around a bar, and finally killing and skinning her do not violate state law. Only the possession of the live animal is a low-level infraction.

Wyoming’s Governor,¹ the local sheriff,² the Director of the state’s fish and wildlife agency, and former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Dan Ashe³ have issued statements condemning this brutal attack. But to date, the current Director of the USFWS, Martha Williams, and her boss, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, have had no comment.

The USFWS could have prevented this. We worked for more than two years to organize support for the protection of gray wolves in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana under the Endangered Species Act.⁴ Scientists, legal experts, activists, biologists, and Tribal representatives advocated to Secretary Haaland and Director Williams in support of protection.

And let’s be clear: Wyoming’s designated “predator zone,” 85 percent of the state where wolves can be shot on sight (without even a hunting license,) should never have been approved by the USFWS as an acceptable wolf management plan. Such a classification sends a message to the public that state wildlife officials consider wolves a pest and enables the type of horrific treatment of wolves that we witnessed last week.

As I wrote above, their decision to deny those crucial safeguards preceded this act of cowardly torture by just 26 days. I do not know if Mr. Roberts felt empowered by the USFWS deciding that these wolves did not warrant protection–but I do know that the agency could have acted before it and it can surely act now.

Today, I am asking you to share this story. The more people who know what happened to this wolf, the more the Administration will feel pressure to act. Please post to social media or share this story with a friend.

We will be in touch soon with additional actions that we can all take to protect wolves in the Northern Rockies and Colorado from similar acts of torture.

Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Susan Holmes
Executive Director
Endangered Species Coalition

PS. Are the links not working? Please take action to share this story on this page: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/wolves-are-not-safe

1. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/04/08/gov-gordon-joins-outrage-over-torment-of-wyoming-wolf/

2. https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/natural-resources-energy/2024-04-08/wolfs-capture-alleged-abuse-by-wyoming-man-condemned-highlights-legal-limitations

3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/10/wyoming-wolf-bar-animal-abuse

4. https://www.endangered.org/statement-of-endangered-species-coalition-on-todays-announcement-by-the-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-to-deny-federal-protections-to-gray-wolves-in-the-northern-rockies/

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Court Ruling Halts Wolf Trapping and Snaring in Idaho Grizzly Bear Habitat

Email Poster — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:31:56 +0000

Trapping and snaring will no longer be allowed during non-denning periods

Contacts:

Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, pwheeler@earthjustice.org, 202-792-6211
Dana Johnson, Wilderness Watch, danajohnson@wildernesswatch.org, 208-310-7003
Greg LeDonne, Western Watersheds Project, greg@westernwatersheds.org, 208-779-2079
KC York, Trap Free Montana, info@trapfreemt.org, 406-218-1170
Dallas Gudgell, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Dallas@wildlifecoexistence.org 208-914-5194
Nick Gevock, Sierra Club, nick.gevock@sierraclub.org, 406-533-9432
Collette Adkins, Center for Biological Diversity, cadkins@biologicaldiversity.org, 651-955-3821
Nicholas Arrivo, Humane Society of the United States, narrivo@humanesociety.org, 202-961-9446

Boise, ID – A summary judgment ruling in Idaho District Court yesterday will prevent the state of Idaho from authorizing wolf trapping and snaring in grizzly bear habitat during non-denning periods. The decision will stop trapping and snaring in Idaho’s Panhandle, Clearwater, Salmon, and Upper Snake regions between March 1 and November 30 on public and private lands to prevent the unlawful take of Endangered Species Act-protected grizzly bears.

The decision stated, “There is ample evidence in the record, including from Idaho’s own witnesses, that lawfully set wolf traps and snares are reasonably likely to take grizzly bears in Idaho.”

Thirteen conservation groups filed suit over the impacts of Idaho’s expanded wolf trapping and snaring to non-target grizzly bears in December 2021. Idaho’s challenged trapping and snaring rules, which have become more expansive in the past decade, allowed for year-round trapping and snaring on private land to help meet Idaho’s goal of killing up to 90% of the state’s gray wolf population. Grizzly bears have been captured in wolf traps and snares in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada, and the court found that Idaho’s trapping rules violate the Endangered Species Act because grizzlies are likely to be captured in these deadly traps in the future.

“For the Nimiipuu people, protecting wolves and grizzly bears is akin to protecting a family member,” said Julian Matthews, coordinator for Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment. “We are thankful for this decision that will end the trapping and snaring of wolves in grizzly bear habitat during non-denning periods. It is critical that we maintain protections for wolves and grizzlies to ensure these species can continue to carry out their roles on this land.”

“Today’s decision is a victory for grizzly bears and all species impacted by Idaho’s indiscriminate wolf trapping and snaring,” said Ben Scrimshaw, senior associate attorney with Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies Office. “Even the state of Idaho has acknowledged the risk trapping and snaring poses to ESA-protected grizzly bears but has allowed it to continue during non-denning periods anyway. We are thankful that the court acknowledged this extreme risk and stepped in to prevent more harm.”

In July 2021, Idaho expanded the dangers of wolf-trapping to grizzly bears by establishing a permanent wolf-trapping season on private property across the state, eliminating limits on the number of wolves one person can kill, and providing financial incentives for wolf killing by raising wolf quotas and introducing state-sponsored, private-contractor killing of wolves. Idaho’s decision to continue wolf baiting with meat and scent ensures that grizzly bears will be attracted to wolf traps and snares at high rates.

“Today’s ruling provides a reprieve for grizzly bears in Idaho, not to mention wolves” said Dana Johnson, attorney and policy director for Wilderness Watch. “Grizzly bear communities in the state are already struggling—the last thing grizzlies need is to be collateral damage in Idaho’s war on wolves. This ruling makes their homes more secure and increases the odds of grizzly bears finding their way back to prior homelands, including the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the broader Bitterroot Recovery Zone—an area critical for landscape-scale recovery of grizzlies.”

“Grizzly bears face too many barriers in recovering throughout Idaho ecosystems and it’s good to see this reckless trapping policy crossed off the list of concerns,” said Nick Gevock, field organizing strategist at Sierra Club. “Unfortunately we need to be prepared for more attacks and there is still much work to be done to ensure grizzlies have the room and safety they need to gain healthy populations throughout Idaho and beyond.”

“An iconic species such as the grizzly bear deserves to have better management than what has been parsed out over the years and this is a step in the right direction, ” said Clint Nagel, president of the Gallatin Wildlife Association. “The indiscriminate taking of wildlife is beneficial to no one and that is exactly why this was the right decision. It is time to treat our wildlife as the intrinsic value of our overall existence, for that is who they are.”

“This decision means that other threatened species like grizzlies won’t be caught up as collateral damage in Idaho’s persecution of wolves,” said Greg LeDonne, Idaho director for Western Watersheds Project. “The upheaval and ecological harm promoted by the state’s wolf management policies run counter to Idaho’s stated goal of reducing conflict between livestock and wildlife, and it’s good that today’s decision at least limits some of the effects of this anti-science approach.”

“We are pleased with the court’s decision as there truly is no such thing as wolf trapping. Trapping is indiscriminate, putting protected grizzly bears at risk, as well as anyone who comes across a trapped grizzly,” said KC York, president/founder of Trap Free Montana.

“Today’s ruling is good for grizzly bears in these key areas,” said Suzanne Asha Stone, director of the Idaho-based International Wildlife Coexistence Network. “Endangered Species Act protections have helped restore grizzly bears to their historic landscapes, where they once thrived for centuries. Today’s ruling recognizes the need for humans to actively coexist with these species and their natural habitat.”

“This is such a relief for me and for everyone who cares about grizzlies and wolves,” said Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The court recognized that trapping’s just not legal when it can end up causing agonizing pain and injury to endangered animals. This is a common-sense ruling that will make grizzly bears and other wildlife safer from traps that are inherently cruel.”

“This highlights that the State of Idaho cannot be trusted to manage grizzly bears if they were to be removed from the Endangered Species list,” said Jeff Juel, forest policy director with Friends of the Clearwater.

“This ruling gives Idaho’s grizzly bears a much-needed reprieve from cruel and indiscriminate traps in their habitat,” said Nicholas Arrivo, managing attorney for the Humane Society of the United States. “We cannot afford to let grizzlies become a casualty of Idaho’s intensifying war on wolves.”

“This wonderful victory for grizzly bears and for wolves shows that even Idaho is not above the law,” said Constance Poten, board chair of Footloose Montana. “It gives much needed respect and hope for essential native wildlife.”

Earthjustice is representing the Center for Biological Diversity, Footloose Montana, Friends of the Clearwater, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Global Indigenous Council, the Humane Society of the United States, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, Sierra Club, Trap Free Montana, Western Watersheds Project, Wilderness Watch, and Wolves of the Rockies in the lawsuit.

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