When Wolf Management Becomes a Weapon Against the West
By: Caroline Weiss | KPAX
MISSOULA — The future of northern Rocky Mountain wolf protections came before a federal court in Missoula on Wednesday.
The hearing was the latest in a long battle over Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves.
Lawyers for the federal government and conservation groups squared off in front of U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy, presenting arguments about the merit of a petition denied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) over federal protections for regional gray wolves.
Gray wolves are currently protected under the Endangered Species Act in the Lower 48, except in the Northern Rockies region. Wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Utah do not receive federal protections.
Conserv...