How federal budget-makers cut wolves from the endangered-species list
After years of legal wrangling over the issue, why was Congress able to take such swift and irrevocable action, all within the framework of a budget deal?
The last-minute budget deal that Democrats and Republicans worked out last Friday night may be, as President Obama said, “historic” for more reasons than one. Language in the legislation that may keep the federal government afloat “basically overturns the moral imperative that drove the passage of the Endangered Species Act,” says Doug Honnold, managing attorney of Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies office.
The language will “delist” wolves in Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and Utah — and will make that delisting unreviewable by the courts. Can Congress really do that? Yes, it can.
Photo: Courtesy kewlwallpapers.com
Boulder White Clouds Council
Exposing The Big Game
Footloose Montana
Friends of the Clearwater
Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
Louise du Toit
LUPUSLAETUS
Mercy For Animals
Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance (NIWA)
Predator Friendly®- Because Wildlife Matters
Project Coyote
Project: Wolf
The Nature Conservancy
The Ravensong Group
WildEarth Guardians
Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic-Vote Our Wildlife
Wolf And Wildlife Studies: Jay Mallonee (Independent Wolf Biologist)
Wolf Song of Alaska
Wolves in english ! Les loups en anglais !
WWP's Gray Wolf Page
Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative
Howling For Justice 
I AM DISCUSTED WITH CONGRESS!!!!!!! THESE ANIMALS WILL BE SHOT TO THE POINT OF EXTINCTION!!!!!!! MAN DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO LOOK AFTER THIS PLANET!!!!! THE WHITE MAN RUINS EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH!!!
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Oh I agree 100% . Everything They Touch They Destroy.
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vanne…they knew full well of the toxic environment toward wolves in the Northern Rockies and they voted for the rider anyway. Those Senators are beneath contempt.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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i agree,i am ashamed to be a white man…these people who hunt the wolf,they need to be hunted down like the pigs that they are!!! i would love to change THE WORLD—BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO…..
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Congress is a joke! One can only hope that karma comes back to get them.
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Come on to the point of extinction? You saying that is like me saying the elk is going to be extinct because the wolf is going to eat them all. Let’s be realistic. Both statements are just silly.
Both extreme sides of this issue need to calm down, I personally am a hunter and actually wouldn’t mind seeing wolves in the wild. I will never actually hunt wolves its not my thing
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people where hunting wolves while they where still on the ESA list. and what i dont understand is why do we kill wolves, are they not just looking for food to survive? are we not looking for animals to kill for trophies and very little for food? do wolves not deserve to have a chance to live
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The thing is Lucas there have been wolf hunts going on in the Northern Rockies almost since they were reintroduced. Wildlife Services kills hundreds of wolves every year for agribusines. They trap and shoot them, aerial gun them and god knows what else. We didn’t need another wolf hunt. This is a very little known fact, most people have never heard of Wildlife Services.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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I accidently hit the submit button before I was done. But to my point, extremist on both sides are making statements that are just ridiculous. I here anti wolf statements that really make me embarrassed to be a hunter, but at the same time the pro wolf side are making statements that are just plain silly.
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Lots of emotion on both sides Trent, people who love wolves are outraged by what happened. This was not a fair fight. Attaching a rider to a budget bill was underhanded and wrong on so many levels. If you had to chose which side has taken the moral high ground you would have to chose the pro-wolf side. Take a look at the cast of characters who drove the anti-wolf hysteria? Its not even close.
Wolves have been lied about to the point that those lies have become dogma. Wolves effect on livestock is so minimal it’s not worth mentioning. Did you know they were responsible for just 97 cow loses in 2009 out of almost three million cows in Montana? Coyotes are the main predator of cattle but they are just a blip as well. It’s disease, calving and weather that take the huge toll. You won’t hear that in the media. They print the party line from the Cattleman’s Assoc. Wolves are also not eating all the elk. There are almost 400,000 elk in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Those are the RMEF numbers.
Wolves are self regulating, you can see that happening in Yellowstone right now. Wolves have never killed anyone in the lower forty eight in over a hundred years. They’re not snatching kids from bustops and chasing people in the woods. This is just hyperbole to stir up the hate. There is no such thing as a sub-species called “Canadian Wolves”. There are just wolves who live in Canada and those wolves have been crossing over the invisible boundary that separates the US and Canada for thousands and thousands of years.
It’s very simple, once again wolves have been scapegoated, the same thing that happened a hundred years ago and now they are going to be suffer and die for the hatred of a small, vocal group that can’t tolerate having an apex predator on their turf.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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My Son Is Also And Hunter, He Would Like To See The Wolf released into Pa to Control The Coyotes in that State, He Hunts Deer & Only Deer. Myself Its So Wrong To Destroy The Wolf, These Big Cattle Ranchers Want Them Totally Destroyed, MONEY TALKS, OUR So Called Government can Be Bought . There All a Bunch Of Cowards to Do This To Our Wolves. . We Need To Vote Them All OUT, We Don’t Need Our Earth Destroyed, there morons.
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I love wolves and only want them to have a chance to live, this bill has made me and many others ferious and ashamed to be americans. we are trying to fight it because it not only affects us but its UNCONSTITUTIONAL and deserves to be re thought, and taken back
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Travesties like this happen because so many people have the view of the previous commenter. Yes, it IS a big deal to start attaching riders that impact environmental issues that citizens have labored over for years. It shows that the ultimate control belongs to our publicly paid lobbyists – who no longer represent the people, but their major donors. If you don’t care about wolves in particular (as it would seem from the post) then you should be outraged at the abuse of attaching the rider. Complacency of the voter is what got us our current ineffective legislature.
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karen….Congress cut the people right out of the process when they allowed Testers rider to be attached to an appropriations bill. Wolves do not belong in budget bill. Gutting the ESA to get to wolves, just to please wolf hating ranchers and hunters, is egregious in the extreme.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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i hate the congress they are trying to make killing wolves legal and that is stupid the congress is a failure we need to save the wolves not kill them!!!!!!!SAVE THE WOLVES!!!!!!!!!!we need to sign more petitions
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We are working on a strategy katelyn. Please share any ideas you may have. We are looking for input from everyone on how to battle this rider and the delisting. I know there is a way to help wolves. We have to come together as one to win this for them.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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I do think that it has been blown out of proportion but it has been on both sides. I just think the wolf has successfully been recovered and it is time that it be removed so money can be spent on other species. All I have to say is there is way too much panic on the pro wolf side. The wolf is not going to go away even with it being delisted. Look at the coyote for example, in almost every state that animal has no protection what so ever I can hunt them year round and shoot as many as I wanted if I wanted. And being surrounded by sportsmen myself I hear way more complaints about that animal than the wolf.
Now that this animal has been successfully recovered, and it may be considered sneaky the way it was delisted, but it was time. I love wildlife, I love the wilderness and the wolf does have a right. But its time to move on now, it was a successful recovery and I am positive it will remain successful.
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Recovered?
The grey wolf inhabits approximately 5% of its natural range across North America. Two years ago the hunts were called ‘a success’ they day after they ended. Not a very prudent way of discerning the consiquences of the reduction of wolf numbers. Commemorative framed wolf tags were auctioned off in Idaho. 10 000 tags were sold for 75 wolves in Montana. The hunts were started, why? Because they could. Not for any scientifically valid reason.
Trent,
A simple ‘wolves are here to stay’ would be better.
The fact is that the delisting was not only done in an underhanded manner but -illegally-. No matter how you paint it, it was wrong for Tester to do this. For the past few months we on this site have watched the corruption pile up and still we wonder how it was that such selfish political interests have anything to do with science. Both Otter and Schweitzer had proclaimed that they would not allow authorities to investigate poaching. That is corruption. They couldn’t win in the courts because Wyoming wouldn’t comply. Now the wolf is delisted, but without the understanding of the general public to ensure its long term survival. Really we of the pro-wolf side have seen enough over the years to warrant our displeasure and disgust over the recent events. The states have wiped the wolves out before fuelled by the same rhetoric – it hasn’t changed in 70 years.
Grey wolves are apex predators, their numbers are controlled naturally by the available food around them, if food is scarce they either move on or don’t breed for that year. Yet it is blamed by hunters, as an excuse to be the ‘hero’ when they kill them, that they (for example) decimate ungulate herds and snatch children from bus stops.
This is more prevalent than you seem to realise.
There is no point to killing a wolf, ethically or for ecological reasons, there is no ’emergency” – its just killing for entertainment. Something that does not belong in the 21st Century.
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I read your post nabeki and I don’t mean to put words in your mouth but I feel as though you think I am complaining about the wolves eating up my elk, I actually welcome the wolf for hopes they regulate the coyotes a little. Because personally I love the mule deer, I am fascinated by that creature but in my neck of the woods they are struggling big time and I think coyotes are a big part of the equation. I think if wolves were there it might would help, but I don’t know. What I do know is that there is way too much money being spent on a recovered animal, on an animal that is doing quite well and in my opinion will still do well. Just last fall I was elk hunting in south central Utah in a very remote area and came across definite wolf tracks. I am absolutely positive it was wolf, we were only a few hours behind it. The wolf has spread all over and I’m positive it will continue to do so.
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Everyone is struggling,your state isn’t the only one or doesn’t have a corner on it. The bill was a shady shot. The Senators will have their fame now but future generatons may not view it as such.Washington hardly has any wolves and their screaming,along with Washington.Utah doesn’t even want wolves.Some hunters don’t mind the wolves and all the other beautiful things that nature gives/brings us but others, one wonders.
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I have finally finished proofreading, editing, and publishing my letter to the Care 2 site… next stop, Washington D.C. Here is the link to the petition,
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/defend-our-wolf-brothers-and-sisters/
Please take the time to sign and share with everyone you know. And if you feel obliged to send to your elected officials, please do. I can provide you with the original document so you don’t have to copy and past a bunch of junk. Thank you all and keep your heads up, remember what we are fighting for and make your voices heard.
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If it is right to kill an endangered animal, why then can man put himself to death for it?
I placed this msg., with some of my WOLF friends, but I also extend it to Polar Bears, Cougars, Whales and other animals with common sense.
CONGRESS, SPECIAL INTREST GROUPS AND RANCHERS AND THE LIKES EXCLUDED for obvious reasons..
DE-LIST the AMERICAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM, till someone runs with a heart and a Brain and Courage! Yes the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow are my choices.
After all of this “black mail” (budget talks as they like to refer to them as) over ESA, Social Security, etc…
It is high time we get our act together and DELIST the Senate, the House and the President.
For those who swear to uphold the desires and the needs of there state, I only see serving there needs screw there state and all that reside in it.
There is NOT ONE Senator or Representative in the state of Washington that will ever receive my vote nor trust again after the DE-listing of Wolves and weakened if not destroyed the strength of the E.S.A..
They caved and yet they still get paid by these gullible assholes that admire them. As history has shown your predecessor was admired once and he shot himself. (Adolf Hitler)
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Defending this in any way skirts the issue of the facetious manner in which these legislators do their “work” for their major contributors. There was no reason to delist the wolf on the budget bill. Rationalize all you want – it was done underhanded, it was done with malice and it was done to appease donors. It is time that ethics return to Washington – we say that all the time, yet we continue to elect fleabags who use this “job” as a stepping stone to further riches for themselves or their family members. This was a sneak maneuver. It was dishonest and to try to make it seem otherwise is either naive or complicit.
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john,
Well I think that quite possibly be the one thing I could agree with ya on is our politicians are a bunch of snakes haha.
But I think I will remain on my stance that the wolves needed to be delisted. It has been good reading some posts of everyone to learn some different veiws, hope ya all don’t hate me to bad. I’ll leave ya all alone don’t mean to antagnize but I like to have friendly debates with people with different views than mine every once in awhile to keep me thinking.
Hope everyone has a good rest of their day.
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i do hope karma gets them, but i fear karma will take the innocent out with the guilty. karma never seems to get those with the money and the power. all the wall street guys never got theirs……. the innocents suffer. so i dunno about karma anymore. all i know is this country doesnt seem to be the one i was born into anymore……..
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I Hate my self being human like those morons who destroy everything pure wild and free…
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This morning’s challenge is to politely reply to a few comments above where people opine about recovery, delisting, elk-hunting and other related-violence as though humans are the hammers, and wolves, elk, coyotes, and other animals are our nails. 12.5 million hunters in the U.S. are a blight on humanity and the same goes for welfare ranchers who are unfortunately subsidized by all taxpayers. The conflation of both groups created the scenario we have now for wolves with Obama’s pick of Salazar that put delisting aka wolf-shooting into motion. It’s irrantional and revolting to anyone who loves Nature and respects the rights of wolves and other animals to eke out their lives without our constant interference and violent recreational pursuits.
Friends of Animals is disgusted with the bs offered by the so-called conservation groups that sold-out wolves and now ask for donations to ~monitor~ their
demise.
As for the politicians who caved-in, voted for the budget bill with an insane wolf rider attached — they must have thought Defenders of Wildlife et al would thrive despite having their icons extirpated — creating a fundraising scheme around it. When advocacy groups become so huge and monied, lifestyle becomes the goal, and the hard work falls to others who the largest groups are desperate to marginalize and censor.
Friends of Animals isn’t going to be sidelined in the work ahead, nor will we give violence a mystique. I recommend that serious-minded wolf advocates stop giving their power away by contributing to any group that doesn’t have a firm policy against hunting with work to illustrate that principle.
Priscilla Feral, President
Friends of Animals
http://www.friendsofanimals.org
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Priscella….You masterfully articulated the entire disgusting episode that played out for all the world to see. Wolves were railroaded, thrown under the bus, sold down the river, there are million metaphors that aptly describe what happened to wolves. The big orgs are taking a major hit to their wallets but still seem unable to “get it”. Why do they need money to monitor Idaho and Montana killing wolves? Does anyone doubt these two states will try to kill as many wolves as possible as soon as possible? The tiny minority of wolf haters that were able to pull this off only did so because we have a rancher heading the Interior, who buddied up with the other ranchers that run Montana and Idaho. I do not believe that any of the anti-wolf bills would have passed on their own. The only way to get this dirty dead done was to insert it into a must pass spending bill and then count on Congress to make back room deals for votes, to give this cabal of wolf haters what they wanted.
I completely agree that any “environmental” group who glosses over hunting and does not state equivocally where is stands on the issue should not receive one dime. It’s the hunting and ranching lobbies, along with western politicians, who came together in a “perfect storm’ to destroy the fragile wolf population of the Northern Rockies. We also can’t forget it was Obama who appointed Salazar in the first place and has signed off on delisting wolves twice in the short time he’s been in office, something even George Bush couldn’t accomplish.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Why won’t you people post ALL comments? You will tolerate all the name-calling and disparaging comments about the anti-wolf faction. I even read a comment that said the poster was “ashamed” to be an AMERICAN because of the de-listing? UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
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DWS…..this isn’t a Democracy, this is a pro-wolf blog and I won’t approve anti-wolf rhetoric. You don’t get to post lies and half truths about wolves on this blog. There are plenty of other sites the wolf hating crowd can go too that will be happy to listen to that drivel, it won’t fly here.
If you don’t think the disgusting display that went on in Washington was shameful, inserting a wolf delisting rider into a budget bill, then I’m sure we have nothing to talk about anyway.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Agreed. It is obvious that the poster remarking “unbelievable” does not understand the psychology of this site. Yes, it is quite possible to be ashamed of being “American” or “human” or whatever word one chooses, when one is embarrassed by the actions taken by one own’s country via corrupt legislative processes or nonending recreational consumption of wildlife. That is understood by people who post on this site. Consumptive, recreational users would not grasp that concept. Aberrant humans are finding ways to justify abuse of living creatures on every front – witness the use of coyotes for penning/dog training. For some, every living creature is there to serve their recreational purposes. The rest of us believe that all creatures have the right to exist for no other reason than that they are a sentient life form. There are reasons to be “proud” to be a citizen – our treatment of national lands and wildlife is NOT one of them.
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karin….I’m so tired of their rhetoric. It’s the same old same old. They are some of the most unoriginal people I’ve ever encountered. They keep repeating the same lies and half truths over and over. It so monotonous.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Now this is outrageous.
I can’t believe that Obama, the man whom I truly admired, just lifted protection off wolves to gain a Democrat vote in MT.
My father, who has a carrier in political journalism and is a great supporter of the Democrat party (in my country almost everyone is) was horrified when he read about this in the newspaper, and even more when I told him that it is the very first time that an animal in the U.S. is delisted without any scientific consent.
The problem is, Dems are being too tolerant with the Reps about these budget cuts (which would cut budget for very underfunded programs that help the needy, children and public health. Of course, the army and oil drilling companies got to have no budget cuts).
Certainly, this here will become an environmental cataclysm in no time. One of the many things that madden me is that right when we most need them, 9 of the 13 environmental groups settled with the g’ment to do nothing till 2016 (with all the wolves that will be left by then).
I am so P.O. now. Well, I have been pissed off ever since all this hullaballoo began, but now it will be really hard to get these canids right were they belong. My greatest fear is if we will be abl to get them back at all. These wolves are in a path straight to diminishment.
We’ve already seen how these Western states have no idea how to make smart wildlife “management” decisions, which only adds up to our trouble.
We have some options still left, that is,
-Calling, writing, faxing, e-mailing, telegraphing and pretty much contacting them darn senators, representatives and whatnot in whatever way possible.
-Protesting–the anti-wolfers (aka flat-earthers) have protested, so why shouldn’t we? We could organize ourselves and make a big protest somewhere important.
These wolves have been thrown in a really deep hole here. It’s up to us to get them out as quickly as possible.
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We have to do something Loua because once the wolves are gone they are not coming back. There will never be the same population numbers that we have now if this is allowed to stand. It’s too bad the wolves had to land in such backward thinking states. I’m surprised at the venom even coming from Oregon but it’s the ranchers and hunters. They smell blood in the water and they want to finish them off now. Whatever we do it can’t be a long drawn out process or the wolves will be long gone before anything gets done. We need to think fast.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Look how beautiful they are. Thats nature. and MAN is GREED and EVIL.
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