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House Committee Passes Bill That Would Remove Gray Wolf From Endangered Species Act Protections

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 19 hrs ago Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

© Voyageurs Wolf Project A new bill seeks to remove the gray wolf from federal protection and return management of the species to states.

A bill to remove the gray wolf from protections of the federal Endangered Species Act passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on Friday.

The proposal, tabbed the Trust the Science Act, is sponsored by Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado).

It seeks to permanently remove the gray wolf from the list of federal endangered species and restore wolf management authority to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials.

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"Activists endanger the Endangered Species Act by not removing species, like the gray wolf, when they have recovered," Tiffany said in a statement. "It's a scientific fact that the gray wolf population has met and exceeded recovery goals, and it's time to celebrate this success by returning wolf management back to where it belongs, in states' hands."

The wolf has been protected under the Endangered Species Act in Wisconsin and many other states since a February 2022 federal district court judge ruling. The action was the latest change in listing status for the native carnivore, subject of controversy, frequent litigation and widely divergent views on how it should be managed or stewarded.

The wolf is native to Wisconsin but was extirpated by the 1960s after decades of unregulated hunting and bounties. It was re-established in the state in the 1970s following federal and state protections and as wolves naturally dispersed from northern Minnesota, at the time the only remaining wolf population in the Lower 48.

In late winter 2022, Wisconsin had an estimated 972 wolves in 288 packs, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

© Department of Natural Resources A DNR slide shows the winter 2021-22 wolf population estimate of 972 gray wolves in Wisconsin and a map of observed wolf packs.

In the last decade, the wolf had two periods under state management authority in Wisconsin, from 2012 to 2014 and 2021 to 2022, before judicial rulings restored it to ESA protections.

Wisconsin statute requires the DNR to hold a wolf hunting and trapping season when the species is under state management.

A hastily arranged season ordered by a Jefferson County judge in February 2021 resulted in a kill of 218 wolves, 83% over the state-licensed quota, and led to two lawsuits. One in Dane County Circuit Court stopped another planned hunt in fall of 2021; the other, brought by Native American tribes and environmental groups, is pending in federal district court.

More: Smith: Changes are coming to Wisconsin's wolf plan with calls for sustainable, long-term management

While the wolf has increased markedly in Wisconsin in recent decades, many scientists and wildlife managers favor continued ESA protections for wolves as they hope to see the species reoccupy more of its historic range.

But many livestock producers and hunters favor lower wolf numbers and generally support state efforts to manage the species. The National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Wisconsin Cattleman's Association and Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation are among the groups in support of the Trust the Science Act. 

Support for wolves is relatively strong among Wisconsin residents at large. A 2022 social science survey conducted by the DNR found 55% of residents in wolf range preferred the same number of wolves or more than existed that year (about 1,000 in late winter) and 68% of residents outside of wolf range preferred the same or more.

Wolf advocates denounced Friday's proposed legislation and its potential to weaken the ESA.

Peter David, a retired wildlife biologist with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in Odana, said the ESA has been a significant piece of legislation that reflects the public interest and our moral responsibility in protecting and conserving the natural world.

"The commitment made in the ESA was not to protect other species only when it was easy or convenient or politically expedient," David said. "It was a fundamental recognition that humans have a moral responsibility to steward the entire diversity of life that with which we share the planet. We encourage legislators to move towards that goal, not away from it."

The vote to pass the wolf delisting bill in the House Natural Resources Committee was 21-16 along party lines, with all Republicans in favor.

Its prospects are uncertain as it would have to pass the entire House, which is narrowly in Republican control, and it would likely face an uphill battle in the Democrat-contolled Senate. Moreover, there is no Senate version of the bill.

However, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) did introduce legislation last Congress to delist the gray wolf so it's possible a bipartisan effort may emerge.

Even if the wolf were delisted, the DNR would be blocked from holding a hunting and trapping season until the Dane County lawsuit is resolved.

More: Cleanup underway for train that derailed Thursday in southwest Wisconsin along Mississippi River

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: House committee passes bill that would remove gray wolf from Endangered Species Act protections

Legislation Would Ease Impact Of Endangered Species Act Ruling

© Provided by Roll Call The court case stemmed from protections for the Canada lynx.

Members of Congress are eyeing legislation that would prevent the enforcement of a 2015 ruling on the Endangered Species Act, a change they say is necessary to avoid years of bureaucratic entanglements. 

The effort stems from the case of Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service, in which the center said the agency needed to continue to examine whether its forest management plans were adequate to protect the Canada lynx, which is listed as threatened under the ESA.

The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that the obligation to reinitiate consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "does not terminate when the underlying action is complete," but rather continues as long as the agency remains involved or retains control.

That means if the FWS updates its protections, such as by designating additional critical habitat, the Forest Service would be required to reinitiate consultation to be sure any affected plans account for the changes.

This ruling, celebrated as critical to protecting the species, was opposed by many members of Congress from the Western U.S. Over the effects it would have on land management plans. The requirement, they said, could affect the Forest Service's ability to undertake projects that reduce the risk of wildfires or limit timber harvesting projects while the agencies conduct additional reviews.

The fiscal 2018 omnibus appropriations law included a rider that partially overrode the decision, exempting the Forest Service from the requirement to consult on management plans when a species is listed or if a critical habitat is designated. That exemption expired last month.

Ahead of the expiration members wrote to the administration, urging its support for a more permanent fix, pointing to the Forest Service's own suggestion that consulting requirements could take years to complete and cost the agency millions of dollars.

"An immediate resolution to this decision is vital to allow land managers and wildlife biologists to follow the best available science to improve the health of our forests, reduce the risk of severe wildfires, advance wildlife habitat projects, and support good-paying timber jobs," a group led by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., wrote to the administration.

At an April 18 Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Forest Service's 2024 budget proposal, Daines asked Chief Randy Moore if he would "agree that a full and permanent Cottonwood solution should be a high priority and a bipartisan priority for this Congress?"

"Yes, sir. I do," Moore said.

Last Congress Daines introduced a bill that would remove that requirement to reinitiate consultation, which passed out of committee with bipartisan support by a vote of 16-4. But it was never considered by the full Senate.

With their return to the majority Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee have promised to examine how the Endangered Species Act impacts industry. On March 23 they held a hearing on a bill from Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., that would also specify there is not an inherent need to reinitiate consultations.

At the hearing Rosendale pitched his bill, which had the support of Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., as key to addressing the increasingly severe wildfires in his state and elsewhere.

"In Montana alone, 125,000 acres burned in 2022. We need to be doing all we can to combat wildfires out West," said Rosendale. "My legislation is a key part of stopping the wildfire crisis. We currently have 28 timber sales and 30,000 acres of forest land that is under litigation in Montana. That is land which is ready to be harvested."

However, John Meyer, executive director of the Cottonwood Environmental Law Center that brought the original case, said that the legislative proposals would simply "encourage more political interference in the management of our public lands and wildlife."

Meyer said that such an attempt to override the precedent by Congress would insulate the government from accountability, endangering the survival of protected species.

"By allowing the Forest Service to continue logging under outdated forest plans that don't address new science, it further exacerbates the impacts of climate change," said Meyer.

The post Legislation would ease impact of Endangered Species Act ruling appeared first on Roll Call.

Endangered Species UK: List Of 'extinct' Animals Recently Rediscovered - With Names And Pictures

A number of breathtaking creatures have recently been rediscovered in the British Isles

Like attending their own funeral, endangered species of animals thought to be extinct have started cropping up throughout the UK. With the rediscovery of a species in Sussex that scientists believed could no longer be found in this country, we take a look at some of the other creatures rediscovered in recent years.

From a strikingly colourful beetle to the largest bat identified in the UK, a number of breathtaking creatures have recently been rediscovered in the British Isles. Here's a list of a few 'extinct' species scientists have uncovered.

Blue ground beetle

Known as the UK's largest and rarest beetle, the bug was believed to have become extinct during the 20th century. However, much to the surprise of scientists, it was rediscovered in Dartmoor national park in 1994.

In 2022, dedicated scientists also discovered two new population sites in Dartmoor. Identifying the species in damp woodlands of oak and beech trees.

The nocturnal creature feeds on slugs by using its large jaw to bite and suck out its insides. It can also grow up to 38mm (1.5 inches) in length.

Mole Cricket

The mole cricket is an endangered species in the UK and was believed to be extinct until a population was discovered in Hampshire's new forest in 2014. On April 28, the elusive critter was discovered in a Sussex man's garden, Sussex Wildlife Trust confirms.

Charlotte Owen, conservation officer for the Sussex Wildlife Trust, said: "It was found in a garden in central Worthing, and the finder had managed to identify it as a mole cricket thanks to its distinctive appearance.

'Despite their subterranean existence', Mole Crickets do have wings and can fly. Photo: Sussex Wildlife Trust

Charlotte adds: "Their [mole crocket's] powerful, chunky forelegs are specialised for digging, just like a mole's, and they spend the majority of their lives in underground burrows.

"The best way to detect them is via the churring call of the male mole cricket, which is amplified by a specially-constructed sound chamber."

Greater mouse-eared bat

The largest of all the British bats was declared extinct in the UK in 1992 but a spectacular discovery in West-Sussex has offered hope for the species. Hibernating in a disused railway tunnel, the bat is believed to have travelled overseas from France.

The Sussex Bat Group said the find "demonstrates the importance of regular monitoring of bat colonies".

We could have missed this highly significant find of the second greater mouse-eared bat in Britain," group spokesperson Sheila Wright said.

The Greater mouse-eared bat. Photo: Martyn Phillis

Caddisfly

Buglife confirmed that the Caddisfly was 'presumed extinct in the UK in 2016 with no British records for over 100 years.' This changed in 2021, when a single male was attracted to a light-trap administered by Robin Sutton in the Outer Hebrides off the North West coast of Scotland.

Speaking on the groundbreaking event, Sutton said: "I've been running a light trap on the Outer Hebrides for over four years but I couldn't believe that the only location for a species thought to be extinct in Britain was in my back garden! It goes to show how much we still have to find out about these far-flung places."

Also called sedge-flies or rail-flies, the moth-like creature can be identified by its hairy wings.

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