U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states

[Beringia]

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2019-03-06/ap-newsbreak-us-plans-to-lift-protections-for-gray-wolves?fbclid=IwAR0eJUi-oPVrGcfXn1XvxzS3PHjB_X6ORngmzaqfid3Z_vYwzc-g0AldhO0

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, re-igniting the legal battle over a predator that's run into conflicts with farmers and ranchers after rebounding in some regions, an official told The Associated Press.

Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the proposal during a Wednesday speech at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Denver, a weeklong conservation forum for researchers, government officials and others, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Spokesman Gavin Shire said in an interview with the AP.

The decision was based on gray wolves successfully recovering from widespread extermination last century, Shire said. Further details were expected during a formal announcement planned in coming days.

Wildlife advocates reacted with outrage and promised to challenge in court any attempt to lift protections. Agriculture groups and lawmakers from Western states are likely to support the administration's proposal.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has argued for years that gray wolves have recovered in the lower 48 states, despite experts who contend they occupy about 15 percent of the territory they once roamed. Agency officials insist that recovery of wolves everywhere is not required for the species no longer to be in danger of extinction.

The government first proposed revoking the wolf's protected status across the Lower 48 states in 2013, but backed off after federal courts struck down its plan for "delisting" the species in the western Great Lakes region states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

[Submariner]

1. The biologists that conduct the science are not making the decisions here

The decisions are coming from right wing politicians who have sold their soul for bribes, oops, I mean campaign contributions.

Same shit happened when Cheney demanded flows to the Klamath River be lowered killing young-of-the-year salmon fry and smolts, so the farmers could use the water for irrigation for fucking grapes so yuppies would have wineries to go to on their wine tasting weekend trips.