Conservation groups on Wednesday filed a notice with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of their intent to file a lawsuit seeking to force the agency to extend a monitoring program for wolves in Idaho and Montana.
The notice sent by the Center for Biological Diversity and four others contends the five-year monitoring that’s required following a species’ removal from Endangered Species Act protections needs to be extended in May for another five years.
The groups say that threats to wolves in Idaho and Montana have increased significantly as both states revised policies to aggressively reduce wolf numbers through sport hunting and killing wolves in remote areas.
Fish and Wildlife officials say the agency is OK with states wanting fewer wolves as long as the population stays above recovery goals.
Source: Conservation Groups Plan Lawsuit To Extend Wolf Monitoring . News | OPB