The U.S Fish and Wildlife service will host a public hearing on June 25 in Brainerd, Minn., to take public comments on the agency’s proposal to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species. The Sportsmen’s Alliance has advocated for delisting for more than a decade now. Despite the fact that the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations have all recognized that wolf populations have recovered and greatly exceeded the threshold set for their removal from the ESA, wealthy anti-hunting groups have been able to convince federal judges to prevent delisting.

Take Action Today! Minnesota members should attend the public hearing on June 25 and testify in person. If members are unable to attend, they can submit their comments in writing until July 15, 2019. Information on the hearing and how to comment online below:

• Public Hearing: June 25 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Franklin Arts Center Auditorium, 1001 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, 56401.
• Online Submission Click Here: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.
  • Docket Number: FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097-0001

In Minnesota alone, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates the current wolf population to be 465 packs with 2,655 individual wolves. It also reports that “Minnesota’s wolf population remains above the state’s minimum goal of at least 1,600 wolves and is above the federal recovery goal of 1,251 to 1,400 wolves.”

Additionally, because wolves have no natural predators, wolf numbers in Minnesota and other areas of the country are growing unchecked, and have far exceeded population levels set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The time has come to delist wolves in the lower-48 states and let the states resume managing them.

“Science clearly supports delisting and it is time to restore the management of wolves back to the respective states,” said Bruce Tague vice president of government affairs for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “How ironic is it that many, if not all, groups opposed to delisting always claim that science should be the driving force behind any decisions. However, in the case of wolves, apparently their fundraising goals trump science.”

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research.  Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.