| Human Safety Threat Prompts Wolf Removal in Price County, Wisconsin
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services branch lethally removed nine gray wolves from Price County, Wisconsin They acted at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Agency staff took action due to “verified threats to human health and safety in the Township of Flambeau.” Under current Endangered Species Act (ESA) rules, federal protections only allowed lethal intervention under these extreme circumstances.
Non-Lethal Measures Fail to Deter Habituated Pack
The nine wolves likely belonged to the same pack. They exhibited threatening behavior and human habituation for over a year. Officials tried multiple non-lethal deterrents to change pack behavior, but those efforts failed. Consequently, managers decided to lethally remove them.
This incident, while unfortunate, highlights the need for wolf management. Wolves require either downlisting or delisting under the ESA. The Sportsmen’s Alliance has been at the center of this fight, and we’ve gained some recent momentum.
Ninth Circuit Appeals Challenge Federal Protections
Next week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear three wolf-related cases. One case involves a 2020 rule issued by the first Trump administration. That rule removed ESA protections for gray wolves across the Lower-48 states, including Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance filed a friend of the court brief in the case. Our brief argues that the courts are not applying the ESA as Congress intended by vacating delistings, while simultaneously calling the wolf an ESA “success story.”
Executive Action Targets Western Great Lakes Recovery
However, there is also a possibility that the court will never issue a decision on the gray wolf appeals. Last month, President Trump signed the Supporting America’s Ranchers Executive Order.
This order directs the Secretary of Interior to act within 90 days. The Secretary must determine whether wolves “have met the recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act.” If they meet those goals, the Department must start the process of delisting or downlisting.
As we’ve previously argued in court, wolves in the Western Great Lakes—Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and smaller portions of adjoining states—have long surpassed their recovery goals.
Federal Legislation and Appropriations Seek Return to State-Led Management
Simultaneously, Congress is also considering legislation to delist gray wolves. Late last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed long-awaited wolf delisting legislation, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act.
The bill is currently sitting in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove gray wolves from ESA listing in the Lower-48 states and return their management to the states.
Similar language was also included in H.R. 9171, the Department of Interior’s fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill. This rider would reinstate the lower-48 delisting rule. A similar congressional rider successfully returned wolf management to the Northern Rocky Mountains state over a decade ago.
Take Action to Restore State Management
Clearly, gray wolves are recovered in the Great Lakes region. We should celebrate this success. However, true success requires ongoing management. State wildlife agencies are the appropriate entities to lead that management.
Please share this critical email with your family and friends. Urge them to use the Take Action button below to contact their U.S. Representative and Senators, urging them to delist wolves. It is imperative for Congress to hear from everyone telling them that wolves are no longer an issue they can kick down the road; they must act now. |
