RMEF Fights to Keep Wolves Off the Endangered List in Montana

A legal case that could upend Montana wildlife management has the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) fighting back. Along with the Sportsmen's Alliance, they've filed an appeal of a federal judge's ruling that would likely put gray wolves in the Northern Rockies back under the protection of the ESA (Endangered Species Act).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) already took a look at this issue last year. They concluded that the wolves here are not just doing okay, but thriving. Montana and Idaho numbers are 700 to 800 percent higher than recovery targets. Wyoming has been over the bar for more than two decades. Wolves are moving into states where they have not been in decades.

The Courtroom Curveball

But environmental groups pushed for them to stay listed, arguing wolves are not fully recovered. That was not forced by a federal judge, but the judge did tell USFWS to re-evaluate. The states still manage wolves, but with this ruling, the door remains open for increased federal involvement over time... And plenty more courtroom battles.

RMEF Says, Enough Already

RMEF’s take? Wolves are recovered, period. The ESA was designed to help species recover, then turn responsibility over to states. This litigation and petition cycle, they claim, changes the entire purpose of the law. They want ESA reform so that recovery based on science does not simply become a perpetual tug-of-war between advocacy groups.

They also aren't buying the narrative that wolves need to be fully restored to all their historic range. That, they say, sets an unrealistic bar no species could clear.

Montana’s Stake in the Fight

As understood by Montana hunters, ranchers, and anyone who has followed the debate over wolves for decades, this is more than a legal filing. This is a fight for the right to have control. With an appeal, RMEF makes it clear their preferred decision-maker is biology and not politics or persuasion.