By Dave Workman | Editor-in-Chief
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has been threatened with a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity because it opened up or expanded hunting opportunities at 147 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries.
In a three-page letter to FWS, Collette Adkins, senior attorney for the environmental group, asserted the federal agency did not do its required homework before opening up the federal lands to hunters. In a prepared statement, quoted by The Hill, Adkins said, “We’ve never before seen such a massive expansion of bad hunting practices on these public lands. There’s no sound reason for this, and the Fish and Wildlife Service has either ignored or downplayed the many risks that hunting poses to endangered wildlife.”
A spokesman for the agency told The Hill the threatened lawsuit is a “meritless attack from a radical special interest organization.”
Two months ago, in late summer, FWS opened up 2.3 million acres in the wildlife refuge system to hunting and fishing opportunities. The purpose was to provide more access to outdoorsmen and women, whose firearms and ammunition, and fishing tackle and equipment purchases provide tens of millions of dollars to FWS to maintain the refuge system.
While that decision has fired up environmentalists, another policy change sure to ignite a fury was announced Thursday with the delisting of the gray wolf in the Lower 48 states.
“Today is a great victory for science and professional wildlife management,” said Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04). “The gray wolf is one of the few actual success stories of the Endangered Species Act and has met every scientific criteria for delisting. Its delisting will cede control back to where it belongs, state and tribal governments. This is a clear win for the farmers, ranchers, and every day citizens whose livelihoods have been threatened by growing unmanaged gray wolf populations. I applaud President Trump and Secretary Bernhardt for acting on sound science and taking this decisive action.”
Wolf reintroduction has been a hot subject in the U.S. for many years, especially along the northern tier states and in the West.
One of the hardest-hit areas has been Northeast Washington, where wolf predation has become a volatile subject where ranchers and hunters are concerned. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5th CD) put it bluntly in a prepared statement.
“In Eastern Washington, and especially in Northeastern Washington, wolf predation on calves has become common,” she said. “I regularly hear from people who’ve seen wolves around their property and who cannot defend themselves without risking a felony. By delisting the gray wolf and restoring local decision-making, we can allow people in our state and community to use science-based wolf management practices that will benefit both our endangered and native animals while protecting farmers and ranchers. As the Obama administration made clear in 2013, the gray wolf is recovered. Unfortunately, the gray wolf was not delisted. Thank you to the Trump administration for respecting local decision-making and delisting this recovered species in the lower 48 states.”
Wolf hunting is now allowed in neighboring Idaho, another very sore subject among environmental groups.
