Biden Administration Acts to Reinstate Protections for Gray Wolves Across the US

The Biden administration has requested an appeals court to reinstate a Trump-era rule that removed Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the US. If approved, this would place wolves under state control and potentially allow hunting to resume in the Great Lakes region, which was halted two years ago by a court order. Protections will remain until the court makes a decision.

Historical Context of Wolf Protections

Gray wolves were granted federal protections in 1974 after being decimated by government-sponsored trapping and poisoning campaigns in the mid-1900s. They once roamed most of North America but now occupy only a fraction of their historic range. Efforts to lift or reduce these protections date back to President George W. Bush's administration over two decades ago.

Political and Legal Battles

Environmentalists successfully sued when protections were lifted during former President Donald Trump's final days in office. The Biden administration's recent filing with the 9th US District Court of Appeals marks its first explicit step to revive that rule. Each time the US Fish and Wildlife Service declares wolves recovered, the agency faces legal challenges.

State Control and Hunting

Congress bypassed the courts in 2011, stripping federal safeguards in the northern US Rocky Mountains. Since then, thousands of wolves have been killed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Lawmakers continue to push for state control in the western Great Lakes region. When states briefly gained jurisdiction under the Trump rule, hunters in Wisconsin exceeded harvest goals, killing almost twice as many wolves as planned.

Michigan and Minnesota have previously held hunts but not recently. Wolves are present but not hunted publicly in states like Washington, Oregon, California, and Colorado. In Alaska, where tens of thousands roam, they have never been protected.

Current Status and Future Prospects

The Biden administration last year rejected conservation groups' requests to restore protections for gray wolves across the northern Rockies. This decision is also being challenged. State lawmakers in regions including Yellowstone National Park aim to reduce wolf packs further. However, federal officials determined that the predators are not at risk of being wiped out entirely under current state hunting rules.

The US also hosts small populations of red wolves in the mid-Atlantic and Mexican wolves in the Southwest, both protected as endangered species. These populations continue to struggle despite ongoing conservation efforts.

The court filing follows years of political conflict as wolves have repopulated parts of the western US, occasionally attacking livestock and consuming deer, elk, and other big game. Environmental groups advocate for continued expansion since wolves still inhabit only a small portion of their historical range.

In summary, the Biden administration's move to revive the Trump-era rule on gray wolf protections has sparked renewed debate over state versus federal control and the future of these iconic predators in America.