Groups sue over Wyoming wolf delisting

Four conservation groups joined together in a lawsuit filed Tuesday seeking to place Wyoming gray wolves back on the endangered species list. Wyoming’s wolf management plan is too aggressive and does not protect wolves in 85 percent of the state, said Mike Leahy, Rockies and Plains director for Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups participating in the lawsuit. Other groups in the lawsuit include the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia. “We want the wolves to be protected until Wyoming comes up with a plan that doesn’t leave the wolves isolated in the Yellowstone population and cut off from other wolves. And we object to the idea that an eradication policy is appropriate for the great majority of the state of Wyoming,” said Tim Preso, an attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm representing the conservation groups. It could be months before the federal court hears arguments and makes a decision...more