Judge: Government plans to recover Mexican gray wolf in Arizona insufficient

A federal judge in Arizona ruled wildlife managers have not done enough to protect a subspecies of wolf endemic to the American Southwest. On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps granted a coalition of green organizations summary judgment, saying that the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife failed to implement a program that would assist the recovery of the Mexican Gray Wolf. “The best available science consistently shows that recovery requires consideration of long-term impacts, particularly the subspecies’ genetic health,” Zipps said. “Moreover, this case is unique in that the same scientists that are cited by the agency publicly communicated their concern that the agency misapplied and misinterpreted findings in such a manner that the recovery of the species is compromised.”  “As FWS observed in 1982, any recovery effort must deal with the residue of a long history of anti-wolf sentiment by the public,” she wrote in a 44-page ruling. “However, any effort to make the recovery effort more effective must be accomplished without undermining the scientific integrity of the agency’s findings and without subverting the statutory mandate to further recovery. The agency failed to do so here.” The conservationists touted the ruling as a major victory. “This ruling offers hope that the Mexican wolf can be pulled back from the brink of extinction before it is too late,” said Earthjustice attorney Timothy Preso, who argued the case for plaintiffs. “The judge made clear that management of the lobo must follow the law and the science on Mexican wolf recovery instead of giving in to the political demands of wolf foes.”...MORE

The decision is embedded below or you can download it here.