November 29, 2023 — Today, after more than 20 years of advocacy by wildlife conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) found that wolverines warrant federal protections as a threatened species. Numbering only about 300 in the contiguous U.S., snow-dependent wolverine populations have suffered from climate change, habitat loss, trapping, and other anthropogenic pressures.
May 26, 2022 — Today, a federal judge invalidated a Trump administration decision denying protections to imperiled wolverines under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (original complaint here). This is the second time a court has rejected a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to deny protections for wolverines, which number only about 300 in the contiguous U.S. Today’s court order immediately reinstates wolverines’ “candidate” status as a species proposed for listing.
April 4, 2018 — Five conservation groups filed a rulemaking petition today asking the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to ban trapping of Humboldt martens in Oregon’s coastal forests. The petition follows a new study that found that trapping could easily wipe out the species in the state.
April 4, 2015 — Today, the federal district court for Montana rejected a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to deny protections for wolverines in the contiguous U.S. The court ruled the Service improperly ignored science and violated the Endangered Species Act. A broad coalition of conservation organizations challenged the Service’s refusal to protect imperiled wolverines by listing them under the ESA.
October 20, 2014 — Cascadia Wildlands, along with a broad coalition of conservation groups, has filed suit over the Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to list the wolverine on the Endangered Species Act list. The Fish and Wildlife Service officially withdrew its proposal to list the species after applied political pressure from a handful of western states. Only 250-300 wolverines call the contiguous United States home, living in small populations scattered across the west. A unanimous panel of Fish and Wildilfe scientists had previously recognized serious threats to the wolverine’s continued existence, acknowledging that the greatest threat to the species’ survival in the United States is habitat loss due to climate change.
January 14, 2014 — Fur trapping was one of the major reasons for exploration of Idaho and is still a legitimate wildlife management tool. Advances in trap design have resulted in more efficient traps capable of either catching and holding animals for later release or delivering a quick humane death. Despite all of the caution used to capture only targeted species, unintended species sometimes are caught. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) works with trappers to minimize non-target catches and pursue the best possible outcomes.
December 3, 2013 — Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, filed a legal challenge in Eugene today challenging the Umpqua National Forest’s proposed Loafer timber sale.
On May 1, 2013 Cascadia Wildlands and a coalition of conservation groups file comments on the long awaited federal proposal to list wolverines in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act. Please follow the link below to view these comments. Wolverine_Listing_Comments_FINAL_May_2013
