(Note from RF: Chris Smith, Chief of Staff, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks quoted in the press regarding delisting of the wolf, "This is going to be tied up in political and legal knots for many years to come." This lawsuit is designed to buy time for wolf populations to grow exponentially, disperse and expand their range, and impose an extremist agenda to end hunting and ranching. The States of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho dealt in good faith with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Asst. Secretary of Interior, Craig Manson, who promised delisting of the wolf by January 1, 2003. Now, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will aid and abet the extreme left who seek to destroy industries in the West, choking off all forms of cash flow to the rural west, facilitating the confiscation of land. State and county revenues will implode when the aforementioned industries collapse. Ranch land and ranch assets held as collateral in our banks will, upon foreclosure, strain our banking system and create a credit crisis that will be felt by every citizen of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The biological science is completely monopolized by those who seek to impose this extreme agenda on the West. Those scientists who dissent are assured they will never work again.)

October 1, 2003

Brad DeVries, 202-772-0237 or William Lutz, 202-772-0269, both of Defenders of Wildlife: http://www.defenders.org

Washington, D.C. U.S. Newswire/ - Defenders of Wildlife and 16 other organizations today filed suit to block Bush Administration plans to change the endangered status of wolves in the U.S., lessening protections in most regions, and sharply limiting the areas where wolves will be protected during recovery.

The groups say that plans to change the wolf's status from "endangered" to "threatened" are premature, and noted that several state governments which are scheduled to take over management of the species under the Bush plan have declared their intent to initiate aggressive wolf killing programs.

"It saddens us to have to take this step, especially when we've made such a tremendous start toward real, sustainable wolf recovery," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

"But Secretary Norton is backing away from wolf protection before the job is finished and is jeopardizing all the progress [that] her agency has made so far."

A March 18, 2003, FWS decision downlists the wolf from "endangered" to "threatened" throughout the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest, even though only three of the nine states in the region with vast areas of suitable habitat have seen recovery efforts.

The rule also downlists wolves to threatened throughout the Great Lakes and Northeast.

The rule would sharply limit wolf recovery in the West to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and preclude wolf recovery in northern California, Oregon, Washington, northern Colorado, Utah, and the Northeastern United States.

The Bush Administration's plan would ultimately hand over management of gray wolf recovery to various state governments, even though many of those states have made it clear that they intend to encourage large-scale wolf killing as soon as they have the authority to do so.

For example, Idaho's legislature recently passed a resolution calling for elimination of wolves from the state "by any means necessary," and Wyoming intends to permit the shooting of wolves on sight anywhere outside of national park lands.

Minnesota continues to offer a bounty for killing wolves.

"Even though poll after poll shows that the citizens of Idaho, Wyoming, and other states with wolves want this important species protected, many of these state governments are in the grip of anti-wolf hysteria. Rather than working for a consensus that helps wolves, ranchers and citizens, Secretary Norton can't wait to hand off wolf management to those who would kill them instead," Schlickeisen said.

Parties to Defenders of Wildlife, et al. v. Norton are: Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, American Lands Alliance, Animal Protection Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, Forest Watch, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Help Our Wolves Live ("HOWL"), The Humane Society of the United States, Klamath Forest Alliance, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility ("PEER"), Minnesota Wolf Alliance, Oregon Natural Resources Council, RESTORE: The North Woods, Sinapu, and the Wildlands Project.

Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 430,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit http://www.defenders.org

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=147-10012003