Crapo, Risch Asking Feds to Appeal Wolf Lawsuit

Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are asking the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to appeal a district court decision that ended Idaho's sanctioned wolf hunt and put gray wolves back on the endangered species list.

The two senators sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who was the lead defendant in the lawsuit to end Idaho's wolf management and hunt. The DOI oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which delisted the wolves.

Crapo and Risch said in their letter that the judge's ruling earlier this month should be challenged. "This ruling entirely ignores the successful recovery of the gray wolf in Idaho, as well as our state's strong wolf management plan, which, as you know, has been approved by the FWS and has demonstrated Idaho's role as a responsible and effective manager of gray wolf populations within our boundaries," they said. "It is vital that Idaho be permitted to manage its wildlife populations."

It is up to the DOI, not the state of Idaho, to appeal the court ruling, stated the senators.

Reprinted from Idaho Reporter