WIN in Washington state! Wolves to remain protected as endangered

A seventeen- month fight to strip Washington State wolves of protection afforded under the state endangered species act was finally defeated at the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s July meeting by a 5 to 4 vote.

Endangered Species Coalition staff and our Washington State volunteers led the grassroots efforts in opposition to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed down listing of wolf’s status from endangered to sensitive. 

State protection for wolves is important as wolves are only protected in the western two-thirds of the state under the Endangered Species Act.

Wolves returned to Washington in 2008 but still only number approximately 250 animals.

In 2011, Washington Developed a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, a nearly 300-page document that was subjected to peer review and analyzed through an Environmental Impact Statement. 

The Plan sets standards before wolves can be delisted or downlisted, and Washington’s wolf population has not met these benchmarks.   

The Plan established 3 wolf recovery zones: Eastern Washington, Northern Cascades, and the Southern Cascades and Northwest Coast. To downlist to threatened, the Plan requires at least 2 successful breeding pairs in each of the 3 recovery regions. To downlist to sensitive, the Plan requires at least 4 successful breeding pairs in each of the 3 recovery regions. 

There are no successful breeding pairs in the South Cascades and Northwest Coast recovery zone, which is the largest recovery zone with the most wolf habitat. 

The Department–acting from pressure from special interests—chose  to ignore the conservation and management plan and proposed downlisting wolves to sensitive status. 

This would  have decreased the penalties for poaching wolves from $5,000 and/or up to a year in jail to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days in jail—at the same time that wolf poaching incidents are on the rise.   

It would have eliminated the requirement that foresters avoid tree harvesting and road construction within 1 mile of known wolf den sites, a rule that will become more and more important as the wolf population moves west. 

The department came out with the proposed downlisting when it offered its five- year draft periodic status review in February 2023. During the two-month comment period we testified at commission hearings against the proposal and 681 of our Washington members sent in comments opposing it.

When the final draft proposal came out this year in March  we once again testified against it at commission hearings and 423 Washington residents and 8,851 members from across the country submitted comments against it.

The commission decided to vote on the proposal at its July meeting. In response to this the Endangered Species Coalition turned out over 40 of our members to testify at the June commission meeting.

And on the weekend before the July vote we were able to get over 100 of our Washington State members to write personal letters to the commissioners opposing the proposal.

Along with other environmental organizations we intensely lobbied commissioners until the last moment. 

The outcome of the vote was unknown and not decided until the votes were cast when one commissioner switched his vote to keep wolves listed as endangered giving wolves a 5 to 4 victory.