Federal lawmakers urged Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to keep the gray wolves in the list of endangered species.
A letter expressing the appeal of 74 House members was sent to Jewell on March 19. According to the Associated Press report, it cited the peer-review of the administration’s decision to remove the gray wolves from the Endangered Species List on the account that their population has already recovered.
However, the members who signed the letter stated that this decision was based on unsettled science and the gray wolves should stay on the list.
The gray wolves were included in the Endangered Species list in 1975 after they had been almost wiped out due to rampant hunting. Hunting for gray wolves is more prevalent in areas like the Rockies and the Great Lakes but state officials insist that the population is still at an ideal rate.
However, lawmakers, led by Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio, and a ranking Democrat from the House Natural Resources Committee argued that protections for the gray wolves should not be lifted. He explained that gray wolves have not yet successfully repopulated in suitable areas identified by experts such as Utah, Colorado, and California.
Furthermore, they reasoned that removing the gray wolves from the list will put them again in huge danger and will undermine the previous conservation and protection efforts that were done for them. The letter, which was also signed by Republicans Christ Smith of New Jersey and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, criticized the Interior Secretary for using an obsolete government journal to publish the study conducted by its employees. This study was then used to support the Interior Secretary’s decision to remove the gray wolves from the list.
Chris Tollefson, spokesman for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services explained that the decision that will settle the matter will be made after the federal officials have looked into the public comment and the report of the peer-review panel. He also stated that a final decision will be reached before the year ends.
The public hearing for the Interior Secretary’s proposal is set to end on March 27.
