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American Deer & Wildlife Alliance Calls for Support on Wolf Delisting Bills

AUSTIN, Texas — The American Deer & Wildlife Alliance (ADWA) announces its support for Congressional bills — H.R. 509 and S. 249 — both of which would remove unnecessary federal protections on fully recovered wolf populations and give states the authority to manage their own wildlife.

ADWA is among other leading sportsmen groups — NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, to name a few — that are calling for Congress to put an end to the abuse and misuse of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Gray wolves have been listed as ‘endangered’ since the mid-1970s and have been considered ‘recovered’ for many years. Today, numerous states in the West and Great Lakes region are desperate for wolf management, yet enviro-litigation by animal rights activists groups continues to block efforts by U.S. Fish & Wildlife to return wolves to a normal ‘delisted’ status.

In 2009, for example, U.S. Fish & Wildlife officially recognized that restoration goals had been achieved and they delisted the wolves. Immediately, 13 animal rights and environmentalist groups filed lawsuits and U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy recently overturned the agency’s decision, putting wolves back on the Endangered Species list.

“The fact is that wildlife management today is being determined more by politics and enviro-litigation rather of science. Instead, we should be acting on what we know is the best for responsible wildlife management, and these bills now in Congress will help put wildlife management back in the proper hands,” says John Meng, president of the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance. “We strongly urge our members and fellow sportsmen to contact their legislators and tell them to support H.R. 509 and S. 249.”