Things have been tough for wolves this past year, especially with the late October delisting of wolves from the US federal Endangered Species Act by the Trump Administration. As a result, Wisconsin was sued to open a wolf hunting season immediately for spring 2021, resulting in at least 216 wolves killed in 3 days, exceeding the quota of 119 wolves set for what was supposed to be a one-week hunting season.

Recently, bills passed in Montana allowing snaring and extending the wolf trapping season by a month, putting grizzlies and other non-target species at much greater risk, were passed and signed by Governor Gianforte (who himself was caught illegally trapping and killing a wolf on one of his donors’ property outside Yellowstone in February). Montana is on the verge of signing into law more two anti-wolf bills—creating a bounty on wolves, allowing baiting and spotlight/night vision hunting, and removing the current 5-wolf limit on hunters and trappers to allow an unlimited number of killings.

And just this week, Idaho introduced legislation that will vastly increase wolf killing in the state: unlimited wolf kills for hunters and unlimited methods to hunt them.

Hunters, trappers, and the livestock industry are blooodthirsty for our keystone predators. Wolves are facing more hardships now than they have in the last 100 years, so we must act to fight for wolves!

5 Ways to Take Action Today

• This Monday, April 26th: Speak up for Wolves at Washington’s Wolf Advisory Group Public Meeting! The WAG will discuss progress on and draft language for the new chronic conflict section of the wolf-livestock interaction protocol.
• On Wednesday, April 28th, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is holding the first in a series of information sessions regarding wolf reintroduction in Colorado. Register here.
• URGENT: Contact Governor Brad Little of Idaho and ask him to veto bill SB 1211. Call 208-334-2100 or email governor@gov.idaho.gov
• The decision to end federal wolf protection means that states will manage wolves — please take a moment to tell governors with wolves in their states to do everything in their power to ensure the species’ survival and recovery. Tell Governors: Now’s the Time to Protect Wolves!
• Wolf OR-93, born into the White River pack on the Warm Springs Reservation, recently dispersed through Oregon and California to the Central Valley and beyond. Amaroq Weiss, Senior West Coast Wolf Advocate at the Center of Biological Diversity, recently gave a talk on the current status of wolves in California and the West Coast for the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park. Watch: Amaroq Weiss: The Return of the Wolf

Rosie Sanchez Joins Speak for Wolves’ Board

We are thrilled to announce that Rosie Sanchez, wolf advocate extraordinaire who helped get wolf reintroduction initiative Prop 114  passed in Colorado last year, has joined our Board of Directors!

Before joining Defenders, Rosie started her career in the conservation field interning at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR in public outreach and education that later led to her working with the Audubon Society of Portland, where her love for birds was amplified by working hands on with rehabilitation and preservation. After leaving Portland, Rosie ventured and lived in Yellowstone National Park, hiking, birding and backcountry backpacking, ultimately leading her to the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado.

Rosie received her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences with a specialization in Conservation Biology from Oregon State University.