The wolf hunt is on in Wyoming after endangered protections are lifted

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1 The wolf hunt is on in Wyoming after endangered protections are lifted By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 642 Level 1120L A gray wolf is pictured at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota, in this 2004 photo. Wyoming is looking ahead to its first wolf hunting season in four years now that a court has lifted endangered species protection for wolves in the state. Photo: AP/Dawn Villella CHEYENNE, Wyoming For the first time in four years, Wyoming will hold a wolf hunt this fall, the state's Game and Fish Department said. A federal court has lifted the endangered species protection for wolves in the state. Planning is now underway for the hunt in northwestern Wyoming. It will likely be similar to the state's last wolf hunting seasons in 2012 and 2013, the officials said. In 2013, the department allowed hunters to kill as many as 26 wolves. The animals were in an area outside Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and northwest of the Wind River Indian Reservation. Some 2,153 hunters purchased licenses that year and 23 wolves were killed. Another wolf was killed illegally but still counted toward the 2013 quota. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 Wyoming Wolf Hunt Is Back On The upcoming wolf hunting season will not "change in terms of quotas very much. People shouldn't expect that that's going to change because they were removing a lot of wolves while they were under federal control," Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokesman Renny MacKay said. During the two-year period that wolves were not allowed to be hunted in Wyoming, wildlife managers continued to kill wolves. Those that preyed on livestock and caused other problems were targeted. The tightly regulated hunting season only applies to wolves' core territory in the greater Yellowstone area. Elsewhere in Wyoming, where wolves are not nearly as numerous, unregulated hunting will take place year-round. Wolves there may once again be shot on sight by anybody with a gun. Outside of the wolves' core habitat, they are classified with coyotes as predators of livestock. Courts Weigh In Allowing the wolves to be shot on sight in most of Wyoming has been particularly bothersome to wolf advocates. They want to know the state will maintain a reasonable population of wolves. The state's decision to plan for its next wolf hunting season came after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently put wolves back under Wyoming's control. The decision lifted another one from 2014 by a federal judge who had sided with environmentalists. They were concerned that Wyoming's plan would not require the state to maintain a minimum number of wolves. A three-judge panel of the court ruled in March that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adequately took into account concerns raised about Wyoming's wolf-management plan. Environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, decided not to challenge the decision. Instead, the groups plan to focus on stopping efforts in Congress because they do not want wolves kept off the endangered animals list. "Congress needs to stop meddling with species protection and allow the law to work the way it was intended," said Rebecca Riley, an attorney for an environmental advocacy group called Natural Resources Defense Council. "And that means allowing the courts to review decisions, and make decisions, and allow the agencies to use the best available science to determine whether a species needs protection." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 The 100-Wolf Pledge The 2014 ruling put wolves back under federal control in Wyoming days before that year's wolf hunt was scheduled to begin. Wyoming's Game and Fish Department plans to draft this fall's wolf hunt for the state's Game and Fish Commission to consider over the summer. The commission will hold a series of public meetings around the state on wolf hunting before voting on the plan in time for fall hunting, MacKay said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would not need to sign off on the plan. Wyoming remains pledged to maintain at least 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs, outside Yellowstone and the Wind River Indian Reservation. The state currently has about 400 wolves. About 5,500 wolves now inhabit the continental United States. Many are descended from wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s, where they were once hunted to near extinction. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 Read the paragraph from the section "Wyoming Wolf Hunt Is Back On." The tightly regulated hunting season only applies to wolves' core territory in the greater Yellowstone area. Elsewhere in Wyoming, where wolves are not nearly as numerous, unregulated hunting will take place year-round. Wolves there may once again be shot on sight by anybody with a gun. Which idea is BEST supported by this paragraph? It will be much easier to track and hunt wolves in the areas outside of Yellowstone than in it. People outside of Yellowstone Park who want to hunt wolves will not have to follow rules. Wolf populations outside of Yellowstone will likely grow as wolves flee hunters. The tight hunting regulations within Yellowstone are intended to protect campers and tourists. 2 Which section of the article BEST explains how the state's hunting plan may affect wolf populations? Introduction [paragraphs 1-4] "Wyoming Wolf Hunt Is Back On" "Courts Weigh In" "The 100-Wolf Pledge" 3 Which answer choice would BEST describe the reaction of environmental groups to the ruling that wolves can be hunted? They oppose the ruling because they believed the judges did not have the authority to make it. They support the ruling because wolves were becoming a danger to other species in the area. They say that the ruling will soon be overturned when Congress puts wolves back on the endangered list. They say that the ruling would not have happened if Congress allowed species to be protected as intended. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 4 What role does Yellowstone National Park play in the new ruling regarding wolf hunting? Hunting in the park will take place year round to prevent wolves from becoming predators of livestock. Hunting will be completely forbidden within the park but will be unregulated in surrounding areas. Hunting in the park will be tightly regulated to protect the wolves' core territory and population. Hunting will only be allowed within the park so that federal officials can oversee hunting quotas. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5