Today upwards of 1,600 gray wolves roam the Northern Rocky Mountains, following the re-introduction of 66 animals in 1995 after their forebears were wiped out by hunters and ranchers. Environmental groups recently won a suit to keep Endangered Species Act protections for the wolves in place. Credit: Thinkstock

Today upwards of 1,600 gray wolves roam the Northern Rocky Mountains, following the re-introduction of 66 animals in 1995 after their forebears were wiped out by hunters and ranchers. Environmental groups recently won a suit to keep Endangered Species Act protections for the wolves in place. Credit: Thinkstock

Today upwards of 1,600 gray wolves roam the Northern Rocky Mountains, following the re-introduction of 66 animals in 1995 after their forebears were wiped out by hunters and ranchers. Environmental groups recently won a suit to keep Endangered Species Act protections for the wolves in place.
  • Thinkstock
  • Today upwards of 1,600 gray wolves roam the Northern Rocky Mountains, following the re-introduction of 66 animals in 1995 after their forebears were wiped out by hunters and ranchers. Environmental groups recently won a suit to keep Endangered Species Act protections for the wolves in place.

Courtesy of: EarthTalk®
E — The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What was the nature of the agreement just forged between green groups and the U.S. government for wolf protection in the Northern Rockies? — Peggy Marshall, Boise, ID

This past March, a coalition of 10 conservation groups finally reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Interior regarding gray wolf recovery and management in the Northern Rockies. The courtroom battle had raged since the Bush administration had announced in January 2009 its decision to take gray wolves—66 of which were reintroduced to the region in 1995 after their forebears were wiped out by hunters and ranchers a century earlier—off of the Endangered Species List.

This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2011.