Court Overturns Wolverine Listing Decision; Implications for Future ESA Decisions

By Justin Stakes

Gardners, PA -(Ammoland.com)- On April 4, 2016 U. S. District Court Judge Dana Christiansen vacated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) withdrawal of the proposed listing of wolverine as a threatened species, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

The ruling has a number of significant implications to broader application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The FWS initially proposed to list wolverine in 2010 due primarily to the anticipated impact of climate change on snow cover.

Wolverines are believed to require deep, persistent snow cover during the denning season for successful reproduction, and two studies that modeled the impact of climate change predicted significant reductions in snow cover in the historic range of wolverines in the Rocky Mountains. After further review, however, the FWS concluded in 2014 that those studies were not sufficiently detailed to support a conclusion that the changes in snow cover, if they occurred, would threaten wolverines within the foreseeable future. The court found a number of flaws in the FWS’ reasoning and ruled the withdrawal of the proposed rule “arbitrary and capricious.” Judge Christiansen remanded the matter to the FWS in light of the court’s findings.

Model-based …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand