Two recent court decisions give new hope to wolf recovery in the Northeast. In January, the U.S. District Court in Oregon ruled on a lawsuit filed by 14 wildlife and conservation organizations, including the Wildlands Project, determining that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) 2003 decision to change the status of the wolf from "endangered" to "threatened" violated the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

This decision was echoed in an August ruling in the U.S. District Court in Brattleboro, Vermont, in response to the elimination by the USFWS of the Northeast as a separate region for federal wolf recovery efforts. Both courts ruled that the USFWS decisions were not based on sound science and could cause irreparable injury to certain wolf populations.

In northern New England and New York, where no wolf populations currently exist, the proposed rule change would have seriously handicapped any future efforts by state or federal authorities to reintroduce wolves into this part of their former historical range. However, with the USFWS decision reversed in the courts, USFWS most likely will return to the drawing board with regard to the status of the wolf nationwide, which could include how best to approach wolf recovery in the Northeast. (USFWS has until October 18 to decide whether to appeal the Vermont court decision.)

It remains to be seen how this process will unfold. However, new research sponsored by the Wildlands Project (which bolsters and refines earlier findings) provides new support for the scientific case for wolf recovery in this region.

The Wildlands Project study, completed under contract by Dr. Carlos Carroll, focuses on the long-term recovery potential of wolves in the Northeast, and shows that parts of Maine, the Adirondacks, and other smaller areas could support more than 1,400 animals.

With the court rulings behind us, the next step is to advance education efforts on wolves and the benefits of wolf recovery. The Coalition to Restore the Eastern Wolf (CREW)--of which the Wildlands Project is a leading member--will continue to work closely with other participating organizations to improve knowledge and gain support among targeted communities and groups throughout the Northeast. The involvement of particular groups (such as local residents, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, local policymakers, and wildlife agency representatives) is essential to advance recovery activities and to ensure protections for wolves that make it to the Northeast on their own.

To reach these audiences, CREW and its member groups will develop targeted educational materials for distribution at events, hold meetings and workshops, train local volunteers to conduct outreach and education in their communities, and communicate through print and broadcast media. (For more information on CREW wolf recovery in the Northeast, visit www.easternwolf.org.)