Defenders' Experts
Wolverine Management and Policy
Trapping and predator control reduced wolverines to near extinction in the lower-48 states by the early 1900’s. Stopping these practices allowed wolverines to come back, and they now occupy much of the Northern Rocky Mountains region of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, plus a portion of the Cascades Range in Washington State. Yet their future in these areas remains far from certain.
Relatively few wolverines still survive over this broad area, and only a small percentage of the total population are effective breeders. The lower-48 wolverine population has also become partially isolated from Canadian wolverine populations, which has reduced its genetic diversity. Fragmentation from Canada and within the lower-48 population due to natural and artificial causes is a major threat to wolverines, especially when coupled with the reduction of its denning habitat from climate change. More immediate threats to wolverines are disturbance of their denning areas from unrestricted winter recreation, and the wolverine trapping season that still opens each winter in portions of western Montana
To effectively address these threats and secure the future of wolverines in the American West, it is critical that the wolverine be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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