What Defenders Is Doing to Help Wolverines

Defenders of Wildlife has been fighting to protect wolverines under the Endangered Species Act since 2000.

Conservationists, including Defenders of Wildlife, have been fighting for nearly two decades to federally protect wolverines, including filing petitions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 1994 and 2000 requesting protection for the species in the Lower 48 under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and taking legal action in 2005 and 2008.

In 2010, wolverines became a candidate for ESA protection in the western United States due to their low numbers and the potential decline of their habitat due to decreasing spring snowpack. Yet other priorities precluded them from listing. Then in 2011, FWS agreed in a multi-species legal settlement that wolverines would be reconsidered for listing, and to make a listing determination date no later than 2013 for wolverines in the contiguous U.S. 

In February 2013, the FWS officially proposed to protect wolverines in the contiguous U.S. as a ‘threatened’ species under the ESA. The agency will make a final determination by early 2014. 

We’ve also recruited and trained volunteer “citizen scientists” to document wolverines using snow-tracking and remote cameras and we help increase appreciation for these animals by supporting the Wolverine Network, a coalition and website for sharing information on wolverine research, management and conservation.

Visit our Species at Risk: Wolverine page to learn more about what Defenders is doing to protect wolverines.