FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2014
Contact: Melanie Gade, Defenders of Wildlife, mgade@defenders.org; 202-772-0288
WASHINGTON – Panel members of the independent scientific peer review committee conducted by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara today told the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) that the science behind the proposal to strip federal protections for gray wolves across nearly all of the lower 48 states was not based on the best available.
The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife:
“The peer reviewers have now said what we have been saying all along: The Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to strip protections for gray wolves in the U.S. is not based on the best available science. This should now make it clear to the Service that delisting the gray wolf is premature and shortsighted.
“During each step of this delisting process, serious scientific questions have been raised about the Service’s proposal.
“The Service should now withdraw their proposal and use the best available science to chart a sustainable recovery path for wolves in the U.S.”
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Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
