ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal wildlife managers will not be allowed to release any Mexican gray wolves into the wild unless they get permission from the state of New Mexico.
A U.S. district judge ruled Friday in favor of the state’s request to stop the releases as New Mexico and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service battle over permits and the revamping of a recovery plan for the troubled species.
The state took legal action in April after federal officials released a pair of captive-born pups into a wild wolf den in southwestern New Mexico despite having no permit.
State Game and Fish Director Alexandra Sandoval said she was pleased with the ruling.
“We refused to let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disregard our state’s sovereignty,” she said in an email to The Associated Press. “We will continue our effort to uphold the laws of New Mexico and ensure the service complies with applicable state and federal law.”
The Fish and Wildlife Service was aware of the ruling, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the federal agency planned to appeal.
Environmentalists decried the decision, saying the wolves are on the brink of extinction and limiting releases will only hamper efforts to restore the predators to their historic range in the Southwest.
Eva Sargent with Defenders of Wildlife said the federal government has the ultimate authority to determine how to recover endangered species. She suggested the state is playing politics and trying to tie the hands of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
While the judge rejected the state’s call for federal officials to recapture the wolf pups that were released this spring, Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity said the ruling is still troubling.
“The damage to the Mexican wolf overall could end up profound,” he said.
Environmentalists have asked to intervene in the case. The judge has yet to rule on that request.
The state declined a permit request last year by the Fish and Wildlife Service to release wolves, with New Mexico officials raising concerns about the direction of the reintroduction program and the failure of the agency to revamp its decades-old recovery plan.
After the permit was denied, the Fish and Wildlife Service vowed to continue with recovery efforts. The agency contends it has a duty under the Endangered Species Act to follow through with protecting the predators and bolstering their population.
The wolf recovery program, which spans parts of New Mexico and Arizona, has been hampered over the years by legal battles, politics and other issues. Environmentalists have pushed for the release of more captive wolves into the wild, but ranchers and some local leaders have protested over concerns about livestock losses and public safety.
The fight over the wolf also piqued interest from U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, who introduced legislation that would require the Fish and Wildlife Service to work more closely with states to revamp the recovery plan. If the agency fails, the legislation would allow states to step in.
The agency, as part of a recent settlement with environmentalists, plans to have a recovery plan crafted by the end of 2017.
There are close to 100 wolves in the wild in the two states, and federal officials are considering expanding the wolf’s range.
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