Federal Judge Orders Reconsideration of Gray Wolf Protections in Western U.S. 🤦

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the newsletter. If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week.

With that said, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey and get this mid-week dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about this morning:

IT NEVER ENDS
FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS RECONSIDERATION OF GRAY WOLF PROTECTIONS IN WESTERN U.S.

In the on-going saga over wolf management in the western United States, a federal judge in Missoula issued a significant ruling on Tuesday that could very well reshape the future of gray wolf conservation. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy determined that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act by denying a 2021 petition to relist gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains, which includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of Oregon, Washington, and Utah. The decision mandates that the USFWS reevaluate the petition, using the best available science and considering the species’ historical range, including areas like the southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado.

It’s been well over a decade since gray wolves in the Northern Rockies were removed from ESA protections, with their management authority rightly transferred to the states in which they reside. Since then, states like Montana and Idaho have implemented policies allowing significant wolf harvests, helping better balance the population levels of the wild canines…

New program has Midland County Jail inmates disposing of deer carcasses: “You smash it, we’ll trash it,” is the new slogan for the recently-launched Midland County Sheriff’s Office program that uses inmates to collect deer carcasses from local roadways. Read the full story. 

Deer hunting season opens in South Carolina Lowcountry on Aug. 15: When the deer drop in the South Carolina Lowcountry, so do the dollars — right into the local and state economy — and the 2025 whitetail deer hunting season kicks off locally on Aug. 15.  Read the full story.

DEC allowing hunters to harvest extra deer in these parts of New York state: If the Department of Environmental Conservation has its way, hunters will harvest more deer in wide swaths of the Finger Lakes and elsewhere across New York state in 2025. Read the full story.

What happens if you have a hunting permit in a Utah wildfire area?: What if the area you were hoping to hunt this fall is now on fire? That’s a reality for the roughly 1,200 people hoping to hunt the Monroe unit in Sevier and Piute counties, now scorched by the 61,500-acre Monroe Canyon Fire. . Read the full story.

LDWF offering discounted hunting and fishing combo license for veterans: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced honorably discharged military veteran residents can purchase a recreational hunting and fishing combination license for $20, an $80 discount for the Sportsman’s Paradise license. Read the full story.

Fall turkey hunting just got easier in Michigan. What to know: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is dropping an application and drawing process for fall turkey licenses. Instead, licenses will be sold first-come, first-served, online or through the DNR’s Hunt Fish app. Read the full story.

SCDNR introduces new mobile app to report illegal hunting, fishing and boating activity:  The SC Department of Natural Resources has introduced a new mobile app that allows people an easy way to report illegal activity. Read the full story.

🛶 I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing about white water rafting.

But I think this looks wrong…

It’s easy. Copy your link below and send it to your friends. If they sign up, you get free stuff.

Now, do it. (Please).

Oh, and one more thing…