Take Action for Wolves Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wants to eliminate vital federal protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the rest of the Northern Rockies -- a move that could lead to the deaths of nearly 1,000 wolves. Call the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453, select option “3” (for endangered species) and hit “0” to speak with the operator. Once you are connected, just deliver this simple message: "I am calling to express my extreme disappointment in Interior Secretary Salazar’s decision to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies." Important: Please fill out this short survey to let us know you called.

Dear Visitor,

Last Friday, we received the surprise announcement that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved the Bush Administration’s discredited plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana.

ItR17;s a decision that could lead to the deaths of more than 1,000 wolves -- including wolves in the western Greater Yellowstone ecosystem!

Make your voice heard. Call the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453 (between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday-Friday), select option “3” (for endangered species) and hit “0” to speak with the operator. Once you are connected, just deliver this simple message:

My name is First Name Last Name and I am calling from Your City/Town, Your State to express my extreme disappointment in Interior Secretary Salazar’s decision to implement the Bush Administration’s flawed plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana.

If this rule is allowed to stand, nearly two-thirds of the wolves in the Northern Rockies could be killed starting as soon as this spring. I strongly urge Secretary Salazar to stop the implementation of this awful decision and reconsider his approach to wolf conservation in the Northern Rockies.

Important: Please let us know that you called. We will be closely tracking the number of calls in order to ensure that all our voices are heard on this important issue. Secretary Salazar and the Obama Administration need to know about how strongly Americans support protecting our wolves.

Our wolves can’t speak out, but you can! Secretary Salazar’s wolf proposal could appear in the Federal Register within the month, paving the way for the slaughter of wolves this spring. Please call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today at 1-800-344-9453 and let federal officials know that you oppose efforts to eliminate vital protections for these special animals.

Working with our sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife, we’re doing everything we can to save these wolves.

Defenders of Wildlife and Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund are already preparing a legal challenge to Salazar’s decision. And just yesterday Defenders of Wildlife filed a Freedom of Information Act request to determine whether Secretary Salazar undertook any new scientific review before reissuing the same legally and scientifically flawed decision that the Bush Administration previously announced.

ItR17;s up to us to speak out for our wolves. We donR17;t have much time to prevent the killing, but -- with your help -- we still have a chance to save these wolves before it's too late.

With Gratitude,

Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

P.S. After you call the Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453, please make sure you tell Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund about your call.

More Information about Salazar’s Plan

• SalazarR17;s decision violates the Endangered Species Act and allows more than 1,000 out of the roughly 1,500 wolves in the region to be killed.
• Delisting wolves is contingent upon two things that have not yet been achieved: 1) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's delisting plan must be based on current, credible science that ensures a healthy wolf population level that is sustainable and well connected. 2) All of the states in the delisting area must have wolf management regulations that provide for a sustainable and well connected wolf population after federal protections are lifted.
• SalazarR17;s decision fails to adequately address biological concerns about the lack of genetic exchange among wolf populations in the Northern Rockies. These concerns led a Federal court to overturn the same delisting rule late last year when the Bush Administration issued it. Salazar's decision also fails to address concerns with IdahoR17;s state wolf management plan and regulations that undermine the goal of a sustainable wolf population by killing massive numbers of wolves.