For wolverines, politics trumps science (again)

The Obama administration has some seriously bad news for Oregon’s 3 resident wolverines -- it’s overruling the conclusions of federal scientists and denying wolverines protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Hmmm. Well, surely the administration is basing this decision on sound science. Right?

According to biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are fewer than 300 wolverines left in the contiguous United States. Wolverines require habitat with near-arctic conditions -- and they need enough of it to accommodate their large individual ranges. Unfortunately, climate change is predicted to wipe out much of the remaining habitat they need to survive (as much as 63% before the end of the century).

See? Wolverines don’t need protection! Science...says...so... Oh wait. Nope.

In fact, U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists recommended that wolverines be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Twice.

So, if wolverines are in such a rough spot, how did the proposal to grant them threatened status get chucked?

It turns out, the Obama administration chose political expediency over science (again), and caved to pressure from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho -- the states where most of our country’s wolverines can still be found.

Back in February of 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the likelihood of habitat loss caused by climate change, and found that wolverines met the criteria for protection as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Enter Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. All three states states strongly opposed the proposed listing and questioned the impact of climate change on wolverine habitat. These states also cited dire economic impacts to development, trapping and other recreational activities if wolverines were protected.

In response, the Fish and Wildlife Service convened an expert panel to review the science behind its original proposal. In April of this year, the panel released a report that reaffirmed wolverines’ dependence on climate-related habitat conditions like persistent deep snow, contiguous snow, and temperature. The panel unanimously agreed that despite a small increase in population in the near-term, populations will likely be significantly affected by habitat loss due to climate change in the long-term.

Citing the conclusions of the expert panel, scientists from the Montana field office of the Fish and Wildlife Service recommended (yet again) that the listing proceed and protection for wolverines be finalized.

So what did Noreen Walsh, director of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Fish and Wildlife Service, do with that information? In a leaked memo, she told her scientists to set aside their conclusions and reverse their recommendation to list wolverines as threatened. Obviously.

Attempting to justify her decision, Walsh blamed uncertainty about the degree to which scientists can predict the effect of climate change on wolverine populations. As it happens, it’s really hard to study the effects of climate change on a notoriously shy species with fewer than 300 remaining individuals. So, no protection necessary. Logic! It wins every time. (For more on this migraine-inducing bureaucratic journey, check out this L.A. Times story.)

What does all of this mean for Oregon’s 3 known wolverines? We’re talking about a species that was thought to be extirpated from our state as early as 1935 and is now just barely making a comeback.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is woefully unprepared to monitor these individual wolverines, let alone ensure the species’ recovery. Without federal protection, we may never see wolverines return to their native Oregon habitat. And that would be a shame for wolverines and the countless other animals that would benefit from the protection of wolverine habitat.

A final decision on the matter is expected by August 4th. We hope you'll join us in our efforts to make sure wolverines get the protection they deserve. Keep an eye out for updates and opportunities to weigh in!

Read more about Oregon’s wolverines here.