It took 42 pages for U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell to spell out the history of the gray wolf hunt in her ruling last week that shut down the Minnesota wolf hunting season. And that's just the recent history, the one that starts in 1973 with passage of The Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Since then, numerous battles have been fought over the hunt, with multiple attempts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to "delist" the wolf. Taking the gray wolf (Canis Lupus, for those keeping track) off the endangered species list allows state governments to open wolf hunting seasons, but the first three times this was attempted the courts intervened. The fourth time, the FWS succeeded, and Minnesota has held three hunting seasons since.
Now it could be all over. Or not. A spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources said Friday the agency plans to sit down and review Howell's ruling this week. There's a lot to consider in the 100-plus page ruling, and Minnesota is mentioned something like 132 times. The state DNR believes it's possible to hunt gray wolves and maintain a sustainable population, according to the spokesman. If you'd like to delve into the court's decision, read on. The complete ruling, along with the hunt's history, can be found below:
Photo: A gray wolf at the Wildlife Science Center, in Columbus, Minn., glances up in this 2004 photo. Photo credit: Star Tribune photographer Richard Sennott.
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