Congress is pushing a scary bill that could wipe out our gray wolves! On June 27, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives released a funding bill that takes away federal protections for wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Unlike Michigan and Wisconsin, our state has no laws to stop a wolf hunt if this passes. In 2021, Wisconsin lost 218 wolves in just 60 hours when protections were gone. We can’t let that happen here! Read the Bill

Why Wolves Are a Big Deal

• Wolves Help Us All: Wolves keep deer numbers in check, which saves forests and rivers from being destroyed. This helps bees and other pollinators that 70% of our food crops need. Healthy forests also clean our air and water, saving us billions in health costs.
• They’re Barely Hanging On: Wolves were almost gone by the 1970s. Now, only about 1,000 live in our state. One hunting season could ruin everything.
• They’re Special: Wolves are sacred to many Native American tribes and bring tourists who boost our local businesses.

What’s Wrong with This Bill

This “must-pass” bill (no number yet, see link above) is packed with attacks on wildlife:

• Wolves Lose Protection: It removes wolves from the Endangered Species Act, allowing unlimited hunting and trapping (Section 128).
• No Backup Plan: There’s no state or federal safety net to save wolves if protections go away.
• Science Gets Shut Down: It cuts all money for studying wolves, climate change, or teamwork between agencies.
• Scientists Lose Jobs: It slashes $144 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including 20% less for protecting new species, and fires many scientists.
• Other Animals Suffer: It blocks help for wolverines, sage-grouse, bats, and more. It also stops bringing back grizzly bears and bison.
• Big Oil Gets Rich: The bill lets oil companies destroy wild lands, backed by groups like Americans for Prosperity, who want to cut down wolf forests for profit.

Who’s Behind This?

Americans for Prosperity, funded by oil billionaires, pushes to gut wildlife laws and chop down our forests. Wolves need those forests to survive, and forests soak up 30% of the world’s CO2 to fight climate change. Cutting them down hurts wolves and us.

Our Plan: Sign the State Petition!

We’re fighting back with a petition to make gray wolves endangered or threatened in our state. If we get 25,000 signatures by August 15, we can force a state hearing to ban hunting and pay for wolf recovery. California did this in 2022 and saved their wolves. Sign now at [Petition Link]!

What You Can Do

• Join Us: Come to “The Next Fight for Wildlife and Wild Places” on July 24 at 8pm Eastern ([Registration Link]). Find out how to push your Representative to vote no.
• Call Your Rep: Call (202) 224-3121 and say: “Vote NO on the bill with anti-wildlife rules.”
• Spread the Word: Share this fact sheet! Only 12% of people in our state know about this, but 68% want to save wolves.

This is it! Wolves, our forests, and our future are at risk. Sign the petition and act TODAY!

Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, along with more than 240 other wildlife, environmental, animal welfare and conservation organizations sent a letter to House and Senate leadership today, calling on them to reject riders in 2018 Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency appropriations legislation that would erode the Endangered Species Act and other safeguards for wildlife.

The letter comes as Congress is poised to pass yet another continuing resolution that could pave the way for negotiations to begin on a final omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026

This year’s House and Senate bills currently include provisions that would strip away federal protections for wolves and several other species, choke off funding for listed species if wildlife agencies cannot complete their five-year species reviews on time and block protections for Wolves, among many other species in peril.

Joint Statement Issued by Signatory Organizations:

The conservation challenges America faces today are even greater and more complex than they were when the Endangered Species Act was first enacted. We face the reality of climate change and other enormous threats to our planet’s biodiversity — which in turn threatens our own survival as a species. Clearly, now is not the time to weaken the best tool our nation has to combat what scientists have determined is the sixth major extinction phase experienced on this planet.