Fed to Scrap Plans to Make Wolverine Protected

Scientists with the US Fish and Wildlife Service are being asked to reconsider their scientific conclusions concerning the vulnerability of wolverines to climate change. They have also reportedly been ordered to withdraw last year's proposal to protect American wolverine populations under the Endangered Species Act.

This was revealed in a leaked memo, obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which appears to be signed by US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Regional Director Noreen Walsh.

In the memo, Walsh explains that while there is no doubt that the high-elevation habitats of wolverines is getting warmer due to a changing climate, there is not enough conclusive evidence that the mammals will be significantly impacted by a change in snow patterns, calling the original grounds for protection of the species mere "speculation."

Earlier this month, FWS spokesman Chris Tollefson confirmed that Walsh - director of the Rocky Mountain Region - authored the May 30 document, according to the Associated Press (AP).

"Due to the uncertainty of climate models, I cannot accept the conclusion about wolverine habitat loss that forms the basis of our recommendation to list the species," Walsh wrote in the memo.

CBD endangered species director Noah Greenwald expressed his disgust with this decision in a recent release from the environmental group.

"The decision to overrule agency scientists and deny protection to the wolverine is deeply disappointing and shows that political interference in what should be a scientific decision continues to be a problem under the Obama administration, just as it was under George W. Bush," Greenwald said. "Wolverines and the winter habitats they depend on are severely threatened by our warming world. Only serious action to reduce fossil fuels can save the wolverine, tens of thousands of other species, and our very way of life."

According to the CBD, even if based off of some educated guesswork, the cost to make the wolverine a protected species far outweighs the risk associated with waiting for things to get worse.

However, with resources stretched as they are, the FWS argues that moving funds to protect an animal that may not even be in danger of extinction will only make things harder.

This wouldn't be the first time the FWS and environmental groups didn't see eye-to-eye on matters dealing with the Endangered Species Act. There is currently an ongoing debate as to whether manatees should be moved to the endangered list. The FWS also faces several lawsuits after failing to protect certain rare species in the past.