Federal proposal to remove wolf protections exposes rifts

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A federal proposal to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list has divided states in the West, and has even exposed conflicting views among top officials in Oregon.

Gov. Kate Brown, after slapping down a stance taken by the state’s top wildlife official supporting delisting the wolf, said Thursday it’s critically important that range-wide recovery efforts for wolves across the West be maintained.

California has formally opposed the Trump administration’s proposal to end federal wolf protection across the country. Washington state recently supported it.

Collette Adkins of the Center for Biological Diversity, which opposes delisting, noted that some states have their own wolf protections. But she said some lack any, including Massachusetts and Missouri where they’ve dispersed. The center says wolves desperately need their federal protections.