With the help of supporters like you, we just saw a breakthrough in our long-term fight to stop the premature delisting of wolves.

Nearly 60,000 of you spoke out against the exclusion of these wildlife experts, and because of the public outcry, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is putting the brakes on a scientific peer review, which had barred 16 of the most respected scientists from advising on the agency's misguided delisting proposal.

We will continue calling on FWS to move forward with a fair peer review of the proposal by experts. Please donate now to support our continued efforts to protect wolves and other wildlife.

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark
President
Defenders of Wildlife

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USFWS halts peer review process for national wolf delisting proposal
Public outcry over excluded experts raises serious concerns over scientific integrity


WASHINGTON (August 12, 2013) – According to news reports today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) has put on hold the scientific peer review of its proposal to strip federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across nearly all of the lower 48 states.

The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife:

“While we still disagree on the merits of this premature delisting proposal, at least the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service understands the magnitude of the issue. It’s a relief that the Service has listened to the voices of wildlife supporters nationwide who have called the integrity of their peer review process into question. Cherry-picking scientists is not a good way to do business. To ensure impartiality and scientific integrity, we recommend that the Service turn the peer review over to the National Academy of Sciences instead of trying to manage the process itself. Either way, we look forward to a fair peer review of the science behind this ill-advised delisting proposal, and we hope the Service turns to the best experts in the field regardless of whether they have written letters about the use of their science in the proposal.”

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Background:
Last week, several wolf experts were excluded from consideration for a peer review panel to evaluate the scientific basis for delisting gray wolves nationwide. They were excluded for signing a letter in May that criticized the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal, saying: “Based on a careful review of the rule, we do not believe that the rule reflects the conclusions of our work or the best available science concerning the recovery of wolves, or is in accordance with the fundamental purpose of the Endangered Species Act to conserve endangered species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.” Among those excluded were Robert Wayne of UCLA, Roland Kays of North Carolina State University and John Vucetich of Michigan Technological University.