Court Upholds Yellowstone Gray Wolf Plan

DENVER — Hundreds of transplanted Canadian wolves can remain in the northern Rockies, an appeals court has ruled.

The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed a 1997 decision by a Wyoming judge who declared illegal the government wolf reintroduction program in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.

The appeals court rejected arguments by officials with state and federal farm bureaus that the program’s rules violated the Endangered Species Act.

Environmentalists hailed the ruling as a boon for species recovery efforts nationwide.

Opponents said naturally occurring gray wolves in the recovery areas were deprived of their endangered-species protections.

There are about 300 wolves in Yellowstone and central Idaho as a result of the reintroduction program, National Wildlife Federation President Mark Van Putten said.