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Federal officials say wolverine doesn't need listing

Staff reports
March 11, 2008

This undated photo, taken by biologist Jeff Copeland, shows a wolverine in Glacier National Park in Montana. (Jeff Copeland / Glacier National Park)

Wolverines do not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, though the federal government will support conservation measures across their native range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.

The wolverine is the largest land species of the weasel family. Adults weigh 17 to 40 pounds, resemble small bears and feed on forest carrion.

Wolverines are found in the North Cascades of Washington and the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. They also live in Alaska and Canada.

In 2000, environmental groups petitioned the federal government to list wolverines in the Lower 48 states as threatened or endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to list the species, which led to litigation.

A U.S. District Court judge in Montana ordered the agency to conduct a new status review of wolverines.

According to the review, wolverines in the Lower 48 states are not a distinct subspecies and do not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The findings will be published Tuesday in the federal register.

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