Endangered Species Act

Activists have sought federal protections for the wolverine for more than 20 years. On Wednesday, the federal government finally granted their wish.

There aren't many wolverines in the continental U.S. — only about 400 of them— and they may soon be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. That decision could change how public land is developed around the Mountain West.

The main thing about Kate Olsen is she’s a fish biologist for the U.S. Forest Service and loves and knows all things fish. Part of her job is managing a fish that is only found in one place in the world: in a 1,000-foot stretch of stream in the Upper Green. The Kendall Warm Springs dace is a tiny fish that’s been listed as endangered for 50 years.

Fred Lindzey and his wife Stephanie call 140 acres of farmland just west of Laramie home. Their property is full of meadows, temporary ponds, and even a small stream. Their main crop is hay, but that is not the only thing they are helping to grow. The Lindzeys are part of a small group of landowners who are helping the endangered Wyoming toad make a comeback.

Scientists know very little about a species of stonefly that can only be found in the alpine streams of the Grand Teton Mountain Range: the Lednia tetonica. It was discovered in 2012. But as climate change slowly melts glaciers and threatens the aquatic insect's habitat, researchers are trying to learn as much as they can about the species before it disappears. Back in 2018, Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim went in search of the insect.

A conversation about the Endangered Species Act would be remiss without the Greater Sage-Grouse. The bird lives in 11 states in the West, with about 40 percent residing in Wyoming. Since the 1960s, data show that the total population has been declining. So, for many years, some groups have petitioned to list it as endangered. Wyoming has tried desperately to avoid that, as it could severely restrict development and energy production across much of the sagebrush landscape in the state. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan spoke with Bob Budd, chairman of the Sage-Grouse Implementation Team, which is overseeing the redrawing of Wyoming’s new sage-grouse map. Budd has been involved with the state’s efforts since 2000.

The grizzly bear is one of the more controversial species in the West. It’s listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. But some experts and landowners think the population in and around Yellowstone National Park should be considered recovered. Meanwhile, some environmentalists say that in order for that grizzly population to be fully healthy, it needs more genetic diversity. One way to do that is by allowing grizzlies from a central Montana ecosystem to travel south and breed with bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, called creating connectivity. But that 100 miles or so between the two ecosystems is populated with over 200,000 people. Two communities in that 100 mile swath are preparing for the nearly inevitable arrival of grizzlies.

Every spring, sage grouse go to ‘leks’ – which are sacred mating grounds in the sagebrush. This year, researchers noticed 15 percent more birds at the Wyoming leks compared to last year.

The decades-long debate continues regarding whether wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains should be federally protected.According to several conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was supposed to decide whether wolves in the Northern Rockies should have endangered species protections or not by May 2022, due to a petition the groups filed. The groups are now suing the agency to force a decision.

The Western Glacier Stonefly is Wyoming's only insect on the Endangered Species list.