President Donald Trump signed an executive order on September 4 directing federal agencies to evaluate the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for gray and Mexican wolves within 90 days. The directive, titled “Supporting America’s Ranchers,” tasks Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with determining whether recovery criteria have been met to begin delisting or downlisting processes.
Why It Matters
The order directly impacts ranching operations across the West, particularly in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, where wolf predation on livestock has long been a point of contention between agricultural producers and conservationists. By accelerating the review process, the administration aims to reduce regulatory burdens on rural communities and support domestic agriculture.
What Happened
The executive order requires Secretary Burgum to prepare a legislative recommendation for full delisting or downlisting if recovery standards are satisfied. It also encourages states to revise their standards for lethal control of wolves to better assist ranchers facing livestock losses. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a written statement supporting the move, noting that her department has spent 19 months defending ranchers against what she described as hostile federal policies.
“While the Biden administration chose to villainize ranching and the rural way of life under the guise of radical environmental mandates, the Trump Administration continues to focus on rebuilding the Great American Cattle Herd,” Rollins said in her statement.
By The Numbers
- 90 days: The timeframe given to Interior Secretary Burgum to decide on removing protections.
- 1,129: The estimated number of wolves in Idaho in 2025, a decrease of about 100 from the previous year.
- Less than one-tenth of 1%: The percentage of cattle and sheep lost to wolves annually in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, according to former government trapper Carter Niemeyer.
- 200: The approximate number of livestock animals killed by wolves each year in the three-state region.
Zoom Out
Wolves were nearly eliminated in the Western United States by the 1940s through government extermination campaigns, congressional bounties, and poisoning. They were added to the Endangered Species List in 1974 before being reintroduced into Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. The species was delisted in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana beginning in 2011, allowing those states to manage wolf populations through hunting and trapping.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has attributed recent declines in the state’s wolf population to aggressive hunting and trapping efforts. Despite these reductions, wolves remain protected under federal law in other parts of the United States, creating a patchwork of regulations that complicates management for cross-border wildlife.
What’s Next
Conservation groups have immediately signaled opposition to the executive order. Collette Atkins, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated that the organization would challenge any delisting attempts in court. Wolf advocates argue that removing protections is premature given ongoing population fluctuations.
Carter Niemeyer, a former government trapper and wolf advocate, called the order a distraction from more pressing economic issues facing farmers. He noted that ranchers are currently grappling with tariffs, rising fuel costs, and limited access to fertilizer.
“I remind people that livestock losses to wolves are less than one-tenth of 1% for cattle and sheep,” Niemeyer said, emphasizing the broader economic pressures on agricultural producers in the Mountain West.
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