Conservation groups seek protection for Alexander Archipelago wolfs

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Conservation groups asked the federal government Wednesday to provide Endangered Species Act protections to a Southeast Alaska wolf population they say is under threat from factors including the loss of habitat and hunting and trapping.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Alaska Rainforest Defenders and Defenders of Wildlife submitted the petition to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An email seeking comment was sent to the Interior Department press office.

The petition seeks protections for the Alexander Archipelago wolf. While the wolf’s range includes parts of Southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia, the groups say the wolves in Alaska, and particularly on Prince of Wales Island, are at notable risk.

The wolves primarily use low-elevation, old-growth forest habitat for creating dens, raising pups, moving and other activities, the petition states, adding that the habitat is also used by a main source of prey, the Sitka black-tailed deer.

Shaye Wolf, climate science director with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the new petition focuses on the wolves in Southeast Alaska, “where the threats are really concentrated and where we have documented population declines.” She said new information since the 2016 decision underscores the petitioning groups’ concerns.

Source: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wildlife/2020/07/15/conservation-groups-seek-protections-for-southeast-alaska-wolf-population/