HELENA, Mont. - The Northern Rockies fisher, a cat-sized weasel related to wolverines and otters and found in the border area of Idaho and Northern Montana, is one step closer to protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a finding today stating that fishers may warrant federal protections. The move comes in response to a 2013 petition from a coalition of conservation groups.

Kylie Paul, Rockies and Plains representative in Montana for Defenders of Wildlife, said logging has reduced the animals' habitat, and new reports show at least 300 fishers have been trapped in Idaho alone since 2000.

"There's new information that they are facing current and rather dire threat of increased levels of accidental or incidental trapping, by trappers that are targeting other species, like martens or bobcats," she said.

The increased catch of fishers is an unintended consequence of demand in Russia and China for fur coats made from bobcat pelts, Paul said. The Fish and Wildlife decision kicks off a 12-month review, and an in-depth examination of the threats fishers face, before the agency makes a final decision. A 60-day public comment period starts today.

Paul noted that it currently is illegal to trap fishers in Idaho but not in Montana.

"In Montana right now, they are still trapping fishers," she said. "There's a quota of trapped fishers despite the likelihood that they occur in extremely low numbers in the state."

An Endangered Species Act listing could trigger a ban on trapping or new rules on modifying traps so they're less likely to attract fishers, Paul said. A listing could also lead to greater protections for the old-growth forests where fishers often live.

The petition is online at biologicaldiversity.org.


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It might not make hearts skip a beat like the sight of a Monarch butterfly or gray wolf, but biologists say a rare flowering New Mexico plant nonetheless deserves endangered species protection.

Inclusion of the swale paintbrush is under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Michael Robinson, senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the plant historically grew at several Southwestern sites but climate change and excessive grazing have taken their toll.

"We're talking about an extraordinarily arid area in the Bootheel of New Mexico -- it's Chihuahuan Desert -- it's got its own stark beauty," Robinson observed. "But when you see a relatively tall, graceful plant it provides a whole new perspective on the landscape."

He noted the swale paintbrush is one of the rarest plant species in North America. After accepting public comments over the summer about adding the plant to the endangered list, it is now under consideration for inclusion. Should it move forward, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to develop a recovery plan.

Robinson pointed out the swale paintbrush, also known as the glowing Indian paintbrush, has bright yellowish flowers which produce nectar and support pollinators. Its rarity means not much is known about habitat requirements, but it's generally found in seasonally wet grasslands.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service has had its eye for decades on the need to protect the swale paintbrush, but just always found some reason not to do it," Robinson stressed. "Which is the sad reality for so many imperiled plants and animals that need protection sooner rather than later."

A 2022 study found protections offered by the Endangered Species Act often kick in too late to fully recover declining species. Published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers found over the past three decades, species remained on waiting lists for protection far longer than the Endangered Species Act intends.


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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is moving forward with the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor designation process.

Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the move is an important step to protect key spots along the iconic route between Rock Springs and Grand Teton National Park.

That includes places where animals get corralled and funneled into bottlenecks, and places herds recover from winter by hunkering down to feed on green-up vegetation.

"It's really important for the whole herd, but especially females that are getting ready to have their fawns," said Metten. "So making sure that there is appropriate management of development in these high priority areas, like stopovers and bottlenecks."

A recent threat evaluation released by Game and Fish found that the corridor is at "high risk" of being lost due to human activity.

In just the past three years, high priority areas saw developments - including a 3,500 well gas field, a state gas auction leasing 640 acres for $19 an acre within a known bottleneck, and more subdivisions - according to Wyofile.

Metten said he believes protecting the corridor is not an either-or proposition.

Thanks to advanced GPS collar data tracking herd movements, he said all stakeholders can sit down at the same table and find ways to accommodate multiple uses of adjacent lands - including energy production, housing development, and increased access to outdoor recreation.

"These are all things that we can still have on the landscape, if we do it right," said Metten. "Using a science-based approach to identify what are the most important areas to conserve, and we set appropriate limits in areas that are needed."

Public meetings are set for this Thursday in Pinedale, November 29 in Green River, and November 30 in Jackson. The agency will accept public comments through January 5.

Metten said enjoying wildlife like the Sublette Pronghorn herd is a big reason why hard-working families are proud to call Wyoming home.

"We're thankful to Gov. Gordon and the staff and Wyoming Game and Fish Department," said Metten, "for their commitment to ensuring that this irreplaceable wildlife resource is sustained into the future."

Wyoming's elusive population of wolverines, whose contributions include keeping in check squirrel and other small mammal populations living at high elevations in deep snowpack, are at risk due to loss of habitat and climate change.

The latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife species assessment suggested federal protections under the Endangered Species Act could come as soon as November.

Andrea Zaccardi, carnivore conservation program legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, would welcome the move.

"We're relieved that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally recognized the threats to wolverines," Zaccardi said. "We're hopeful that will lead to a decision to federally protect them in the future."

Wolverines in the lower 48 were driven to the brink of extinction due to fur trapping and poisoning, but reemerged after states added protections. Wyoming prohibits hunting or trapping wolverines but has opposed federal protections. Former Gov. Matt Mead told the Department of Fish and Wildlife members of the Wolverine Science Panel were uncertain about climate change's impacts on wildlife.

Zaccardi noted whatever skepticism may have existed over the impact of climate change on wolverines is not represented in Fish and Wildlife's new report.

"The new assessment shows that there is consensus among scientists about the threats that wolverines are facing," Zaccardi pointed out. "And that climate change is a real threat to these species."

Conservationists said protecting wolverines -- alongside grizzlies, lynx, wolves and other species at risk -- safeguards Wyoming's wild spaces, which are central to the state's identity and draw visitors from across the globe. Zaccardi believes Endangered Species Act protections are a critical tool for keeping ecosystems humans also depend on healthy and intact.

"The loss of wolverines could have a profound impact on the general health of ecosystems across the Mountain West that they inhabit," Zaccardi concluded.


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