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Just outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, the gray wolf is fighting for survival. The Bush Administration, acting with callous disregard for our core environmental laws and one of America's most treasured wildlife icons, moved first to permit a massive slaughter of wolves and then -- when stopped in its tracks by NRDC litigation under the endangered species act -- attempted to strip wolves of their protection under the landmark act.

Tragically, before the federal courts acted, the Bush Administration and its allies in several states allowed the first public hunt of wolves in seven decades. During this senseless hunt, more than 110 wolves were slaughtered by aerial gunning, trapping, and poisoning in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Even wolf pups were targeted.

The courts have become our last line of defense against state and federal officials that threatened to reverse the recovery of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, one of our nation's greatest wildlife success stories. Our victories were a testament to NRDC's ability to engage -- and win -- critical fights for America's invaluable wildlife and wild places. The unmatched dedication of our lawyers, scientists, policy experts, members, and communications team helped to turn the tide in the fight for wolf protection.

See the complete Wildlands and Wildlife section of this report (in pdf format, 396k) for more about our work, including our BioGems victories.

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