1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I urge you to vote no on HR 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, which passed the House, and would strip Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves across the continental United States within 60 days. This legislation is scientifically unjustified and would open the door to reckless trophy hunting and recreational trapping seasons that target wolves. Gray wolves play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance. Yellowstone National Park suffered greatly from the absence of wolves before their reintroduction in 1995, demonstrating their importance to healthy ecosystems. Recent research even credits wolves with reducing vehicle-deer collisions, providing a measurable public safety benefit. Despite these contributions, this bill would eliminate federal protections before wolves have recovered across their historic range. The science is clear that killing wolves causes more problems than it solves. Studies show that killing a single wolf can cause an entire family pack to fall apart and lead to additional deaths. This social disruption actually increases conflicts with domestic animals rather than reducing them. Current conflicts between wolves and livestock are already very rare, making the justification for this bill even weaker. The provision in HR 845 that denies judicial review is particularly troubling. Blocking the courts from reviewing this delisting decision removes a critical check on government overreach and prevents citizens from ensuring decisions are based on sound science rather than political pressure. The Endangered Species Act has enjoyed overwhelming public support for more than 50 years because it works. Stripping protections from gray wolves now would put this iconic species at risk and set a dangerous precedent for weakening protections for other threatened and endangered species. I ask you to stand with science, ecological integrity, and the millions of Americans who support the Endangered Species Act by voting no on HR 845.