A federal judge in Missoula on Tuesday vacated the federal government’s determination that gray wolves in the Western United States do not need increased federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Several coalitions of conservation groups, including several from Montana, filed lawsuits in federal district court last year against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in an attempt to force the agency to reapply ESA protections to the species.

The groups praised the decision from the federal district court in Montana as a step forward towards providing greater protection for the iconic species.

“The Endangered Species Act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider the best available science, and that requirement is what won the day for wolves in this case,” Matthew Bish

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