What happened: Officials at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) removed three of the nation’s top wolf experts from an independent science review panel. According to the private contractor that was managing the project, FWS officials ordered the removal of the three scientists because they had signed an earlier letter sent to the Department of the Interior. In the letter, over a dozen scientists had raised science-based concerns on the agency’s plan to remove federal protections from the gray wolf and turn the management of the gray wolf populations over to the states.
Why it matters: By intervening in the selection process of an independent panel to remove scientists that may be critical of the agency’s proposed plan, FWS undermined one of the primary ways that federal agencies ensure that they are utilizing the best available science in decisionmaking processes. The independent panel of outside scientific experts was formed to review the science behind the agency’s plan on gray wolves. By removing scientific experts that may express disagreement with the agency’s plan, FWS sidelined the scientific process and potentially placed the endangered gray wolf species in further jeopardy.
Learn more about how FWS officials undermined the science-based process used to protect endangered species like the gray wolf.