It’s only March but this year has already delivered one stark reminder after another of what we are up against in the fight for life, democracy and justice.

The last weeks brought war abroad and more turmoil in the US, along with a plea deal in the now widely known wolf torture case in Wyoming. Much of the public conversation has focused on whether the punishment for the individual involved was strong enough. That question matters. But it misses the deeper point. What happened was not simply the result of one person’s cruelty—it was the predictable outcome of a system that normalizes, rewards, and celebrates domination over wild lives.

When wildlife policy is built around extraction, consumption, spectacle, and political corruption rather than ethics, science and indigenous knowledge, it creates a culture where cruelty becomes not only possible but systemic. That is the real lesson here. 

If we only focus on the individual, we avoid confronting the institutions, incentives, and governance failures that allowed abhorrent behavior to happen in the first place.

In many ways, this moment reflects a broader truth about the United States right now. Across the country and from different vantage points, people are recognizing that systems designed without accountability eventually become inhumane—to all lives and to all kinds of people. Too often the rules serve only the wantonly wealthy and white, while everyone else—communities, the public trust, and animals too—are left without meaningful protection and increasingly under threat from the oppressors willing to sell any life and land to the highest bidder.

At Wildlife for All, our mission is to change that system. Real conservation requires democratic, ethical wildlife governance, bold leadership, and policies grounded in coexistence and public trust—not cruelty or exclusion. Moments like this are painful, but they also clarify why radical change is not optional. It is necessary.

For life, land, and liberty from oppression,

Michelle

New Mexico: SB 104 Strengthens Wildlife Commission Independence

SB 104, creating a formal process for removing members of the New Mexico State Game Commission, passed New Mexico’s short legislative session last month with unanimous legislative support. 

Under the new law, the governor can initiate the removal of a commissioner for cause, but the final determination will rest with the New Mexico Supreme Court beginning January 1, 2027. Commissioners must also receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before any removal action proceeds. The law additionally limits certain last-minute political party changes among appointees to promote stability and transparency in the commission’s composition.

SB 104 builds on our historic wildlife governance reforms adopted through SB5 in 2025 and represents an important step toward insulating wildlife management from shifting political pressures. Strengthening institutional independence helps move New Mexico closer to our goal of democratic wildlife governance.

State Wildlife Commissions Round Up

California Mountain Lions: After seven years of sustained advocacy, scientific review, and coalition-building, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 12 to protect vulnerable mountain lion subpopulations under the California Endangered Species Act. This designation prioritizes habitat connectivity, addresses threats like highways and rodenticides, and advances long-term recovery. This win proves that persistent public engagement, grounded in science, can overcome political inertia and fragmented habitats.

Colorado Furbearers: Just last week, the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission voted 6–4 to begin rulemaking to end the commercial sale of fur from 17 species, including beavers, bobcats, and swift foxes. Beyond protecting wildlife from exploitation, this decision signals that organized public pressure can challenge decades of agency culture favoring commercial interests over ecosystem health.

Florida Black Bears: Despite the threats of habitat loss and genetic vulnerability, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission authorized hunters to kill 172 bears in December 2025. Grassroots efforts from Florida Sierra Club, Bear Warriors United, Angels in Distress, Speak Up for Wildlife, and others helped reduce the kill to just 52 bears, only 30% of the authorized total. Advocates applied for permits themselves and paid hunters to surrender their permits. The lower hunt number reflects both the courageous work of activists and a population of bears that may not be as robust as FWC scientists are guessing. 

Wildlife for All mourns each of the 52 bears lost and celebrates the Floridian advocates who worked tirelessly to save bear lives. We are also supporting efforts to reform the commission so its structure and decision-making processes reflect the will of Floridians and the needs of wildlife.

Oregon Whales: The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission denied a petition from wildlife advocates requiring stricter protections for whales during crabbing season, just months after a juvenile humpback’s stranding went viral last November. The incident highlighted the growing risk of entanglements in Dungeness crab gear, and the petition proposed gear changes, reduced pot numbers, and new reporting standards to prevent whale entanglements. Oregon’s commission determined the petition largely duplicated ongoing rulemaking efforts and that more study was needed before adopting new mandates, despite whale-safe gear’s successful use in other states.

While the immediate outcome favors the fishery, endangered whales remain at risk, and advocates continue pushing for innovative, practical solutions to prevent entanglements without undermining livelihoods. Oregon’s case highlights the ongoing tension between wildlife protection and industry interests—and the need for continued public pressure to ensure wildlife has a seat at the table.

March Wildlife Commission Meetings

Don’t forget many state wildlife commissions meet every month, and showing up matters. Just look how public engagement helped spark the victories in Colorado and California! Your presence, comments, and questions can shape the priorities, policies, and protections on which wildlife depends. 

Don’t wait: make your voice count where decisions are made.

Watch Out for Right-to-Hunt Amendments

Many states are seeing misleading Right to Hunt amendments moving through their legislatures. These proposals aren’t about protecting a threatened activity—they’re about enshrining special interests into law, making it harder to prioritize science, democracy, and the needs of all wildlife.

In Ohio, lawmakers are pushing SJR 8 and HJR 1, resolutions that could enshrine hunting and fishing as the “preferred means” of wildlife management. This threatens recovery of species under pressure from habitat loss and climate change. Changing the state’s constitution to pressure agencies to authorize hunts before populations recover and limit their ability to prioritize non-lethal coexistence strategies is a bad idea. At a time when many wildlife populations face increasing pressure from habitat loss and climate change, state wildlife agencies need to focus on wildlife recovery—not killing.

If you live in Ohio, please urge legislators to vote NO to protect wildlife and public input.

New Hampshire is considering CACR 15, a proposed constitutional amendment creating a ‘right to harvest game and fish.’ Hunting and fishing are already fully protected under state law, making this amendment unnecessary. Embedding it in the Constitution could lock in hunting as a priority over science-based wildlife conservation, bias future policy, and block reforms that protect imperiled species.

New Hampshire residents: your voice makes a real difference—contact your state representatives today to stop CACR 15 before it moves forward.

Protect the Lost Copper Creek Pup

A young wolf who survived the loss of his family, a gunshot wound, and repeated lethal hunts is again being targeted by Colorado wildlife officials.

Wolf 2404 is one of pups from the Copper Creek pack—the first pack to produce pups after wolves were restored to Colorado. But instead of being allowed to live as part of that historic recovery, this young wolf has spent his entire life overcoming persecution.

He has survived what no young wolf should have to: losing his family to state relocation before he was even a year old, surviving the winter alone, and enduring a gunshot wound from Colorado Parks and Wildlife last fall. 

Now CPW may target him again. Wolves like him are essential to Colorado’s ecosystems—yet CPW continues to treat survival as a crime. Take action today to demand protection for this resilient and intrepid wolf and for nonlethal coexistence solutions.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Colorado Parks and Wildlife to stop the killing and require nonlethal coexistence measures.

Oppose Steve Pearce for BLM Director

Former congressman Steve Pearce has been nominated to lead the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency responsible for managing hundreds of millions of acres of public lands and wildlife habitat.

Pearce has a long record of opposing wildlife protections, public lands conservation, and science-based environmental policy. Placing him in charge of the nation’s largest public land management agency would erase decades of efforts to protect wildlife and our shared ecosystems.

Take action: Contact your Senator by dialing 202-224-3121 and urge them to oppose Pearce’s confirmation. Public lands—and the wildlife that depend on them—require leadership committed to conservation, transparency, and the public interest.

Mexican Gray Wolves: Federal Leadership Missing

Despite encouraging news on the increased population numbers, the recovery of the endangered Mexican gray wolf continues to stall as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fails to take the decisive actions necessary to protect lobos. They have now issued a kill permit allowing Catron County ranchers to kill any one endangered lobo who happens to be in the area. This most recent failure to act in the best interests of the species they’re tasked with protecting highlights what amounts to “quiet quitting” wolf recovery while pandering to outspoken wolf-haters.

Email the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at mexicanwolfcomments@fws.gov and urge them to cancel this permit.

Oregon 1.25% for Wildlife

A major win for wildlife in Oregon: HB 4134 passed both chambers and is headed to the governor’s desk. This bill adds a slight tax to hotel bills to create a fund for habitat restoration, coexistence, and species recovery. This dedicated funding supports implementation of the State Wildlife Action Plan, benefiting over 300 at-risk species—from monarchs and bumblebees to pikas and great gray owls.

This success came from over 2,300 public comments, broad coalition building, and a shared commitment to wildlife as a public trust. It shows that when people demand better, agencies and lawmakers respond. With stable funding now secured, Oregon is taking a long-overdue step toward preventing species decline before emergencies arise.

Mexican Gray Wolf Numbers Increase To 319, Yet Federal & State Killings Threaten Their Survival

Release: Trump Administration Allows Ranchers to Kill Endangered Mexican Wolf

Release: Mexican Gray Wolf Numbers Reach 319 in Southwest

March Wildlife Commission Meetings

Show Up March 4 to Protect Colorado’s Furbearers

New Mexico Again Advances Reform with SB104