WASHINGTON D.C. – Wyoming Wildlife Advocates board members Tim Mayo and Kent Nelson filed a lawsuit today in federal district court in Washington, D.C. The suit challenges the basis, rational and administration of Grand Teton National Park’s annual elk hunt, known officially as the Elk Reduction Program.
The suit claims the National Park Service violated the Grand Teton National Park Act, the National Park Organic Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in authorizing the annual hunt. The suit also names the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the Endangered Species Act.
“The various laws define a rigorous process which the agencies who authorize and administer the hunt are required to follow,” WWA Executive Director Kent Nelson said. “We are alleging that the agencies’ legal obligations were sometimes ignored and at other times were essentially rubber stamped without performing legally required due diligence.”
