"Conservationists said on Wednesday they will sue the Obama administration over its decision to deny federal protections for rare wolverines in the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

In a 60-day notice of intent to file the suit, a coalition of 13 conservation groups told the administration that politics underpinned this week's decision, instead of the "best available science" as required by the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed adding the estimated 300 wolverines in the Lower 48 states to the federal endangered and threatened species list, saying global warming was reducing snows in the high country that the animals depend on for digging dens and storing food."

Laura Zuckerman reports for Reuters August 14, 2014. [2]