A judge's ruling to restore federal protections for the Rocky Mountain gray wolf has scuttled settlement talks between the parties involved in the lawsuit that had been scheduled for next week.

Instead, organizers will likely have to wait until the furor has died down from U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy's Thursday ruling before gauging interest in trying again, people involved with the planning said Friday.

Some are skeptical that there's not much point to the talks now.  After Molloy's ruling, Idaho wildlife officials canceled their flights to Helena.

"It's kind of like getting ready to ask a girl to dance, but the music stopped," said Idaho Fish and Game deputy director Virgil Moore.

The meeting had been set for Wednesday in Helena and would have brought together several of the wildlife advocacy groups that filed the lawsuit, along with officials from Montana, Idaho and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

There was no settlement offer on the table, but the participants had hoped to find common ground that might lead to ending the lawsuit challenging the Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf and turn over management to Montana and Idaho.