Feds say no to bigger wolf protection plan
By Terry Murry on Monday, February 5th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has denied two petitions to list gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Western United States as an endangered species. The request came from conservation groups. It means the state and federal legal standings of gray wolves will remain in place.
The groups’ petitions were an effort to halt wolf hunts in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. With the rejection, it means the hunts in those states will be allowed to take place. The estimated wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountains was at about 2,800 animals at the end of 2022.
“The population maintains high genetic diversity and connectivity, further supporting their ability to adapt to future changes,” USFWS stated in a news release.
Gray wolves remain an endangered species 44 states and are listed as threatened in Minnesota. They are under state management in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington.
The agency recognized that its patchwork method of regulating gray wolves as endangered species needs to change. The service said it will develop a national recovery plan under the Endangered Species Act for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. It expects that plan to be completed by Dec. 12, 2025.
