The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced in late February that it plans to remove gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains from the Endangered Species List, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The announcement was posted in the Federal Register on February 21, with anticipation of finalization 30 days later. However, only hours after the notice was published, 11 environmental organizations submitted notice that they intend to challenge the FWS decision in federal court, on the grounds that the existing population is genetically isolated and Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have made inadequate commitments to maintain the population.

Gray wolves were reintroduced into the Northern Rocky Mountains in the 1990s, amid much controversy. The recovery goal for the population was at least 30 breeding pairs and more than 300 wolves. It was reached by 2002, and the population has continued to grow to an estimated of 100 breeding pairs and 1,500 wolves. State wolf-management plans approved by the FWS can never go below 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves per state and, based on those plans, it is expected that states will manage the population between 900 and 1,250 wolves. The FWS is required to monitor the wolf population for five years after delisting, to ensure that wolf numbers never fall below recovery goals and that emerging threats do not jeopardize the animals.

The decision designates the Northern Rocky Mountain wolves as a distinct population segment. Accordingly, any wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and a small corner of northcentral Utah will no longer have protection under the Endangered Species Act. If a wolf from this population were to disperse outside of the population boundary where wolves have not been delisted, into Colorado, for example, it would again be protected by the ESA.

The move to delist has been anticipated since Wyoming produced a compromise state wolf management plan in September (see article in the archived September issue of the Outdoor News Bulletin). The Montana and Idaho plans were approved in 2003, but an earlier version of the Wyoming plan had been rejected by the FWS because it classified wolves as predators throughout most of the state. Wyoming's plan was revised late last year and is awaiting final enactment into law by the state legislature, which is expected this month. The delisting decision is contingent upon that enactment.

Part of the states' wolf-management plan includes provisions to allow sport hunting of wolves as trophy game animals. It is anticipated that the states will promulgate regulations and establish hunting seasons that will be tightly regulated to ensure the wolf population will never fall below the agreed upon levels.

"With hundreds of trained professional managers, educators, wardens and biologists, state wildlife agencies have strong working relationships with local landowners and the ability to manage wolves for the long-term," said Lyle Laverty, the Department of Interior's Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. "We're confident the wolf has a secure future in the Northern Rocky Mountains and look forward to continuing to work closely with the states as we monitor the wolf population for the next five years."

Despite the anticipation of the removal of wolves from the Endangered Species list, the environmentalists' lawsuit will ensure that future wolf-management jurisdiction will be tied up in court for some time. The groups, led by Earthjustice and including Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Humane Society of the United States and others, contend that the wolves in central Idaho, northwestern Montana and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem are largely disconnected from one another, which calls into question the genetic stability of the animals. In addition, the groups believe that the region's current population is well under the 2,000 to 5,000 wolves that independent scientists have determined to be necessary to secure the health of the species.

According to a statement released by the groups, "The state plans that will guide wolf management in the wake of delisting betray the states' continued hostility toward the presence of wolves in the region. While ensuring that wolves can and will be killed in defense of property or recreation, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana have refused to make enforceable commitments to maintaining viable wolf populations within their borders. The states have also neglected to secure funding for essential monitoring and conservation efforts, relying on continued federal financing of all wolf-related activities following delisting." (jas)