The red wolf (Canis rufus) is one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. Once ranging from Texas to Florida to Pennsylvania, it was relegated to a remnant population in coastal eastern Texas and western Louisiana. In the middle of the last century, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determined that the fragmented population was threatened with loss due to hybridization with coyotes. The remaining red wolves were captured and brought into captivity ? rendering them extinct in the wild. In the early 1980s, efforts were made to restore populations of red wolves in the Smoky Mountains and in eastern North Carolina. As with any restoration program involving apex predators, this one has faced challenges and criticism almost since the beginning. Thirty years later, the Wildlife Management Institute, under contract with the FWS, will be conducting a close examination of the program to determine lessons learned, successes and failures, and how to improve the process of restoring a controversial species to the landscape.

The program evaluation of the red wolf recovery and restoration efforts will be structured around three components: supporting science, program management and human dimensions. As a part of the comprehensive review, WMI will review pertinent literature and documents, conduct interviews with North Carolina Wildlife Commission members, executive staff, biologists, and employees, conduct interviews with regional and programmatic FWS employees directly involved with the red wolf recovery and the Endangered Species Act, and conduct two stakeholder public meetings within the five counties surrounding the red wolf recovery area. WMI will also sub-contract with experts, as necessary, to accomplish the goals of this review, analyze current scientific methodology and management efforts, consult with leadership of both the FWS and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and compile a detailed report of findings on the state of the Red Wolf Recovery Program.

For the "Supporting Science" portion of the review, WMI is reviewing relevant, science-based literature as well as extensive data on the population dynamics of the experimental red wolf recovery effort. For the "Program Administration and Management" portion of the review, WMI will focus on how the FWS has implemented and managed this project, especially on management decisions, relevant rules, or other formal guidance or statements of policy issued by the FWS. Finally, WMI will delve into the "Human Dimensions" aspect of the recovery program in an attempt to identify opportunities to enhance and improve the FWS's long-term relationship with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, local governments and private landowners, as well as the North Carolina Governor's office, state legislature and congressional delegation. While the FWS has legislated responsibilities to follow its own conservation mission, goals and strategies, it also recognizes the critical importance of public/private partnerships in reaching its conservation goals and respecting the rights of landowners who are affected by its actions.

In conclusion, the Wildlife Management Institute is bringing to bear more than 100 years of biological, ecological and sociological experience to determine the current status of the highly imperiled red wolf. This review could have far ranging implications for the restoration and recovery of controversial species as we move into a new era of natural resource management that focuses on increasing urbanization (and the concurrent increase in animal/human interactions), global climate change and the critical decisions that must occur when agencies determine the future of recovery programs. (jg)