Contacts
Georgia Parham 812-334-4261 x 203
MINNEAPOLIS -- Three decades after gray wolves were nearly
extinct in the lower 48 states, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced
today that wolves in the eastern United States have recovered to the point
where they can be proposed for removal from the list of threatened and endangered
species.
Wolves in the Eastern Population Segment, located in Minnesota,
Michigan, and Wisconsin, have climbed beyond the population criteria set
out in the species’ recovery plan, Norton said. The three states have
management plans in place to ensure the species’ long-term survival.
The two other populations of gray wolves in the lower 48 states – the
western population located in the Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Wyoming
and Montana and the southwestern population of Mexican gray wolves – will
continue to be protected under the Act.
“Thirty years ago, the future of the gray wolf in the United States outside
of Alaska was anything but certain,” Norton said. “Today we celebrate
not only the remarkable comeback of the gray wolf, but the partnerships, dedicated
efforts and spirit of conservation that have made this success story possible.”
If finalized, the Service’s proposal would remove gray
wolves in the eastern United States from the threatened species list. States
and tribes with wolf populations on their lands would assume control of managing
these wolves.
The Eastern DPS extends from the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas
to the East Coast. The southern boundary includes Missouri, Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and its northern boundary is the Canadian
border. The proposal does not affect red wolves in the southeastern U.S.,
which are also protected by the Endangered Species Act. Protections of the
Act will remain in effect for wolves in the Eastern DPS until the proposal
is finalized.
“The effort to save an endangered predator such as the
gray wolf carries with it special challenges and obstacles,” said Craig
Manson, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. “We
chose a path that had recovery as its ultimate goal, but we used the flexibility
under the Endangered Species Act to accommodate the needs of people who are
most affected by the wolf’s comeback. The fact that we are successful
is a testimony to the dedicated efforts of our biologists and all the partners
who worked so hard to ensure the gray wolf has a place in our world.”
“ The north woods of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
are healthier ecosystems because of the presence of wolves,” said Steve
Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “These animals
provide a living laboratory to study how a top predator affects plants and
animals within the entire ecosystem.”
Occasional gray wolves have been spotted in the Dakotas. There
is no sign, however, that a population has become established in the Dakotas.
Individual wolves dispersing from packs in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin
have turned up in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska, but there is
no evidence of reproducing packs in these areas.
Once removed from the endangered and threatened species list,
gray wolves in the Eastern DPS will be managed by States and Tribes. The
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources have
developed plans to guide wolf management actions in the future. Issues such
as control of problem animals, hunting and trapping, as well as long-term
health of the wolf population, will be governed by the appropriate state
or tribe.
The Service will continue to monitor gray wolf populations
in the Eastern DPS for at least five years after delisting. The Service’s
proposal to remove gray wolves in the Eastern DPS from the endangered and
threatened species list is available for review. Comments will be accepted
for 120 days after the proposed rule is published. A series of public hearings
will be held throughout the Eastern DPS. The Service will announce details
of these hearings in the near future. Following the public comment period,
the Service will evaluate all information and make a decision on whether
to finalize the proposal. Until a final decision is made, wolves in the Eastern
DPS remain threatened and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Comments on the proposal to remove gray wolves in the Eastern
DPS from the Federal list of endangered and threatened species may be submitted
by e-mail to egwdelist@fs.fed.us; by sending
a letter to Gray Wolf Delist – Eastern Distinct Population Segment,
c/o Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 221150, Salt Lake City, Utah 84122-1150;
by sending a fax to (801) 517-1015; or through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
In the event that our internet connection is not functional, comments should
be mailed or sent by fax.
For more information on the Service’s proposal, the status
of wolves and wolf recovery in the Eastern United States, visit the Service’s
website at http://midwest.fws.gov In the event that our internet connection
is not functional, contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gray Wolf Review,
1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056 or call the Service’s
Gray Wolf Information Line at 612-713-7337. This phone line is for information
requests only; comments on the proposal made by phone will not be accepted.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national
fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to
State fish and wildlife agencies.
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