Summary Report of Independent Peer Reviews for the Gray Wolf Delisting Review

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a proposed rule to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. In accordance with the Service’s July 1, 1994 peer review policy (59 FR 34270) and the Office of Management and Budget’s December 16, 2004, Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review, the Service subjected this proposal to independent expert peer review.

The purpose of this review was to provide external scientific peer reviews of the information in the Draft Biological Report and Proposed Delisting Rule and supporting technical memoranda. The Draft Biological Report and Proposed Delisting Rule peer review was conducted to ensure use of the best scientific and commercial information available and to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information upon which the proposal is based, as well as to ensure that reviews by qualified experts are incorporated into the rulemaking process.