Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Finding for the Gray Wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western United States

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a finding on the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) and in the Western United States. After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial data, we find that gray wolves within the NRM area do not, on their own, represent a valid listable entity; therefore, the NRM is not warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the gray wolf in the Western United States is a valid listable entity; however, the gray wolf in the Western United States does not meet the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species. Thus, we find that listing the gray wolf in the Western United States is not warranted at this time.