The deadline to complete a peer-reviewed evaluation of the Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program and its non-essential, experimental population of red wolves in Eastern North Carolina has been extended to November 14, 2014.
To take into account more than 47,600 comments the Service received from interested citizens and organizations over nearly a month along with the feedback from two public focus group sessions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided an additional month to the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) to complete its evaluation.
“The Service greatly appreciates the effort of so many citizens and organizations who took the time to share comments and provide feedback to us related to the Red Wolf Recovery Program and its work in Eastern North Carolina,” said Leopoldo Miranda, Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services in the Service’s Southeast Region.
In August, the Service said it would launch this evaluation and complete it this fall. Under the Service’s contract with WMI, the evaluation will be peer reviewed and then used to help the Service thoroughly evaluate the program and determine next steps for the non-essential population. That determination is expected to be finalized in early 2015. The evaluation covers three primary areas: science, management, and public attitudes.
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. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov/southeast. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws, and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.
