U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Hold Public Meetings on Red Wolf Recovery Program

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold meetings to update private landowners and the general public on the Red Wolf Recovery Program, including revitalized recovery efforts for the species, the status of recovery efforts in the eastern North Carolina Red Wolf Population area, and future planning efforts for the recovery of the species. With interest in the Red Wolf Recovery Program spanning across the historic range of the species, both in-person and virtual meetings will be held.

For more than 30 years, the Service and its partners have worked to conserve and recover the red wolf. The Service has been revitalizing recovery efforts for the species in the eastern North Carolina Red Wolf Population area and increasing engagement and transparency in all of our actions. As part of this revitalized effort, we are providing these informational meetings to update our audiences on recovery and management actions (past, present and future) for the red wolf.

An in-person meeting will be held Tuesday, May 9, 2023, from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m., at Mattamuskeet High School, 20392 US-264, Swanquarter, North Carolina. Questions may be submitted in advance but will also be taken live during the question-and-answer session. Questions may be submitted in advance to redwolf@fws.gov. Please note in the subject line whether the questions are for the in-person or virtual meeting.

A virtual public informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EST. Questions may be submitted in advance during the registration process but will also be taken live online. Register at the link below:

https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K7y79qWDQeO-8SrHAAY6ZQ#/registration

When releases of endangered red wolves resumed in eastern North Carolina in early 2020, the public's focus on this charismatic species was reignited. America’s red wolf – a distinct canid species native to the United States – is one of the most imperiled species of canids in the world. Once declared extinct in the wild, the recovery efforts undertaken for the red wolf have set the stage for several subsequent large carnivore reintroduction efforts across the nation. Additional information on the red wolf recovery program can be found at the link below:

https://www.fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program

Successful recovery for the red wolf will require collaborative efforts with our partners, landowners and other stakeholders that include identifying ways to facilitate coexistence between people and wolves. The Service is committed to working with others in that endeavor and these meetings are part of that process.  

This effort comes as the Department of the Interior is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in 2023, and highlighting its importance in preventing imperiled species' extinction, promoting the recovery of wildlife and conserving the habitats upon which they depend.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, 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. Connect with our Facebook page 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.