The Fish and Wildlife Services finding is primarily based on the lack of sufficient scientific information to recommend a listing action for the wolf at this time.
The Fish and Wildlife Services decision was also influenced by the commitment of the U.S. Forest Service to revise its Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan to adequately protect the long-term viability of the Alexander Archipelago wolf and other old-growth forest dependent species. At present, the Alexander Archipelago wolf population is stable at low to moderate levels with an estimate of 650-1000 individuals.
"The Fish and Wildlife Services goal, which we share with the Forest Service, is to conserve wildlife and the habitats we all depend on, without resorting to listing under the Endangered Species Act if possible," said Director Beattie.
The Forest Service is working very closely with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to determine the best long- term management strategies for the conservation of the wolf and other species in the Tongass forest.
Dave Allen, Regional Director for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska noted, "An agreement signed by the three agencies last December clearly marks a new spirit of cooperation between our agencies. We are working together to identify the most sensitive forest dependent species and to conduct conservation assessments to guide the development of management strategies for these species. The goals of our collective effort are to incorporate these strategies into the revised Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan and thereby prevent the need to list species as threatened or endangered in order to protect them. Recent action by the Forest Service to defer timber sales in response to new information on species viability has helped to preserve management options for developing conservation strategies.
BACKGROUND: The Alexander Archipelago wolf is a subspecies of the gray (sometimes called "timber") wolf, named for the Alexander Islands of southeast Alaska that comprises much of this wolfs range. The Alexander Archipelago wolf is morphologically and taxonomically different from the wolves inhabiting other portions of Alaska. The Alexander Archipelago wolf population, estimated at 650 to 1000 individuals, is believed to be stable. The petitioners are concerned that the Alexander Archipelago wolf population may be threatened because of the large amount of logging that has occurred, or is planned in the old growth forests of southeast Alaska. The petitioners further contend that continued clear cutting of the areas old growth forest would adversely affect the Sitka black-tailed deer population, the primary, year-round food source of the Alexander Archipelago wolf. Researchers have found that old growth forest is important Sitka black-tailed deer habitat in southeast Alaska, particularly during winters with high snow accumulation. The Fish and Wildlife Service is also concerned about the long-term viability of the Alexander Archipelago wolf, and is working with the Forest Service and State of Alaska to protect the wolf through revisions of the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan.
-FWS-
