by Angela Douglas – Q2 News
BILLINGS – Last May, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior reissued the wolf delisting rule in Montana, taking them off the endangered species list.
Currently all wolves in Montana, Idaho-and in portions of Washington, Oregon and Utah are delisted.
Wolves in Wyoming are still considered endangered, however the state is getting closer to a wolf management plan.
“They’re very close,” states Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The governor of Montana, WY Governor Mead, and his people have been working closely with their legislature to pass a law that would allow them to submit a plan that would bring them into compliance with the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks requests. The state of Montana and Idaho have already done it, Wyoming is not far behind.”
At least 1,600 gray wolves live in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.