Jess Edberg, information services director — International Wolf Center
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has prepared a draft proposal that would delist the gray wolf in all areas of the contiguous United States outside of the southwestern wolf recovery area.
In addition to removing federal protections for gray wolves outside of the Southwest, it also recognizes the eastern gray wolf, Canis lupus lycaon, as a distinct species from the gray wolf, Canis lupus, and elevates it to eastern wolf, Canis lycaon. Additionally, this proposal would replace the May 5, 2011, proposed action to remove protections for the gray wolf in all or portions of 29 eastern states.
The USFWS analyzed the listing status of the gray wolf as part of its five-year review process and concluded that due to the recovery of the gray wolf in two of the three established gray wolf recovery areas, the species as a whole no longer warranted Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections.
The Western Great Lakes and Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segments were previously delisted as a result of recovery goals as outlined in the respective federal recovery plans being met.
However, the USFWS addressed the lagging recovery of the Mexican gray wolf by establishing it as a distinct subspecies deserving of ESA protections. This means that the Southwest wolf recovery program will continue, but the Mexican gray wolf will be managed as a separate entity under the ESA rather than under the umbrella of the U.S. gray wolf recovery program.
Additionally, the draft proposal recognizes the eastern wolf as a third species of wolf historically and currently found to exist in the contiguous United States. (Currently wolf geneticists disagree whether the eastern wolf is a different species from the gray wolf.)
The plan argues that historically gray wolves did not inhabit portions of the eastern United States, but rather the eastern wolf occupied the Northeast and portions of the Upper Midwest. Analysis of the eastern wolf status is still ongoing.
Finally, the national wolf strategy outlined in the May 5, 2011, proposal was intended to lay out a cohesive and coherent approach to address wolf conservation needs, ensure that actions taken to conserve wolves do not negatively affect another species, and that the role of historical wolf ranges are clearly defined as they apply to conservation and recovery.
When formally announced, this plan will follow the same process as previous delisting proposals and go through a public comment period.
Although not officially released, the draft plan has already received criticism by wolf advocacy groups as premature and influenced by politics.