Gray wolves in N. Rockies may go off endangered list

Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 3, 2006 at midnight

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that it is considering removing gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species list, contingent on whether Wyoming government officials agree to certain conditions.

The proposal to remove the gray wolf from the federal list was not well-received by wildlife advocates or by Wyoming officials who have been at odds with the Fish and Wildlife Service over how Colorado's northern neighbor should sustain its gray wolf population.

Fish and Wildlife officials said Thursday that the gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies has flourished and no longer requires federal protection.

The U.S. government reintroduced the gray wolves from Canada into Yellowstone National Park and Idaho 10 years ago.

Fish and Wildlife officials propose leaving the wolves unprotected in Wyoming, Montana, an area of north-central Utah, and the eastern parts of Oregon and Washington.

Outside of this designated region, the gray wolf would remain endangered, except in Minnesota where it is considered a threatened species, said Ed Bangs, the Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery program director in Helena, Mont.

Since 2002, the gray wolf has easily surpassed recovery goals for the animals, which require each state to have successful reproducing packs, or at least 10 breeding pairs and 100 gray wolves, Bangs said.

But the proposal to no longer protect the gray wolf is dependent on whether Wyoming passes a law and plan for the animal that would not lead to unlimited "human-caused mortality," Bangs said.

Wyoming already has submitted a proposal that the Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected.

"The ball is in Wyoming's court," Bangs said.

Eric Keszler, spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said the state isn't planning on modifying its proposal.

Wyoming already has petitioned the federal government to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list.

"Our proposed plan is adequate for sustaining viable populations for the wolves in northwestern Wyoming," Keszler said.

"We don't have any plans to change our proposed plan at this time. We've had a number of experts who reviewed the plan and believe it is adequate."

Wildlife supporters said the proposed delisting is premature.

"We would think the wolf should not be downlisted because they have not been recovered in a significant portion of their habitat," said Morgan Crowley, director of the University of Colorado's Wildlife Initiative.

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