U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces it will not develop a recovery plan for the gray wolf

Key Takeaways

On November 3, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it would not develop a national recovery plan for the gray wolf, which is currently considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in much of the contiguous United States. The Service’s assessment, which determines that a nationwide recovery plan is no longer necessary for gray wolves, is consistent with previous federal agency findings that the species no longer warrant endangered or threatened species protection.

Background

The gray wolf has been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1978, granting the species broad protection to promote the species’ recovery in accordance with the ESA’s goals. Currently, the gray wolf is listed as endangered in 44 contiguous U.S. states – a grouping informally referred to in court documents as the “44-entity” – and categorized as threatened in Minnesota. Gray wolves are delisted in the Northern Rocky Mountains, covering Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, portions of eastern Washington State and Oregon and a small region in northern Utah because of Congressional action and region-specific court decisions.

In 2020, USFWS issued a rule delisting the gray wolf nationally, although its endangered status was later returned by a court. As part of a 2023 settlement relating to the delisting, the USFWS agreed to write a national-level species recovery plan for the gray wolf within 2 years.

What did the report say?

In its assessment, the USFWS concluded that the species did not warrant a new recovery plan because it had already met recovery targets and could be delisted. 

After reviewing the most recent available assessments of the gray wolf’s status, the report reiterates USFWS’s finding that the gray wolf has met recovery targets and no longer needs protection under the ESA, according to the Service’s assessment. It cited three separate studies of the species’ condition that cover the entire contiguous U.S. and found that the species’ current population level was stable, according to the assessment. Legal action related to the gray wolf’s national delisting in 2020 continues to work its way through the courts, but this most recent assessment affirms that the USFWS has not changed its stance toward the gray wolf’s recovery.

What is the impact on counties?

Counties support delisting species when recovery goals have been met and seek government-to-government coordination on listing and management of endangered species. The presence of gray wolves in ranching areas can lead to predation on livestock, and endangered and threatened species protections constrain what responses are available to ranchers and communities. Removing ESA designations would shift management of wolf populations onto states and counties, allowing for more flexible responses in better accordance with local conditions.

NACo will continue to monitor Congressional, judicial and federal agency action on the status of gray wolves under the ESA.