Federal reclassification and delisting of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the United States and Mexico

Charles M. Wooley, Ronald L. Refsnider, Kim M. Mitchell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056, USA

Gray wolves have been protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since the early 1970s. During the subsequent quarter-century the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with numerous conservation partners, has promoted gray wolf recovery via three geographically separate recovery programs, and the Service has made several changes to the wolf's listing status and federal protection. Recent data indicate that the current classifications of threatened in Minnesota and endangered in the other 47 conterminous states and Mexico do not reflect the progress being made toward gray wolf recovery, and are no longer appropriate. Proposed changes to the gray wolf's ESA status and federal protection are explained, and the process for gathering public input and making these changes is described.