Steven P. Benson, Bill E. Berg, Minnsota Department of Natural Resources, Section of Wildlife, 1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, USA

During winter 1997-98, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) completed its comprehensive gray wolf (Canis lupus) population and distribution survey, the third such survey in as many decades. The 1997-98 survey's objectives were to delineate changes in wolf range and population in preparation for delisting from the Federal Endangered Species Act and eventual management by MN DNR. The advances in GIS technology with each survey are striking. In 1978-79, there was no digital analysis, and all calculations were done by hand. In 1988-89, data entry was digital and some GIS analyses were done for road and human density, cover type, and ownership, but much of the analyses were still done manually. During the 1997-98 survey, data entry and analyses were facilitated by ArcView and ARC/INFO software. The data consisted of 3,451 wolf and wolf sign observations from 464 staff at 179 field stations. Investigation compared road and human density, land use, ownership, ecoregion, and wolf management zones. Analyses showed that the wolf population of 2,450, residing in an expanded wolf range of 88,325 sq. km., was the highest ever for Minnesota. Wolves that now reside in areas identified by GIS 10 years ago as having too many roads and humans to support wolves attest to the species' adaptability. GIS identified areas that may be colonized by wolf packs in the future; however, most are disjunct from the main range, scattered throughout southern and western parts of the state, and will likely add few wolves to the total population.