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Media Alert - International Wolf Center Experts Available For Comment on Wolf Delisting

January 29, 2007

With today's expected announcement that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will delist some gray wolf populations, experts from the International Wolf Center are available for comment. The wolf will be removed from federal protections under the Endangered Species Act in the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment.

"The wolf is at a crossroads, as this decision places its survival more in the hands of the public than in recent years," said Walter Medwid, the Center's executive director.

Now that defined criteria have been met, the Endangered Species Act allows for wolf management to revert from federal to state control. As the Western Great Lakes states take the reins of wolf management, state legislatures and wildlife agencies will assume key roles in defining the future of this animal.

"With this change," said Medwid, "we have the opportunity to open a new chapter in the relationship between wolves and humans. As a society we persecuted wolves, then we protected them. What's next? As states relax some protections, will we tolerate wolves or kill as many as the new laws allow? What happens next is up to citizens living in states where delisting applies."

As a nonprofit educational organization, the Center advances the survival of wolf populations around the world by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands and the human role in their future. It maintains a neutral position based on science and promotes dialog among the many stakeholders on divisive wolf issues, added Medwid.

Located in Ely and Minneapolis, Minn, and founded in 1985, the Center pursues its mission through educational initiatives, including an interpretive center that reaches 45,000 visitors each year. It offers a worldwide membership program, learning adventures, distance learning classes, international conferences, youth outreach programs, teacher education resources and workshops, a quarterly magazine and its Web site, www.wolf.org.

The International Wolf Center offers background information and downloadable photos of wolves to media at the news and events button at www.wolf.org.

US Fish and Wildlife Service Press Release