More gray wolf news: delisting in Wyoming

October 05, 2011 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Daniel Himebaugh

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a proposed rule to remove gray wolves in Wyoming from the endangered species list.  According to the Service's Federal Register notice, "The best scientific and commercial data available indicate that wolves in Wyoming are recovered and no longer meet the definition of endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act."  However, the rule is contingent on the State of Wyoming adopting new wolf management regulations in the next several months.

For more on the gray wolf in Wyoming, see this blog post from PLF Attorney Damien Schiff.  In it, Schiff discusses last year's ruling by District of Wyoming Judge Alan Johnson, which concluded that the Service acted illegally in refusing to delist the Wyoming gray wolf population.  According to the Service, today's proposed rule is in addition to the Service's recent delisting decision for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains.  It also seems to give effect to Judge Johnson's opinion.