U.S. wants to end gray wolf protection
By John Flesher
Associated Press
Published March 17, 2006
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Gray wolves have recovered fully from the brink of extinction in the western Great Lakes region and no longer need federal protection there, the Bush administration said Thursday.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said her department would propose removing the wolf from the endangered species list in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where about 3,800 live.
The proposal also covers parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, which aren't thought to have wolves now. Individual animals might stray that far, although they are unlikely to form packs, officials said.
Under the federal proposal, state and tribal governments would take responsibility for ensuring that wolf populations remain healthy. Minnesota and Wisconsin have developed management plans reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Michigan is updating its plan, first developed in 1997.
"Our proposal to delist the gray wolf indicates our confidence that those who will assume management of the species will safeguard its long-term survival," Norton said.
The agency will conduct public hearings before making a final decision.
The proposal drew support from several environmentalist groups, which said it illustrated the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
"The wolf's return in the Great Lakes region is one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the annals of wildlife conservation," said Peggy Struhsacker, wolf recovery manager for the National Wildlife Federation.
Fewer than 1,000 gray wolves remained in the contiguous United States when the species was listed as endangered in 1974. The latest population estimates were 3,020 in Minnesota, 425 to 455 in Wisconsin and 405 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
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