A letter signed by 34 members of Congress supports delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
“We fully understand and support the statutory purpose and intent of the Endangered Species Act,” the letter states. “When the gray wolf was reclassified as “endangered” in 1978, the best available science was used to demonstrate the species was at risk for extinction. Now, we must use the best available science to delist the gray wolf and allow states to manage wolf populations at the local level.”
In March 2019, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the intention to delist gray wolves in the continental United States.
“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has long maintained that wolves should be delisted and managed by state wildlife agencies, just as they manage all other wildlife species including elk, deer, bears, pronghorn antelope and mountains lions,” said Kyle Weaver RMEF president & CEO.
There are more than 6,000 wolves in the Lower 48. Wolves are currently under state management in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming where they are well above minimum recovery goals. They are also above objective in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Additionally, there are more than 60,000 in Canada and 7,000 to 11,000 in Alaska.
(Photo source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)