Groups Petition to Reclassify Gray Wolves to Threatened Status under Endangered Species Act: Proposal presents a reasonable alternative to congressional delisting and a path to national recovery

Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin signed onto this proposal. WODCW believes this threatened status will give non-lethal opportunities to address concerns regarding wolves with livestock producers and maintain the health of wolves. WODCW believes wolves should remain healthy, wild and not harassed from trophy hunts.

View full press release from The Humane Society of the U.S. Here: http://m.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2015/01/esa-threatened-gray-wolves-012715.html

Quote from HSUS’s press release:
“Animal protection and conservation organizations petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act as threatened throughout the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf which remains listed as endangered. If adopted, the proposal would continue federal oversight and funding of wolf recovery efforts and encourage development of a national recovery plan for the species, but would also give the Fish and Wildlife Service regulatory flexibility to permit state and local wildlife managers to address specific wolf conflicts.” End quote.

History of WI’s wolf status from a WI DNR Wolf Progress reports:

“This report covers activities conducted from 1 July 2011 through 30 June 2012, and summary of data collected in 2011 on wolf conservation in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin DNR reclassified wolves from endangered to threatened in 1999, delisted to protected wild animals on 1 August 2004, and designated a game species on 2 April 2012. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federally downlisted wolves to threatened from 1 April 2003 to 31 January 2005 relisted thereafter, delisted from 12 March 2007 to 29 September 2008, relisted thereafter, delisted on 3 May 2009 to 1 July 2009, relisted thereafter, and delisted wolves again on 27 January 2012.. The 1999 Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan and 2007 Wolf Plan Addendum determined wolf management in the state, and this report follows the outline of those plans to describe wolf management activities. Act 169 signed by the Governor on 2 April 2012 designated a wolf hunting and trapping season, and this report summarizes efforts toward developing the public harvest.” From: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Wildlifehabitat/wolf/documents/ERReport143.pdf