The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has decided to keep the current gray wolf protections. This decision rejects two petitions to list wolves in the Northern Rockies and the western United States under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decision was announced on February 2, 2024, in response to 70 environmental organizations. These organizations raised concerns about hunting and trapping policies in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
The USFWS also announced plans for a national recovery plan for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. This plan will include specific conservation actions. The Service’s analysis indicates that wolves are not at risk of extinction in the Western United States now or in the future.
Environmental groups have criticized the decision. Lizzy Pennock, a carnivore coexistence attorney at WildEarth Guardians, questioned the federal government’s response to the wolf management policies in the Northern Rocky Mountain states. WildEarth Guardians was one of the petitioners seeking more federal protections for wolves.