I guess we need to add Gray Wolves to to the fur bearers list. A wolf was shot in Potosi,WI just over the Mississppi River last week. --- Contact: Hugh Vickery 202/501-4633 > > Ron Refsnider 612/713-5346 > > > > Interior Secretary Gale Norton today announced > that gray wolves in > > Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan have recovered > from the threat of > > extinction, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife > Service to propose > > removing the wolves in this region from the > federal list of threatened and > > endangered species. > > > > In addition to the delisting proposal, the Service > also proposes to > > designate gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes > region as a distinct > > population segment (DPS) under the Endangered > Species Act (ESA). > > > > “We commend our partners – states, tribes, > conservation organizations, and > > local residents – for their dedicated efforts to > ensure the wolf is an > > enduring part of the landscape in the Upper > Midwest,” said Interior > > Secretary Gale A. Norton. “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.” > > > > The Service’s proposal to remove the gray wolf > from the list of threatened > > and endangered species applies to the Western > Great Lakes DPS. This area > > includes the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and > Michigan as well as parts > > of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, > Indiana and Ohio. Within > > this area, the Service is proposing to remove > federal ESA regulation > > regarding the gray wolf and entrust wolf > management responsibility with > > states and tribes. > > > > The proposed DPS includes all the areas currently > occupied by wolf packs > > in > > Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as > nearby areas in these > > states > > in which wolf packs may become established in the > future. The DPS also > > includes surrounding areas into which wolves may > disperse but are not > > likely to establish packs. > > > > The population of wolves included in this DPS no > longer meets the > > definition of threatened or endangered under the > ESA. The threats to the > > population in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan > have been reduced or > > eliminated as evidenced by the current status of > the population, where > > wolf > > numbers have exceeded the numerical recovery > criteria established in its > > recovery plan. > > > > The Recovery Plan for the Eastern Timber Wolf > established criteria to > > identify the point at which wolves would no longer > be threatened with > > extinction in the eastern United States. To > achieve this recovery, the > > plan > > called for maintaining and expanding the Minnesota > wolf population and > > establishing at least one other gray wolf > population in the eastern > > portion > > of the nation. The second population could be > totally isolated from the > > Minnesota wolf population, or it could be adjacent > to it, as is the case > > with the Wisconsin-Michigan population that has > developed over the last > > three decades. > > > > The gray wolf population in the western Great > Lakes region now numbers > > close to 4,000 animals over the three-state area. > The Minnesota population > > has steadily expanded; the latest estimate in > 2003-2004 found about 3,020 > > animals. Wolves have become well-established in > Michigan and Wisconsin, > > with numbers there of 405 and 425 respectively. > Wolf numbers in those two > > states combined have exceeded 100 for the past 12 > years, thereby exceeding > > the population criteria identified in the recovery > plans. > > > > The Service’s current proposal, if finalized, > would also remove ESA > > regulation of critical habitat for the gray wolf > in Michigan and > > Minnesota, > > and eliminate special rules for wolf management in > Minnesota, as they are > > no longer required. > > > > Once removed from the threatened and endangered > species list, gray wolves > > in the Western Great Lakes DPS will be managed by > the states and tribes. > > The Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Departments > of Natural Resources > > have developed plans to guide wolf management > actions in the future. The > > Service reviewed these plans and found they > established a sufficient basis > > for long-term wolf management. Issues such as > control of problem animals, > > hunting and trapping, as well as long-term health > of the wolf population, > > will be governed by the appropriate state or > tribe. > > > > The Service’s proposal comes after court rulings > which overturned a 2003 > > final rule that reclassified wolves in most of the > lower 48 states from > > endangered to threatened and established three > distinct population > > segments > > of the gray wolf. The rulings also invalidated a > 2004 proposal to delist > > the gray wolf in the eastern United States. The > current proposal replaces > > the previous actions with a much smaller Western > Great Lakes DPS – a DPS > > that is narrowly structured around the core areas > where wolves have > > exceeded their recovery goals since 1999 and the > locations in which wolves > > have dispersed from the core areas. > > > > In a separate action, the Service recently > announced its intention to > > propose delisting gray wolves in the Northern > Rocky Mountains. Today’s > > proposal would not affect gray wolves in the West > (the Northern Rocky > > Mountains) or in the Southwest, nor would it > affect red wolves, a separate > > species found in the Southeast. > > > > The Service’s proposal to remove gray wolves in > the Western Great Lakes > > DPS > > from the threatened and endangered species list is > available for review. A > > series of public hearings will be held throughout > the Western Great Lakes > > DPS. The Service will announce details of these > hearings in the near > > future. Following the public comment period, the > Service will evaluate all > > information and make a decision on whether to > finalize the proposal. > > Until > > a final decision is made, wolves in the Western > Great Lakes DPS remain > > listed under the ESA as endangered and threatened. > > > > Comments on the proposal to remove gray wolves in > the Western Great Lakes > > DPS from the federal list of threatened and > endangered species may be > > submitted by e-mail to [log in to unmask] or > by sending a letter to > > WGL > > Wolf Delisting, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, > Whipple Federal Building, > > 1 > > Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056 or by > sending a fax to > > 612-713-5292, or through the Federal eRulemaking > Portal: > > http://www.regulations.gov. Comments on the > proposal will be accepted for > > 90 days from the date the rule publishes in the > Federal Register. > > > > More information on gray wolf recovery and the > Service’s proposal to > > delist > > gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes DPS can be > found at > > http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf > > > > The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the > principal federal agency > > responsible for conserving, protecting and > enhancing fish, wildlife and > > plants and their habitats for the continuing > benefit of the American > > people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre > National Wildlife Refuge > > System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife > refuges, thousands of > > small > > wetlands and other special management areas. It > also operates 69 national > > fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and > 81 ecological services > > field stations. The agency enforces federal > wildlife laws, administers the > > Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird > populations, restores > > nationally significant fisheries, conserves and > restores wildlife habitat > > such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native > American tribal governments > > with their conservation efforts. It also oversees > the Federal Assistance > > program, which distributes hundreds of millions of > dollars in excise taxes > > on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and > wildlife agencies. > > > > - FWS - > > For more > information about the U.S. Fish > > and Wildlife > Service, > > visit > our home page at > > http://www.fws.gov > > > *************************************************************************** > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - - - - - > To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, > see: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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