CHEYENNE—Officials with the Wyoming Governor’s office and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department welcomed news from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today regarding the status of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains. In a press conference earlier today, the Service announced that they intend to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List in the Northern Rocky Mountains, which includes Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.

“The recovery of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains is a modern conservation success story,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Terry Cleveland.

“This announcement is great news,” said Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. “It signals that the state’s work has paid off and we’re ready to assume the full responsibilities of managing wolves. But as a result of this and other challenges, this is going to be a very difficult year for the Game and Fish Department. I commend the Legislature for its support of the department. I also want to recognize Terry Cleveland and his staff for their dedication and their work with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and look forward to the final delisting next week."

After wolves were extirpated from the area in the early 20th Century, Canadian wolves were released in the region in the mid 1990s as part of a US Fish and Wildlife Service recovery program. The original goal for recovery was around 300 wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Today there are more than 1500 wolves in the region.

“The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is looking forward to assuming management of wolves in Wyoming,” said Cleveland. “Our department is well situated to take over management of these animals in a way that makes sense for Wyoming. That means ensuring a recovered population of wolves while at the same time working with people who live and work in wolf country to minimize conflicts between wolves and livestock and wolves and people.”

Wyoming’s wolf management plan was approved by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission in November of 2007 and subsequently approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in December of 2007. The plan calls for a minimum of 15 breeding pairs of wolves in the state. It also establishes a dual classification system for wolves: wolves in the northwest portion of the state will be managed as trophy game animals. Wolves in the remainder of the state will be managed as predatory animals.

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