Federal officials would update wolf monitoring before delisting Great Lakes wolves

The Fish and Wildlife Service Director would update the monitoring plan, then the Interior Secretary would issue a rule removing the region’s wolves from federal endangered-species protection. These duties cover gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Other wolf populations and other parts of the 1978 rule are left unchanged. The Director and Secretary must consult the advisory committee. The plan update is due within one year after the Act becomes law. The Secretary must issue the rule after the update.

The Fish and Wildlife Service Director would establish a regional wolf advisory committee. The committee includes federal officials, tribal representatives, state agency heads, and people with expertise in wolf biology, management, or predation. The Director appoints state agency heads nominated by the governors and selects other appropriate experts. The Director would establish the committee within 30 days after the Act becomes law. Its consultation with the Secretary would continue during the five-year monitoring period after the delisting rule is issued.