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* * * * * 

■ 3. In § 180.417, revise table 3 to 

paragraph (b) to read as follows: 

§ 180.417 Triclopyr; tolerances for 

residues. 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

TABLE 3 TO PARAGRAPH (b) 

Commodity Parts per 

million 

Expiration/ 

revocation date 

Sugarcane, cane ................................................................................................................................................ 40 12/31/26 

* * * * * 

■ 4. In § 180.586, add a heading to the 

table in paragraph (b) and revise the 

entry for ‘‘Fruit, citrus, group 10–10’’ in 

the table to read as follows: 

§ 180.586 Clothianidin; tolerances for 

residues. 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

TABLE 3 TO PARAGRAPH (b) 

Commodity Parts per 

million 

Expiration/ 

revocation date 

Fruit, citrus, group 10–10 ................................................................................................................................... 0.07 12/31/26 

* * * * * * * 

* * * * * 

§ 180.679 [Amended] 

■ 5. In § 180.679, remove and reserve 

paragraph (b). 

[FR Doc. 2023–24190 Filed 11–2–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

[Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2018–0097; 

FF09E22000 FXES1113090FEDR 223] 

RIN 1018–BD60 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Reinstatement of 

Endangered Species Act Protections 

for the Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in 

Compliance With Court Order 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), are issuing 

this final rule to comply with a district 

court order that vacated our November 

3, 2020, rule removing the gray wolf 

(Canis lupus) from the List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. 

As a result of the court’s order, the 

regulatory protections under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act), apply to the gray wolf 

in all or portions of the 45 U.S. States 

and Mexico where the species was 

listed at the time we issued the delisting 

rule. The court order went into effect on 

February 10, 2022, and is the subject of 

several consolidated, pending appeals 

in the Ninth Circuit. While those 

appeals are pending, the Service is 

bound by the district court’s order. 

Thus, this final rule implements the 

court’s order by correcting the Code of 

Federal Regulations and officially 

reinstating threatened status for gray 

wolf in Minnesota; endangered status 

for gray wolf in all or portions of the 

remaining 44 U.S. States and Mexico 

where the species was listed prior to our 

November 2020 delisting rule; critical 

habitat for gray wolf in Minnesota and 

Michigan; and the rule promulgated 

under section 4(d) of the Act for gray 

wolf in Minnesota. Gray wolves in 

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the eastern 

third of Washington and Oregon, and 

north-central Utah (collectively, the 

Northern Rocky Mountains) retain their 

delisted status and are not affected by 

this final rule. This rule does not have 

any effect on the separate listing of the 

Mexican wolf subspecies (Canis lupus 

baileyi) as endangered under the Act. 

DATES: This action is effective 

November 3, 2023. However, the court 

order had legal effect immediately upon 

its filing on February 10, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: This final rule is available 

on the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FWS–HQ–ES–2018–0097. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rachel London, Chief, Branch of 

Delisting and Foreign Species, 

Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Headquarters Office, 

MS:ES, 5275, Leesburg Pike, Falls 

Church, VA 22041–3803; telephone 

(703) 358–2491. Individuals in the 

United States who are deaf, deafblind, 

hard of hearing, or have a speech 

disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 

TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On November 3, 2020, we published 

a final rule to remove the gray wolf 

entities that were listed at that time in 

the lower 48 United States and Mexico 

from the Federal List of Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife in title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 

CFR 17.11(h) (85 FR 69778; hereafter 

referred to as ‘‘our 2020 delisting rule’’). 

Additional background information on 

the gray wolf in the lower 48 United 

States and Mexico and on that 

rulemaking decision, including previous 

Federal actions, can be found in our 

2020 delisting rule. The rule became 

effective on January 4, 2021. 

Three lawsuits challenging our 2020 

delisting rule were filed in the U.S. 

District Court for the Northern District 

of California. Defenders of Wildlife v. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, No. 21– 

00344 (N.D. Cal.), WildEarth Guardians 

v. Bernhardt, No. 21–00349 (N.D. Cal.), 

NRDC v. U.S. Department of the 

Interior, No. 21–00561 (N.D. Cal.). On 

February 10, 2022, the district court 

vacated and remanded our 2020 


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delisting rule. That decision reinstated 

Federal protections that were in place 

prior to the effective date of our 2020 

delisting rule. Therefore, gray wolves 

are once again listed as threatened in 

Minnesota and endangered in all or 

portions of 44 U.S. States and Mexico. 

See Effects of the Rule, below, for a 

description of the CFR changes resulting 

from this final rule. 

Multiple parties, including the 

Service, appealed the district court’s 

order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for 

the Ninth Circuit (Nos. 21–16382, 

16383, 16384, 22–15529, 15532, 15534, 

15535, 15536, 15537, 15262, 15627, 

15628). The parties have been engaged 

in mediation. On January 26, 2023, the 

Circuit Mediator issued an order 

temporarily staying the appeals for 

administrative purposes until February 

2, 2024. During the abeyance, the 

Service is updating the status review for 

the gray wolf throughout the lower 48 

United States and commencing a 

stakeholder engagement effort. 

Administrative Procedure 

To comply with the February 10, 

2022, court order, we must reinstate the 

following: 

• Threatened species status for gray 

wolf in Minnesota, 

• Endangered species status for gray 

wolf in all or portions of 44 U.S. States 

and Mexico, 

• Critical habitat designation for gray 

wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and 

• A section 4(d) rule for gray wolf in 

Minnesota. 

Therefore, the Director has 

determined, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b), 

that prior notice and opportunity for 

public comment are impractical and 

unnecessary. The Director has further 

determined, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d), 

that the agency has good cause to make 

this rule effective upon publication. 

We are also making the following 

technical revisions to the section 4(d) 

rule at 50 CFR 17.40(d): 

(1) correcting the misspelling of 

‘‘Hoodoo Point’’ in § 17.40(d)(1)(i); 

(2) correcting the misspelling of ‘‘the 

Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range 

Railroad’’ in § 17.40(d)(1)(ii); 

(3) substituting a higher quality image 

of the map of regulatory zones that 

appears in § 17.40(d)(1)(vi); and 

(4) updating the contact information 

for providing notifications to the Service 

in § 17.40(d)(2)(D). 

Rather than make these changes in a 

separate rulemaking, we are combining 

them with the section 4(d) rule 

reinstatement for administrative 

convenience. The Director has 

determined, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b), 

that prior notice and an opportunity for 

public comment on these revisions are 

unnecessary because the changes are 

insignificant in nature and impact and 

inconsequential to the public. 

Effects of the Rule 

As a result of the February 10, 2022, 

district court order, any and all gray 

wolves in Minnesota are listed as 

threatened, and any and all gray wolves 

in all or portions of 44 U.S. States and 

Mexico are listed as endangered. In the 

United States, this includes: all of 

Alabama, Arkansas, California, 

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, 

Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, 

Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, 

Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New 

Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New 

York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, 

Rhode Island, South Carolina, South 

Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, 

Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin; 

and portions of Arizona, New Mexico, 

Oregon, Utah, and Washington (as 

depicted in figure 1 below and our 

November 3, 2020, delisting rule; 85 FR 

69778 at 69782). 

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BILLING CODE 4333–15–C 

The reinstated regulations at 50 CFR 

17.95(a) designate critical habitat for 

gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, 

and the reinstated regulations at 50 CFR 

17.40(d) govern the regulation of gray 

wolf in Minnesota. The provisions of 

these regulations are the same as those 

in the regulations that were removed by 

our 2020 delisting rule (November 3, 

2020; 85 FR 69778 at 69895). 

This rule does not affect the status of 

gray wolf in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, 

the eastern third of Washington and 

Oregon, and north-central Utah. Wolves 

in these areas retain their delisted status 

and will continue to be managed by the 

States and Tribes. Finally, this rule does 

not affect the gray wolf’s Appendix II 

status under the Convention on 

International Trade in Endangered 

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES). 

Future Actions 

By February 2, 2024, the Service 

intends to submit to the Office of the 

Federal Register a proposed rule 

concerning the listing status of gray 

wolves in the lower 48 United States 

under the Act. Our status determination 

will be based on the best available 

information as of the time of 

publication. If the appeals described 

earlier in this document nonetheless 

proceed and the district court’s order is 

reversed, then the Service will take 

appropriate action to comply with and 

implement the Court of Appeals’ 

judgment, including, if required, 

publishing another final rule reinstating 

the Service’s 2020 delisting rule. 

Authors 

The primary authors of this final rule 

are the staff members of the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service’s Headquarters 

Office. 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17 

Endangered and threatened species, 

Exports, Imports, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, 

Transportation. 

Regulation Promulgation 

Accordingly, we amend part 17, 

subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations, as set forth 

below: 

PART 17—ENDANGERED AND 

THREATENED WILDLIFE AND PLANTS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 17 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361–1407; 1531– 

1544; 4201–4245, unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Amend § 17.11, in paragraph (h), by 

adding two entries for ‘‘Wolf, gray’’ in 

alphabetic order under Mammals in the 

List of Endangered and Threatened 

Wildlife to read as follows: 

§ 17.11 Endangered and threatened 

wildlife. 

* * * * * 

(h) * * * 


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N!l!tlfflm ~QGl\y.~11$1:)PS 

~bo!lll!ffl!Y 

Mellilla!(wolfNol\,.Essenlilll Ellpetimdlll 

.Pq,11la'ilooJ1illlndaiy 

Slate•of Minriesota=Tlmfened 

Rr,sf'of l.$'alfd ~"" ~' 

Figure 1. Current legal status of C. lupus under the Act in the lower 48 United States and Mexico following 

the February 10, 2022, court decision. The Northern Rocky Mountains distinct population segment (DPS) 

and the Mexican wolf nonessential experimental population are not part of the listed entities. All map lines 

are approximations; see 50 CFR 17 .11 and 17 .84(k) for exact boundaries. 
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 75509 

Common name Scientific name Where listed Status Listing citations and applicable rules 

Mammals 

*******

Wolf, gray ................. Canis lupus .............. U.S.A.: All of AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, 

FL, GA, IA, IN, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, 

MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, 

NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, 

SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, and WV; and 

portions of AZ, NM, OR, UT, and WA 

as follows: 

(1) Northern AZ (that portion north of the 

centerline of Interstate Highway 40); 

(2) Northern NM (that portion north of the 

centerline of Interstate Highway 40); 

(3) Western OR (that portion of OR west 

of the centerline of Highway 395 and 

Highway 78 north of Burns Junction 

and that portion of OR west of the centerline of Highway 95 south of Burns 

Junction); 

(4) Most of UT (that portion of UT south 

and west of the centerline of Highway 

84 and that portion of UT south of Highway 80 from Echo to the UT/WY 

Stateline); and 

(5) Western WA (that portion of WA west 

of the centerline of Highway 97 and 

Highway 17 north of Mesa and that portion of WA west of the centerline of 

Highway 395 south of Mesa) Mexico. 

E 32 FR 4001, 3/11/1967; 

41 FR 24062, 6/14/1976; 

43 FR 9607, 3/9/1978; 

73 FR 75356, 12/11/2008; 

74 FR 47483, 9/16/2009; 

80 FR 9218, 2/20/2015; 

50 CFR 17.95(a).CH

Wolf, gray ................. Canis lupus .............. U.S.A. (MN) ............................................... T 43 FR 9607, 3/9/1978; 

50 CFR 17.40(d);4(d)

50 CFR 17.95(a).CH

* * * * * * * 

■ 3. Amend § 17.40 by adding paragraph 

(d) to read as follows: 

§ 17.40 Special rules—mammals. 

* * * * * 

(d) Gray wolf (Canis lupus) in 

Minnesota. 

(1) Zones. For purposes of these 

regulations, the State of Minnesota is 

divided into the following five zones: 

(i) Zone 1—4,488 square miles. 

Beginning at the point of intersection of 

United States and Canadian boundaries 

in Section 22, Township 71 North, 

Range 22 West, in Rainy Lake, then 

proceeding along the west side of 

Sections 22, 27, and 34 in said 

Township and Sections 3, 10, 15, 22, 27, 

and 34 in Township 70 North, Range 22 

West and Sections 3 and 10 in 

Township 69 North, Range 22 West; 

then east along the south boundaries of 

Sections 10, 11, and 12 in said 

Township; then south along the 

Koochiching and St. Louis Counties line 

to Highway 53; thence southeasterly 

along State Highway 53 to the junction 

with County Route 765; thence easterly 

along County Route 765 to the junction 

with Kabetogama Lake in Ash River 

Bay; thence along the south boundary of 

Section 33 in Township 69 North, Range 

19 West, to the junction with the Moose 

River; thence southeasterly along the 

Moose River to Moose Lake; thence 

along the western shore of Moose Lake 

to the river between Moose Lake and 

Long Lake; thence along the said river 

to Long Lake; thence along the east 

shore of Long Lake to the drainage on 

the southeast side of Long Lake in 

NE\1/4\, Section 18, Township 67 

North, Range 18 West; thence along the 

said drainage southeasterly and 

subsequently northeasterly to Marion 

Lake, the drainage being in Sections 17 

and 18, Township 67 North, Range 18 

West; thence along the west shoreline of 

Marion Lake proceeding southeasterly 

to the Moose Creek; thence along Moose 

Creek to Flap Creek; thence 

southeasterly along Flap Creek to the 

Vermilion River; thence southerly along 

the Vermilion River to Vermilion Lake; 

thence along the Superior National 

Forest boundary in a southeasterly 

direction through Vermilion Lake 

passing these points: Oak Narrows, 

Muskrat Channel, South of Pine Island, 

to Hoodoo Point and the junction with 

County Route 697; thence southeasterly 

on County Route 697 to the junction 

with State Highway 169; thence easterly 

along State Highway 169 to the junction 

with State Highway 1; thence easterly 

along State Highway 1 to the junction 

with the Erie Railroad tracks at Murphy 

City; thence easterly along the Erie 

Railroad tracks to the junction with 

Lake Superior at Taconite Harbor; 

thence northeasterly along the North 

Shore of Lake Superior to the Canadian 

Border; thence westerly along the 

Canadian Border to the point of 

beginning in Rainy Lake. 

(ii) Zone 2—1,856 square miles. 

Beginning at the intersection of the Erie 

Mining Co. Railroad and State Highway 

1 (Murphy City); thence southeasterly 

on State Highway 1 to the junction with 

County Road 4; thence southwesterly on 

County Road 4 to the State Snowmobile 

Trail (formerly the Alger-Smith 

Railroad); thence southwesterly to the 

intersection of the Old Railroad Grade 

and Reserve Mining Co. Railroad in 

Section 33 of Township 56 North, Range 

9 West; thence northwesterly along the 

Railroad to Forest Road 107; thence 

westerly along Forest Road 107 to Forest 

Road 203; thence westerly along Forest 

Road 203 to the junction with County 

Route 2; thence in a northerly direction 

on County Route 2 to the junction with 


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Forest Road 122; thence in a westerly 

direction along Forest Road 122 to the 

junction with the Duluth, Missabe and 

Iron Range Railroad; thence in a 

southwesterly direction along the said 

railroad tracks to the junction with 

County Route 14; thence in a 

northwesterly direction along County 

Route 14 to the junction with County 

Route 55; thence in a westerly direction 

along County Route 55 to the junction 

with County Route 44; thence in a 

southerly direction along County Route 

44 to the junction with County Route 

266; thence in a southeasterly direction 

along County Route 266 and 

subsequently in a westerly direction to 

the junction with County Road 44; 

thence in a northerly direction on 

County Road 44 to the junction with 

Township Road 2815; thence westerly 

along Township Road 2815 to Alden 

Lake; thence northwesterly across Alden 

Lake to the inlet of the Cloquet River; 

thence northerly along the Cloquet River 

to the junction with Carrol Trail-State 

Forestry Road; thence west along the 

Carrol Trail to the junction with County 

Route 4 and County Route 49; thence 

west along County Route 49 to the 

junction with the Duluth, Winnipeg and 

Pacific Railroad; thence in a northerly 

direction along said Railroad to the 

junction with the Whiteface River; 

thence in a northeasterly direction along 

the Whiteface River to the Whiteface 

Reservoir; thence along the western 

shore of the Whiteface Reservoir to the 

junction with County Route 340; thence 

north along County Route 340 to the 

junction with County Route 16; thence 

east along County Route 16 to the 

junction with County Route 346; thence 

in a northerly direction along County 

Route 346 to the junction with County 

Route 569; thence along County Route 

569 to the junction with County Route 

565; thence in a westerly direction along 

County Route 565 to the junction with 

County Route 110; thence in a westerly 

direction along County Route 110 to the 

junction with County Route 100; thence 

in a north and subsequent west 

direction along County Route 100 to the 

junction with State Highway 135; 

thence in a northerly direction along 

State Highway 135 to the junction with 

State Highway 169 at Tower; thence in 

an easterly direction along the southern 

boundary of Zone 1 to the point of 

beginning of Zone 2 at the junction of 

the Erie Railroad Tracks and State 

Highway 1. 

(iii) Zone 3—3,501 square miles. 

Beginning at the junction of State 

Highway 11 and State Highway 65; 

thence southeasterly along State 

Highway 65 to the junction with State 

Highway 1; thence westerly along State 

Highway 1 to the junction with State 

Highway 72; thence north along State 

Highway 72 to the junction with an unnumbered township road beginning in 

the northeast corner of Section 25, 

Township 155 North, Range 31 West; 

thence westerly along the said road for 

approximately seven (7) miles to the 

junction with SFR 95: thence westerly 

along SFR 95 and continuing west 

through the southern boundary of 

Sections 36 through 31, Township 155 

North, Range 33 West, through Sections 

36 through 31, Township 155 North, 

Range 34 West, through Sections 36 

through 31, Township 155 North, Range 

35 West, through Sections 36 and 35, 

Township 155 North, Range 36 West to 

the junction with State Highway 89, 

thence northwesterly along State 

Highway 89 to the junction with County 

Route 44; thence northerly along County 

Route 44 to the junction with County 

Route 704; thence northerly along 

County 704 to the junction with SFR 49; 

thence northerly along SFR 49 to the 

junction with SFR 57; thence easterly 

along SFR 57 to the junction with SFR 

63: thence south along SFR 63 to the 

junction with SFR 70; thence easterly 

along SFR 70 to the junction with 

County Route 87; thence easterly along 

County Route 87 to the junction with 

County Route 1; thence south along 

County Route 1 to the junction with 

County Route 16; thence easterly along 

County Route 16 to the junction with 

State Highway 72; thence south on State 

Highway 72 to the junction with a 

gravel road (un-numbered County 

District Road) on the north side of 

Section 31, Township 158 North, Range 

30 West; thence east on said District 

Road to the junction with SFR 62; 

thence easterly on SFR 62 to the 

junction with SFR 175; thence south on 

SFR 175 to the junction with County 

Route 101; thence easterly on County 

Route 101 to the junction with County 

Route 11; thence easterly on County 

Route 11 to the junction with State 

Highway 11; thence easterly on State 

Highway 11 to the junction with State 

Highway 65, the point of beginning. 

(iv) Zone 4—20,883 square miles. 

Excluding Zones 1, 2 and 3, all that part 

of Minnesota north and east of a line 

beginning on State Trunk Highway 48 at 

the eastern boundary of the State; 

thence westerly along Highway 48 to 

Interstate Highway 35; thence northerly 

on I–35 to State Highway 23, thence 

west one-half mile on Highway 23 to 

State Trunk Highway 18; thence 

westerly along Highway 18 to State 

Trunk Highway 65, thence northerly on 

Highway 65 to State Trunk Highway 

210; thence westerly along Highway 210 

to State Trunk Highway 6; thence 

northerly on State Trunk Highway 6 to 

Emily; thence westerly along County 

State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1, Crow 

Wing County, to CSAH 2, Cass County; 

thence westerly along CSAH 2 to Pine 

River; thence northwesterly along State 

Trunk Highway 371 to Backus; thence 

westerly along State Trunk Highway 87 

to U.S. Highway 71; thence northerly 

along U.S. 71 to State Trunk Highway 

200; thence northwesterly along 

Highway 200, to County State Aid 

Highway (CSAH) 2, Clearwater County; 

thence northerly along CSAH 2 to 

Shevlin; thence along U.S. Highway 2 to 

Bagley; thence northerly along State 

Trunk Highway 92 to Gully; thence 

northerly along CSAH 2, Polk County, to 

CSAH 27, Pennington County; thence 

along CSAH 27 to State Trunk Highway 

1; thence easterly on Highway 1 to 

CSAH 28, Pennington County; thence 

northerly along CSAH 28 to CSAH 54, 

Marshall County, thence northerly along 

CSAH 54 to Grygla; thence west and 

northerly along Highway 89 to Roseau; 

thence northerly along State Truck 

Highway 310 to the Canadian border. 

(v) Zone 5—54,603 square miles. All 

that part of Minnesota south and west 

of the line described as the south and 

west border of Zone 4. 

(vi) Map of regulatory zones follows: 

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BILLING CODE 4333–15–C 

(2) Prohibitions. The following 

prohibitions apply to the gray wolf in 

Minnesota. 

(i) Taking. Except as provided in this 

paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, no 

person may take a gray wolf in 

Minnesota. 

(A) Any person may take a gray wolf 

in Minnesota in defense of his own life 

or the lives of others. 

(B) Any employee or agent of the 

Service, any other Federal land 

management agency, or the Minnesota 

Department of Natural Resources, who 

is designated by his/her agency for such 

purposes, may, when acting in the 

course of his or her official duties, take 

a gray wolf in Minnesota without a 

permit if such action is necessary to: 

(1) Aid a sick, injured, or orphaned 

specimen; or 

(2) Dispose of a dead specimen; or 

(3) Salvage a dead specimen which 

may be useful for scientific study. 

(C) Designated employees or agents of 

the Service or the Minnesota 

Department of Natural Resources may 


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75512 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 

take a gray wolf without a permit in 

Minnesota, in zones 2, 3, 4, and 5, as 

delineated in paragraph (d)(l) of this 

section, in response to depredations by 

a gray wolf on lawfully present 

domestic animals: Provided, that such 

taking must occur within one-half mile 

of the place where such depredation 

occurred and must be performed in a 

humane manner: And provided further, 

that any young of the year taken on or 

before August 1 of that year must be 

released. 

(D) Any taking pursuant to paragraph 

(d)(2)(i)(A), (d)(2)(i)(B), or (d)(2)(i)(C) of 

this section must be reported by email 

to the Twin Cities Ecological Service 

Field Office at twincities@fws.gov 

within 5 days. The specimen may only 

be retained, disposed of, or salvaged in 

accordance with directions from the 

Service. 

(E) Any employee or agent of the 

Service or the Minnesota Department of 

Natural Resources, when operating 

under a Cooperative Agreement with the 

Service signed in accordance with 

section 6(c) of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, who is designated by the 

Service or the Minnesota Department of 

Natural Resources for such purposes, 

may, when acting in the course of his or 

her official duties, take a gray wolf in 

Minnesota to carry out scientific 

research or conservation programs. 

(ii) Export and commercial 

transactions. Except as may be 

authorized by a permit issued under 

§ 17.32, no person may sell or offer for 

sale in interstate commerce, import or 

export, or in the course of a commercial 

activity transport, ship, carry, deliver, or 

receive any Minnesota gray wolf. 

(iii) Unlawfully taken wolves. No 

person may possess, sell, deliver, carry, 

transport, or ship, by any means 

whatsoever, a gray wolf taken 

unlawfully in Minnesota, except that an 

employee or agent of the Service, or any 

other Federal land management agency, 

or the Minnesota Department of Natural 

Resources, who is designated by his/her 

agency for such purposes, may, when 

acting in the course of his official 

duties, possess, deliver, carry, transport, 

or ship a gray wolf taken unlawfully in 

Minnesota. 

(3) Permits. All permits available 

under § 17.32 (General Permits— 

Threatened Wildlife) are available with 

regard to the gray wolf in Minnesota. All 

the terms and provisions of § 17.32 

apply to such permits issued under the 

authority of this paragraph (d)(3). 

* * * * * 

■ 4. Amend § 17.95, in paragraph (a), by 

adding an entry for ‘‘Gray Wolf (Canis 

lupus)’’ after the entry for ‘‘Amargosa 

Vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis)’’ 

to read as follows: 

§ 17.95 Critical habitat—fish and wildlife. 

(a) Mammals. 

* * * * * 

Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) 

Michigan. Isle Royale National Park. 

Minnesota. Areas of land, water, and 

airspace in Beltrami, Cook, Itasca, 

Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, 

Roseau, and St. Louis Counties, with 

boundaries (4th and 5th Principal 

meridians) identical to those of zones 1, 

2, and 3, as delineated in 50 CFR 

17.40(d)(l). 

* * * * * 

Stephen Guertin, 

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24299 Filed 11–2–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 


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