Gray Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Mountain-Prairie Region

#### Background Information:

            - Recognizing a Gray Wolf
            - Photos and   Videos
            -  Recovery Plan  (6.77MB PDF)
            - Timeline of Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf Recovery       Efforts
            - NRM Range Map
            - Frequently   Asked Questions
            - More Species Info
            - 1994 EIS  (4.1MB PDF) 

#### Annual Reports:

            - 2014 Annual Report
            - 2013 Annual Report
            - 2012 Annual Report
            - 2011 Annual Report
            - 2010 Annual Report
            - 2009 Annual Report
            - 2008 Annual Report 
            - 2007 Annual Report 
            - 2006 Annual Report 
            - 2005 Annual Report
            - 2004 Annual Report
            - 2003 Annual Report
            - 2002 Annual Report
            - 2001 Annual Report
            -  2000 Annual Report
            - 1999 Annual Report

#### Wyoming Status Reports:

            - 09/2012
            - 08/2012
            - 07/2012
            - 06/2012
            - 04/30/2012
            - 03/16/2012
            - 01/20/2012    
            - Archived Gray Wolf Weekly Recovery Status Reports   Other  Wolf Recovery Programs:                -  Western Great Lakes
              -  Mexican Wolf
              -  Red Wolf  Health and Human Safety                - Echinococcus granulosus Letter        
**UPDATE**

Wolf restoration in the Northern Rocky  Mountains (NRM) has been an amazing success thanks to both the resiliency of  wolves and the cooperative efforts of Federal, State, and Tribal agencies,  conservation groups, and private citizens; including ranchers, sportsmen, and  outfitters.  

 The wolf population in Northern Rocky Mountains continue to hold steady.  As of December 31, 2014, there were at least 1,657 wolves in 282 packs (including 85 breeding pairs) in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. An additional 145 wolves in 31 packs (including 13 breeding pairs) were estimated in Oregon and Washington. Wolf numbers continue to be robust, stable and self-sustaining in the Northern Rocky Mountains.
Long-term, the Service expects the entire NRM population to maintain a  long-term average of around 1,000 wolves.  These wolves represent a 400-mile southern  range extension of a vast contiguous wolf population that numbers over 12,000  wolves in western Canada and about 65,000 wolves across all of Canada and  Alaska.                The Service and our partners will monitor wolves in the region for at least  5 years to ensure that the population’s recovered status is not compromised,  and if relisting is ever warranted, we will make prompt use of the Act’s  emergency listing provisions.**Recent Actions: **

**September 2014** - Federal District Court for the District of Columbia vacated the delisting of wolves in Wyoming under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Therefore, wolves are again listed as a nonessential experimental population in all of Wyoming. 
- District Court Opinion
- Nonessential Experimental Population Rules
**June 2013** – Following successful  recovery efforts in the NRM and western Great Lakes regions, the Service  proposed to remove the gray wolf from the list of threatened and endangered  species throughout the remainder of the United States and Mexico, while  maintaining protection for the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) in the Southwest.  This action has no impact on the NRM  population, but more information can be found here.  

**August 2012**– The Service  announced that the Wyoming population of gray wolves was recovered and no  longer warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act.  Beginning September 30th, wolves in Wyoming were  managed by the state under an approved management plan, as they are in the  states of Idaho and Montana.
- Press Release August 31, 2012  Service Declares Wyoming Gray Wolf Recovered and  Returns Management Authority to State 
- Federal Register Notice:   Removal of the Gray Wolf in Wyoming from the Federal List of  Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Removal of the Wyoming Wolf Population’s  Status as an Experimental Population

**May  2011**- The Service published a direct final rule delisting wolves in Idaho, Montana and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.  This final rule implements legislative language included in the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations bill. The Service and the states will monitor wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountain DPS and gather population data for at least five years.
- Federal Register Notice
- Montana Court Decision  |  Appeals Court Ruling

**April 2009**-- Final Rule to Identify the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) Population of Gray Wolf as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and to Revise the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
- Federal Register Notice
- Wyoming  Court Decision  |  Montana  Court Decision  ( vacated as moot [11/07/12] )|  Federal Register Rule Implementing  Court Rulings

**February 2008** - Final Rule Establishing and Delisting the  NRM Gray Wolf DPS 
- Federal Register Notice   (868 KB PDF)    
- Montana  Court PI Order  |  Montana  Court Order  |  Federal Register Rule Implementing  Court Rulings

**January 2008** - Final Rule for Revision of Special Regulation for the Central Idaho and Yellowstone Area Nonessential Experimental Populations of Gray Wolves
- Federal Register Notice    

**February 2007** - Proposed rule Establishing and Delisting the NRM Gray Wolf DPS
- Federal Register Notice

**August 1, 2006** - FWS 		    Announces 12-Month Finding on a Petition to Establish and Delist the 		    NRM Gray Wolf Population:
- Federal Register Notice

**January 2005** - New Regulation (10(j) Special Rule) Allows 		  Greater Management Flexibility of Gray Wolves for the States of 		  Montana and Idaho:
-  Federal Register 		          Notice

**2003** - Final Rule to Designate 3 District   Population Segments and Change the ESA Status of the Gray Wolf   throughout Most of the Lower 48 States:
-  Federal Register 	          Notice  (670 KB PDF) 
- Oregon District                   Court Decision  |  Vermont District                     Court Decision  

**1994** - Establishment of Nonessential 		  Experimental Populations of Gray Wolves:
-  Federal Register                   Notice  (HTML)          
-  Federal Register                 Notice  (6 MB PDF)          

**1978** - Reclassification of the Gray Wolf 		  in the United States and Mexico, with Determination of Critical 		  Habitat in Michigan and Minnesota:
-  Federal Register                   Notice  (1.1 MB PDF) 

**1974** - Gray Wolf Listed as Endangered in 		  the Lower 48 States and Mexico:
-  Federal Register                   Notice
   Post-Delisting Wolf Monitoring: Annual Reviews- Service Review of the 2014 Wolf Population in the NRM DPS
- Service Review of the 2013 Wolf Population in the NRM DPS
- Service Review of the 2012 Wolf Population in the NRM DPS
- Service Review of the 2011 Wolf Population in the NRM DPS
- Service Review of the 2009 Wolf Population in the NRM DPS
Post-Delisting Wolf Monitoring:              On-The-Spot-Reviews- Review of IDGF 2011-2012 Wolf Hunting Regulations
- Wolf Monitoring in the NRM
- Review of Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2012-2013 Wolf Hunting Regulations
- Review of Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2013-2014 Wolf Hunting Regulations
- Review of Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2014-2015 Wolf Hunting Regulations
- Review of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 2012-2013 Wolf Hunting Regulations
- Review passage of Wyoming Senate File 132 and Montana House Bill 73
Wolf Management Memorandums of Agreement- Montana State Management  (2006)
- Idaho State Management (2006)
- Genetics MOU  (2008)
- Genetics MOU with WY  (2012)
 State Wolf Management in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming:- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wolf Management Program Information 
- Revised Wyoming gray wolf management plan
- Addendum to the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan
- Revised Wyoming State Statutes
- Management regulations
- Hunting regulations
- FWS approval letter

- 
-  Idaho Department of Fish and Game Wolf Management Program Information
-  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wolf Management Program Information
Other State and Tribal Wolf Management:-  Colorado
- Oregon
-  Utah
- Washington  
- Northern Gray Wolf Management Plan for the Flathead Indian Reservation  
- Wind River Reservation  (737 KB PDF)
- Habituated Wolves in Yellowstone  (800 KB PDF)
-  Blackfeet Tribe  
          Last updated: 		  April 13, 2015  **Contact Us:**WesternGrayWolf@fws.govMountain-Prairie Region 		    | Western Gray Wolf Home    
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home Page | Department of the Interior | USA.gov | About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Accessibility | Privacy | Notices | Disclaimer | FOIA