I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1819 

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for State management of population segments of gray wolves in the United States, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2011 

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan (for herself, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. MATHESON, Mrs. 

LUMMIS, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. KLINE, and Mr. 

BENISHEK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide 

for State management of population segments of gray 

wolves in the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘State Wildlife Manage5 ment Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STATUS OF POPULATION SEGMENTS OF GRAY 

2 WOLVES. 

3 (a) Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 

4 (16 U.S.C. 1533) is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(j) STATUS OF GRAY WOLVES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) STATUS OF NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN

8 DISTINCT POPULATION SEGMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

10 other provision of law (including regulations), 

11 any gray wolf that is located in any State that 

12 is within the range of the Northern Rocky 

13 Mountain distinct population segment or any14 where in the State of Nevada or Colorado shall 

15 not be treated as an endangered species or 

16 threatened species and shall not be subject to 

17 this Act, except as provided in subparagraph 

18 (B). 

19 ‘‘(B) STATE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

20 ‘‘(i) Each of the States that is within 

21 the range of the Northern Rocky Mountain 

22 distinct population segment, and each of 

23 Nevada and Colorado, may manage all 

24 gray wolves within its boundaries for so 

25 long as there are at least 450 gray wolves 


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1 in the Northern Rocky Mountain distinct 

2 population segment. 

3 ‘‘(ii) If the number of gray wolves in 

4 such segment is less than 450 gray wolves, 

5 as demonstrated by the Secretary of the 

6 Interior, gray wolf populations within the 

7 Northern Rocky Mountain distinct popu8 lation segment shall be temporarily treated 

9 as an endangered species or threatened 

10 species, as determined by the Secretary, 

11 and clause (i) shall not apply, until the 

12 Secretary determines that the number of 

13 gray wolves in such segment is equal to at 

14 least 450 during 2 consecutive years. 

15 ‘‘(2) STATUS OF WESTERN GREAT LAKES DIS16 TINCT POPULATION SEGMENT.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

18 other provision of the law (including regula19 tions), any gray wolf that is located in any 

20 State that is within the range of the Western 

21 Great Lakes distinct population segment shall 

22 not be treated as an endangered species or 

23 threatened species and shall not be subject to 

24 this Act, except as provided in subparagraph 

25 (B). 


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1 ‘‘(B) STATE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

2 ‘‘(i) Each of the States that is within 

3 the range of the Western Great Lakes dis4 tinct population segment may manage all 

5 gray wolves within its boundaries for so 

6 long as the number of gray wolves within 

7 its boundaries is— 

8 ‘‘(I) for Minnesota, at least 

9 1,200; 

10 ‘‘(II) for Michigan, at least 150; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(III) for Wisconsin, at least 

13 150. 

14 ‘‘(ii) If the number of gray wolves in 

15 such a State is less than the number speci16 fied for the State in clause (i), as dem17 onstrated by the Secretary of the Interior, 

18 gray wolf populations in that State that 

19 are part of the Western Great Lakes dis20 tinct population segment shall be tempo21 rarily treated as an endangered species or 

22 threatened species, as determined by the 

23 Secretary, and clause (i) shall not apply 

24 with respect to that State, until the Sec25 retary determines that the number of gray 


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1 wolves in such State is equal to at least 

2 that number during 2 consecutive years. 

3 ‘‘(3) STATUS OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO

4 GRAY WOLF.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

6 other provision of the law (including regula7 tions) any gray wolf that is located in Arizona 

8 or New Mexico shall not be treated as an en9 dangered species or threatened species and shall 

10 not be subject to this Act, except as provided in 

11 subparagraph (B). 

12 ‘‘(B) STATE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

13 ‘‘(i) Each of the States of Arizona 

14 and New Mexico may manage all gray 

15 wolves within its boundaries for so long as 

16 the combined total number of gray wolves 

17 in those States is at least 100 gray wolves. 

18 ‘‘(ii) If the combined total number of 

19 gray wolves in those States is less than the 

20 number specified in clause (i), as dem21 onstrated by the Secretary of the Interior, 

22 gray wolf populations in those States shall 

23 be temporarily treated as an endangered 

24 species or threatened species, as deter25 mined by the Secretary, and clause (i) 


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1 shall not apply with respect to those 

2 States, until the Secretary determines that 

3 the combined total number of gray wolves 

4 in those States is equal to at least that 

5 number during 2 consecutive years. 

6 ‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

7 ‘‘(A) GRAY WOLF.—The term ‘gray wolf’ 

8 means any taxonomic group traditionally associ9 ated with the gray wolf, including Canus lupus, 

10 Canus lupus lycaon, and Canus lupus baileyi, 

11 regardless of specific taxonomy of any par12 ticular gray wolf variety as a species, sub13 species, or other designation. 

14 ‘‘(B) NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIS15 TINCT POPULATION SEGMENT.—The term 

16 ‘Northern Rocky Mountain distinct population 

17 segment’ means the distinct population segment 

18 of gray wolf described by the United States 

19 Fish and Wildlife Service in the final rule enti20 tled ‘Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and 

21 Plants; Final Rule Designating the Northern 

22 Rocky Mountain Population Segment of Gray 

23 Wolf as a Distinct Population Segment and Re24 moving the Distinct Population Segment From 

25 the Federal List of Endangered and ThreatVerDate Mar 15 2010 06:39 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1819.IH H1819

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1 ened Wildlife’ (73 Fed. Reg. 10514 (February 

2 27, 2008)). 

3 ‘‘(C) WESTERN GREAT LAKES DISTINCT

4 POPULATION SEGMENT.—The term ‘Western 

5 Great Lakes distinct population segment’ 

6 means the distinct population segment of gray 

7 wolf described by the United States Fish and 

8 Wildlife Service in the Final Rule to Delist 

9 Gray Wolf Western Great Lakes Distinct Popu10 lation Segment, as published February 8, 2007 

11 (72 Fed. Reg. 6052).’’. 

Æ 


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