Opinion ID: 159098
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Protection of Distinct Subspecies

Text: The Urbigkits claim on cross-appeal there exists a genetically distinct subspecies of wolf in Yellowstone and Wyoming, Canis lupus irremotus. They further claim the Agencies failed to adequately consider the impacts of the reintroduced “Canadian” wolves on that naturally occurring subspecies, in violation of section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1536. According to the Urbigkits, the Agencies ignored their own expert, Dr. Ron Nowak, a Fish and Wildlife Service taxonomist, who commented that “[a] big part of the conservation of a full species is to insure that its component subspecies and individuals taken either directly from the wild or from captivity. [Delmarva fox squirrel, southern sea otter, yellowfin madtom, Colorado squawfish and woundfin, red wolf, whooping crane.] Moreover, in at least three instances, every last individual of an endangered species has been captured and placed in a captive breeding program, and some of them or their endangered progeny were later reintroduced into the wild as part of a “threatened” experimental population. [Guam rail, black-footed ferret, California condor.] Thus, in each case, the protection afforded some “endangered” individuals has been diminished. The absence of any non-endangered individuals of these (and most other) endangered species makes that a practical necessity, and one that Congress clearly understood. Moreover, that Congress intended that some individual animals could lose their former “endangered” status as a result of action taken under section 10(j) is also apparent from section 10(j)(3), 16 U.S.C. § 1539(j)(3), which authorizes the Secretary retroactively to designate previously introduced populations as “experimental” and thus to change their status – and the concomitant protection – from “endangered” to “threatened.” -30- populations remain intact and in place,” that there is a “subspecific distinction” between the original Yellowstone wolf and the reintroduced wolves, and that “[i]f there were actually a surviving population of the original Yellowstone wolf, every effort should be made to maintain its purity and to avoid bringing in other wolves.” The Urbigkits contend that because the subspecies irremotus was originally listed in 1973 and not specifically delisted or declared extinct in 1978 when Endangered Species Act protection was extended to all wolf subspecies, irremotus is still a legally listed endangered species entitled to full protection under the Act, like Canis lupus baileyi, the Mexican wolf subspecies. 11 After careful analysis, we conclude these claims lack both factual and legal support. 11 The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf, Canis lupus irremotus, was listed as an endangered subspecies of gray wolf, together with three other gray wolf subspecies, in June 1973. 43 Fed. Reg. at 9607. In 1977, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to combine those subspecies, and instead list the entire species, Canis lupus, as endangered in the lower forty-eight states, except Minnesota. The proposed reclassification became final in 1978. Id. at 9607-08, 9610-12. The Urbigkits reason that because the Canis lupus irremotus subspecies was originally listed and never formally delisted, it is entitled to full Endangered Species Act protection separate and apart from the broader gray wolf recovery program. Given that premise, they further reason the reintroduction of gray wolves from Canada amounts to a de facto delisting of the irremotus subspecies. The Mexican gray wolf was listed as an endangered subspecies in April 1976. (63 Fed. Reg. 1752 (January 12, 1998)). Like the irremotus listing, this listing was superceded by the 1978 reclassification designating the entire species of gray wolf as endangered. However, unlike irremotus, identifiable, captive populations of the Mexican gray wolf exist and are the subject of an independent reintroduction program in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico. See 63 Fed. Reg. 1752, 1753 (January 12, 1998); 50 C.F.R. § 17.84(k). -31- The Agencies decided to reintroduce gray wolves from Canada without reference to subspecific differences. They based this decision on (1) the lack of evidence any wolf population existed in the reintroduction areas at the time of reintroduction; (2) scientific evidence that most of the historically recognized subspecies of Canis lupus (including irremotus) do not warrant recognition under modern taxonomic classification methods; and (3) the likelihood that even if there had been a distinct subspecies found in the middle to northern United States, as wolves are known to disperse and interbreed over hundreds of miles, its range would have overlapped with a more northern subspecies in southwestern Canada and the border states. Accordingly, the Agencies concluded: The original genetic stock cannot be restored to the area, as it no longer exists. However, if taken from southwestern Canada, reintroduced wolves will be of the same genetic stock from which natural dispersers no doubt immigrated into the original Yellowstone population, the same stock as those currently recolonizing Montana and Idaho, and the same stock that likely will get to Yellowstone through natural dispersal .... In other words, since we can not bring back the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf, regardless of whether it deserved to be a separate subspecies, we can do the next best thing and assist nature in restoring the wolf to the northern Rockies. The factual, scientific determination that the subspecies irremotus no longer exists is supported by evidence in the record comparing older taxonomic studies to more recent and sophisticated studies. The more recent studies conclude there is very little differentiation between the many subspecies of gray -32- wolf previously recognized. This determination is further supported by a lack of physical evidence demonstrating the presence of any wolf population, let alone a genetically distinct wolf population, in either the Yellowstone or central Idaho reintroduction areas. In rebuttal, the Urbigkits proffer the statements of Dr. Nowak, who opined there is “a subspecific distinction” between the original Yellowstone wolf and the reintroduced wolves that would be worthy of protection “[i]f there were actually a surviving population of the original Yellowstone wolf.” While we appreciate the relevance of Dr. Nowak’s opinion on the issue of genetic variation and the importance of subspecies conservation where an identifiable subspecies exists, we fail to see how it refutes the Agencies’ conclusion the subspecies irremotus does not exist. Applying the arbitrary and capricious standard of review, we cannot displace the Defendants’ choice between two fairly conflicting views, and must defer to the agencies’ view on scientific matters within their realm of expertise. Trimmer, 174 F.3d at 1102; National Cattlemen’s Ass’n v. EPA, 773 F.2d 268, 271 (10th Cir. 1985). Because this is a scientific matter within the Agencies’ expertise, and because there is ample evidence in the administrative record to support the Defendants’ position, we uphold their subspecies conclusions. 12 12 In any event, we do not believe the Endangered Species Act mandates the protection of the irremotus subspecies to the exclusion of reintroducing the gray wolf species into Yellowstone and central Idaho. While the Urbigkits -33-