Midwest wolves back under federal protection

Grey wolves in the upper Midwest are back under Federal Protection for the time being. In May, the wolves were taken off the Endangered Species List and management of the population in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota was turned over to state agencies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A coalition of environmental and animal rights groups filed suit charging the Obama Administration did not conduct the required 60-day comment period before adopting the rule which turned management over to the states. An agreement between the government and the groups puts the wolves back under federal control while the public is given 60 days to comment on the change or the Humane Society of the United States wins a pending lawsuit against the delisting.

There are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 grey wolves in the three states as the result of a successful effort to reintroduce the wolf to the Great Lakes area. Livestock interests contend the population is getting too large and needs to be thinned down to a manageable level.