Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
Wolf Tracks VI - A Summary of Gray Wolf Activities and Issues
pdf version (pdf 750 kb; 6 pages)
of the Gray Wolf Reclassification/Delisting Proposal
Wolf Management Plan
Zone A is roughly the northeastern one-third of the state, and is composed of Wolf Management Zones 1-4 described in the 1992, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for the Eastern Timber Wolf. About 85 percent of Minnesota's wolves live in Zone A. Zone B is the rest of the state, and is Federal Wolf Management Zone 5.
Under the Minnesota Plan anyone would be allowed to kill or injure a wolf in defense of human life, just as can be done now while wolves remain protected by the Act. The Plan would allow wolves to be harassed, but not killed or injured, if they are within 500 yards of people, buildings, or domestic animals. This non-injurious harassment would be allowed in both wolf management zones. Statewide, owners of domestic animals would also be allowed to kill wolves if the wolf is in the act of stalking, attacking, or killing the domestic animal. In the case of a wolf attacking a pet, the pet must have been under the supervision of the owner, not free-roaming, in order for this provision to apply.
In both zones, the DNR can open "depredation control areas" where wolf depredation on domestic animals is a verified problem. These areas would extend outward for one mile from a verified depredation site. The triggers for opening the depredation control areas, and the duration of the resulting depredation control actions by state-certified predator controllers, vary between the two zones. In Zone A depredation control areas can be opened only for 60 days immediately following a depredation incident. In Zone B they can be opened annually for up to 214 days if there was a verified wolf depredation anytime within the previous 5 years.
Finally, in Zone B wolves can be taken by a landowner (or by the owner's agent) on his/her land at any time to protect domestic animals. The wolf does not have to represent an immediate threat to domestic animals or humans prior to being killed under this provision of the Plan. Additionally, a State-certified predator controller can be hired to trap wolves at other locations within one mile of such lands, with the permission of the landowner.
The Plan also establishes additional state penalties for illegal wolf killing, enacts a 5-year delay on public hunting or trapping seasons, and establishes a minimum population goal of 1,600 wolves. State compensation for livestock killed by wolves was increased (effective in July of 2001) to the full market value of the animals. The plan also calls for a statewide estimate of wolf numbers in the first and fifth years after Federal delisting. Subsequent to delisting, similar estimates would be made every 5 years.
The Service is evaluating the DNR Plan to determine if it will ensure the long-term survival of wolves in Minnesota. As part of the Service's evaluation we have asked the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Team to review the Plan. They are compiling comments and recommendations to provide to us and the DNR. The DNR developed this management plan in preparation for Federal delisting, but it will not be implemented until after the gray wolf is removed from the protections of the Act (wolves are currently listed as federally threatened in Minnesota). If the Plan is found to assure the long-term viability of wolves in the state, all of the recovery criteria from the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Plan will have been met. At that point, we expect to prepare a proposal to delist the gray wolf in the western (and adjacent) Great Lakes states.
For more information on the Minnesota Wolf Management Plan, visit the DNR's website at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ or call 888-MINNDNR. A copy of the complete Plan and our summary are available at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/wgl/mn-plnsum.htm or by calling the Gray Wolf Information Line at 612-713-7337.
How Many Wild Wolves Are There in Each State?
Mountain Wolf Update
If the wolf population remains at or above 30 breeding pairs in 2001 and 2002, the numerical recovery goal will be met on December 31, 2002. If, at that time, the other provisions required for delisting are met, primarily the development of state wolf management plans that would reasonably assure that the gray wolf would not become threatened or endangered again, we would propose delisting the Rocky Mountain population. The delisting process, including extensive public involvement, could be proposed as soon as 2003.
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2000 Annual Report is available on-line at http://www.r6.fws.gov/wolf/annualrpt00/ or by contacting the Helena, Montana office (406-449-5225). The annual report, a cooperative effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nez Perce Tribe, the National Park Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, presents information on the status, distribution, and management of the recovering Rocky Mountain wolf population from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2000. The 2001 Annual Report is expected to be completed in January, 2002.
Wolves to the Northern Forest
The week culminated with a two day conference, Restoring Wolves to the Northern Forest. The conference, cosponsored by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, featured national experts on wolf recovery, genetics, and the social and political issues surrounding this controversial topic. Nearly 200 people listened to presentations on topics including the ecological niche of wolves in the northern forest, wolf-elk interaction in Yellowstone National Park, the status of wolf recovery, and the use of citizen groups in recovering predatory species.