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After nearly reaching the point of extinction in the lower 48 states, grey wolves are making a slow comeback. Though populations in the western states are still low, they have exceeded goals in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. However, since 2007, the wolves in these states have not been included on the endangered species list.
The 2007 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to take the wolves off the list was part of a multi-year plan to return regulation of wildlife to state authority. In making this decision, only populations in the Great Lakes region were considered. Environmental groups, specifically the Human Society of the United States, argued that the wolves in the region could not be considered in isolation and that any management plan had to look at the national population as a whole.
On September 29, 2008, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that the government had misinterpreted the law when they removed the wolves' endangered species protections. With his ruling, the wolves will be placed back on the endangered species list and killing the wolves will once again be outlawed.
For more information on this and other environmental issues, check out Focus Earth: October 18, 2008.
Related reading on wildlife protection:
Gray Wolves Are Back on the Endangered List...For Now
Time to Cry, Wolf
Winter Olympics: Damage to Wolf Habitat?
Green Glossary: Whaling
Help Save the Polar Bears without Leaving Home
Try a New Green Activity: Go Bird Watching
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