The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a final rule on Nov. 3 officially reinstating federal protections on the gray wolf.
Following a district court order that vacated the agency’s Nov. 3, 2020, rule to remove the wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list, there have been several appeals to the 9th Circuit Court. In the meantime, USFWS is still bound by the district court order and must reinstate protections to the wolf.
The final rule reinstates threatened protections for the wolf in Minnesota, endangered status for the wolf in the 44 states the species was listed prior to the November 2020 delisting, critical habitat for gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and the Section 4(d) rule for the wolf in Minnesota.
Gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains area retain their delisted status and are not impacted by the final rule. The rule also does not have any impact on the Mexican gray wolf.
The rule was effective Nov. 3, although the court order had legal effect upon its February 2022 filing.
