Public comments sought by Aug. 16
Gray wolves in Washington, now listed as an endangered species under state law, would be reclassified as a sensitive species based on a recommendation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The public is invited to comment on the recommendation, which is a result of a “periodic status review” that is conducted by WDFW every five years for wildlife that are listed as endangered, threatened or sensitive. The announcement opens a 90-day comment period that ends Aug. 16.
WDFW staff is recommending downlisting wolves based on “significant progress toward recovery since their original state endangered listing in 1980, when there were no known breeding wolves in the state,” said Julia Smith, WDFW wolf policy lead.
The reclassification recommendation recognizes “that wolves are not yet established in western Washington and should remain protected.”
The state agency’s recommendation would primarily affect the status of gray wolves in the eastern third of Washington, because wolves in the rest of the state, including the Methow Valley, are protected as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act and are managed under the jurisdiction of U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
Wolves in the eastern third of Washington are excluded from the ESA protection and are have been managed by WDFW as an endangered species.
The state defines “endangered” species as “seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state.” It defines a “sensitive” species as “vulnerable or declining and is likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats.”
Some differences
Downlisting wolves from endangered to sensitive would maintain the prohibition of hunting of wolves, according to a news release from WDFW.
Differences in management and protection for wolves listed as endangered or sensitive include provisions related to criminal penalties, permits for lethal control, and actions that can be taken in critical habitats, according to information in the status review.
For instance, penalties for killing an endangered wolf range up to $5,000 and/or one year in jail. If wolves are listed as sensitive, the maximum penalty for killing a wolf is $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail.
Permits for lethal control by livestock owners (including family and authorized employees) are generally not issued in the case of endangered wolves unless WDFW does not have the resources to address control. However, permits for lethal control may be issued to livestock owners (family and employees) on private lands and public grazing allotments if wolves are listed as sensitive.
For wolves listed as endangered, activities including harvesting, road construction or site preparation within one mile of a known wolf den site is prohibited between March 15 and July 30, and prohibited within one-quarter mile from the den site at other times of the year. For wolves listed as sensitive, no such restrictions apply.
The recommendation to reclassify wolves drew criticism as “misguided” by Sophia Ressler of the Center for Biological Diversity.
“Wolves in Washington have not yet met recovery goals required by the state’s wolf plan,” Ressler said in a news release. The plan details recovery goals in three distinct areas of the state, but wolves have met recovery goals in only two of them, she said.
The draft status review is available for review at wdfw.wa/gov/species-habitats/at-risk/status-review.
The public may submit written comments online at publicinput.com/psr-gray-wolf; email comments to psr-gray-wolf@PublicInput.com; or by leaving a comment via voicemail message by calling 855-925-2801 and entering project code 2573.
WDFW will accept comments until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 16.
All comments received will be considered during the preparation of the final periodic status review and will inform the director’s recommendation on wolf classification to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Staff are tentatively scheduled to brief the commission on the status review at the August meeting in Olympia, and the commission is tentatively scheduled to take action on a possible status change at the October 2023 meeting in Olympia, where commissioners could decide to keep the current listing status or change to a different status.
