Gray Wolf Management. Federal and State Endangered Status. Both the state and federal government maintain designations for the gray wolf in Washington as endangered or protected. Federal law lists the gray wolf as an endangered species for the portion of the state located west of highways 97, 17, and 395 that run through Central Washington.
The State Fish and Wildlife Commission (Commission) has authority to classify endangered and threatened species in Washington by rule, and has classified the gray wolf as an endangered species statewide. A wildlife species may be removed from state listing when, based on the preponderance of scientific data available, its populations either: (1) are no longer in danger of failing, declining, or are vulnerable due to certain factors including limited numbers, disease, predation, exploitation, or habitat loss or change, or (2) meet target population objectives set out in a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) developed and Commission adopted recovery plan.
State Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. The Commission adopted the Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (Conservation and Management Plan) in December 2011, which identifies target population objectives, management tools, reclassification criteria, an implementation plan, and a species monitoring plan. The Conservation and Management Plan identifies three wolf recovery regions: (1) the Eastern Washington region, (2) the North Cascades region, and (3) the Southern Cascades and Northwest Coast region. The recovery objectives identified in the Conservation and Management Plan to allow the gray wolf to be removed from the state's endangered species list are based on target numbers and species distribution.
The Conservation and Management Plan establishes the following criteria for wolves to be considered for state delisting:
Gray Wolf Management. WDFW shall manage gray wolves within any county where gray wolves are not designated under the federal Endangered Species Act as if they have been removed from listing as a state endangered species and the following two criteria are met: (1) there are at least three documented breeding pairs in the county, and (2) the recovery objective of 15 breeding pairs over three years has been met statewide.
Once the criteria have been met, the legislative body of the county must provide notice to both the Commission and the director of WDFW (Director) that the gray wolf no longer meets the criteria for state designation as endangered in that location. Upon receiving this notice, the Director must evaluate and determine whether the criteria have been met and convene a work group with a third-party neutral facilitator to develop a management plan in the location. Within six months of the notice, the Director must notify the Commission that a management plan has been completed and will be implemented.
Work Group Members. The work group must include representatives of county cattlepersons organizations, county governments, a conservation nonprofit, and a regional nonprofit organization that operates range riding and other year-round wolf and livestock conflict avoidance tactics in northeast Washington. WDFW must invite affected tribes to participate and give affected tribes the opportunity to review drafts of the plan before it is completed. WDFW must complete and implement the plan within six months and may revise the plan periodically as conditions change. If the work group does not reach agreement on the plan within six months, a minority report must be included.
Management Plan Components. At a minimum, the management plan must address: