On Feb. 2, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced, after a peer-reviewed assessment, that gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains and western U.S. do not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. An analysis indicated that wolves are not at risk of extinction in the West now or in the foreseeable future.

“We find that the gray wolf in the Western United States is a valid listable entity; however, the gray wolf in the Western United States does not meet the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species. Thus, we find that listing the gray wolf in the Western United States is not warranted at this time.”