In the Crosshairs: Gray wolf more endangered than ever
The Columbian , March 20, 2003
It should be good news that the gray wolf, nearly extinct in the lower 48 states just a few decades ago, now numbers almost 4,000.
But those 4,000 can be found across barely 2 percent of the wolf's historic range. And by using that tenuous toehold on survival as a pretext to downgrade the animal's protective status under the Endangered Species Act, the Bush administration may have imperiled the gray wolf more than ever.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service characterized its decision this week to reclassify the wolf from "endangered" to "threatened" as a success story. Said agency Director Steve Williams: "Today, Americans can hear wolves howl in Yellowstone National Park or see their tracks in the snow in Michigan and Wisconsin."
But almost nowhere else. Government figures show 3,063 gray wolves in the Great Lakes states, 664 wolves in the Northern Rockies and 21 wolves in the Southwest. Scientists believe that thousands more could thrive in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado and New England.
With the downgraded listing, however, those areas may remain wolf-free forever. Craig Manson, assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, put it bluntly: "Essentially, the gray wolf is recovered. ... We are not contemplating further wolf reintroductions (in other areas the country.)" | |
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