MN Will Control the Fate of Wolves

Minnesota’s gray wolves will be removed from the federal government’s threatened species list and returned to state management in January.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it will publish a final delisting rule in the Federal Register on Dec. 28. After a 30-day period, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will reassume management of this species.

The state’s wolf management plan, created in 2001 after extensive public input, is designed to protect wolves and monitor their populations while resolving conflicts between wolves and humans.

Minnesota’s management plan establishes a minimum population of 1,600 wolves to ensure long-term wolf survival. Estimated at about 750 animals in the early 1970s, the state's wolf population has stabilized at about 3,000 animals today.