WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reached an
agreement with the majority of plaintiffs, including Defenders of
Wildlife, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and eight other conservation
organizations, to settle ongoing litigation over a Federal District
Court’s 2010 decision to reinstate Endangered Species Act (ESA)
protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains.

If approved by the court, the settlement offers a path for the Service to
return management of the recovered wolf populations in Idaho and Montana
to the States while the Service considers options for delisting gray
wolves across the Rocky Mountain region, where population levels have
returned to biologically recovered levels.

“For too long, management of wolves in this country has been caught up in
controversy and litigation instead of rooted in science where it belongs.
This proposed settlement provides a path forward to recognize the
successful recovery of the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains and
to return its management to States and Tribes,” said Deputy Secretary
David J. Hayes.

“I am pleased that the negotiations resulted in this important agreement,”

said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould.  “The proposed settlement has
the potential to return management of wolves in Montana and Idaho to the
states and tribes and will also enable the Fish and Wildlife Service to
use our limited resources to address other species in need of recovery
actions.”

Under the terms of the settlement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
agreed to address the delisting of wolves in the region in the future as a
distinct population segment, rather than on a state-by-state basis.  The
parties are requesting that the court allow the 2009 delisting to be
reinstated in Montana and Idaho on an interim basis, in accordance with
approved state management plans, until a full delisting can be completed
for the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population.  The parties are agreeing
that they allow these steps to move forward, up to and including a
potential delisting of Rocky Mountain wolves, without resorting to further
litigation.

“I want to recognize the great work of Deputy Secretary Hayes, the Fish
and Wildlife Service and the entire negotiating team, and all those who
worked with us to find a common-sense way forward,” said Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar.

Separate negotiations are ongoing between the Service and the State of
Wyoming in an effort to reach agreement on a management plan for wolves in
that state.  If a mutually acceptable management plan for wolves in
Wyoming can be developed, then the Service will be able to proceed with
delisting proceedings addressing wolves throughout the northern Rocky
Mountains.

The delisting provided for under this agreement does not extend to the
small wolf populations in eastern Oregon and Washington, or to Utah, where
there are not believed to be any resident wolves.  FWS intends to address
the longer term status of wolves in Oregon, Washington, and Utah when it
issues a new rule addressing status of wolves across the Northern Rocky
Mountain region.   FWS will work with state officials in Oregon,
Washington and Utah in the meantime to address any wolf management issues
and retains the option to consider reclassifying wolves from "endangered"
to "threatened" in those states in order to provide more management
flexibility.

The Service and the plaintiffs have agreed to take other actions that will
clarify implementation of the ESA and ensure that a recovered wolf
population continues to be sustainably managed under approved state
management plans. Additional terms of the proposed agreement are available
here:
http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=238574.

The ESA provides a critical safety net for America’s native fish, wildlife
and plants. This landmark conservation law has prevented the extinction of
hundreds of imperiled species across the nation and promoted the recovery
of many others.