The US Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to remove wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the federal endangered species list. The decision returns management of the species to the state level.
The federal delisting rule removing wolves from the endangered species list will be published in the Federal Register Wednesday, Dec. 28, and will take effect Friday, Jan. 27, 30 days after its publication.
Returning wolves to state management will allow the Michigan Department of National Resources to more effectively manage the species under Michigan’s highly-regarded Wolf Management Plan, which was created through a roundtable process involving interested parties representing viewpoints from all sides of the wolf issue.
“This is great news for the state’s wolf population and for Michigan citizens who have been affected by this issue,” said DNR Director Rodney Stokes. “Treating wolves as an endangered species, when the population has exceeded federal recovery goals in Michigan for more than a decade, has negatively impacted public opinion in areas of Michigan where wolves are established on the landscape. I firmly believe that the more flexible management options allowed under the state’s Wolf Management Plan will help increase social acceptance of the species while maintaining a healthy, sustainable wolf population.”
Once wolves are removed from the endangered species list, the DNR will continue to recommend nonlethal methods of control first, including flashing lights, flagging and noisemakers. In addition, the DNR administers a grant program that provides some funding to livestock owners with depredation issues for improved fencing and guard animals such as llamas, donkeys and Great Pyrenees dogs.
However, in cases where nonlethal methods are not working or feasible, DNR officials will now have the ability to kill problem wolves when appropriate. Under federal Endangered Species Act protection, wolves are protected from lethal control measures except in defense of human safety.
Livestock and dog owners in Michigan will also be able to legally protect their private property from wolf depredation once wolves are removed from the endangered species list.
The Michigan Legislature passed laws in 2008 to allow livestock or dog owners, or their designated agents, to remove, capture, or, if deemed necessary, use lethal means to destroy a wolf that is “in the act of preying upon” (attempting to kill or injure) the owner’s livestock or dog(s). These state laws will go into effect on Friday, Jan. 27, 30 days after the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register.
After the wolf is taken off the federal endangered species list, the animal will remain a protected species in Michigan. There is no public hunting or trapping of wolves allowed in Michigan. The DNR and the US Fish and Wildlife Service will investigate and continue vigorous prosecution of any wolf poaching cases. Illegally killing a wolf is punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both, and the cost of prosecution. Reports about poaching can be made to the DNR’s Report All Poaching (RAP) Hotline, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-292-7800.
For more information on Michigan’s wolf population and to see the state’s Wolf Management Plan, go to www.michigan.gov/wolves.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment today announced it will conduct a survey in the northern Lower Peninsula Feb. 15 through March 14 to detect the presence of gray wolves in that region of the state.
“The purpose of the survey is to verify the presence of wolves both where we have previously confirmed animals and to detect new occurrences in other areas,” said DNRE wildlife biologist Jennifer Kleitch. “Given the low probability of observing a wolf or tracks in the Lower Peninsula it’s helpful to have as many eyes looking as possible. That’s why public reports are so important.”
Wolves are a federally protected species that began naturally returning to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula via Canada and Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Since that time populations have increased and continue to expand their range.  Evidence of range expansion into the Lower Peninsula came when a gray wolf was accidentally killed in Presque Isle County in 2004.  More recently, wolf breeding was verified in Cheboygan County in 2010.
The DNRE is asking the public to report any recent sightings of wolves or tracks they believe were made by wolves to the Gaylord Operations Service Center at 989-732-3541, ext. 5901 during the survey period. Reports of observations can also be submitted online at www.dnr.state.mi.us/wildlife/pubs/wolf_obsreport.asp.
Survey teams will be searching areas where there have been one or more observations. Priority will be placed on recent reports and those submitted during the survey period.
“It’s important that observations are reported in a timely manner so we can work with fresh evidence. If the public finds what they believe are wolf tracks, they should preserve the physical evidence and disturb it as little as possible or take a photo of the tracks alongside a ruler,” Kleitch said. “If someone has a photo of a wolf in the Lower Peninsula, we’d certainly be interested in that as well.”
Information on wolves in Michigan and links to other wolf-related web pages can be found at www.michigan.gov/wolves.
The DNRE is partnering in this survey effort with US Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, the Little Traverse and Grand Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and The University of Michigan.