Comment period underway on proposed wolf status change

OLYMPIA–The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public input on a rule making proposal to reclassify Washington's gray wolves from state endangered to sensitive, and is asking for public input on the topic.

Based on 14 years of data and trends on Washington's wolf population as well as a population model developed at the University of Washington (UW), WDFW staff recommend reclassifying wolves from state endangered to sensitive.

More information and how to provide input through May 6 is available at wdfw.wa.gov.

State endangered is defined as "seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state," while sensitive is defined as "vulnerable or declining and likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats."