Mexican Gray Wolf Reintroduction Rule Modification

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently in the process of modifying the rule that has governed reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico since 1998. The current move to modify the rule resulted from reviews of the reintroduction project conducted in 2001 and 2005, as specified in the 1998 rule that established the project. Both reviews recommended changes to the reintroduction project. Based upon these recommendations, USFWS Southwest Regional Director Benjamin N. Tuggle, PhD, decided in 2007 that the reintroduction project would continue, but that modifications were needed and should be analyzed through the environmental impact statement (EIS) process, as mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act.

The rule modification process will include opportunities for concerned members of the public, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies at all levels to provide comments. The first step of the process, called scoping, included gathering input from the public at meetings held in November and December 2007 and soliciting comments from a variety of interested parties. A report summarizing the comments received during scoping is available at the link titled "scoping summary" to the right. Scoping helps to identify the issues early in the process that the Fish and Wildlife Service should examine during its rule-modification procedure. Throughout the rule modification process there will be additional opportunities for public input.

A draft rule will be prepared for public comment as well as a draft EIS. The EIS process helps the Fish and Wildlife Service consider the environmental aspects of its decisions and requires the agency to analyze reasonable alternatives to its proposed course. The public is involved throughout the process. Once all comment periods close, the Service takes the comments into consideration, finalizes the rule and the environmental impact statement and implements the decision.

Scoping Summary