Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
Federal Register: Notice of Availability
Draft Post-Delisting
Monitoring Plan for the Western Great
Lakes Distinct Population Segment of
the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR:
Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Draft Post-Delisting
Monitoring Plan for the Western Great
Lakes Distinct Population Segment of
the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of postdelisting
monitoring plan; request for
comments.
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the Draft Post-Delisting
Monitoring Plan (PDM Plan) for the
Western Great Lakes (WGL) Distinct
Population Segment (DPS) of the Gray
Wolf (Canis lupus). Under the Draft
PDM Plan, we would monitor the status
of the gray wolves in the WGL DPS over
a 5-year period. Our monitoring would
include population estimates, health
data from individual wolves, and review
of changes in State and tribal
management and legal protections that
might impact the WGL DPS’s status.
During the PDM period, we and the
Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Team
would annually conduct a review of the
monitoring data and monitoring
program. We solicit review and
comment on this Draft Monitoring Plan
from local, tribal, State, and Federal
agencies and the public.
DATES: We must receive any written
comments on or before July 5, 2007.
ADDRESSES: To request a copy of the 11-page PDM Plan, write to our Midwest
Regional Office: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Federal Building, 1 Federal
Drive, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111–4056, or
call 612–713–5350. Copies also may be
requested by fax at 612–713–5292 or by
sending a request to
graywolfPDM@fws.gov. Specify whether
you want to receive a hard copy by U.S.
mail or an electronic copy by e-mail or
fax. The PDM Plan may also be
downloaded from our Web site at
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/.
Send your comments by any of the
following methods. You may also drop
off comments in person. See ‘‘Viewing
Documents’’ and ‘‘Public Comments
Solicited’’ under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for important information.
• E-mail: graywolfPDM@fws.gov.
Include ‘‘Wolf PDM Plan Comments’’ in
the subject line of the message.
• Fax: 612–713–5292. Include ‘‘Wolf
PDM Plan Comments’’ in the subject
line.
• U.S. Mail: Wolf PDM Plan
Comments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Federal Building, 1 Federal
Drive, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111–4056.
• In-Person Drop-off: Room 646 at the
above address during regular business
hours.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Direct all questions or requests for
additional information to Ron Refsnider,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal
Building, 1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling,
MN 55111–4056 or 612–713–5350.
Additional information is also available
on our World Wide Web site at http://
www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/.
Individuals who are hearing-impaired or
speech-impaired may call the Federal
Relay Service at 1–800–877–8337 for
TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background
We published our decision to remove
the Western Great Lakes Distinct
Population Segment of the gray wolf
from the Federal List of Threatened and
Endangered Wildlife and Plants on February 8, 2007 (72 FR 6052), and it
became effective March 12, 2007. We
determined this DPS to be recovered as
a result of its primary threats being
reduced or eliminated and because wolf
populations in Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and Michigan have greatly exceeded the
numerical recovery criteria established
in the Federal recovery plan. Section
4(g)(1) of the Endangered Species Act
(Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires
that we implement a system, in
cooperation with the States, to monitor
for no fewer than 5 years the status of
all species that have recovered and no
longer need the protection of the Act.
We began developing the PDM Plan in
advance of making a final decision on
the delisting proposal in order to be able
to implement the PDM activities in a
timely manner in the event that we
determined that delisting the WGL DPS
is appropriate. Now that we have made
the delisting determination for the WGL
DPS, we are implementing the PDM as
described in the Draft PDM Plan,
although we recognize that the PDM
Plan may be modified as a result of this
review. We have used the expertise of
the Recovery Team during the drafting
of the PDM Plan.
The WGL DPS includes all of
Minnesota; Wisconsin; Michigan; the
part of North Dakota that is north and
east of the Missouri River, upstream as
far as Lake Sakakawea, and east of
Highway 83, from Lake Sakakawea to
the Canadian border; the part of South
Dakota that is north and east of the
Missouri River; the parts of Iowa,
Illinois, and Indiana that are north of
Interstate Highway 80; and the part of
Ohio north of Interstate Highway 80 and
west of the Maumee River (at Toledo).
This includes the area currently
occupied by wolf packs in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Michigan; the nearby
areas in these States, including the
Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan,
in which wolf packs may become
established in the foreseeable future;
and a surrounding area into which
Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan
wolves may disperse, but where we do
not expect packs to persist. The area
surrounding the core wolf populations
includes the locations of most known
dispersers from the core populations,
especially the shorter- and medium distance
dispersers that are most likely
to survive and potentially return to the
core areas.
We propose to monitor the status of
the gray wolf WGL DPS over a 5-year
period following delisting. The PDM
program primarily would be a
continuation of State monitoring
activities similar to those which have
been conducted by the Departments of
Natural Resources in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Michigan over several
decades. These activities would include
both population monitoring and health
monitoring of individual wolves, as well as Service review of changes to State
and tribal wolf management and
protection. Additionally, the PDM
would review evidence of increased
post-delisting threats, especially humancaused
mortality and disease. During
the PDM period, we and the Recovery
Team would annually conduct a review
of the monitoring data and monitoring
program. We would consider various
relevant factors (including but not
limited to mortality rates, population
changes and rates of change, disease
occurrence, and range expansion or
contraction) to determine if the
population of gray wolves within the
WGL DPS warrants expanded
monitoring, additional research, and/or
resumption of Federal protection. At the
end of the 5-year PDM program, we
would conduct a final review.
Viewing Documents
The complete file for the monitoring
plan is available for inspection, by
appointment, during normal business
hours at our Ft. Snelling, Minnesota,
Regional Office. Call 612–713–5350 to
make arrangements. The comments and
materials we receive on the monitoring
plan during the comment period also
will be available for public inspection
by appointment during normal business
hours at the Ft. Snelling office and also
at our Ecological Services Field Offices
in Bloomington, Minnesota (612–725–
3548); New Frankin, Wisconsin (920–
866–1717); East Lansing, Michigan
(517–351–2555), and Marquette,
Michigan (906–226–6571). Call those
offices to make arrangements.
Public Comments Solicited
We intend for the PDM Plan to
effectively monitor the status of the
delisted gray wolf WGL DPS as required
by section 4(g)(1) of the Act. Therefore,
we hereby solicit comments, new
information, or suggestions from the
public, other concerned governmental
agencies, the scientific community,
industry, or any other interested party
concerning our draft PDM Plan. We will
consider all comments and information
we receive during the comment period
on this draft PDM during our
preparation of a final PDM.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Author
The primary author of this document
is Ron Refsnider (see ADDRESSES).
Authority
The authority for this action is the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: April 27, 2007.
Wendi Weber,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services, Region 3, Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
[FR Doc. E7–10673 Filed 6–1–07; 8:45 am]
June 4, 2007
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