© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Court keeps Great Lakes wolves on endangered species list

a sleeping grey wolf
Derek Bakken
/
Flickr - http://j.mp/1SPGCl0
There are estimated to be 3,800 gray wolves across Michigan, Miiesota and Wisconsin.

A federal appeals court is keeping gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region on the endangered species list.

A panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday upheld a district judge's 2014 ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had acted prematurely by removing federal protections from wolves in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Wolves had nearly disappeared from the region when they were designated as endangered in the 1970s. They now total about 3,800.

Federal and state regulators say the population has recovered and should be returned to state management, which could include allowing wolf hunting.

Environmental groups say the gray wolves in the region are still vulnerable.

The appeals panel said the government hadn't reasonably considered factors including loss of the wolf's historical range.

The ruling indefinitely delays a law signed by Gov. Snyder in December that would authorize wolf hunting if Congress or the courts permit.

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting.
Emma is a communications specialist with the digital team at Michigan Radio. She works across all departments at Michigan Radio, with a hand in everything from digital marketing and fundraising to graphic design and website maintenance. She also produces the station's daily newsletter, The Michigan Radio Beat.
Related Content