Idaho Wolf Management

New:  Peer reviews and public comments on Idaho Fish and Game's proposal to reduce the number of gray wolves in the Lolo Elk Management Zone in north-central Idaho.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft Environmental Assessment, which also is available for public review and comment. The deadline for public comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is March 14.

• Lolo Proposal - [PDF, 762 KB]
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Draft Environmental Assessment - [PDF, 1.6 MB]
• Public Comments - [PDF, 18 MB]
• Peer Review Comments - [PDF, 454 KB]
• F&G Responses to Peer Review Comments - [PDF, 175 KB]

After they were nearly wiped out in the lower 48 states, wolves in Idaho were declared endangered in 1974 under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 1987 recovery plan for wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains included reintroducing them in central Idaho in 1995 and 1996.
Since then, Idaho has been involved in wolf management as directed by the Legislature, which in 2002, adopted the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Under the plan Idaho Fish and Game would be responsible for wolf management following delisting.
In February 2005, the Fish and Wildlife Service revised the rules that govern the experimental non-essential population of reintroduced wolves in Idaho south of Interstate 90. The change eased wolf management rules and gave Idaho a greater role in wolf management.
In January 2006, an agreement between Idaho and the U.S. Department of Interior designated the state as an agent for day-to-day wolf management for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
On October 18, 2010, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter returned responsibility for wolf management to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Efforts to renew the 2006 agreement giving day-to-day management to Idaho Fish and Game have been unsuccessful.

• Wolves at a Glance
• Current Legal Status - What you can do to protect livestock and pets
• Wolf Reintroduction / Recovery Timeline