View Rule

We are issuing this final rule to comply with two court orders that have the effect of reinstating the regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the gray wolf in Wyoming and for the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment. Pursuant to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia court orders dated September 23, 2014, and December 19, 2014, this rule reinstates the former ESA section 4(d) rules designating the gray wolf in the State of Wyoming as a nonessential experimental population and reinstates the 1978 reclassification rule to govern management of gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes. Gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and north central Utah retain their delisted status and are not impacted by this final rule.