The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission went against the recommendations of wildlife managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and voted 5-4 against reclassifying wolves from state-endangered to ‘protected-sensitive,’ in the eastern third of the state. Retaining the state-endangered status, statewide, limits WDFW’s tools for wolf management. Commissioners Lorna Smith, Melanie Roland, Woody Myers, Tim Ragen and Barbara Baker voted (go to 2:45:45) to keep wolves listed as is while Commissioners Jim Anderson, John Lehmkuhl, Molly Linville and Steve Parker voted to downlist.
The ruling does not impact the federal classification of gray wolves, which remain federally listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of Washington and federally de-listed in the eastern third.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation previously supplied written official comment and in-person testimony urging the commission to follow science provided by WDFW’s wildlife professionals and downlist the species.
“It is clear that listing the gray wolf as endangered is no longer warranted,” Karie Decker, RMEF director of wildlife and habitat, wrote in May. “Wolves in Washington are neither declining nor are they particularly vulnerable; data collected by WDFW and the University of Washington confirms results from other countless studies, that wolves are an exceptionally resilient species that has exceeded de-listing recovery objectives in 67 percent of their range in Washington.”
In April 2024, WDFW announced the state wolf population increased by 20 percent from 2022 to 2023 to an estimated 260 animals in 42 packs. According to WDFW, the latest tally is a minimum count, and the actual number of wolves is much higher.
According to the Northwest Sportsman, Governor Jay Inslee reached out to the commission two days before the vote “to reiterate my request of August 1, 2023, that you not downlist wolves.” That original request, again according to the Northwest Sportsman, drew sharp words from WDFW Director Kelly Susewind who said the governor’s stance sought to undermine the information-gathering process since it was not yet complete at that time.
Following the July 19, 2024, vote, WDFW released this statement: “WDFW will revisit the state status of wolves as part of a future periodic status review process or sooner if the recovery objectives of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan are met within five years.”
(Photo credit: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)