Wolf Delisting Update
I'm Bob Larson. The deadline for public comment on the subject of removing the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species List has passed.
Last Monday was the final day to express your feelings on the matter and U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says, without knowing which side the comments took, the response was outstanding ...
NEWHOUSE ... "My understanding is that they received, in the neighborhood, of 300-thousand comments, and so the agency is going through the process now of digesting those to coming up with kind of the direction that the public prefers that they go."
But, as far as a timeline, Newhouse says the response won't be immediate ...
NEWHOUSE ... "And so I'm guessing Bob it's going to be probably several weeks to several months before that process is completed and before they are able to take action depending on the comments that they've received."
Newhouse has long supported the delisting of Gray Wolves and returning wolf management to the states ...
NEWHOUSE ... "The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to recover species to the point where they are no longer considered endangered or threatened. The Gray Wolf is currently found in nearly 50 countries around the world and has been placed in the classification of "least concern" for risk of extinction by the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation Nature."
Newhouse says the Gray Wolf should be considered a success story of the Endangered Species Act. He says delisting the wolves would give relief to farmers, ranchers, and communities affected by the growing wolf population.
