Number: RL34238
Title: Gray Wolves Under the Endangered Species Ac (ESA)t: Distinct Population Segments and Experimental Populations
Authors: Kristina Alexander, American Law Division; M. Lynne Corn, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: The wolf was among the first animals protected under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a predecessor to the current Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 1978 the gray wolf was listed as endangered in all of the conterminous 48 states except Minnesota, where it was listed as threatened. With the exception of experimental populations established in the 1990s, the protections for the gray wolf have been diminishing since that date, as wolf populations have increased in some areas. The use of distinct population segments (DPSs), a term created in the 1978 ESA amendments, has played a role in that reduced protection. DPSs allow vertebrate species to be divided into distinct groups, based on geography and genetic distinctions. In 2007 the wolf was removed from the endangered species list for most of its range, based on two DPSs - the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western Great Lakes. But in September 2008 the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) reversed its position on the Northern Rocky Mountains DPS, removing the designation and placing those wolves back on the list of threatened and endangered species, and a court ordered the Western Great Lakes DPS designation removed and wolves relisted. This report analyzes the DPS designation process as it is applied to the gray wolf. It also examines experimental populations of wolves under the ESA and their protections. As part of its oversight responsibilities, Congress has conducted hearings on the Fish and Wildlife Service's application of science to endangered species.
Pages: 15
Date: October 20, 2008