By Marianne Goodland The Denver Gazette
President Donald Trump has directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to launch a 90-day review on whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves should be removed from Endangered Species Act protections.
The order drew mixed reactions for Colorado’s wolf-reintroduction effort, with ranchers and some state leaders calling it a step toward more flexible management, while wolf advocates argue it strips away key safeguards.
If Burgum determines delisting or downlisting is warranted, the order said states would be encouraged to remove gray wolves and Mexican wolves from their own protected species lists and to loosen lethal-control standards to help ranchers respond to predation.
The order also says the Interior Secretary would weigh regulatory changes that revise the department’s criteria for authorizing lethal removal of gray wolves and Mexican wolves, and allow faster emergency response — including more precise targeting — in situations involving threats to human safety or domestic livestock.
How delisting would impact Colorado and its nearly three-year-old relocation program is unclear.
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