On January 29, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the western Great Lakes population of gray wolves from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

The recovery plan identified 1,250 to 1,400 as a population goal for Minnesota. The state's wolf population has exceeded that level since 1992.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will now manage the state's wolf population according to their comprehensive wolf management plan.

"Thanks to the persistence of our farmers and ranchers, the long overdue delisting has finally happened," said Minnesota Farm Bureau President Kevin Paap. "Farm Bureau participated in the wolf roundtable that helped pass the wolf management law in 2000."

There is a mandatory five-year monitoring plan to ensure wolf populations do not fall below the federal recovery goal.

The plan also includes provisions for management of problem wolves, management for habitat and prey, enforcement of laws, education, staffing and research.

"We hope this will provide ranchers who suffer from wolf depredation more options for protecting their livestock," said Paap. "Wolves and other predators cause serious economic losses for livestock producers in Minnesota."

Minnesota Farm Bureau is comprised of 78 local Farm Bureau associations across Minnesota.

Join Farm Bureau today and support our efforts to serve as an advocate for rural Minnesota, www.fbmn.org.