Trump signs order directing gray wolf delisting review
Rule ChangesInterior has 90 days to determine whether wolves meet recovery criteria for removal from the Endangered Species Act
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Overview
Updated 1 hour agoPresident Trump signed an executive order Sept. 4 directing the Interior Department to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough to lose Endangered Species Act protections. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has 90 days to decide whether to begin delisting the animals, a process that would shift wolf management from federal to state control.
Trump framed the move as support for ranchers, citing a US cattle herd at a 75-year low and record beef prices. Conservation groups counter that wolf predation accounts for less than 1% of livestock losses and that the Mexican gray wolf population, roughly 320 animals, is too small and genetically fragile to survive without federal protection.
Why it matters
If wolves are delisted, states take over management, including hunting seasons and lethal control options for ranchers—ending protections in place for most of the Lower 48 since 2022.
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
The agency responsible for listing and delisting species under the Endangered Species Act.
National conservation group working on wildlife protection and coexistence programs.
Environmental group that won the 2022 lawsuit restoring gray wolf ESA protections.
Timeline
March 1995 September 2026
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Conservation groups respond
Latest ReactionEnvironmental groups warn premature delisting could derail wolf recovery; BBC reports on the order.
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Trump signs wolf delisting order
Executive actionTrump signs executive order giving Interior 90 days to assess wolf recovery criteria.
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Court restores wolf protections
Legal rulingFederal judge strikes down 2020 delisting, restoring ESA protections in most Lower 48 states.
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Congressional wolf delisting rider
Legislative actionCongress attaches budget rider delisting wolves in Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington.
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Mexican gray wolf reintroduction
Conservation milestoneFour Mexican gray wolves released in Arizona and New Mexico.
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Yellowstone wolf reintroduction
Conservation milestoneFirst Canadian gray wolves released in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Yellowstone wolf reintroduction (1995-1996)
The US Fish and Wildlife Service captured 31 gray wolves in Canada and released them in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. It was the first time the species returned to the region in decades, following their near-total eradication in the Lower 48.
Wolf populations rebounded across the Northern Rockies over the following decade, reaching thousands of animals — but conflicts with ranchers grew as packs expanded onto grazing land.
Established the template for ESA recovery programs and set up the political fight over delisting that continues three decades later.
The executive order directly targets the recovery framework built by this reintroduction program, which is now the main source of conflict between conservation groups and ranchers.
Congressional wolf delisting rider (2011)
Congress attached a rider to a budget bill delisting gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington — the first time lawmakers removed a species from the endangered list by legislation rather than scientific review. Wyoming followed with its own delisting in 2017.
States took over wolf management; Montana and Idaho authorized wolf hunting seasons that killed hundreds of animals in the first years.
Set a precedent for political intervention in ESA decisions and left wolves in the Northern Rockies without federal protection to this day.
Trump's executive order seeks a similar outcome through administrative action, attempting to bypass the scientific review the ESA requires.
Court restores wolf protections (2022)
Federal District Judge Jeffrey White struck down the Fish and Wildlife Service's 2020 delisting rule, ruling that treating wolf recovery in one small region as national recovery violated the ESA. The decision restored protections across most of the Lower 48.
Wolf hunting and trapping seasons halted in most states; wolves returned to federal management under a "threatened" or "endangered" designation.
Established that delisting must consider habitat loss across the species' historic range, raising the legal bar for any future attempt.
Any new delisting attempt faces the same legal standard, and conservation groups have already signaled they will sue again if Interior moves forward.
