OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will accept comments through May 6 on a proposal to change the state’s classification of gray wolf populations from endangered to sensitive. A briefing and public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for the March 15-16 meeting of the WDFW commission, according to a WDFW press release.
A state endangered designation means the species is threatened with extinction in a significant portion of its territory within Washington, the press release said.
“Sensitive is defined as ‘vulnerable or declining and likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats,’” the press release said.
State officials first listed wolves as endangered in 1980. Julia Smith, manager for WDFW’s Endangered Species Recovery Sector, said the proposed change shows that bringing back wolf populations has made progress.