Salazar, Strickland Encouraged by discussions with Governors Concerning Gray Wolves

11/29/2010
Last edited 09/29/2021

Lakewood, CO -- At a meeting today with the Governors from Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland discussed a path forward regarding the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population.

“The successful recovery of the gray wolf is a stunning example of how the Endangered Species Act can work to keep imperiled animals from sliding into extinction,” said Secretary Salazar. “Today's meeting was very constructive and I appreciate that the Governors' share our goal to delist the species with a responsible approach guided by science.”

“There are many complexities involved in how we conduct the delisting,” said Assistant Secretary Strickland. “In today's meeting we discussed how we move forward to both delist the wolf and provide appropriate protection in the future.”

In April of 2009, Secretary Salazar affirmed the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in the northern Rocky Mountain states of Idaho and Montana and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. Wolves will remain a protected species in Wyoming.
Recently a federal judge in both Wyoming and Montana ruled against the Department on the delisting and on related issues, and wolves currently remain listed under the Endangered Species Act in all three northern Rocky Mountain States.

# # #

  • Press Release
    A CAT hydraulic excavator loading a yellow CAT haul truck with coal, set against tiered gray overburden slopes in an open-pit mine. 
    07/23/2026

    Interior Releases Major Update on Coal Potential Beneath Federal Lands

    The Department of the Interior today released a U.S. Geological Survey report on coal resources beneath federally managed public lands in the United States, estimating that there are 4.2 billion short tons of reported coal reserves associated with active mines and an additional 356 billion short tons of available coal resources. 

    Read more
  • Press Release
    Department of the Interior bison seal set against green mountainous background.
    07/14/2026

    Secretary Burgum Returns Management of Grizzly Bears to the West

    Today, the Department of the Interior announced a revised proposal to increase management flexibility for grizzly bears in areas where the species has met, and in many cases exceeded, federal recovery benchmarks. The updated management proposal ensures the Endangered Species Act is being used as Congress intended while continuing to support the species' long-term conservation. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum was joined by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Idaho Governor Brad Little and Fish and Wildlife Director Brian Nesvik for the announcement.

    Read more

Was this page helpful?

Please provide a comment