Plan to delist gray wolf suddenly up in the air

Plans to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list are suddenly on hold as federal wildlife managers concede they based their earlier decision on science that didn't withstand peer review. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is reopening the comment period on its proposal to delist the gray wolf and to list the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies. The change of course came after the USFWS received an independent scientific peer review hosted and managed by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), an interdisciplinary research center at the University of California – Santa Barbara. At the Service’s request, NCEAS sponsored and conducted a peer review of the science underlying the Service’s proposal. The Service is making that report available for public review, and beginning Monday, Feb. 10, interested stakeholders will have an additional 45 days to provide information that may be helpful to the Service in making a final determination on the proposal. “Peer review is an important step in our efforts to assure that the final decision on our proposal to delist the wolf is based on the best available scientific and technical information,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “We thank the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis for conducting a transparent, objective and well-documented process. We are incorporating the peer review report into the public record for the proposed rulemaking, and accordingly, reopening the public comment period to provide the public with the opportunity for input.” The peer review report is available online, along with instructions on how to provide comment and comprehensive links relating to the proposal, at www.fws.gov/home/wolfrecovery...more