Petition Filed to List Gray Wolf under California Endangered Species Act

On March 12, 2012, the California Fish and Game Commission received a petition to list the gray wolf as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act. A copy of the petition may be found here. The petition, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Big Wildlife, the Environmental Protection Information Center, and the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, states:

The gray wolf is not currently listed as an endangered or threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. The gray wolf is also absent from the California list of game animals. (See CA §250–479). As a result, the gray wolf does not fall under any regulatory scheme within the state, despite being a species that is native to California. Given the possibility that gray wolves are already naturally dispersing to California and have a high potential to do so in the near future, the California Department of Fish & Game must address this anomaly by listing the gray wolf as an endangered species and develop a management scheme for the protection of the gray wolf. Such an action would be consistent with the approach taken by the States of Oregon and Washington, both of which listed the gray wolf at a time when no individuals were presently located within their respective State boundaries.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Hanspeter Walter or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.