The gray wolf has regained federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) across much of the United States, including Michigan.

On Feb. 10, The United States District Court for the Northern District of California struck down a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that had removed wolves from the endangered species list in 2020.

The court concluded that the decision to delist wolves – on the grounds that wolf conservation had succeeded and the species no longer needed protection – failed to consider threats to populations outside of the Great Lakes region and Northern Rocky Mountains, and failed to prove that wolves could sustain themselves without ESA protection.

In Michigan, this ruling resulted in the suspension of two laws, Public Acts 290 and 318, that had allowed people to kill wolves that were preying on livestock or hunting dogs.

Now, killing a wolf is only permitted if the wolf is a direct and immediate threat to human life, and any incident that results in the death of a wolf must be reported to the DNR. Livestock owners will continue to receive compensation for wolf depredation losses.

Peter David, wildlife biologist with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), said that the initial decision to delist wolves was questionable.

“It basically delisted wolves from Maine to California based primarily on the health of the single population here in the Midwest. It really disregarded the importance of the large areas of historic range where recovery hasn’t taken place yet,” he said.

“Given the cultural significance of Ma’iingan to the tribes, and given the tremendous ecological benefits and social benefits that wolves provide, we’d certainly like to see more recovery take place before a national delisting like this occurs.”

Wolves were once abundant across the U.S., but in the early 1900s their population was decimated by hunting and habitat loss. At the lowest point, there were as few as 1,000 wolves in the continental U.S.

Wolves were added to the endangered species list in 1978, and began a slow recovery. Today, populations in the Great Lakes region are relatively strong, but recovery is modest or non-existent across much of the species’ historic range.

In 2020, there were an estimated 6,000 wolves ranging from the Great Lakes to the Northern Rocky Mountains, with small populations present in California, Washington, and Oregon.

Michigan’s population has remained stable for the past decade with about 700 wolves, mostly in the U.P.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) opposed delisting, and supports the re-addition of wolves to the endangered species list.

Erin Johnston, Wildlife Biologist and Wildlife and Habitat Section Lead with KBIC, explained that delisting raised concerns that tribal input on wildlife and land management decisions might be ignored.

“Tribes are sovereign nations, and many tribes, including KBIC, have signed treaties with the federal government. That federal trust responsibility is not always acknowledged when federal authorities are delegated to states,” she said.

Despite these concerns, Johnston said that collaboration with state and local agencies is improving.

“We are having conversations with the state of Michigan and building that relationship. I think a lot of the time, there’s more commonality than we realize. But it takes that willingness to come to the table and have those conversations and see each other as co-stewards of this landscape,” she said.

Wolves have special significance in Ojibwe culture. KBIC tribal member and Wildlife Technician Austin Ayres explained their importance with an abridged account of the Ojibwe creation story.

In this story, Winaboozhoo, or Original Man, was assigned the task of traveling the earth and naming all of the creatures that he encountered. When Winaboozhoo became lonely, the Creator sent Ma’iingan, the wolf, to be his companion. At the end of their journey, man and wolf parted ways, but their bond endured.

“We see them as a brother, we’re here together,” Ayres said.

“It’s deeper than just the relationship between the wolf and us, it’s a way for us to understand our role in creation. Winaboozhoo recognized that he wasn’t only brother to Ma’iingan, but to all of creation, and that his role would always be as a steward, protecting those that don’t have a voice.”

Prior to the restoration of ESA protection, the Michigan Natural Resource Commission was considering a wolf hunt. In 2021, the DNR began updating Michigan’s Wolf Management Plan and consulting with tribal governments on the issue.

Wisconsin held a wolf hunt in February of 2021, despite opposition from Native American Tribes and the public. The hunt resulted in the killing of 216 wolves – about 20% of the state’s total population – in three days.

The hunt occurred during the wolf breeding season, and drew widespread criticism from scientists. Proponents of wolf conservation worried that a Michigan hunt could have similar results. KBIC passed two resolutions opposing wolf hunting in Michigan.

Hunting advocates argue that a Michigan wolf hunt is warranted, citing a need to control wolf numbers and protect livestock and deer, among other reasons. But there is little evidence that hunting is an effective solution to these issues.

“When you look at the reasons commonly given for the “need” to hunt wolves, it’s pretty clear that they don’t hold up very well to scientific scrutiny,” said David.

For one, Michigan’s wolf population has plateaued without hunting. Wolf predation of livestock is rare, but when it does occur, large state-wide hunts are not a practical remedy. When it comes to the deer herd, wolves are a minor determinant of population size.

“Wolves are a pretty small piece of the pie compared to weather impacts, human hunters, car accidents, and other predators. But we do know that wolves selectively prey upon the weak, the sick, the injured, and so they help improve the long-term health of the deer population,” David explained.

By controlling deer and other game species, wolves contribute to a healthy ecosystem. By killing sick deer, they may even help prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

“Unfortunately, what has happened too often is as soon as wolves are delisted, we see significant assaults on their populations, not based on science, but based on negative cultural perspectives that people believe,” said David.

“Unlike many other species, the future of wolves is entirely up to people. We eliminated them from nearly the entire lower 48 once, and we have the ability to do that even more easily today. It’s really up to us to decide what their future is going to be.”

KBIC hopes that educating the public on wolves and their integral role in the ecosystem can help shift public perception of the species.

“We want to educate people to see wolves as a co-steward. The truth is, we’re all just animals. Understanding this will make it easier to recognize the need for wolves on the landscape,” said Ayres.