OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved a plan for managing gray wolves in Washington state.
The Saturday decision is sure to spark criticism from hunting and livestock groups that think it calls for too many of the predators.
Members of the commission call the plan a good compromise that keeps wolf management in the hands of state officials, instead of the federal government. They emphasized on Saturday that the management of wolves in Washington is still a work in progress and the plan is just a guide for future action.
State wildlife officials have been working since 2007 to determine how best to recover wolves in their historic territory and ultimately delist them from endangered species protections, while reducing and managing wolf conflicts with livestock and humans.
