Trump signs order directing gray wolf delisting review

Overview

Updated 5 days ago

President Trump signed an executive order Sept. 4 directing the Interior Department to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough to lose Endangered Species Act protections. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has 90 days to decide whether to begin delisting the animals, a process that would shift wolf management from federal to state control.

Trump framed the move as support for ranchers, citing a US cattle herd at a 75-year low and record beef prices. Conservation groups counter that wolf predation accounts for less than 1% of livestock losses and that the Mexican gray wolf population, roughly 320 animals, is too small and genetically fragile to survive without federal protection.

Why it matters

If wolves are delisted, states take over management, including hunting seasons and lethal control options for ranchers—ending protections in place for most of the Lower 48 since 2022.

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Key Indicators

90 days

Interior review timeline

Burgum has 90 days from Sept. 4 to determine whether wolves meet recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting.

18,000

Gray wolves in US

Estimated gray wolf population nationwide, though most of their historic habitat has been destroyed by humans.

319

Mexican wolves in wild

2025 population count in Arizona and New Mexico, up from just 4 when reintroduced in 1998.

<1%

Livestock losses from wolves

Share of US livestock losses attributed to wolf predation, far less than weather, old age, and illness.

75-year low

US cattle herd size

Cattle herd at lowest level in about 75 years; cited in the executive order as justification for helping ranchers.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Donald Trump

President of the United States

Signed the executive order Sept. 4

Doug Burgum

Secretary of the Interior

Has until early December to issue a determination

Brooke L. Rollins

Secretary of Agriculture

Backing the executive order

Collette Adkins

Senior attorney, Center for Biological Diversity

Warning of legal challenges

Sandy Bahr

Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

Opposing delisting

Claire Musser

Executive director, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

Criticizing premature delisting

Mike Senatore

Senior vice president, Defenders of Wildlife

Calling for nonlethal coexistence tools

Organizations Involved

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Agency

Will implement any delisting determination

The agency responsible for listing and delisting species under the Endangered Species Act.

Defenders of Wildlife

Conservation nonprofit

Opposing the executive order

National conservation group working on wildlife protection and coexistence programs.

Center for Biological Diversity

Conservation nonprofit

Preparing potential legal challenge

Environmental group that won the 2022 lawsuit restoring gray wolf ESA protections.

Timeline

March 1995 September 2026

6 events Latest: 7 days ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

September 2026
Conservation groups respond
Latest Reaction

Environmental groups warn premature delisting could derail wolf recovery; BBC reports on the order.
7 days ago
Trump signs wolf delisting order
Executive action

Trump signs executive order giving Interior 90 days to assess wolf recovery criteria.
September 4th, 2026
February 2022
Court restores wolf protections
Legal ruling

Federal judge strikes down 2020 delisting, restoring ESA protections in most Lower 48 states.
February 10th, 2022
April 2011
Congressional wolf delisting rider
Legislative action

Congress attaches budget rider delisting wolves in Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington.
April 15th, 2011
March 1998
Mexican gray wolf reintroduction
Conservation milestone

Four Mexican gray wolves released in Arizona and New Mexico.
March 1st, 1998
March 1995
Yellowstone wolf reintroduction
Conservation milestone

First Canadian gray wolves released in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.
March 1st, 1995

Scenarios

Interior delists wolves; states take over management

Possible Resolves by Dec 3, 2026

Discussed by: US Fish and Wildlife Service, agricultural groups, supporters of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act

Burgum determines gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves meet recovery criteria and initiates formal delisting rulemaking. Wolves return to state management; states like Wisconsin would be legally required to hold hunting and trapping seasons, and ranchers would gain easier access to lethal control tools. Congress could also act via the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, which has passed the House and sits in a Senate committee.

Court blocks delisting; protections remain

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club

If Interior proceeds with delisting, conservation groups file suit in federal court, repeating the playbook that won in 2022. The Mexican gray wolf population has not met the recovery plan's target of 320 animals over four years, and courts have held that delisting must consider habitat loss across the species' historic range — not just regional population counts. A judge could again order protections restored.

Interior determines wolves not recovered; effort stalls

Possible Resolves by Dec 3, 2026

Discussed by: Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

Burgum concludes Mexican gray wolves have not met recovery plan population targets and that gray wolves' remaining habitat is too fragmented to justify delisting. The review ends without rulemaking. The administration could still push Congress to act through the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, but the executive branch path would be exhausted.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1995-1996

Yellowstone wolf reintroduction (1995-1996)

The US Fish and Wildlife Service captured 31 gray wolves in Canada and released them in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. It was the first time the species returned to the region in decades, following their near-total eradication in the Lower 48.

Then

Wolf populations rebounded across the Northern Rockies over the following decade, reaching thousands of animals — but conflicts with ranchers grew as packs expanded onto grazing land.

Now

Established the template for ESA recovery programs and set up the political fight over delisting that continues three decades later.

Why this matters now

The executive order directly targets the recovery framework built by this reintroduction program, which is now the main source of conflict between conservation groups and ranchers.

April 2011

Congressional wolf delisting rider (2011)

Congress attached a rider to a budget bill delisting gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington — the first time lawmakers removed a species from the endangered list by legislation rather than scientific review. Wyoming followed with its own delisting in 2017.

Then

States took over wolf management; Montana and Idaho authorized wolf hunting seasons that killed hundreds of animals in the first years.

Now

Set a precedent for political intervention in ESA decisions and left wolves in the Northern Rockies without federal protection to this day.

Why this matters now

Trump's executive order seeks a similar outcome through administrative action, attempting to bypass the scientific review the ESA requires.

February 2022

Court restores wolf protections (2022)

Federal District Judge Jeffrey White struck down the Fish and Wildlife Service's 2020 delisting rule, ruling that treating wolf recovery in one small region as national recovery violated the ESA. The decision restored protections across most of the Lower 48.

Then

Wolf hunting and trapping seasons halted in most states; wolves returned to federal management under a "threatened" or "endangered" designation.

Now

Established that delisting must consider habitat loss across the species' historic range, raising the legal bar for any future attempt.

Why this matters now

Any new delisting attempt faces the same legal standard, and conservation groups have already signaled they will sue again if Interior moves forward.