GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Friday, the Biden Administration asked an appeals court to revive a Trump-Era rule that lifted remaining Endangered Species Act protections for Gray Wolves in the U.S.
It's their first step to revive that rule— a move that would put the predators under state oversight nationwide, and open the door for hunting to resume in the Great Lakes Region.
The court filing follows years of political debate as wolves have repopulated some areas of the Western U.S.
Attempts to lift or reduce protections for wolves date back to the first term of former President George W. Bush, and have continued with each administration.
The Gray Wolf once occupied the majority of North America, but were widely destroyed by the mid-1900s through government-sponsored trapping and poisoning campaigns.
The species was granted federal protections in 1974.
Environmentalists do want the expansion of protections to continue, citing that wolves still occupy only a fraction of their historic range.
In Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources released a study in June showing the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula is the largest estimated population, since 2012.
According to the DNR, earlier this year a Gray Wolf was spotted in West Michigan for the first time in more than 100 years, mistaken for a coyote.
The discovery came only after the animal had been killed.
Officials confirmed they plan to resume their study of wolves in the lower peninsula early next year.
As of now, protections will remain in place pending the court’s decision.
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