USFWS and Interior Request Comments on Colorado Gray Wolves, Grizzly Bears, and Mexican Wolves
DENVER, CO., March 16, 2026 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior are requesting comments with regard to the management of the Colorado gray wolf program, grizzly bears, and Mexican wolves. The 60-day comment period is open until May 11, 2026, and can be accessed on the Federal Register. The three rules are proposed for renewal without change.
According to the abstract, the 10(j) rule authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish experimental populations of endangered or threatened species. Because the ESA protects individuals of experimental populations, the information collected is important for monitoring the success of reintroduction and recovery efforts.
The information collection requirements identified are:
Appointment of designated agent —A designated agent is an employee of a Federal, State, or Tribal agency that is authorized or directed by the Service to conduct gray wolf management. A prospective designated agent submits a letter to the Service requesting designated agent status. The letter includes a proposal for the work to be completed, a list of individuals that may perform the work, and a resume (or similar) demonstrating qualifications of each individual to competently perform the work. The Service then responds to the requester with a letter authorizing them to complete the work.
Request for written take authorization —After receiving confirmation of wolf activity on private land, on a public land grazing allotment, or on a Tribal reservation, we or the designated agent may issue written take authorization valid for not longer than 1 year, with appropriate conditions, to any landowner or public land permittee to intentionally harass wolves. The harassment must occur in the area and under the conditions as specifically identified in the written take authorization.
Request for “repeatedly depredating wolf or wolves” written take authorization —The Service or designated agent may issue a “repeatedly depredating wolf or wolves” written take authorization of limited duration (45 days or fewer) to a landowner or their employees, or to a public land grazing permittee, to take up to a specified (by the Service or our designated agent) number of wolves.
Reporting requirements —Except as otherwise specified in this rule or in an authorization, any take of a gray wolf must be reported to the Service, or our designated agent as follows (additional reasonable time will be allowed if access to the site is limited): Lethal take must be reported within 24 hours. We will allow additional reasonable time if access to the site is limited.
Opportunistic or intentional harassment must be reported within 7 days. Gray wolves taken into captivity for care or to be euthanized must be reported to the Service within 24 hours, or as soon as reasonably appropriate.
Annual report —To evaluate progress toward achieving State downlisting and delisting criteria, Colorado Parks and Wildlife summarizes monitoring information in an annual report. The report, due by June 30 of each year, will describe wolf conservation and management activities that occurred in Colorado for as long as the gray wolf is federally listed during any portion of a calendar or biological year. The annual report includes, but is not limited to: post-release wolf movements and behavior; wolf minimum counts or abundance estimates; reproductive success and recruitment; territory use and distribution; cause-specific wolf mortalities; and a summary of wolf conflicts and associated management activities to minimize wolf conflict risk.
Recovery or reporting of dead individuals and specimen collection from experimental populations —This type of information is for the purpose of documenting incidental or authorized scientific collection. Specimens are to be retained or disposed of only in accordance with directions from the Service. Most of the contacts with the public deal primarily with the reporting of sightings of experimental population animals, or the inadvertent discovery of an injured or dead individual.
Proposal—Take of Gray wolves on Tribal Lands —The exception to allow take of gray wolves that are contributing to unacceptable impacts to wild ungulate population or herds on Tribal land requires Tribes to develop a science-based proposal that must, at a minimum, include the following information: The basis of ungulate population or herd management objectives; Data indicating that the ungulate herd is below management objectives; Data indicating that wolves are a major cause of the unacceptable impact to the ungulate population; Why wolf removal is a warranted solution to help restore the ungulate herd to management objectives; The level and duration of wolf removal being proposed; How ungulate population response to wolf removal will be measured and control actions adjusted for effectiveness; and Demonstration that attempts were and are being made to address other identified major causes of ungulate herd or population declines or of Tribal government commitment to implement possible remedies or conservation measures in addition to wolf removal. The proposal must be subjected to both public and peer review prior to it being finalized and submitted to the Service for review. At least three independent peer reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject matter that are not staff of the Tribe submitting the proposal must review the proposal. Upon Service review, and before wolf removals can be authorized, the Service will evaluate the information provided by the requesting Tribe and provide a written determination to the requesting Tribal game and fish agency on whether such actions are scientifically based and warranted.
The reporting for grizzly bears requires Service notification when an incident occurs and annual reporting of grizzly relocation and removal.
Lethal take must be reported by a Federal, State, or Tribal authority of an authorized agency within 24 hours by following the reporting instructions as described in the authorized agency's MOU. Nonlethal take that results in injury by an individual must be reported within 5 days to the Service's Ecological Services point of contact as specified above. Nonlethal take that results in injury by a Federal, State, or Tribal authority of an authorized agency must be reported within 5 days by following the reporting instructions as described in the authorized agency's MOU. Incidental take that results from indirect activities such as incidental take in the form of harm resulting from habitat modification does not need to be reported. Recovery or reporting of dead individuals and specimen collection from experimental populations.
The Service would enter into MOUs with Federal, State, or Tribal agencies to authorize grizzly bear management consistent with the final rule. The Service does not expect to enter into MOUs with local governments or authorities. The Service would collect information in two general categories from the relevant agencies in relation to these MOUs:
Relocation of bears. With prior approval from the Service, a Federal, State, or Tribal authority may live-capture any grizzly bear occurring in the NEP area and transport and release in a remote location agreed to by the Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the applicable land-managing agency.
Removal of grizzly bears involved in conflict. Authorized Service, Federal, State, or Tribal authorities may lethally take a grizzly bear in the NEP area with prior approval from the Service if the Service or an authorized agency determines it is not reasonably possible to otherwise eliminate the threat by nonlethal deterrence or live-capturing and releasing the grizzly bear unharmed, and if the taking is done in a humane manner. Grizzly bears may be taken in self-defense or in defense of other persons, based on a good-faith belief that the actions taken were to protect the person from bodily harm.
With prior written agreement from the Service, individuals may lethally take a grizzly bear within 200 yards (183 meters) of legally present livestock in Management Areas B and C if a depredation has been confirmed by the Service or an authorized agency and it has been determined that it is not reasonably possible to eliminate the threat through nonlethal deterrence or live-capturing and releasing the grizzly bear unharmed. Additionally, the Service may issue written authorization to an individual to kill a grizzly bear in Management Area C if the Service or an authorized agency identifies the grizzly bear as an ongoing threat to human safety, livestock, or other property (e.g., compost, chickens, beehives), and it is not reasonably possible to eliminate the threat through nonlethal deterrence or live-capturing and releasing the grizzly bear unharmed.
Individuals requesting the written authorizations mentioned above must also obtain or confirm authorization from the landowner or land management entity, where appropriate.
Service recovery specialists use this information to determine the success of reintroductions in relation to established recovery plan goals for the experimental populations of vertebrate endangered and threatened species involved. In addition, this information helps us to assess the effectiveness of control activities in order to develop better means to reduce problems with livestock for those species where depredation is a problem.
Comments may be filed at:
Source: The Fence Post Magazine
Photo: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) aids in the recovery of endangered Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona through research and damage management activities. Scientists at USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center developed a method for estimating wild Mexican gray wolf populations using a modified “mark-recapture” strategy. Instead of capturing, marking, and releasing animals, the technique identifies individuals using genetic material from fecal samples. The technique allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state management agencies, and tribes to monitor recovery populations without having to see or handle animals. USDA APHIS WS photo.
