West

Washington officials will vote to remove gray wolf from endangered species list

Published

1 year ago

July 21, 2024

Washington officials will vote to remove gray wolf from endangered species list

The gray wolf population in Washington may no longer be considered to be endangered.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is preparing to take a vote that may result in the removal of gray wolves from the state’s endangered list.

“The status of species listed as endangered, threatened, or sensitive is supposed to be reviewed every five years by WDFW staff through what we call a periodic status review (PSR) process to assess available species information and recommend whether the species’ status warrants its current listing or if a reclassification is recommended,” Staci Lehman, communications manager for the WDFW told Fox News Digital in an email.

RARE GRAY WOLF KILLED DURING HUNT IN MICHIGAN, OFFICIALS LAUNCH INVESTIGATION

Based on the current status of the species, the population could be reclassified to the list of sensitive species and taken off the state’s endangered list.

The gray wolf population may no longer be considered an endangered species in the state of Washington, after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will vote to reclassify the animals. (WDFW)

This reclassification comes after more than a decade of data trends based on a population model developed at the University of Washington, according to a WDFW press release.

An animal is considered to be “state endangered” when it is “seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state,” the WDFW continued.

Sensitive species is defined as “vulnerable or declining and likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats.”

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The state department extended the public’s comment period regarding the proposal to reclassify wolves to early May and the commission meeting in which a decision on reclassification will be proposed today, Lehman noted.

The wolf population in Washington increased 20% from last year, with data showing 260 wolves in 42 packs across the state. (WDFW)

While the wolf population will be relabeled, the WDFW will continue to manage the wolves, “with a focus on reducing conflict between wolves and livestock, emphasizing proactive nonlethal conflict deterrence, achieving statewide recovery objectives, and supporting wolf expansion into all suitable habitat statewide,” the press release continued.

For the past 14 years, the wolf population in Washington has continued to increase each year — it went up 20% from 2023-2024.

Two hundred and sixty wolves in 42 packs across Washington were reported last year, according to data collected by the WDFW.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

While the Washington gray wolf population was “virtually eliminated” in the 1930s, there was a significant rebound beginning in 2008.

The WDFW commission will be voting to remove the gray wolf population from the state endangered list and be added to the state sensitive list. (WDFW; iStock)

In April, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list, the Associated Press reported.

This would mark the first time in Washington that gray wolves will no longer be classified as endangered since the animal initially received state protection in 1980, according to the WDFW.

“Wolves were first listed as endangered by the Washington Department of Game in 1980 because of their historical occurrence in the state and subsequent extirpation,” the WDFW said.

Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco District Attorney speaks on city’s crime drop

Published

42 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

San Francisco District Attorney speaks on city’s crime drop

Thursday marks one year in office for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Lurie was elected in the 14th round of ranked choice voting in 2024, beating incumbent London Breed.

His campaign centered around public safety and revitalization of the city.

Mayor Lurie is also celebrating a significant drop in crime; late last week, the police chief said crime hit historic lows in 2025.

Overall violent crime dropped 25% in the city, which includes the lowest homicide rate since the 1950s.
Robberies are down 24%.
Car break-ins are down 43%.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins spoke with NBC Bay Area about this accomplishment. Watch the full interview in the video player above.

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Denver, CO

Denver weather: Snow tails off Friday, but morning commute could be slick

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Denver weather: Snow tails off Friday, but morning commute could be slick

The waves of snow that fell across Denver Thursday were expected to diminish Friday morning, but the roads could be slick for commuters, a weather forecaster said. The National Weather Service in Boulder said to expect a 40% chance of snow across Denver on Friday with a high temperature reaching about 34 degrees. That’s about […]

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Seattle, WA

Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

And while Dunn’s head coach insisted afterwards he doesn’t believe in “measuring stick games” the Kraken measured up fairly well in this one considering they played a pretty poor first period and needed half of the second frame to get any type of offense going against the league’s No. 2 defensive unit.

But they eventually got it going and the salvaged point, as Dunn mentioned, was huge in that it allowed the Kraken to remain in third place in the Pacific Division – just two points behind leaders Vegas and Edmonton – as they now embark on a five-city road trip. They extended their points streak to 10 games in the process, going 8-0-2 that stretch to transform a season hinging on the brink.

Mats Zuccarello got the overtime winner for Minnesota, converting a Kirill Kaprizov pass off a 2-on-1 break after the Kraken had been foiled just moments prior on their own odd-man rush. That foiled an outstanding night for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, who’d made several huge stops in both overtime and the third period to keep things tied, as well as prior to that frame to give his team the shot at a comeback.

The Kraken had spent the past week filling opposition nets with pucks but waited until the final 17 minutes to score their first goal of this game. By that point, they’d been trailing 2-0 since a pair of 42-foot wrist shot goals by Ryan Hartman and Brock Faber in the first period silenced the home crowd.

“The first period was awful, and our execution was probably the biggest part of that,” Dunn said. “It’s just tough when you’re chasing the game a little bit to start the game. So, we kind of set ourselves up for the second period to come out and play the right way and I thought as the game went on, we got a lot better.

“And I thought it was a pretty competitive game both ways. A lot of chances both ways.”

Grubauer kept things close from there, stopping 31 of 34 shots on the night to give his team a chance to get back in it.

Adam Larsson then got the Kraken on the board three minutes into the final period with a slap shot goal from the right circle after Dunn had rung one off the post on a prior blast seconds earlier. And the Kraken weren’t done yet.

The Wild ran into penalty trouble not long after and the Kraken capitalized on the power play with Matty Beniers banging home a net front rebound off a Jared McCann shot that lifted the home side into a 2-2 tie and sent the Climate Pledge Arena crowd into a frenzy.

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