Since 1998, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and five other agencies have been involved in the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to areas of Arizona and New Mexico where the species once thrived. After several wolf releases, about 50 to 60 of the animals now live in the wild along the Arizona-New Mexico border.

It is currently time for a five-year review of the project, and the agencies involved in the reintroduction would like to hear your comments. Below are links to four documents for review.

• Review Process Outline [PDF, 23kb]
• Technical Component [PDF, 1.2mb]
      Background of the project and activities so far
• Administrative Component [PDF, 293kb]
      How the project is being managed
• Socioeconomic Component [PDF, 43kb]
      Social and economic impacts of the project

Please read through the documents on the wolf project. Notice, the “Socioeconomic Component” is not yet complete. That component is being put together by a contractor, Industrial Economics, Inc. The company is, in turn, using several contractors to finish parts of the review. Since they have not finished, the document on the socioeconomic impact is actually a summary of the methods that Industrial Economics, Inc., is using and a progress report from the company.

Also, four public meetings about the reintroduction project will be held, where citizens can talk about the project and ask questions. Members from all of the cooperating agencies will be on hand. The meetings will all be held in late January from 6 to 9 p.m. in the following towns:

Jan. 26 – Truth or Consequences, N.M.
Jan. 27 – Glenwood, N.M.
Jan. 28 – Alpine, Ariz.
Jan. 29 – Phoenix, Ariz.

The specific locations of the meetings are still being determined. Please look for those details in the near future.

Comments on the wolf reintroduction project review will be taken through March 15, 2005. Only written comments sent through the U.S. Postal Service and postmarked by March 15, 2005 will be accepted. Submit comments to:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
New Mexico Ecological Services Office
2105 Osuna Road NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113
ATTN: Mexican Wolf Project: Five-Year Review

Please note: The Mexican wolf reintroduction project is a matter of law, as has been discussed on numerous occasions at a variety of venues. The courts have clearly and repeatedly affirmed the legality of the reintroduction project and the mandate to pursue it under the Endangered Species Act as a component of wolf recovery. Hence, the focus of the five-year review is on objectively identifying specifics about what has worked well and what has not worked well thus far in the reintroduction project, and what should be done in terms of law, policy, and/or procedure to improve the project to better address the relevant recovery and social issues. Comments regarding position statements only (e.g., like/dislike; agree/disagree with the Mexican wolf reintroduction project) will not be considered relevant to this review.

The agencies cooperating in the Mexican wolf reintroduction are the Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, USDA- APHIS Wildlife Services, and White Mountain Apache Tribe.