A federal agency has rejected an endangered species listing for a wolf that dens in the root systems of large trees in southeast Alaska.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that Alexander Archipelago wolves don’t warrant additional protections.
The wolves are genetically distinct from other wolves in the Tongass National Forest. Their main prey is Sitka black-tailed deer.
Conservation groups including Greenpeace sought the listing and in September asked for an immediate ban on hunting and trapping.
The Fish and Wildlife Service says the wolves face stressors from hunting, timber harvest, road development and climate events.
But it concludes that Alexander Archipelago wolf populations are stable and should remain so over most of their range even if the population declines on Prince of Wales Island and neighboring islands.