ALBANY, N.Y.— Conservation groups over the weekend urged the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to follow the lead of neighboring Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire in acknowledging that wolves are likely already in the region and deserve concerted action to recover and protect them.
The groups’ letter states New York wildlife officials should include this federally protected species in the 2025 state wildlife action plan as a species of greatest conservation need, thereby enabling the department to leverage federal funds for conservation measures. New Hampshire and Maine have included wolves in their wildlife plans and Vermont is poised to do so. The state wildlife plan is revised only once a decade.
“We are deeply disappointed that the Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing to exclude large carnivores from the State Wildlife Action Plan,” said Christopher Amato, conservation director and counsel for Protect the Adirondacks. “Omitting wolves and other native carnivores from the wildlife plan sends the wrong message to New Yorkers — that these iconic apex predators have no future in our state. This approach not only disregards their ecological importance but also undermines efforts to restore a more balanced and biodiverse landscape. We strongly urge the department to reconsider its position and follow the lead of other Northeastern states that recognize the value of including these species in their conservation strategies.”
Wolves once ranged widely across the United States, including the entire Northeast region, before the species was driven to near extinction in the lower 48 states. Incidents of wolves being killed in the Northeast in the past few decades show that the wide-ranging animals are returning to their historic territory and can easily cross state and national borders while seeking food, mates and homes. The killing of pioneering wolves by residents who mistake them for coyotes underscores that it’s essential to adopt a regional approach to protecting wild canids based on shared information and coordination across the region.
“Wolves have demonstrated time and again the ability and determination to return home to the Northeast,” said Nadia Steinzor, carnivore conservation director with Project Coyote. “The Department of Environmental Conservation should follow science, public comments and the lead of colleagues in other states by making this ecologically vital species a conservation priority.”
At least 11 wolves are known to have been killed south of the St. Lawrence River since 1993. These include wolves killed in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec. Three of those wolves were killed in New York, with the most recent incident in December 2021. New York’s proximity to Canada and large swaths of suitable habitat and prey make it likely that the species will continue to venture back into the state.
“If this were a class assignment that graded the states on understanding and following through on the facts, then I’m afraid New York would be failing miserably,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine would all be ‘A’ students. Endangered wolves roaming through these states will benefit from wildlife officials doing their jobs and New York needs to step up.”
“Years of documentation in the field show clearly that wolves are already in Maine and probably other Northeast states,” said John M. Glowa, founder of the Maine Wolf Coalition. “After years of denying this reality, Maine has finally included wolves in its state wildlife action plan, setting the stage for much-needed conservation action in the coming years.”
“Including the wolf in the state wildlife action plan is a critical step toward recovery and protection, and I’m pleased that Vermont is poised to do so,” said Brenna Galdenzi, president and co-founder of Protect Our Wildlife. “It’s very disappointing that our neighboring state to the west refuses to include wolves, which range far and wide.”
“Similar appearance and genetics mean that wolves in the Northeast may be killed when mistaken for coyotes, which are tragically hunted and trapped with impunity regionwide,” said Chris Schadler of the New Hampshire Wildlife Coalition. “States across the Northeast must do more to protect wild canids.”
Background
In 2022 dozens of conservation groups and scientists wrote to New York’s Department of Conservation urging strong state actions. The letter said Northeast states should adopt programs to help hunters distinguish between wolves and coyotes and enact restrictions on coyote killing to reduce the risk that wolves will be killed in mistaken-identity shootings.
For the past two years the groups have supported state legislation to require hunters and trappers to report to the state wildlife agency any wild canids they’ve killed, as is already required for numerous other species. This would allow the state to collect key information on the animal’s characteristics and, if appropriate, obtain tissue samples for DNA analysis for genetic ancestry.
Conservation groups submitting today’s letter are members of the Northeast Wolf Recovery Alliance, a coalition of nearly 20 organizations with longstanding involvement and expertise in wolf and wild canid conservation in the Northeast and Canada. The alliance helps states develop wildlife conservation plans that guide long-term recovery efforts.
