ELR Citation: 56 ELR 20041
No(s). 2:23-CV-00058-M-BM (E.D.N.C. Mar 31, 2026) (Myers, J.)

A district court denied an environmental group's motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' denial of the group's petition to redesignate the experimental red wolf population in eastern North Carolina as "essential" under the ESA. The group argued FWS' explanation for its denial was deficient because under the Service's own regulations, the likelihood of a species' existence must be measured by the likelihood that it continues to exist in the wild. The court found FWS' decision not to redesignate the population was reached through reasoned decisionmaking, and that because the Service had not authorized release of a new population of red wolves outside of its current range, its obligation to make an essentiality determination was not triggered and it was permissible for it to rely on the rationale articulated in its 1986 designation. It denied the group's motion and granted summary judgment for FWS.