Washington officials will vote to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species.

The gray wolf population in Washington may no longer be classified as endangered.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is planning to vote on removing gray wolves from the state's endangered species list.

According to Staci Lehman, communications manager for the WDFW, the status of endangered, threatened, or sensitive species is reviewed every five years by WDFW staff through a periodic status review (PSR) process to assess available species information and determine whether the species' status warrants its current listing or if a reclassification is recommended.

The population of the species, currently considered endangered, may be reclassified as sensitive and removed from the state's endangered list based on its current status.

According to a WDFW press release, the reclassification of the western gray wolf was based on more than a decade of data trends using a population model developed at the University of Washington.

The WDFW defines an animal as "state endangered" if it is "seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state."

A species is considered sensitive if it is at risk of becoming endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state due to a lack of cooperative management or removal of threats.

The state department has extended the public's comment period on the proposal to reclassify wolves until early May, and a commission meeting to discuss the reclassification will take place today, according to Lehman.

The wolf population will be rebranded, but the WDFW will continue to manage the wolves with a focus on reducing conflict with livestock, emphasizing proactive nonlethal conflict deterrence, achieving statewide recovery objectives, and supporting wolf expansion into all suitable habitat statewide.

Over the past 14 years, the wolf population in Washington has consistently grown annually, with a 20% increase occurring between 2023 and 2024.

Last year, data from the WDFW revealed that 260 wolves were part of 42 packs in Washington.

In the 1930s, the Washington gray wolf population was "nearly wiped out." However, there was a remarkable resurgence starting in 2008.

The Associated Press reported that in April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list.

Since the gray wolf was initially protected in Washington in 1980, it will be the first time in the state that the animal will no longer be classified as endangered.

The Washington Department of Game first classified wolves as endangered in 1980 due to their historical presence in the state and subsequent extinction, according to the WDFW.