The Bush administration will once again try to take the gray wolf of the northern Rockies off the federal endangered species list. The proposal was first made in 2007 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, but it was rejected in court this summer, after a legal battle with conservationists. It seems that the government will open a comment period on Tuesday that will last until November the 28th.

After that, officials could decide to remove federal protection for the wolves and turn management of the species over to the states. This decision is provided by the Endangered Species Act.

In 2007, the previous attempt to delist the wolves led to a coalition of conservationists that filed a suit in federal court. Judge Donald W. Molloy ruled in their favor and put the wolves back under federal protection pending a final resolution of the suit.

Molloy considered that Wyoming’s wolf-management plan, which would allow the wolves to be shot on sight in 88 percent of the state, would put the wolf population in jeopardy. Furthermore, Molloy said he feared that low genetic diversity, brought on by a lack of connection among various wolf packs, would lead to inbreeding that would diminish reproduction.

Therefore, US Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew its proposal, but now the agency is trying again. Another option for the government is to delist wolves in Montana and Idaho and leave them in place in Wyoming. Environmental groups are accusing the agency of rushing to resolve the wolf issue before the end of the Bush administration.

They consider 30 days isn’t enough time for the public to submit thoughtful comments. For the gray wolves, all that protects them now is the Endangered Species Act. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the goal for these wolves is 30 pairs and at least 300 wolves, a goal that has been attained in 2002.