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WASHINGTON, DC- The gray wolf may be coming off the Endangered Species List after all as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reached an agreement with the majority of plaintiffs to settle ongoing litigation over a Missoula Federal District Court's 2010 decision to reinstate protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer issued a statement in reaction to the news saying that, "Today's announcement by the Department of Interior is a significant step forward in moving toward state management of wolves...Montana must have the ability to manage wildlife, to do our job, to seek a balance among predator and prey. We need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day."

The settlement, which offers a path for the USFWS to return management of the recovered wolf populations in Idaho and Montana to the states, has to be approved by the court. The decision, announced Friday, comes while federal officials are still looking at options for delisting gray wolves across the Rocky Mountain region.

"For too long, management of wolves in this country has been caught up in controversy and litigation instead of rooted in science where it belongs. This proposed settlement provides a path forward to recognize the successful recovery of the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains and to return its management to States and Tribes," said Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes.

"I am pleased that the negotiations resulted in this important agreement," said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. "The proposed settlement has the potential to return management of wolves in Montana and Idaho to the states and tribes and will also enable the Fish and Wildlife Service to use our limited resources to address other species in need of recovery actions."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to address the delisting of wolves in the region in the future as a distinct population segment, rather than on a state-by-state basis under the terms of the settlement and the parties are requesting that the court allow the 2009 delisting to be reinstated in Montana and Idaho on an interim basis, in accordance with approved state management plans, until a full delisting can be completed for the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population according to a press release.

The parties are agreeing that they allow these steps to move forward, up to and including a potential delisting of Rocky Mountain wolves, without resorting to further litigation.

"I want to recognize the great work of Deputy Secretary Hayes, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the entire negotiating team, and all those who worked with us to find a common-sense way forward," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

Separate negotiations are ongoing between the Service and the State of Wyoming in an effort to reach agreement on a management plan for wolves in that state. If a mutually acceptable management plan for wolves in Wyoming can be developed, then the Service will be able to proceed with delisting proceedings addressing wolves throughout the northern Rocky Mountains.

The delisting provided for under this agreement does not extend to the small wolf populations in eastern Oregon and Washington, or to Utah.

An agreement has also been reached to clarify implementation of the ESA and ensure that a recovered wolf population continues to be sustainably managed under approved state management plans. Additional terms of the proposed agreement are available here.

The proposed agreement was reached between the federal government, the Defenders of Wildlife, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and eight other conservation organizations.

Additional background information on the settlement is available here.