JACKSON - A federal wolf official said he is looking forward to seeing a Wyoming petition to remove wolves from Endangered Species Act protection, and promised to "give it an honest look."

Ed Bangs, Rocky Mountain area wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, made his comments after the Wyoming Game and Fish Department last week announced - along with other state officials - its intention to submit its own petition for delisting.

Bangs said anyone can petition to delist a species, though it is usually the Fish and Wildlife Service doing that. Although it is rare for another entity to successfully file for delisting, there have been a handful of cases.

Bangs said he "will certainly be asked to take a look at" the petition, as Fish and Wildlife generally asks for input from its experts.

He said he had not seen the petition, but is looking forward to seeing what areas Wyoming is talking about when removing wolves from federal protection, and what new information it shows.

Most agree Wyoming's petition will further delay delisting of the wolves, as Wyoming is pursuing approval of its state plan to classify wolves as predators outside national parks. A federally approved plan - which Wyoming's is not - would allow delisting to move forward, as Idaho and Montana have acceptable plans.

But whether that delay is good or bad is open to interpretation.

Bob Wharff, executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, said delays are inevitable.

"As far as delaying (delisting), I don't think there's any two ways about it - the process is going to be delayed no matter what we do," he said. "Even if we are successful in getting the delisting, other groups are going to get into that lawsuit and litigate that action. It's frustrating to me where we're kind of at an impasse no matter what we do."

In March, U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson dismissed a lawsuit by the state against the federal government that sought to force acceptance of the state plan. Johnson said the federal government had not issued a "final action," and therefore he could not rule.

Wharff said a ruling on the petition will constitute a "final action," so its filing represents progress.

Bryan Siebert with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition said the current situation is "undesirable for everyone."

"We would hope that instead of petitioning, that the state of Wyoming would develop a plan that would be acceptable to the Fish and Wildlife Service so we could expedite getting management of wolves to the state," he said.

Fish and Wildlife has rejected Wyoming's state plan, saying it does not guarantee wolves will not become endangered again. With Wyoming's planned predator classification outside national parks, wolves could be killed any time by any means and for any reason.

This would allow ranchers more flexibility, and would allow people to take action if wolves are harming big game herds, the state has argued.

Eric Keszler, public information officer with the Game and Fish Department, said the petition reflects the state's position that "our plan is sufficient to accomplish the goals of maintaining recovered wolf populations."

"A lot of it is kind of a defense of our wolf plan as it stands right now," he said of the document. "A lot of it is statistics of conflicts that have happened with wolves, livestock damage, expense, that sort of thing. It's a collection of a lot of different data that justifies where we're coming from."

According to Game and Fish, its petition asks for two main changes to the current status of wolves. The first is "to revise the status of the gray wolf by establishing the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment."

The second is "to concurrently remove the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment from the List of Endangered and Threatened Species."

Last year, an Oregon federal judge said the government acted illegally by classifying wolves into three population segments - including the Northern Rockies' segment. He instead said analysis of population health should be based on a "significant portion" of its historic range, which is most of the country.

Wyoming's petition - which will likely be submitted in July after Game and Fish commissioners review it July 13 - will be examined within 90 days, and Fish and Wildlife will determine whether it is warranted. If it is warranted, the agency has a year to determine if wolves should be delisted.

Meanwhile, the state is also appealing Johnson's decision to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The state has also filed another petition with Fish and Wildlife, calling for flexibility in "proactive" wolf management actions. In Farson last week, known wolves in the area preyed on sheep, as many predicted they would. Gov. Dave Freudenthal had previously called for the wolves' removal, but Fish and Wildlife refused, saying it was not policy unless the wolves got into trouble.

Wolves were reintroduced to Wyoming and Idaho in 1995. Last fall, Fish and Wildlife estimated the population had grown to 66 breeding pairs and 835 individuals. It is estimated that 260 wolves are in Wyoming.

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@trib.com.