Memorandum of Agreement between US Fish and Wildlife Service and CDFW Regarding Cooperation on Management of Gray Wolf in CA
Summary
SCH Number
2026051058
Public Agency
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Administration Division
(CDFW)
Document Title
Memorandum of Agreement between US Fish and Wildlife Service and CDFW Regarding Cooperation on Management of Gray Wolf in CA
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
5/27/2026
Document Description
Full Title: Memorandum of Agreement between United States Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Regarding Cooperation on Management of Gray Wolf in California and Authorization of Entities to Implement Less-Than-Lethal Wolf-Livestock Conflict Reduction Measures
The Project consists of a Memorandum of Agreement Between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Regarding
Cooperation on Management of Gray Wolf in California (Agreement) and authorization of entities to implement less-than-lethal wolf-livestock conflict reduction measures to promote the conservation and management of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in California. As part of the Agreement, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) anticipates designating entities as partners in wolf conservation, including sheriff’s offices, local jurisdictions, nongovernment organizations, universities, and others for the use of sustained pursuit and nonlethal projectiles to deter wolf–livestock conflicts.
Gray wolves in California are listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). CDFW has authority to take gray wolves for propagation, management, and law enforcement purposes pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 1001, CESA, and CESA’s implementing regulations. CESA allows for regulated take of gray wolves for the purpose of conservation of the species in extraordinary cases where population pressures within a given ecosystem cannot be otherwise relieved. (Fish & G. Code, § 2061.) CDFW also has authority to authorize individuals and public agencies to take CESA-listed species for management purposes. (Fish & G. Code, § 2081, subd. (a).) With respect to the gray wolf’s status as a Federally listed species in California under the ESA, CDFW has authority to designate entities to take gray wolves to carry out conservation programs and when acting in the course of official duties under the 2015 Section 6 Cooperative Agreement between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and CDFW.
The Agreement outlines the procedures by which CDFW may designate partner entities in wolf conservation to engage in non-lethal hazing activities to deter wolf–livestock interactions. CDFW has determined that sheriff’s offices, local jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations, universities, and others are important partners in wolf conservation, specifically in implementing deterrence and nonlethal practices on wolves engaging or attempting to engage in depredation of livestock. The Agreement and subsequent authorizations will support the propagation and management of the gray wolf in California.
Contact Information
Name
Chad Dibble
Agency Name
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife
Job Title
Deputy Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Statewide
Counties
Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba
Regions
Statewide
Other Location Info
Statewide
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 7; California Code of Regulations, title 14 section 15307
Reasons for Exemption
Class 7 Categorical Exemption As discussed below, CDFW finds the Project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15307, which sets forth the Class 7 categorical exemption. Class 7 consists of actions: i) taken by regulatory agencies as authorized by state law; ii) to assure the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource; iii) where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15307.) CDFW’s wildlife preservation activities are expressly enumerated as falling within Class 7. (Ibid.) i. The Project consists of an action taken by a regulatory agency (CDFW), as authorized by state law. CDFW’s taking of endangered species for propagation, management, and law enforcement purposes is authorized under the Fish and Game Code, including CESA and its implementing regulations. CDFW is authorized to use “all methods and procedures which are necessary to bring any endangered species . . . to the point at which [the provisions of CESA] are no longer necessary.” (Fish & G. Code, § 2061.) Such authorized methods and procedures include regulated taking “in the extraordinary case where population pressures within a given ecosystem cannot be otherwise relieved.” (Ibid.) CDFW also has the authority to authorize partner entities to engage in take activities for management purposes (Fish & G. Code, section 2081, subd. (a).) Accordingly, CDFW is authorized under state law to enter into the Agreement with USFWS to set forth the authority and procedure for designating state agency of nonlethal take to partner entities. ii. The Project consists of actions to assure the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource (gray wolves in California). CDFW has determined that the Project is necessary for the continued recovery (i.e., the maintenance, restoration and enhancement) and management of the species across the state. Wolf–livestock conflicts represent a serious threat to the propagation and recovery of the species. Indeed, the 2016 Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California encourages the deployment of nonlethal practices to prevent, reduce, and eliminate conflicts between wolves and livestock. By entering into the Agreement with USFWS to authorize and determine the scope of extending nonlethal take authority to partner entities, CDFW will enhance the number of entities able to haze and deter wolves engaging in depredation of livestock. The Project will assure the maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of gray wolves by reducing the species’ dependence on livestock as prey and preventing it from becoming habituated to humans; and iii. The Project involves procedures for protection of the environment. As discussed above, the purpose of the Project is to promote the conservation and management of gray wolves in California by supporting their continued recovery statewide. CDFW has designed the Project to protect gray wolves by conditioning the take authorization in a number of ways, including but not limited to: (i) limiting the hazing methods authorized to nonlethal projectiles and prohibiting such use in areas where wolf attractants (e.g., bone piles, carcasses) are present; (ii) requiring authorized entities to be certified in the use of nonlethal projectiles and compliant with all relevant laws related to the use and storage of firearms; and (iii) directing authorized entities to target specific impact areas on the body of a wolf when discharging nonlethal projectiles to minimize the risk of injury to the wolf. The Project is not expected to have any other impacts to the environment. In sum, the Project is an action taken by a regulatory agency as authorized by state law to assure the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource, involving procedures for the protection of the environment, and as such, falls within the Class 7 categorical exemption to CEQA. In addition, because the Project is necessary for the continued preservation and recovery of gray wolves in California, the Project is a wildlife preservation activity that is expressly exempt from the requirements of CEQA under the Class 7 categorical exemption.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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