BLOOMINGTON, MINN. – After a thorough review the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the U.S. population of the northwestern subspecies of moose is not a distinct species population segment and does not warrant listing under the endangered species act. The subspecies is currently found in North Dakota, Minnesota and Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

The agency received a petition from Honor the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity to list the subspecies as a distinct population and protect it under the endangered species act in 2015. In 2016, the FWS published a finding indicating that the petition warranted further review.

Following a comprehensive analysis, the FWS determined that the northwestern subspecies of moose is stable and there is no information indicating a physical, physiological, ecological or behavioral difference between the U.S. and Canadian populations. Therefore, the agency determined that the subspecies is not a distinct species population and does not warrant ESA protection.

“Moose are the largest members of the deer family and play an integral role in human and environmental health,” said Lori Nordstrom, assistant regional director for ecological services in the FWS Great Lakes Region. “The FWS remains committed to conserving moose, and other native species, for generations to come.”

There are four subspecies of moose in North America. Moose were likely extirpated from the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan and the State of Wisconsin. Recent reintroductions in Michigan were of the eastern subspecies, which likely spread into Wisconsin. The northwestern subspecies of moose historically occurred in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.