Historically a native species living across most of North America, the wolf is now assumed to be gone from most of its former range. Unfortunately, this absence has had negative impacts on the health of forests and entire natural systems because as a “keystone species,” the wolf helps keep nature diverse, healthy, and more resilient in the face of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and other pressures. 

Established in 2023, the Northeast Wolf Recovery Alliance (NEWRA) facilitates the recovery and protection of wolves throughout the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. NEWRA builds on the collective strengths of member organizations active on the state, provincial, and national levels. 

NEWRA works to advance the societal understanding and public policies necessary to ensure that wolves can once again safely roam across the region. For example, we’re collaborating on a scientific research project to identify the genetics of wild Northeastern canids, strengthen State Wildlife Action Plans across the region, and make sure the Northeast is included in a National Gray Wolf Recovery Plan.

Currently, state and federal wildlife agencies in the United States classify the wolf as absent (or “extirpated”) from the Northeast and state that there are no known breeding populations. This assumption is challenged by growing photographic and DNA evidence that animals classified as coyotes may in fact be wolves or admixed canids with high percentages of wolf ancestry. 

Complex genetics and similar appearances make distinguishing between coyotes and wolves more difficult in the Northeast than in other regions. Over the last few decades, at least a dozen animals killed by hunters and trappers were later confirmed to be wolves that had apparently migrated from far away. The most recent case was an 85-pound wolf shot by a deer hunter near Cooperstown, New York, in 2021 that testing showed was genetically consistent with wolves from the Great Lakes region.