The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has denied a petition to put Southeast Alaska wolves on the endangered species list. It’s a blow for the environmental groups seeking the designation, but the decision vindicates widespread testimony of hunters and wildlife managers in the region.  Southeast Alaska’s wolf population could decline in the next 30 years, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. One part of the population, located on and around Prince of Wales Island, could even die off completely – called a local extinction or extirpation.   But that doesn’t mean the wolves warrant a place on the federal endangered species list.  … In late August (August 22), Fish & Wildlife denied a petition to list Alexander Archipelago wolves as endangered or threatened. …Knoll says Fish & Wildlife’s ruling is notable because it’s one of the first times the agency has relied heavily on Indigenous species knowledge to help inform a decision.