Gray Wolves rebound in the U.P.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Wildlife officials say Michigan’s gray wolf population appears to have stabilized, three decades after beginning a remarkable comeback in the Upper Peninsula. The latest biennial survey conducted this winter estimates the predator species total at 695, divided among 143 packs. The Department of Natural Resources says the typical pack has around five wolves. Officials say the population has leveled off at between 600 and 700 after years of rapid growth. Wolves had all but disappeared from the Lower 48 states in the last century but have rebounded after getting federal and state protection.