BILLINGS - The Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf was officially off the endangered species Friday. Wolf conservation and management in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho is now the responsibility of the states.

The United States Humane Society along with 11 other environmental groups are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure wolf populations are not drastically reduced from open hunting seasons.

"None of the three states are going to go out and depopulate Friday because of the lawsuit, which is the first step in saying let's stop the delisting, and then the second step would be if we think there is going to be lethal action then we'd ask for an injunction to stop anything from happening," said Dave Paulie, regional director for the Northern Rockies regional office for the U.S. Human Society.

There is about 1,500 wolves in the three-state area. The lawsuit is pending.