PORTLAND, Ore. – With no official public meetings scheduled on a proposal to remove Endangered Species protections for gray wolves, community members in Oregon have decided to hold their own gathering.

Supporters of listing the gray wolf as endangered in the lower 48 states are rallying outside of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland office at 5 p.m. Monday and will hear from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.

Gray wolves have been de-listed in eastern Oregon, but they still remain protected west of the Cascades.

Sristi Kamal, a senior representative with Oregon, Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups organizing the meeting, says wolf populations in Oregon have seen modest gains but need more time to fully return.

“We would like to see the wolves continue…