An ad hoc expert committee will provide independent guidance about taxonomic research on the red wolf, Canis rufus. The committee will carryout its work as two distinct, but interrelated activities: (1) review and rank research applications to determine the taxonomy of wild canid populations in southern Louisiana and other relevant locations, and (2) develop a research strategy to examin the evolutionary relationships between ancient red wolves, the extant managed red wolf populations, and the unidentified canid populations. This work will build on the 2019 report, Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf an the Red Wolf.