November 2, 2020 at 10:48 a.m.
USFWS to delist wolves in 2021
USFWS to delist wolves in 2021
The states most effected by the delisting decision will be Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where wolves were federally protected by the (Endangered Species Act (ESA). The USFWS decision effectively returns management authority back to the states. The proposed rule, as it was published in the Federal Register in March of 2019, states:
"We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have evaluated the classification status of gray wolves (canus lupus) currently listed in the contiguous United States and Mexico under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Based on our evaluation, we propose to remove the gray wolf from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We propose this action because the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that the currently listed entities do not meet the definitions of a threatened species or endangered species under the Act due to recovery."
"It's important for people to realize this doesn't mean it's a free-for-all," said Wisconsin DNR large carnivore specialist Randy Johnson. "There are still rules and laws. It's just that now that control will be with each individual state."
The delisting will give more management options in the case of wolf depredations, according to the DNR's agricultural damage spokesperson Brad Koele. When wolves are under the ESA, there are only so many options in the control toolbox. The delisting will allow for wolf removal where it is warranted. It will open these options up to the state, as well as give the right for a land owner, for example, to dispatch a wolf that is in the process of injuring or killing an animal/livestock owned by that land owner. Koele did offer a word of caution here, however, stating the burden of proof would be on the land owner in a situation such as this, meaning theland owner would have to provide proof his or her animal was being attacked. The same would hold true for public safety.
"We do have a wolf depredation and conflicts problem," Koele said. "So if folks are experiencing problems, certainly reach out to USDA Wildlife Services so they can identify conflict, and we can certainly assist them as well."
Reporting conflicts, he said, will allow the state to effectively manage conflicts in the state.
The DNR has posted a document to its website detailing what type of controls can be used in various situations, once wolves are delisted. There are certain measures, both proactive and reactive, that will be put in place once the delisting is in place.
The USFWS delisting will be published in the Federal Register on November 3, 2020. The delisting will then take effect 60 days after publication, meaning those control and management efforts will be returned to the states on January 4, 2021.
Grant Spickelmier, the executive director of the International Wolf Center, said: "If we don't work hard to educate people, then media hype and fairy tales are going to drive management decisions. That's not what we want to see. We want wolf management to be based on good, scientific data and respectful dialogue."
During the October Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting, NRB chairman Dr. Fred Prehn indicated he was looking forward to not only the state having control over wolf management once again but a possible harvest season, within the existing framework, for this year. That harvest season, however, is in limbo. The dates for the season are regulated by state statute, with any season the state may hold opening on the first weekend in November and ending in February. With the delisting not final until January, however, it is unclear whether there would be time for applications to be processed and the lottery system to be completed in time to have a hunting season.
The Minnesota DNR indicated the delisting was best for their state, but did not give a blanket nod to the action.
"In our July 2019 comments on the USFWS's then-proposed delisting, we concluded "all evidence indicates that the gray wolf population in Minnesota has recovered" and federal protection under the Endangered Species Act is no longer warranted in the state," the agency said in a recent press release after the delisting was announced. "We simultaneously recognized, however, that the situation in Minnesota is not representative of the wolf's status elsewhere and noted that 'a blanket delisting across the United States may not be warranted.' This continues to be our position with respect to the federal listing status of the wolf, both within and beyond Minnesota."
State representative Mary Felzkowski said the delisting move was welcome by those living in northern Wisconsin. In a recent statement, she said the state has seen wolf populations soar and, in the last several years, have seen some wolf packs become more dangerous.
"Wisconsin issues require Wisconsin solutions," she said in her press release, "and I thank the Trump Administration and Congressman Tiffany for making this happen. Not that the gray wolf is off the federal endangered species list, I order the Department of Natural Resources to immediately begin the process to reinstate the wolf hunt and work with our state's sportsmen and women to create a new wildlife management plan. I have faith in the DNR to maintain a healthy population level for the gray wolf, just like they do with every other species in Wisconsin."
Representative Rob Swearingen agreed it was time for the wolf to be delisted. He said the Northwoods, as well as other areas, have seen firsthand how dangerous wolf packs have become in the state.
"The facts are clear and indisputable," he said. "The gray wolf no longer meets the definition of a threatened or endangered species. Today the wolf population is thriving and it is reasonable to conclude it will continue to do so in the future. The decision made to delist the gray wolf on the federal level will now restore management of all gray wolves back to the rightful hands of state and tribal leaders who have been instrumental to the species recovery."
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau and some of its members weighed in as well. Ashleigh Calaway was one of those members to give a statement at the announcement event last Thursday.
"I had heard about wolf attacks in the Northwoods of Wisconsin but never dreamed it would happen to us," Calaway shared. "As a farmer, I don't want to see the wolf population eliminated, but I do want to see the wolf population managed so we can coexist in harmony."
The Farm Bureau said rural residents have been living with what they have called "nightmare situations" with wolves attacking pets and livestock. They called the situation a wolf management success story, with the population now far past the recovery goal of 350 animals statewide. They, too, asked the DNR to establish the hunting season to keep wolf populations at a healthy level in the state.
Others, however, did not see the delisting as a positive move. One of those entities was the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIWFC). A statement from them said GLIFWC and its member tribes have been "staunch advocates for ma'iingan (wolf) protection for decades. They said the recent move to delist the wolf came as a disappointment because it would result in a harvest season in the region.
"GLIFWC member tribes have made it clear to Federal and State agencies they are opposed to delisting ma'iingan and have advocated for high levels of protection of our relative," said GLIFCW Executive Administrator Michael J. Isham, Jr. "Furthermore, we remind the Department of the Interior that the trust responsibility of the tribes in the realm of ma'iingan stewardship does not cease with the delisting, but rather increased the need for their active involvement in protecting tribal interests."
He said tribes have worked diligently over the past decades to work toward wolf recovery and felt their recovery in the Ceded Territories was a "tremendous example" or ecological and cultural restoration that must be preserved for future generations.
Residents and land owners are again reminded that, as far as available control and management options for wolves currently, nothing has changed and will not change until 60 days after the delisting is published in the Federal Register.
More information on the delisting can be found at dnr.wi.gov by searching for "wolf management' or on the International Wolf Center website wolf.org.
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