By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
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Wolf plan delayed: The release of the draft version of the Wisconsin wolf management plan will be delayed until mid-November, DNR officials announced Tuesday at a meeting of the Wolf Advisory Committee in Wausau.
The timeline for release of the plan has undergone several changes over the last year but until recently had been slated for initial public review by late October.
The state’s wolf management plan was last modified in 1999.
The Wisconsin wolf population has grown markedly over the last several decades, from about 25 wolves in 1980 to more than 800 in 2012.
Wisconsin had a minimum of 660 wolves in early 2014, according to the DNR. The population is estimated through counts conducted in winter, when the animals are easiest to track and observe and when the population is at an annual low.
State officials are working to update the management plan, including the population goal. The 1999 plan called for a goal of 350 wolves statewide.
At its Sept. 10 meeting, the wolf advisory committee advanced four options for population goals: 350 animals; 650 animals; a range of 300 to 650 animals; or a threshold or minimum number of wolves at 350 with no upper limit. The committee’s recommendations are considered by DNR executives as they decide what to include in the management plan.
In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, the committee recommended dissolving wolf management zone 4. The area would be covered by zones 2 and 6.
The committee next convenes Oct. 10 in Wausau, its last scheduled meeting before the planned release of the draft wolf management plan.
Wydeven retires: DNR wildlife biologist Adrian Wydeven, who helped manage the Wisconsin wolf population as it recovered through the 1990s and 2000s, retired from the agency Friday. He worked for the DNR for 32 years, including 19 years as mammalian ecologist with responsibility for wolves in the Bureau of Endangered Resources.