DRAFT Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan

By Dick Thiel, TWIN member, DNR biologist

A draft Wolf Management Plan has been released for public comments by the Wisconsin Wolf Advisory Committee of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Copies of the plan and comments may be obtained/sent to the DNR, Box 7921, Madison, WI, attn: Endangered Resources, Wolf Plan. Comments will be accepted through May 15.

In a nutshell, the Draft Plan recommends:

° downlist the wolf from endangered to threatened immediately

• delist the wolf once the Wisconsin population reaches 250 animals
• establish a population management goal of 350 animals, which is based on amount of suitable habitat existing in the state
• population management achieved through 4 geographic management zones, including core areas where wolves would receive complete protection
• intensely monitor population trends while threatened and reduce level of monitoring thereafter
• continue to monitor wolf health
• support continued public education initiatives
• control nuisance wolves via government trappers; compensate for losses while threatened
• establish regulations to adequately protect wolves while threatened and after completely delisted
• maintain close relations with other governmental agencies (neighboring states, tribes, etc.)
• continued outlets for volunteer work
• regulating wolf-dog hybrids and captive wolves once delisted
• establish protocols for handling and disposition of wolf specimens for education
• encourage reasonable ecotourism of wolves and their habitats.

The four zone management system will include Zone 1, the northern forest region. Within this area will be situated approximately a half dozen (totaling 3,200 mi² ) core areas consisting of mostly publicly owned lands where no taking of wolves will be allowed. Zone 2 will include the Central Forest region. No core areas will exist here, and limited control of nuisance wolves will be allowed. Zone 3 consists of areas south of Zones 1 and will surround Zone 2. More liberal means of handling nuisance wolves would be allowed in this zone. Zone 4 represents the southeastern third of the state where little or no suitable wolf habitat currently exists. Liberal control activities would be allowed here to handle problem wolves.

Depredation control activity will focus on preventive methods while providing adequate control on nuisance wolves. Once the US Fish & Wildlife Service has federally downlisted wolves (they are currently working on this) to threatened, wolves that are causing chronic damage may be euthanised. Wolf control activity will not be carried out in core areas. Once the wolf is state delisted landowners may be allowed, under permit, to take wolves depredating on livestock. In addition, government control trapping will continue after the animal is state delisted.

Keep in mind that this is a DRAFT plan. The Wolf Advisory Committee has committed thoughts to paper in an effort to obtain thoughtful responses from concerned citizens. The Committee’s objective is to make this plan acceptable to the Wisconsin public. It will seriously review citizen comments and modify the plan before it is submitted to the DNR for approval. This is your opportunity to contribute to the construction of a Wolf Management Plan that will guide wildlife management into the 21^st Century. I urge you to obtain a copy, critically review it, and submit comments on how the document can better serve the wolf, and the people with whom it interacts (both negatively and positively).

Click there to check out the second draft of wolf management plan and let the DNR know what you think.