by Nathan Edwards
MACKINAW CO. — Michigan’s Wolf Management Advisory Council met today in St. Ignace to discuss the possible consequences of a controlled hunt. This was the final time the Council could advise the Department of Natural Resources before the Natural Resource Commission votes on whether or not to have a wolf hunt.
“It’s impossible that we can satisfy everyone’s perspective at once, but I think we have a pretty good recommendation by now that is kind of a middle of the road approach which everyone can see that we tried to take in consideration everyone’s perspective,” DNR Wildlife Expert Adam Bump said.
Earlier this month, the DNR finalized a recommendation for a regulated wolf hunt in three small regions of the western Upper Peninsula.
Wednesday, the Wolf Management Advisory Council reviewed the DNR’s plan and offered some final thoughts.
“They only proposed harvesting 43 wolves in these small areas to solve conflicts and all of the biologist will tell you that it’s will have no effect on the overall population,”Michigan Hunting Dog Federation representative Mike Thorman said.
And that population has grown in the last decade and now stands around 700.
Yet opposition groups like Keep Michigan Wolves Protected (KMWP) want all wolf hunt laws to be stopped in their tracks.
“Well the best case scenario will be if these bills do not pass but however it is likely that it will probably pass the House and the Senate and then it’s up to the Governor, I would love if the Governor would veto those bills,” KMWP Volunteer Jackie Winkowski said.
KMWP volunteers have been protesting outside of the capitol this week. They have gathered more than 250,000 petition signatures and they hope it will be enough for a referendum that could give the public a chance to vote on the issue in 2014.
The signatures still have to be certified by the state and until then, the Natural Resource Commission will take all opinions into consideration before making a final call on the hunt.
The NRC will meet to make a final decision on May 9th.