by AnnMarie Kent
MICHIGAN (WPBN/WGTU) — Officers with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are asking for your help surveying wolves.
Between February 19 and March 15 the DNR is conducting a survey and asking anyone who sees a gray wolf in the northern Lower Peninsula to report it.
“The probability of DNR personnel observing an actual wolf or its tracks in the northern Lower Peninsula is very low,” said DNR wildlife biologist Jennifer Kleitch. “It’s helpful to have as many eyes as possible looking, so public reports are important for this survey.”
If you see what you think is a wolf track, you’re asked to take a picture of the track, with a ruler for scale and try and preserve the track, the DNR said.
The DNR is trying to track the presence of wolves in northern Lower Michigan, specifically north M-55.
“It’s important that observations are reported in a timely manner so we can work with fresh sign. Those who find what they believe are wolf tracks should preserve the physical sign and take a photo of the tracks with a ruler in the frame to indicate size,” Kleitch said. “We’d also be very interested in any recent pictures of a wolf in the Northern Lower Peninsula.”
To report a track or sighting call the DNR Atlanta Field Office at (989) 785-4251 ext 5233 or go online to Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField.
Wolves began returning to the Upper Peninsula in the early 1990s and a few have migrated south despite the Straits of Mackinac being a significant obstacle, according to the DNR.