Volunteers Sought to Help Monitor Wolf Population
Wisconsin Ag Connection – 10/25/2006
The Wisconsin wolf program is looking for a few good trackers. People interested in volunteering to locate gray wolves and other forest carnivores in the coming year and help keep count on the elusive animals can learn how to track wolves during a series of upcoming training sessions.
Volunteer trackers are assigned survey blocks in forest portions of northern and central Wisconsin, and are asked to conduct three or more surveys in their assigned block each winter. Data they gather can be compiled with those of other volunteers to aid Department of Natural Resources biologists in evaluating wolf populations.
In 2006, 120 volunteer trackers surveyed 67,200-square-mile survey blocks covering 4,897 miles of snow-covered roads and trails, and detected more than 255 different wolves.
Based on volunteer and wildlife biologist surveys, in late winter 2006 biologists estimated there were 465 to 502 wolves in the state, including 449 or more outside Indian reservations. During spring and summer 2006, 29 wolves were trapped and radio-collared. By early fall, 56 wolves were being radio tracked by Wisconsin DNR pilots, including wolves captured and collared in previous years. This accounts for about one-third of the state packs being monitored by radio-telemetry, the remaining packs are monitored by DNR and volunteer trackers.
If people have already taken these or similar type classes, they can take one of the tracking courses, and be signed up to do track surveys this upcoming winter.
For more information, call 715-762-1363.