ASHLAND, Wis. – Adrian Wydeven, carnivore specialist in wildlife management for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will discuss wolf management, ecology and history in an upcoming presentation at Northland College. Wydeven will speak in the Sentry Room of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute (SOEI) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17. The event, another offering in the Northland College Community Connections series, is free and open to the public.
Wydeven will give a broad overview on the history of gray wolves in Wisconsin and their resurgence in numbers. Gray wolves had disappeared in the state by the 1960s and began reappearing during the mid-1970s.
“Wisconsin’s wolf population has grown since then from a pair of wolves to roughly 850 wolves today,” Wydeven said. “As their numbers have grown, they have had a significant impact that has shown to benefit surrounding ecosystems.”
Wydeven will provide data and anecdotal evidence on how the growing wolf population has contributed to greater diversity of understory plants, as well as improved deer herd and trout stream conditions. In addition, he will touch on the controversy surrounding human interaction with wolves related to depredation and Wisconsin’s first wolf hunt to reduce their numbers.
“A lot of wolf management is a learning process that requires adaptive strategies,” Wydeven said. “Our hope is that depredation will go down with a wolf hunt and illegal kills will go down with a public wolf hunt. We want to see a healthy, thriving wolf population and re-examine management plans to reflect that goal.”
Mark Peterson, SOEI Executive Director, said he hopes the presentation will promote understanding and education on the various perspectives surrounding Wisconsin’s wolf population.
“The conservation of natural resources relies upon public involvement and understanding,” said Peterson. “You can’t have one without the other. The challenge is striking a balance between management and protection of the state’s resources with the interests of various stakeholders.”
Wydeven holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Wildlife Management from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He received his master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology from Iowa State University at Ames. Wydeven served as an assistant wildlife area manager in northeast Missouri prior to joining the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a wildlife manager. He currently presides over the state’s wolf program.
His presentation is scheduled as part of Timber Wolf Awareness Week, which runs from Oct. 14-21.