Wolves hearing set for Ashland area Wednesday
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for your opinion about removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
If you’ve had a problem with a big bad wolf over the years, the government wants to hear about it. Georgia Parham is a public relations specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She is planning the public hearing.
“The wolf is recovered and doesn’t need the protection of the act anymore. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be managed anymore. But it simply is not endangered anymore.”
DNR Wolf Management program leader Adrian Wydeven says everyone who has something to say about wolves in the Midwest should attend the meeting. He says delisting the wolf will allow the state and tribes to remove and euthanize problem wolves.
“This in the long run actually creates better acceptance of wolves on the landscape. If we can’t control the problem wolves, people may take matters in their own hands and wolves get controlled in many places illegally.”
Wydeven says 75 farm animals were killed by wolves in 2010 and dozens more are missing.
“We had twenty cases of hunting dogs attacked in hunting or training situations and those have been on the increase, so we do need to get more control in being able to deal with those problems.”
De-listing wolves is controversial. That’s why Wydeven has been working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to get wolves off the Endangered Species Act for nearly 15 years.
“They should be delisted. They’ve recovered well in our region. The population is way above the levels that we felt were necessary for delisting.”
Wydeven says the areas affected most by wolves in Wisconsin are northern Douglas County and Bayfield County. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also hold public hearings on wolves in Minnesota and Michigan before the pubic comment period ends on July 5. Parham says they will have the final decision by year’s end.
The informational meeting runs from 6 to 7:15 pm and the public hearing will begin at 7:30 pm. Both will be held at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center on Highway 2 near Ashland.