Silent Alarm/Call to Action! Behind the Scenes of the Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan
Micahel McFadzen
Following months of internal wrangling, years of collecting and reviewing data, and a last-ditch effort to rig the vote by the Republican-controlled Senate, which fired four Natural Resource Board Members (NRB), Wisconsin finally has a wolf management plan.
The proposed plan followed three years of work by DNR staff led by DNR large carnivore specialist Randy Johnson. “If fully implemented, this plan would support the perpetuation of a healthy wolf population in Wisconsin,” Johnson said.
The tenets of the plan include an adaptive management strategy with a soft goal of 800 to 1,200 wolves with no true ceiling. The new plan supersedes the 1999 plan, which capped the wolf population at 350. According to a Milwaukee Journal article, the new wolf plan recognizes the species has recovered and provides a practical vision for wolf management and stewardship for the coming years. Wolf management has become one of the fiercest debates in recent DNR history.
Over 50 Testify in Marathon NRB Meeting
Opposition to the plan came from the pro-wolf-hunting contingent including the Wisconsin Association of Sporting Dogs, Wisconsin Conservation Congress, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and Hunter Nation. (Remember Ted Nugent who testified to the Wisconsin legislature on killing sandhill cranes and herons?) These groups urged a 350-wolf cap for public safety and cited the diminishing northern Wisconsin deer harvest totals. However, most evidence disputes those assertions. According to the DNR, there has never been a documented wolf attack on a human in Wisconsin and wolves typically prey on old, young, sick, or otherwise weakened animals.
Arguing in favor of the science-based plan were Native American tribal representatives and conservation groups including the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, Animal Wellness Action, Green Fire, the Humane Society of the United States, and others. (Full disclosure: I testified in favor of the Plan on behalf of the Friends of the Kettle Moraine State Forest).
Wildlife advocate and Master Naturalist Amy Mueller was relieved that the wolf plan was approved. “This is a good step in the right direction for our state’s wolves,” Mueller said. “Two years ago, following the wolf disaster of 2021 [hundreds of wolves were killed in a botched and hastily called wolf hunt], the majority of the Natural Resource Board were former Governor Scott Walker appointees. I am certain they would have never approved an adaptive management plan for wolves.”
Mueller feels it’s time to move on from 2021 and focus on the bigger problem wolves have in our state. She told Silent Sports, “Wisconsin Act 169 is a highly controversial law that requires the state to hold a wolf hunting and trapping season when wolves are not protected under the Endangered Species Act. It essentially strips the DNR of authority to make decisions around wolf hunting. This is something that must be amended to reflect the values of Wisconsin citizens, rather than a fringe group of trophy hunters.”
Supporting a Plan Allowing More Wolves?
Over 87 percent of Wisconsin residents enjoy some form of outdoor recreation. According to the Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, 68 percent of residents are forest and trail users, 66 percent enjoy watching wildlife, 25 percent bike, and only 20 percent are big game hunters. The new Plan may allow people to someday glimpse a wolf in the wild. The Plan was written for the large majority of Wisconsin residents who enjoy wildlife and acknowledges all user groups, including many hunters. Leading up to the vote, the NRB received over 3,500 public comments with the vast majority opposing both a population cap and the trophy hunting of wolves.
Non-hunters are a majority of state residents and a huge group of natural resource users. Their demographics are varied and widespread, and they love to see wildlife in their natural state. According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 57 percent of U.S. residents participated in wildlife watching, 15 percent fished, while only 6 percent hunted in 2022.
Most wolf biologists claim that hunting wolves disrupts their society, destabilizes their packs, and increases the risk to humans and livestock. Destabilized wolf packs will often split into smaller units with a greater influx of unrelated individuals. And younger, less-complex packs are more likely to kill farm animals and approach humans. A healthy wolf population benefits wildlife overall.
Farmers with legitimate wolf conflicts in which livestock are disturbed or killed can apply for permits to manage wolves. The latest data indicates that farm depredations have decreased as Wisconsin wolf packs have grown and become healthier. The latest DNR estimate is that there are 1,007 wolves in 283 packs in Wisconsin.
In the DNR’s 2022 Public Opinion Survey, 75 percent of respondents agreed that wolves are special animals that deserve our admiration, and that predators such as wolves help keep nature in balance.
Attempt to Rig Wolf Vote
In a bizarre move, Senate Republicans denied four NRB appointees one week before the NRB’s Wolf Management Plan meeting. According to numerous reports, the four were fired over concerns raised by Republicans, including their viewpoints on the wolf plan. In a statement, Governor Evers’ office blasted Republicans for turning down the appointees, saying, “This is insanity. The decision by Wisconsin Republicans to fire the Governor’s four exceptionally qualified NRB appointees — for which Republicans have publicly offered little to no justification.” Sen. Rob Cowles of Green Bay was the only Republican to break ranks, voting to confirm the appointees. Cowles said that his colleagues can’t expect to agree with every opinion of every appointee, adding, “I don’t think it was a good idea to knock down those four today.”
But that’s not the end of the story.
While Governor Evers was not able to reappoint any of the rejected members, he quickly and strategically appointed four new members: Todd Ambs, Robin Schmidt, Patty Schachtner, and Douglas Cox. All four took part in the NRB meeting and voted in favor of the Wolf Management Plan, irking Republican senators who pulled the last-minute stunt to manipulate the vote.
Several days after the NRB appointees were fired, DNR Secretary Adam Payne resigned. Although Payne’s tenure at the DNR was short, he ushered through several huge accomplishments, including a $125M PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) program, and was also instrumental in shepherding the Wolf Management Plan to the finish line. Some speculate Payne’s departure was due to partisan meddling with the DNR, although his official statement cites spending more time with family.
Wolf Hunting by Hounds Still in Plan
Some conservation groups feel the Plan doesn’t go far enough to protect wolves and question the integrity of the process. Great Lake’s Wildlife Alliance (GLWA) filed a lawsuit charging that the DNR and NRB infringed on constitutional due process, along with violations of numerous statutes, regulations, and rules, when it adopted the 2023 Wolf Plan. According to GLWA Executive Director Melissa Smith, “It has become clear that the system has failed the will of the people in favor of sport-hunting, agricultural, and large extractive industry lobbyists. People should take notice this isn’t just about protecting wolves. The Plan happens to be one of many policy decisions where these fundamental principles are so blatantly compromised.” Smith claims the DNR met privately with pro-wolf hunting groups during the planning process.
The plan still allows hunting wolves with hounds. Using dogs for wolf hunting is a fringe activity and hardly “sporting.” It is not only extremely unpopular among the general public, but also something most sportsmen abhor. This type of hunt usually involves its small-minority adherents releasing GPS-collared dogs near bait piles, hoping to kill a cornered wolf. It is a ruthless and dangerous practice for dogs and forest animals. Every year, dogs and wolves are maimed or killed during this so-called sport. In one of the arguably most bizarre DNR practices, hunters are compensated up to $2,500 for their killed and injured dogs. In 2022, one hunter received more than $10,500, according to records obtained by National Geographic. While nearly all hunters share a proud and protective bond with their dogs, these fringe hunters choose to often put their dogs at risk of maiming and death.
Wisconsin Wolf Saga Continues
Gray wolves are native throughout Wisconsin but were decimated by hunting, trapping, and poisoning until the 1960s. About one-quarter to one-half of wolf mortality in recent years was due to illegal killing. Shortly after their protection under the Engaged Species Act (ESA) in 1974, wolves migrated from Minnesota and established territories in Wisconsin.
It is widely speculated the wolves will lose their on-again, off-again protection status from ESA in the near future. All the more reason for the will of the vast majority of Wisconsinites to be implemented through state action.