Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Wolf Management Plan Committee discussed the process & its’ role.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Wolf Management Plan Committee’s first of four meetings took place on July 22, 2021 in a public Zoom meeting.

I’ve recorded thirty minutes of the meeting wherein the discussion was about the process of the committee and its’ role. WDNR has hired a facilitator to capture and put the opinions & concerns into an orderly streamlined document. There are roughly 25 wolf stakeholder organizations involved in making recommendations for the WDNR for consideration when writing the formal Wisconsin wolf management plan. I’ve also included screenshots captured from the meeting facilitator’s screen.

Retired wolf biologist, Adrian Wydeven, representative from Wisconsin’s Green Fire asked the question if there will be an area in the Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan Committee where recommendations could be submitted to the legislature regarding current law (wolf hunting law Act 169).

Listen to my unedited 30 minute recording

New Recording 40.m4a Download

Jody Habush Sinykin, Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter of Wisconsin representative wanted to know if there would be scientific peer reviewed information available for the committee to view?

Besides several tribes on the committee, there are experts in their fields that bring a great deal of prior knowledge regarding wolf recovery & management. Adrian Wydeven led the the Wisconsin wolf recovery program, and Jodi Habush Sinykin is an Attorney at Midwest Environmental Advocates. Habush led the effort, lawsuit, to stop the use of dos to hunt wolves.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wolf Management Plan Committee member organizations

Government/Tribal Partners (by invitation). Representative Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Ho-Chunk Nation, Menominee, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Stockbridge-Munsee Community, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service Dan Eklund – USDA Wildlife Services, Wisconsin County Forest Association, Wisconsin Conservation Congress

Stakeholder Organizations (seats by application) Hunting/Trapping Organizations Safari Club International Wisconsin Chapter, Wisconsin Bear Hunter’s Association, Wisconsin Bowhunter’s Association, Wisconsin Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Wisconsin Trapper’s Association, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

Wolf Advocacy/Education Organizations Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter, Humane Society of the United States – Wisconsin, Timber Wolf Alliance, Wisconsin Conservation Voices, Wisconsin Green Fire

Agriculture/Ranching OrganizationsWisconsin Cattleman’s Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Farmer’s Union, Wisconsin Wolf Facts

WDNR Large Carnavore Specialist, Randy Johnson runs the meeting and supports the Facilitator.

WDNR hired Raj Kamal to facilitate the meetings. Kamal has made it clear that he’s not a subject matter expert in wolf management and he is there as a guide to the process of putting together all of the committee members concerns into a document.

Themes that have emerged from committee members.

25 organizations, 124 ideas, were put together into nine themes with a few ideas put into a parking lot for clarification.

The guiding principles, every voice matters, independent facilitator is not a subject matter expert and give it time to review, discuss with colleagues. These are working documents.

Here’s what’s next on People & Wolves Talk Show…

People & Wolves Talk Show Host Alex Vaeth will be interviewing Thomas Gable, project lead on Voyageurs Wolf Project. Mark your calendars for Thursday August 5, 2021 at 06:00 PM CST. The Voyageurs Wolf Project is focused on understanding the summer ecology of wolves in and around Voyageurs National Park in the iconic Northwoods border region of Minnesota, USA. Interview will be livestreamed on People & Wolves Talk Show’s YouTube Channel and for our Italian followers you can find the show on Talk Show di persone e lupi —Lupi Italiani.