The federal delisting of the gray wolf raises some difficult questions about lethal and non-lethal wolf control choices. On January 4, 2012, State Representatives Tom Anzelc and David Dill announced that they are working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on legislation regarding management of the wolf population.
With the Interior Department’s delisting of the gray wolf in Minnesota from the Endangered Species Act, it is time to get the exploding wolf population under control in Northern Minnesota, said two Minnesota House of Representatives Iron Range lawmakers in an announcement on January 4, 2012.
State Representative David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) and State Representative Tom Anzelc (DFLBalsam Township), with assistance from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, are working on legislation intended to properly manage the wolf population. The bill being devised will give the DNR authorization to establish a wolf hunting and trapping season and licensing process.
“I am relieved the Interior Department has finally made this move. We are all keenly aware of the predatory problems that have come from the overpopulation of wolves in Northern Minnesota. Wolves are not just killing deer, especially the young, they are eating livestock, guard animals, and domestic pets,” said Representative Dill.
Representative Anzelc said, “According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ wolf management plan, a minimum population of 1,600 wolves is needed to ensure their long-term survival. The current population is estimated at nearly twice this size. Clearly, we need to get the situation in check.”
“This option of hunting is the most hotly debated issue at the moment,” says Mary Ortiz, executive director at the International Wolf Center in Ely, at a December 21 teleconference with the DNR. “But what’s missing in this conversation—what has been overlooked during this entire decade’s long debate —is the issue of wildlands and habitat preservation. It is impossible to guarantee long-term wolf population sustainability without habitat preservation and security,” says Ortiz, “and while the states now have control over such issues as managing problem wolves, no one is really addressing the essential problem of habitat.”
According to the Center, wolves are top carnivores that require considerable space in order to thrive. “Wolves need large tracts of natural lands with adequate and sustainable levels of wild prey and safety from humans,” explained Jess Edberg, information services director at the Center. “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park, combined, provide a natural sanctuary for wolves. However we have less and less of that suitable space in the Western Great Lakes region as wolf populations grow and encroach on areas populated by humans, and as human development encroaches on current wolf habitat.”
“Of course we need to be asking the tough questions about the facts of lethal and non-lethal wolf-control choices, as well as the emotional and social impact of such issues as a wolf hunting season,” said Jerritt Johnston, education director at the Center. “As educators, our niche requires us to air all sides of the issue, while remaining neutral, so others can make informed decisions. That includes asking questions no one else is raising.”
The longtime effort to delist the gray wolf in Minnesota was backed by many conservation and agriculture groups, including: the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota State Cattleman’s Association, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Minnesota Conservation Federation and the Minnesota Farmers Union.
“We will continue to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal and state agencies to properly address management of the wolf population in Northern Minnesota. In light of the delisting, we would like to expedite the DNR rulemaking process and establish the wolf hunting and trapping season and licensing process as soon as possible,” concluded Rep. Dill.
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