By Misi Stine, Environmental Educator and member of the MN Herpetological Society
Photo by Misi Stine
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released a draft of the updated Wolf Management Plan for review and comment by the public. The original wolf management plan was developed in 2001 in response to the recommendation that wolves be removed from the federal Endangered Species Act protections (ESA). The plan has been used to guide the DNR through multiple attempts to delist wolves, which have ultimately ended up in relisting through judicial action. The reason for updating the plan at this time is that the original plan is over 20 years old and attitudes and preferences for the management of wolves have changed since the original plan was adopted.
Having worked with wolves since 1998 I can confidently say that wolves are one of the most controversial and divisive animals that I have worked with. People often either love them or hate them. There is not a lot of middle ground. Consequently, the management and recovery of wolves in the United States, and around the world is challenging. Wolves are not good, or evil. They are simply another species trying to survive on the landscape. Neither end of the spectrum holds the truth about wolves, the truth, as with many things, is somewhere in the middle.
By the early 1970s, the only place in the lower 48 states where a viable wolf population could be found was in Northern Minnesota, in large part because of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) where it was difficult to reach the remaining wolves to eliminate them, and the fact that we had wolves migrating down from Canada on a regular basis. In the late 1960’s the wolf population in Minnesota was estimated to be as low as 350 animals. (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wolves/population.html)
The ESA was signed into law in 1973, and in 1974 wolves were placed on the list where they received federal protections to allow the wolf population to recover. Since that time gray wolves have recovered not only in Minnesota but across Wisconsin, Michigan, and a handful of western states. However, that recovery has not come without controversy and challenges. Minnesota has the largest wolf population in the lower 48 states with an estimated population of 2,696 as reported in the 2019-20 population survey (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wolves/population.html).
The process to update the wolf management plan began with a survey completed in collaboration between the DNR and the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Minnesota. The survey assessed the values, beliefs, and attitudes of individuals around the state that identified as Minnesota residents, livestock producers, and deer hunters in wolf range. The detailed results of the survey can be found as part of the link below.
In addition to the survey, there has also been extensive public involvement in the development of this plan including a Wolf Technical Committee, public meetings in Fall 2020, and a Wolf advisory committee which included interested parties, such as hunters, conservation organizations, local units of government, animal rights groups, wolf advocacy groups, agricultural interest and others. There has also been extensive cooperation and collaboration with tribal governments.
The plan is extensive and covers several topic areas in depth and it also includes wolf population objectives, research and monitoring needs, and their goals, objectives, and strategies. There is also a framework to guide any wolf hunting or trapping season, human safety issues, livestock depredation, and prevention following the delisting from the ESA. The final plan is expected to be completed in fall 2022. There has been a public comment period for the plan but by the time the newsletter comes out the public comment period will be closed.
This link will allow you to read the draft of the plan, and a number of other informational resources: Minnesota DNR Wolf Management Plan The information provided is worth the time and effort to read and use as a future resource.
I will close with Minnesota Statues 97B.646 which states that the DNR “shall adopt a wolf management plan that includes goals to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf in Minnesota, to reduce conflicts between wolves and humans, to minimize depredation of livestock and domestic pets, and to manage the ecological impact of wolves on prey species and other predators” The statement sounds simplistic but is complex and nuanced to accomplish.