Wildlife
WGF evaluation and reports on state and federal actions and funding affecting wildlife management in Wisconsin, developed by WGF’s Wildlife Work Group.
WGF Sponsors Deer Dumpsters to Slow Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease
As deer hunting season begins in Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s Green Fire is working to help slow the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is the biggest threat to Wisconsin’s deer herds and cherished deer hunting heritage, spreading to 45 counties. One way to slow this spread is providing designated deer dumpsters where hunters can safely …
Read More >WGF Featured in Interview about Proposed Sandhill Crane Hunting Bill
Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s Executive Director Fred Clark was recently interviewed by WUWM about WGF’s testimony on a proposed sandhill crane hunting bill in Wisconsin, presented to the Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business, and Rural Issues last week. Fred emphasized that WGF did not take a formal stance on the …
Read More >WGF Provides Testimony on Sandhill Crane Hunting Bill, Senate Bill 620
Wisconsin’s Green Fire will provide testimony at a public hearing on Tuesday, October 19th about Senate Bill 620, a recent bill regarding hunting sandhill cranes in Wisconsin. WGF members Dr. Robert Rolley, Dr. Stanley Temple, and Tom Hauge contributed to this testimony that encourages consideration of the …
Read More >Wisconsin’s Green Fire Releases Statement on August 11, 2021 Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Action on Fall Wolf Hunt Quota
On August 11, 2021, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) voted 5-2 to establish a quota of 300 wolves for the fall 2021 wolf hunt.
The removal of 300 wolves again this fall, on top of the removal of at least 218 wolves during the three-day February wolf hunt, could result in a population of as …
Read More >Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Holds First Wolf Management Plan Committee Meeting
On Thursday, July 22nd the Wisconsin DNR held the first of four Wolf Management Plan Committee meetings. The committee of representatives from Tribes, government agencies, and various stakeholder groups across Wisconsin, including WGF’s Adrian Wydeven, discussed recommendations for an updated state wolf management plan.
You can view the committee meeting through WisconsinEye …
Read More >Updates from Wisconsin’s Wolf Harvest Advisory Committee Meeting
On Wednesday, January 13th, 2021 at 10 AM there was an in-person joint informational hearing with the Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business and Rural Issues, and Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage. This hearing was convened to discuss the process of reinstating the wolf harvesting season in 2021. Wisconsin’s Green Fire has been following this issue closely and has provided written testimony to the committees that reflect our recommendations recently published Opportunities Now paper on wolves.
Read More >Meeting Wisconsin’s Deer Conservation Challenges – Wisconsin’s Green Fire Opportunities Now July 2021 Report
In our new report, Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) examines several threats and trends that, taken together, are affecting the future of Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer herd. The report discusses the threats Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) poses to deer and human health; explains the ecological effects of high deer densities on forest habitat quality; discusses the lack of antlerless deer harvests and reduced hunter numbers in Wisconsin; and concludes with recommendations for policy and actions on the state and local levels to ensure the health and safety of Wisconsin’s deer and their habitat.
Read More >The February 2021 Wisconsin Wolf Hunt: A Preliminary Assessment
Following removal of gray wolves from the Endangered Species List on January 4th, 2021, the State of Wisconsin allowed public hunting and trapping of wolves during an abbreviated three-day season between February 22nd and February 24th. The last time wolves were hunted legally in Wisconsin in February was in 1956. The final reported harvest of 218 wolves over a period of three days exceeded the total quota for state-authorized hunters by 83%. Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s preliminary assessment of the February 2021 Wisconsin wolf hunting and trapping season includes impacts of the hunt on Wisconsin’s wolf population and recommendations to avoid future failures and ensure that future wolf management is informed by science and best practice.
Read More >How [your state name here] might avoid losing its deer herd to Chronic Wasting Disease like Wisconsin
Wisconsin, one of this continent’s premier deer hunting states, is on track to effectively lose its deer herd to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the coming decades. This presentation, given by Michael K. Foy and Thomas M. Hauge of Wisconsin’s Green Fire addresses what wildlife managers can do about it.
Read More >Wisconsin Wolf Hunt Moving Forward
Wisconsin is moving ahead with a wolf hunt in February 2021. Wisconsin’s Green Fire supports delisting wolves but opposes a hunt until the state wolf plan is updated.
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