Wildlife
WGF evaluation and reports on state and federal actions and funding affecting wildlife management in Wisconsin, developed by WGF’s Wildlife Work Group.
Guest Post: Necropsy Experience for Ella Ordens
Necropsy Experience for Ella Ordens
Editor’s note: As Halloween approaches, we’re sharing a story about how a seemingly spooky topic—learning to do a necropsy, i.e., an autopsy for animals—became a great learning experience for a future veterinarian. The story comes from Tom and Judy Ordens, two WGF supporters who made this experience possible for their granddaughter, …
Read More >News Release: WGF Supports Audit Findings that Confirm the WDNR Properly Managed Fish and Wildlife Account Funds
White tailed deer doe and fawns in Black River Falls WI, photo via Snapshot Wisconsin (Source: https://wi-dnr.widencollective.com/portals/zssbwavl/SnapshotWisconsinPhotoLibrary)
Wisconsin’s Green Fire Supports Audit Findings that Confirm the WDNR Properly Managed Fish and Wildlife Account Funds
Correction (12:42pm CT, Sep. 9, 2025): The $30 million one-time transfer from the Forestry Account to the Fish and …
Read More >Letter Urging Senate to Support USGS Ecosystems Mission Area Funding and Workforce
Prairie grassland flowers on the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center campus in La Crosse Wisconsin, with USGS silos pictured in the background. Photo by Anna Hess, USGS, image in public domain.
Responding to Science Funding Cuts in the Federal Budget
Usually at Wisconsin’s Green Fire, we focus on responding to state-level issues in conservation policy and natural …
Read More >Is killing birds a necessary evil if it benefits a special interest? – Dr. Stan Temple
“Shooting wild pigeons in Iowa” from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News, 1867, depicting hunters and dogs shooting at a flock of passenger pigeons. These once-common birds went extinct in 1914, largely due to overharvesting. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Is killing birds a necessary evil if it benefits a special interest?
By Dr. Stanley Temple, Wisconsin’s Green …
Read More >Conservation History Ignored to Weaken the Endangered Species Act – by Dr. Stanley Temple
Male Kirtland’s warbler from Adams County, Wisconsin. The Kirtland’s warbler nests in jack pine stands in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Due to successful habitat protection and management, the species was delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2019. Image courtesy of Joel Trick/USFWS via Flickr.
Conservation History Ignored to Weaken the Endangered …
Read More >Proposals to Protect Pollinators
Pollinators, photo by Kerry Beheler
Spring in Wisconsin is a busy time for pollinators.
What do you picture when you think about pollinators? Many people focus on bees, but bees are only a part of the pollinator picture! In addition to bees, other important pollinators include butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, even some species of …
Read More >WGF Opposes Proposed Rule Change to the Endangered Species Act
Examples of endangered and threatened species in Wisconsin depicting a whooping crane, eastern prairie fringed orchid, Karner blue butterfly, Canada lynx, northern long eared bat, Higgins eye mussel, slender glass lizard, Hine’s emerald, and piping plover. Photos via USFWS and Canva.
Speaking Up for Rare Species and their Habitats
UPDATE – May 19, 2025:
A …
Read More >Dogs & Wolves with Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven
Dog and Wolf Behavior & the Wolves of WI, plus an Auction of Experiences
Featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven
Thank you to all who attended our special event at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison on April 5, featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven! We loved seeing so many new faces and old friends gathered to …
Read More >Webinar: Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease
Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease Webinar (Recorded April 1, 2025)
On, Tuesday, April 1, 2025 from 4:30-5:30pm CT, we held our webinar on Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease: A Presentation on Recent Advances by Dr. Peter Larsen. We co-hosted the webinar with the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.
During the webinar, our presenter Dr. Larsen of the Minnesota …
Read More >Public Testimony on Wolves and Elk
Members of the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, March 4, 2025, photo by Paul Heinen
On March 4, 2025, WGF testified before the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage.
Adrian Wydeven (left) and Peter David (right) at the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage hearing …
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