Creating a Shared Vision for Wolves in Wisconsin — Wisconsin’s Green Fire Opportunities Now 2021-2023 Report on Wolves

When the gray wolf is removed from the federal endangered species list in 2021, management will fall to the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s Green Fire recommends steps for state management in this Opportunities Now 2021-2023 report.

Wisconsin needs a new wolf conservation plan, new policies, and legislation to provide appropriate conservation for this iconic species. Currently, gray wolf conservation and management is informed by an outdated state Wolf Management Plan from 1999. In this Opportunities Now Report, Wisconsin’s Green Fire lays out a clear set of recommendations to tackle these issues and set Wisconsin’s management of the gray wolf up for success. Key recommendations include:

• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) should proceed conservatively by maintaining the population within 2016-20 levels (around 866-1034 wolves) until a new wolf conservation plan is developed and approved by the Natural Resources Board.
• Wisconsin needs legislation that returns authority for determining need and specifics of a wolf harvest to the WDNR and Tribes with strong public input.
• Ensure that Wisconsin’s diverse American Indian Nations and their rights and interests are recognized and respected in any management decisions or new management plans. Wolves are culturally significant to their people and way of life.

Download the PDF of A Shared Vision for Wolves in Wisconsin

This report is the first in a series of Opportunities Now 2021-2023 issue reports that Wisconsin’s Green Fire will release in late 2020 and early 2021.

View a recording of the December 1, 2020 on-line briefing held by the team of Wisconsin’s Green Fire experts who developed the report. The 40-minute session includes a question and answer session with the press.

Photo: Courtesy WDNR

Media Coverage of the Opportunities Now 2021-2023 report on Wolves:

WUWM 89.7’s December 1st, 2020 story: Conservation Group Urges Wisconsin To Develop a Sustainable Management Plan 
WGF’s Science Director, Sarah Peterson , is interviewed for the story.

WXPR’s December 1st, 2020 story: Wisconsin’s Green Fire Encourages Science-Based State Management of Wolves
WGF Wildlife Workgroup co-chair Adrian Wydeven, WGF Board Member Jodi Habush Sinykin, and Executive Director Fred Clark are quoted in this story.

WFJW’s December 1st, 2020 coverage of the Opportunities Now 2021-2023 report on Wolves.
The segment starts at 8:14. WGF Wildlife Workgroup co-chair Adrian Wydeven and Executive Director Fred Clark are shown in this story.