A
hearing on wolf management in MN was held on Tuesday night by the MN
House Environment and Natural Resources policy committee. The hearing
room was packed; many wolf supporters attended. Many people spoke for
their allotted 3 minutes and gave compelling voice to suspending the
wolf hunt. We extend our deep gratitude to those who ventured out on a
cold night to show their support for Minnesota wolves. We know
legislators took notice. Click here for highlights and to watch video of the hearing.
Lawmakers can stop the DNR: The
hearing exposed significant deficiencies in the state Department of
Natural Resources’ (DNR) ability to manage wolves as they are not
following their own wolf management plan. But they will not change
course, unless they are ordered to change course. The leadership and the
DNR would love to keep things quiet. We can stop them by pressuring our
lawmakers.
Now is the Time: We have a bill that is still “alive”
and able to be moved toward becoming law this legislative session (SF
666). This bill is for a moratorium on wolf hunting and this bill passed
a senate committee last session. This bill has not had a vote in
committee in the house and it will not move forward unless we engage our
lawmakers and keep theirs and the public’s attention for the rest of
this legislative session. Remember that Governor Dayton said that the
legislature must pass a bill for him to suspend the wolf hunt? This is
what he meant, and this is what we can do. Here are actions you can do
to keep momentum going forward and suspending this hunt.
- Call and write your district legislators if you are Minnesota based.
The Representative and Senator from your district are your access
points to the legislative process. Get in contact with them, stay in
contact with them, urge them to act to correct DNR mis-management of
wolves. Click here to find contact information for your representatives. Recruit others too!
- Attend Wolf Day at the Capitol on February 27th.
We are organizing an all-day event that includes meetings with
legislators and an organized rally in the Capitol Rotunda. Take the time
to participate and meet with your district officials. It’s their job to
listen to your concerns and act for you. Click here to learn more and rsvp.
- Letters to the Editor: These
are effective. Allow us to help you publish a letter in a newspaper. In
particular, we need letters published in districts of committee
members. We can help you do this. Contact us.
- Stay tuned to our emails for more actions.
Please keep in mind, always
be respectful when communicating your thoughts with elected officials
and others. Nothing hurts our efforts more than poor behavior. Fair or
not, the good and the bad become attributed to Howling For Wolves around
the Capitol because it’s convenient.
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