The
state's recent decision that there will be no wolf hunt in Michigan
this year is getting mixed reactions, despite fear in the Upper
Peninsula about the predators.
Many U.P. residents have been
alarmed by the estimated 636 gray wolves in Michigan and their attacks
on game animals, domestic animals and pets. Last year's Nov. 15-Dec. 31
hunt was the first in Michigan in 40 years and resulted in 22 wolves
being killed in the U.P., a little more than half of the state target of
43.
But the Michigan Natural Resources Commission decided more
than a week ago that it won't hold a wolf hunt this year, even if voters
uphold two state laws that allow wolf hunting by approving two
referendums on the Nov. 4 ballot. The state's wolf population is down
from 658 in 2013 and 687 in 2012, but up significantly from 20 in 1992. "Even if the referendums are passed, there would not be time to establish a wolf hunt in 2014," said Commissioner John Matonich.
For
many who favor a wolf hunt, like officials with the Upper Peninsula
Sportsman's Alliance, there is comfort in knowing the decision will
eventually be based on science and not emotions at the polls. President
Tony Demboski said he believes science is on his side. "We'll have a wolf hunt next year," he said last week. "There's no doubt in my mind."
The
latest development also doesn't faze Lester Livermore, a 46-year-old
resident of the U.P. community of Naubinway who favors state-sanctioned
hunting of the predator. "Ranchers, farmers and hunters are the
new wolf management team and the consensus is, they need to be thinned,"
said Livermore, a sobriety court coordinator and chairman of the
Mackinac County Road Commission.
"People proudly talk about how
many they have shot and nobody cares. So Lansing can twist and turn on
the issue, but Yoopers just see that as proof that they are right to
take things into their own hands."
A state Department of Natural
Resources spokesman said the sentiment for illegal killing of wolves
exists in the Upper Peninsula, acknowledging the agency annually
investigates "a handful of instances" in which wolves are illegally
killed. But it is a misperception that the state isn't doing
enough because there are other ways to manage wolves besides the
state-approved hunt, he said.
"Under state law, wolves attacking livestock or dogs may be legally killed," DNR spokesman Ed Golder said in an email. "The
DNR can also issue lethal control permits to farmers who are
experiencing documented issues with depredation. Additionally,
consistent with the state's wolf management plan, our biologists provide
assistance with implementation of nonlethal control techniques, and
when there are instances of repeated nuisance or depredation reports, we
can respond with targeted lethal control."
Golder urges residents not to poach wolves. "Any
reports of poaching activity will be aggressively investigated and
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said. "We appreciate
cooperation from the public in reporting possible poaching activity and
also reporting any wolf conflict so the DNR can respond effectively."
Current
wolf hunting laws are frozen until voters get a crack at them, meaning a
wolf hunt couldn't have been scheduled until after Nov. 4. The
referendums will ask voters to endorse or overturn Legislature-passed
2012 and 2013 laws permitting wolf hunting. A "yes" vote will be a vote
in favor of wolf hunting. A "no" vote will be a vote against wolf
hunting. "Michigan wolves have been spared an unnecessary and
inhumane hunt this year for one reason: The laws allowing them to be
hunted have been put on hold because of our two referendum campaigns,"
said Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected. "If
citizens vote 'no' on both referendums in the November election, they
can restore non-game status for our state's wolves and uphold the right
of Michigan voters to have a say on wildlife issues."
But a new
citizen-initiated law that takes effect in March or April would allow
wolf hunting to continue even if voters reject two current laws allowing
such hunts. The new law allows the Natural Resources Commission, made
up of gubernatorial appointees, to decide which animals can be hunted as
game and requires $1 million a year in state funds to battle Great
Lakes invasive species such as Asian carp, as well as free hunting and
fishing licenses for members of the military.
Drew YoungeDyke,
grassroots and public relations manager for Michigan United Conservation
Clubs and Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management, said earlier
this month the pro-hunting coalition doesn't plan to spend money
campaigning against the two wolf referendums. He said the coalition is satisfied with a new citizen-initiated law that will take effect in 2015 and let wolf hunting resume.
Keep
Michigan Wolves Protected, which is pushing the two anti-hunting ballot
measures, plans to challenge the new law, passed late last month,
because it believes the petition language violated a single-issue
constitutional requirement for citizen initiatives.
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