Breaking News! #Wolf Patrol Monitors WI Wolf Hunt: Eyewitness report

by Rachel Tilseth

on October 20, 2014 

 

This blogger joined Rod Coronado’s Wolf Patrol shown here with team members Sunday October 19, 2014 taken in the WI north woods.

Rod Coronado contacted me back in July 2014 looking to support Wolves Of Douglas County Wisconsin’s work by monitoring the wolf hunt. I was skeptical at first, but then after following wolf Patrol’s monitoring effort out in Yellowstone gained more confidence in their ability to monitor WI wolf hunt.

So confident in their ability, that I agreed to support their efforts here in WI. In fact, directed them to Douglas county WI where residents are in favor of wolves and have coexisted with wild wolves since the 1970s. Here is my blog on WDNR’s wolf social survey http://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com/2014/08/28/8281wdnr-wolf-survey-results-the-good-bad-and-the-ugly-by-rachel-tilseth/

I spent the weekend observing the work of Rod Coronado’s Wolf Patrol as they monitored the WI wolf hunt. Here’s the link to their page https://www.facebook.com/teamwolfpatrol
 
Coronado is not new to activism and has served time for violating the law while protecting animals from abusive situations. Coronado made it clear that Wolf Patrol intends to monitor not interfere with the WI wolf hunt. “We know the law, and although we are working to end the wolf hunt, we are not trying to interfere with legal wolf hunting. We simply are monitoring WDNR-endorsed wolf control activities on public lands with the intent of sharing that information with the public.” Quoted from Wolf Patrol press release http://wolfpatrol.org/
 
Coronado wants Wolf Patrol to legally monitor this hunt and expressed to this blogger that he wants wolf patrol to support the efforts of all wolf advocacy in WI. Wolf Patrol arrived in Douglas county WI on October 14, 2014 and began scouting the area for wolf packs http://youtu.be/MRTdJXdIMPU
 

Photograph from Wolf Patrol location somewhere in Douglas co WI

Coronado and his team of dedicated volunteers arrived the evening before WI’s third controversial wolf hunt. WI third wolf hunt has become a Dysfunction Junction because Cathy Stepp, head of the DNR booted pro wolf groups off of WI Wolf Advisory Committee that recommends wolf policy to the Natural Resources board. http://www.wpr.org/dnr-secretary-confirms-wolf-hunt-opponents-were-removed-advisory-committee

Anti wolf members are the majority rule in Cathy Stepp’s new WAC. Here is more on this topic http://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com/2014/10/02/third-wolf-hunt-set-to-begin-with-no-permanent-rule-in-place-to-monitor-use-of-dogs/

Coronado’s Wolf Patrol is a welcome relief here in WI where there is little or no enforcement of this wolf hunt. As a matter of fact, not a single WDNR warden was seen out monitoring the wolf hunt. “Wolf Patrol never saw any signs of WDNR while out on patrol.” said Coronado.

Even more disturbing news is that WDNR’s monitoring of this wolf hunt has proven negligent as wolf kill quotas rise far above maximum in several wolf management zones. I was out on patrol with Coronado and his team when the news came in that zone 1 would be closing the next day.

This wolf hunt update is from the WDNR web page. 2014 wolf harvest
Zones will close when quotas are reached. Harvest as of 10/20/2014
Zone Quota Harvest Zone Status

1 32 35 Closed
2 15 29 Closed
3 40 2 Open
4 8 4 Closed
5 20 14 Closing 10/20
6 35 1 Open
Total 150 85

These numbers show WDNR’s lack of restraint regarding wolf hunters. This means that as of today wolf hunters have gone over quotas in two wolf management zones.

I met Coronado’s team members on Saturday. Coranado’s team had to move camp twice due to death threats from wolf hunters. Coronado’s team is made up of all young people willing to monitor this wolf hunt through thick and thin.

I’m relieved to see young people willing to take a stand for their beliefs. In this case these young citizens activists value wild wolves and are willing to monitor this wolf hunt. This blogger hopes Wolf Patrol will become a popular trend.



Rod Coronado, this blogger and a few members of Wolf Patrol (names withheld for their protection)

Wolf patrol traveled the roads and trails in Douglas co finding evidence of active wolf packs in the area. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zDk94qvXckc

Coronado’s team found trapping sites as they drove the the rural Douglas co roads. For more details on wolf patrol’s monitoring activities http://wolfpatrol.org/

Coronado told me that his team has gone through training on how to de-escalate not escalate any encounters with wolf hunters. This blogger witnessed wolf patrol team members wave and smile at hunters as they passed by them.

This blogger spent Saturday evening with Wolf Patrol around a warm camp fire. One wolf patrol member recounted how he saw his very first wild wolf while out on patrol. Other wolf patrol members talked about how sad they felt about how so many wolves were killed over the last four days.

This blogger is confident that Wolf Patrol will make a positive difference on this wolf hunt. Because after spending the weekend observing wolf patrol’s work, I witnessed first hand that: Coronado is focussed and dedicated to wolf patrol’s mission and is a strong caring leader. Along with a dedicated and caring team of young people, that have values in the right place.

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