That’s
programmed people from their childhood to be leery of these furry,
four-legged creatures. However, Adrian Wydeven will be presenting an
update on Wisconsin Wolves: ecological research, population growth, and
latest management issues this Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. at the
Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (NGLVC).
Wydeven,
the coordinator of the Timber Wolf Alliance at the Sigurd Olson
Environmental Institute at Northland College, said this will be a
presentation delving into the current facts on the state’s wolves.
“It’ll be a presentation on wolf ecology
and management and some updates on what’s going on with wolves in the
state,” he said. “I think a wolf is an often misunderstood animal. There
is a lot of mythology that’s been developed around wolves.”
Wydeven
explained that his presentation would provide updates on what is
happening with wolves in northern Wisconsin, including the Chequamegon
Bay area and the northwest parts of the state.
“We’ll
talk about how the population’s doing, what surveys are finding and
then talk about some of the ecological benefits of wolves,” he said.
Wydeven said he would address some of the myths people have about wolves.
“Things
like whether they need to be fearful to walk their dogs in the woods or
whether they need to fear for themselves and what the impact wolves are
having on the deer population and the impact they have on livestock,”
he said. “Things like that, which are often of concern to people.”
Wydeven
said that some of his key talking points would be the ecological value
of wolves, the role they play in the ecosystem, the impact they have on
deer and livestock, what it means to have a wolf population in our
backyards and how do people need to behave differently when they walk in
the forest or travel to wolf areas with the presence of wolves versus
when they’re weren’t wolves there. He’ll also try to dispel some of the
myths that people have about wolves.
“They
[people] don’t need to be fearful,” he said. “Wolves very rarely attack
people and living with wolves shouldn’t be of concern to people.”
Wydeven said he hopes to alleviate concerns.
“Hopefully,
people develop a better appreciation of the wolves in the area,” he
said. “We are probably lucky to live in a place that is wild enough to
have wolves and it adds to the diversity and enjoyment of our
environment.”
Wydeven explained what he hopes people take away from Thursday’s presentation.
“Hopefully
a better understanding of what’s going on with wolves in the state and
the status of their management,” he said, reiterating that he hopes it
will alleviate or address concerns about wolves people may have.
Wydeven said those interested in wolves
in general and those wanting to learn more about what’s going on with
wolves in Wisconsin will benefit from the presentation.
“If
they’ve got concerns about the impact wolves have, if they’re concerned
about going out in the woods with wolves, hopefully this will educate
them more about wolves so that they can be more at ease when they travel
in areas where there’s wolves and continue to enjoy our forests and
walk around and walk their pets in the areas that wolves are in as well,
he said.”
Wydeven discussed some of the concerns he would be addressing.
“(There
are) concerns that they have a major impact on the deer herd or that
they are going to devastate the livestock industry or that it becomes
unsafe to walk in an area where there’s wolves or that your dogs are at
high risk if there’s a wolf population in the area,” he said. “Those are
concerns that have developed and they are not realistic and we want to
make sure to address those so people are at ease and have a better
understanding of the animal.”
The NGLVC is located at 29270 Co. Hwy. G. For more information on this or other events at the NGLVC visit them online at nglvc.org or call them at 715-685-9983.
This
presentation is being sponsored by the Friends of the North Pikes Creek
Wetlands and is free and open to the public. For more information visit
www.northpikescreek.org.
source
source
No comments:
Post a Comment