Amendment to Federal Natural Resources Management Bill Delisting Gray Wolf Fails
Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 -- 8:00 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -A proposed amendment to the federal Natural Resources Management bill that would have delisted the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act in certain states did not pass.Drafted by U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, the amendment would have restored wolves to the status determined to be appropriate by Department of Interior wildlife experts. That would have allowed individual states to develop their own wolf population management program. "While the Natural Resources Management Act included a number of good provisions, it did not address a critical issue for Wisconsin: delisting the gray wolf as an endangered species in the western Great Lakes region," Sen. Johnson said. He continued, "This issue is too important to Wisconsin farmers, ranchers, loggers and sportsmen for me to support this legislation in the absence of a solution. I will continue to fight for gray wolf listing decisions to be made by federal and state wildlife experts now that its population is expanding and a threat to livestock and pets."
Specifically, the amendment would have delisted wolves in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, as well as Wyoming. The senators say the animal maintains a stable and growing population with an expanding territory in Wisconsin, which now has a wolf population close to 1,000.
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