Michigan may adopt wolf hunt if federal protections lifted
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LANSING - Pending legislation would allow gray wolf hunting and trapping if the federal government takes the animals off the Endangered Species List.
The possibility raises concerns among environmentalists that removing wolves from federal protection could set the species back and destabilize the ecosystem in Michigan.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to review the status of gray wolves on the federal list of endangered species.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimated the state's wolf population at 792 this past winter.
If the federal department delists the species, and if the bill introduced by state House Republicans passes, it would authorize an open season to hunt and trap them in the state.
DNR deputy public information officer John Pepin said his agency could not comment on the legislation, but the state's grey wolf population has reached milestones in recent years.
"We continue to advocate for delisting wolves in Michigan because they long ago reached federal and state population goals," Pepin said. "Under current law, any decision about a possible wolf hunt would be made by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, an independent body appointed by the governor."
In a news release, lead sponsor state Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, said authorizing wolf hunting licenses could improve the economy of the Upper Peninsula. Among the cosponsors are state Reps. Gregory Markkannan, R-Houghton; Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw; Rep. Parker Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs; and Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.
"Upper Peninsula families and sportsmen have watched wolf numbers explode while our deer and moose populations take a severe beating," Prestin said.
"This will help restore balance to our forests, protect our big game populations, keep our deer camps full, support local economies that rely on hunting and reduce livestock losses and pet attacks that are becoming far too common," he said.
However, Emily Smith, the policy manager for land and water conservation at the Michigan Environmental Council, said introducing hunting licenses for wolves may not have the effect intended by the sponsors.
"Having a hunting season in hopes of increasing the deer population isn't going to be seen," Smith said. "Instead, we may see other negative effects because they are a keystone species that help control other species."
If the bill becomes law, the state would have a mandatory wolf hunting and trapping season, but details would still be at the discretion of the commission, Smith said.
"This bill does not lay out the specific hunting season," Smith said, "so they could say 'we'll do it like we do the sturgeon' and have a set amount of six wolves" that could be taken in that season.
The bill was sent to the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism.
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This story was provided by Capital News Service at Michigan State University.