New lawsuit over wolf management plan in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s wolf management plan has been in place for months now, but the legal fallout continues.

Conservation groups have appealed the process, with a coalition announcing the appeal this week over how the management plan came about under the supervision of the state Department of Natural Resources.

A judge dismissed the original lawsuit in the spring, accusing an agency panel of violating rules for dealing with interest groups related to hunting.

Melissa Smith, executive director of Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife, said favoring certain voices would disadvantage other wildlife groups.

“It is quite outrageous that the citizens of Wisconsin have no legal recourse to challenge decisions affecting wildlife protection,” Smith claimed.

The coalition said the judge’s decision contradicts the principles of the Public Trust Doctrine. The DNR said it cannot respond to pending litigation. The legal action comes months after federal agencies decided to keep the gray wolf on the endangered species list.

State law requires that wolves be hunted when the animal is no longer under federal protection. However, the new management plan does not include a target with concrete numbers. Instead, the plan focuses on sustainability, which is a point of contention among hunting advocates.

At the same time, Smith stressed that she would like to see uniform government regulations.

“If you look at the deer plan, our deer plan for Wisconsin, it says clearly that deer are kept in public care,” Smith stressed. “It seems to be quite inconsistent when they decide something is kept in public care and when it’s not.”

Across the country, certain hunting and farming groups claim that the gray wolf population has grown too large and is endangering livestock. But conservationists say the concerns are often exaggerated and that management efforts must be based on science.