Ron Johnson, Tammy Baldwin introduce bill to remove federal protections for the gray wolf
Bill Glauber
Wisconsin's two U.S. senators joined forces this week to introduce a bill to remove federal protections for the gray wolf.
Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin are seeking to return management of gray wolf populations to the states.
They're also seeking to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Wyoming's two Republican U.S. senators, Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, have joined the effort that comes after a key court ruling.
Last month, a California federal court judge ordered that federal protections be restored for gray wolves in most of the U.S., including Wisconsin.
The ruling effectively banned any hunting or trapping seasons as well as prohibited lethal control of wolves around ranches or farms. Only nonlethal means can be used to deter wolves.
In a statement, Johnson said: “Wisconsinites must have a say in the management of gray wolves. In the western Great Lakes region, state wildlife agencies should manage the recovered population so the wolf’s ongoing role in the ecosystem does not come at the expense of farmers, loggers, sportsmen and people who simply live in these areas."
In a statement, Baldwin said: “I have supported a bipartisan effort to delist the gray wolf in Wisconsin since 2011 because of the scientific conclusion that the population has recovered in the Great Lakes region and that is why we should return management to the State of Wisconsin. This bipartisan legislation is the best solution because it is driven by science and is focused on delisting in the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin.”
Wildlife advocates vowed to push back against the legislation. They cite what occurred during a February 2021 Wisconsin wolf hunt that saw 218 wolves killed in three days, 83% more than the state-licensed quota.
More:Judge orders federal protection for gray wolves be restored
Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said: "We'll fight tooth and nail against this disastrous wolf delisting bill. Wisconsin's brutal winter wolf hunt last year shows that states can't be trusted with wolf management."
In October, a Dane County Circuit Court placed an injunction on the state's plan for a fall 2021 wolf hunting and trapping season.
Paul Collins, Wisconsin state director for Animal Wellness Action, criticized the bill.
“Judicial review is part of our legal system, and it’s deeply disappointing that these lawmakers would attempt to subvert that important feature of our system of checks and balances," Collins said in a statement.
"Federal judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats have determined that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the animals prematurely. We also know that Wisconsin’s politically minded Natural Resources Board shirked its duty to properly manage wolves. We will continue to fight for wolves and other imperiled wildlife at every turn."
On Friday, five Wisconsin Republicans joined 11 others in a letter demanding the House Natural Resources Committee schedule a hearing on that chamber's Managing Predators Act.
U.S. Reps. Scott Fitzgerald, Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil and Tom Tiffany support the measure to delist the gray wolf and restore management to the states.
"Enough is enough — decisions about how to manage Wisconsin’s gray wolves ought to be made by people in Wisconsin, not by lawyers, judges, and bureaucrats thousands of miles away," Tiffany said in a statement.