Wisconsin regains the ability to control its own wolf population. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reinstated a decision by the U-S Fish-and-Wildlife Service to remove grey wolves from the federal endangered species list.
"It means that . . . Wisconsin will be able to proceed with its wolf management plans," Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank. "In the short term, it will allow us to have more flexability in dealing with problem wolves that prey on domesticated animals." For the longer term, delisting means Wisconsin may eventually establish a wolf hunt. Wisconsin has well over 500 grey wolves. Courts have overturned previous attempts to de-list the grey wolf – and more challenges are expected.
Frank says he's pleased by quick response from the Obama administration. President Obama signed an executive order which gives his new administration time to review the last-minute decisions the Bush bureaucrats made just before they left office, including the decision to de-list the grey wolf in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and parts of the northwestern U.S.
"I wrote to Secretary Salazar in January, and I know that he asked his staff to review this rule and give it some real attention," says Frank.
