MADISON, WI – Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) has released an analysis of the Draft Wolf Conservation Plan released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in November 2022. The Plan is based on updated wolf population data and current biological and social research, and it makes management recommendations and prescriptions based on the status of wolves in Wisconsin. The Plan reflects input from the Wolf Management Plan Committee convened by the WDNR in 2021, consisting of Wisconsin organizations, individuals, tribes, and agencies – including Wisconsin’s Green Fire.
WGF’s analysis of the Draft Wolf Conservation Plan includes support for key provisions of the plan,
recommendations for plan modification and refinement, and additional recommendations for ongoing
research, monitoring, and plan implementation.
View the full analysis here.
Wisconsin’s Green Fire Executive Director Fred Clark offered this statement in response to the Draft
Wolf Plan:
“The return of wolves to Wisconsin is a conservation success story. Our Wisconsin wolf population is
currently secure, and wolves now occupy the majority of favorable habitat. The Draft Wisconsin Wolf
Plan is an opportunity to help maintain viable populations of wolves in Wisconsin, while meaningfully
addressing human-wolf conflicts, and respecting the widespread interest of most Wisconsin residents to
better understand and accept wolves in our state.”
“Wisconsin’s Green Fire supports de-listing of wolves from their current Endangered Status; however,
resumption of state management of wolves must include a commitment to sound, science-based
conservation that reflects the current wolf population, minimizes human-wolf conflicts using data-driven
approaches, and respects the rights and traditions of our tribal partners. The Draft Wolf Plan gets us a
long way there and is a big step forward.”
The full analysis is available on WGF’s website here, and at https://wigreenfire.org/our-publications/.
