The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today released a revised draft of the 2023 Wolf Management Plan. The plan will go to the Natural Resource Board (NRB) during their meeting on Oct. 25, 2023.
The DNR began working on this updated draft plan in early 2021. The plan aligns wolf management practices with the current wolf population and the desires of a diverse public. The DNR recognizes the recovered status of wolves in Wisconsin. This plan turns its attention from wolf recovery to long-term stewardship and sustainable management of wolves in the state.
The draft plan aims to guide the DNR’s management efforts for the coming years. It shows the state’s commitment to maintain a sustainable and ecologically functional wolf population. The plan is also responsive in addressing wolf related conflicts and concerns. Both commitments are represented in the plan’s overarching goal:
Ensure a healthy and sustainable wolf population that fulfills the numerous ecological, cultural, and recreational benefits of wolves, while being responsive in addressing and preventing wolf related conflicts and recognizing the diverse values and perspectives of all residents in Wisconsin.
Prior to the first draft plan in November 2022, the DNR created and worked with a Wolf Management Plan Committee. The committee consisted of 29 stakeholder, tribal and external agency representatives. The DNR also consulted with Wisconsin’s Tribal Nations and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), reviewed scientific literature and studied current public attitudes toward wolves in Wisconsin. The DNR held a 3.5 month public review and comment period where over 3,500 comments were received.
“The public’s interest and passion towards wolves and wolf management showed in the comments the DNR received,” said DNR Secretary Adam N. Payne. “This plan comes from years of dedicated effort and careful consideration, is flexible, actionable, and, most importantly, outlines a path toward responsible and sustainable wolf management. I am thankful to everyone who contributed, reviewed the plan or submitted a comment.”
A draft copy of the full revised 2023 Wolf Management Plan is available on the DNR’s Wolf Management Plan webpage. The DNR recommends that the public read the executive summary before reading the rest of the plan.