Great Lakes Wolf Management and Policy

Wolf restoration in the Western Great Lakes is an Endangered Species Act (ESA) success story. More than 30 years of federal protections and careful stewardship by the states in the region helped to bring this beautiful and critically important creature back from fewer than 1,000 individuals, all in Minnesota at the time of listing, to current numbers of more than 4,000 animals in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. On March 12, 2007, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed federal protections for wolves in the Western Great Lakes states. Today, the state agencies are tasked with the job of ensuring the long-term survival of the wolf through the implementation of wolf management plans adopted by the states.

Defenders is actively involved in the state wolf management planning process by serving on state wolf management stakeholder groups and attending annual regional wolf conferences. In addition, we offer financial support to prevent conflicts between wolves and livestock through The Bailey Wildlife Foundation Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund and supplemental funding for Michigan’s compensation program, which offers farmers financial assistance if wolves attack their livestock.

Wisconsin

Defenders serves on the Wisconsin Wolf Stakeholders, consisting of representatives from conservation organizations and local Native American tribes, hunters, farmers and educators. The group meets twice each year to discuss wolf management policies in the state.

Learn more about wolves in Wisconsin.

Michigan

In 2006, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources created the Michigan Wolf Management Roundtable to provide input and recommendations about wolf management policies in the state. The diverse group of 20 stakeholders, including Defenders, discussed the biological and social aspects of wolf management during a series of meetings. In November of 2006, the group submitted their final recommendations for wolf management to the agency to review as they revise the state wolf management plan.

Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will direct wolf management through the state’s wolf management plan and a state law, which authorizes protocols for the management of the state’s wolf populations.