FYI: From Jane Clark, Des Moines:

Minnesota Sierra Club has chosen the Eastern Timber Wolf as one of their
top 3 issues.  I thought you might be interested in reading about their
challenges -- the first paragraph is from Scott Elkins of Minnesota Sierra,
and the second article is one I received from Great Lake Habitat Watch,
with an update on the Timber Wolf situation.

Defending the Eastern Timber Wolf – By now you’ve probably heard about
plans to take the Eastern Timber Wolf off of the federal endangered species
list.  The North Star Chapter has a long and distinguished history of
defending the wolf in Minnesota, and now we’re stepping up to the plate
again.  We organized turnout at public hearings in January, we’ve had
commentaries published in newspapers statewide, and we’ll be vigorously
advocating on the wolf’s behalf throughout delisting process.  We will work
to ensure that the Eastern Timber Wolf thrives in Minnesota for generations
to come.  We’ll be opposing efforts by anti-wolf legislators and elements
within the Department of Natural Resources who want to instigate an open
hunting season on this cherished symbol of wild Minnesota.

STORM BREWING OVER WOLVES IN MINNESOTA: "This will be the biggest wildlife
issues to face Minnesota in a long, long time" -- Ray Fenner, Superior
Wilderness Action Network. On March 10, the Minnesota House Agriculture
Committee set the stage for a fierce confrontation over the management of
the state's wolf population when they gutted the Department of Natural
Resource's proposed wolf management plan. The DNR's plan (HW #128), based
on a broad-based roundtable consensus reached last August by a 34-member
citizen's panel including farmers, hunters, trappers, environmentalists,
animal rights groups and private citizens, included provisions such as no
range or wolf population limits, no hunting for at least five years,
limited "taking" exemptions for farmers, and a trigger population of 1,600
animals at which point the state would implement more protective standards.
 According to the March 11 Duluth News Tribune, the Ag Committee's rewrite
initiates an immediate hunting and trapping season and stipulates a MAXIMUM
population of 1,600 wolves. Additionally, the plan would drop the fine for
illegally killing wolves from $2,000 to $250. For many, the idea of an
animal going directly from the endangered species list to the hunting list
is unconscionable. "I've been working on this issue for 30 years and the
reality is that attitudes haven't changed much. It's not about managing the
wolf at all," said Karlyn Berg of Help Our Wolves Live.

The Committee's amendment has already been denounced by the DNR through a
statement by the author of the DNR plan Mike Don Carlos who said "The DNR
continues to support that [August] agreement. We do not support the bill as
amended. It's a serious departure."  While the sponsor of the original
bill, Gary Laidig (R-Stillwater), hopes in the end to keep the DNR proposal
intact, it's future is uncertain as it moves now to the House Environment
and Natural Resources Committee. In the state Senate, Senate Environment
and Natural Resources Committee Chair Bob Lessard (DFL-International Falls)
said he expects the Senate version to reflect similar changes to allow more
aggressive wolf culling, according to the News Tribune article. Contact Ray
Fenner at 651-646-6277, [log in to unmask]

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