Wisconsin Ag Connection - Johnson Offers New Amendment to Delist Gray Wolves

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Johnson Offers New Amendment to Delist Gray Wolves
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 06/11/2020

Between COVID-related event cancellations and devastatingly low commodity prices, some of the other top issues in agriculture have been put aside in recent months. But U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he has not forgetten about the effort to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species act. The Oshkosh Republican introduced a bipartisan amendment this week to remove the animal in the Western Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin.

Johnson says his amendment would restore the gray wolf to the status determined to be appropriate by Department of Interior wildlife experts in 2011, thus allowing the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to develop a wolf population management program.

"Gray wolf listing decisions should come from wildlife experts. While Congress has failed to act, many northern Wisconsinites' problems with wolves have only gotten worse," Johnson said. "This critical amendment would allow wolf management plans that are based on federal and state wildlife expertise to move forward without legal ambiguity. This is the proper time and place for Congress to discuss this issue, so I hope there will be full consideration of my amendment."

Johnson's amendment is co-sponsored by fellow Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin along with Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi of Wyoming.

In late 2019, the DNR estimated Wisconsin's wolf population to be between 914 to 978 wolves.

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