Gray wolf photo courtesy of USFWS.

Act: Protect Michigan Wolves

The Michigan Senate is pressuring state wildlife managers to open up a hunting season on gray wolves after a last-minute Trump administration action removing the animals from the federal Endangered Species Act. Your help is needed to urge the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to remain committed to updating the Michigan Wolf Management Plan (MWMP) and asking Michigan citizens their views before making any significant wolf management changes.

Sierra Club, along with other groups, have sued to reverse the federal de-listing of wolves. However, in the meantime states with wolves have the authority to manage them, including holding wolf hunts. In Michigan decisions on which species can be hunted as well as hunting seasons are made by the NRC.

Wisconsin held a wolf hunt, beginning on Feb. 22, with a goal of killing 118 wolves. By 5 p.m. two days later, 250 wolves had been killed. That same day, a Michigan Senate committee passed a resolution calling on the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the NRC to hold a hunt in Michigan this winter.

The DNR has resisted calls for an immediate hunt. They want to update the Wolf Management Plan, which dates from 2013, before even considering a hunt. The DNR also wants to do public opinion research to better gauge how Michigan residents feel about wolf hunting.

Sierra Club strongly supports this position, and we call on the NRC to stand firm, consult with Michigan tribes and consider state residents' views when they update the MWMP.