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Wisconsin Farm Bureau critical of DNR wolf meeting plan
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources wants to hold a virtual listening session to discuss wolf management, but Farm Bureau says the meeting format isn’t fair to farmers.
President Kevin Krentz tells Brownfield many farmers in the areas most affected by wolves don’t have adequate broadband coverage to participate in a virtual event. “What we want is for them to have a hearing in a prime wolf habitat area, mainly northern Wisconsin so that we can have Wisconsin residents having a voice in this process.”
Krentz says the virtual listening session does not have a residential requirement, meaning pro-wolf or anti-farm activists who don’t live in rural areas would have an unfair advantage.
Krentz says Farm Bureau would also like the DNR to go back to using target numbers for wolf population goals instead of what he calls their holistic goals. “When we’re looking at the success of the wolf population and the goals that we set forth, they’re much easier for everybody to fully understand if we have numerical goals.”
Krentz is also hoping the DNR will work to get more accurate wolf population numbers to develop a better management plan. He says members still report having livestock killed by wolves.
Wisconsin DNR’s webpage shows 49 incidents with 70 confirmed wolf kills of calves, chickens, lambs, and hunting dogs in 2022. There were also 14 wolf harassment threats last year.
The Wisconsin DNR has scheduled the virtual listening session for Tuesday, February 7th at 4:00 pm CST.
