State Rep. Greg Markkanen this week introduced a resolution seeking needed control of the state’s wolf population to help protect people’s livelihoods across the U.P.
House Resolution 219 urges the state’s Wolf Management Advisory Council and Natural Resources Commission to authorize and organize wolf hunting and trapping to ramp up management efforts beginning this year.
Gray wolves in Michigan had been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1974, until the federal government removed it in January 2021. The species has made a remarkable recovery since near-extinction, and their population in the state has grown to almost 700 – which is over three times the number biologists consider necessary to maintain a healthy population.
“We must ensure the state is mindful and responsible regarding this population, just as we do for numerous other wild animals,” said Markkanen, of Hancock. “This is not an effort to decimate the population. No one is calling for the elimination of the species. Wolves play an important part in the ecosystem, but we must also recognize the fact that they can pose great danger to people’s livestock and pets, and a wolf population that grows further only grows the potential for problems and tragedies in the U.P.”
Markkanen also noted the state reimburses ranchers at fair market value for livestock lost to wolves and coyotes, and that common-sense control is in Michigan’s vested interest.
The resolution was adopted in a voice vote by the House. Copies will be transmitted to members of the Natural Resources Commission and Wolf Management Advisory Council, as well as Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger.
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