A lawsuit filed by animal welfare advocates seeking to invalidate Wisconsin’s new wolf management plan was dismissed by a judge on Monday. The Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke threw out the case, which accused Wisconsin wildlife officials of violating the state’s open meetings law and disregarding comments from wolf researchers and supporters. The controversial debate over wolf management in Wisconsin was highlighted in this case, reflecting the deep divisions on this issue within the state.
The lawsuit was filed by the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, also known as Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife. It alleged that Department of Natural Resources policy board members collected comments on the wolf management plan from favored interest groups even after the public comment period ended. However, the judge ruled in favor of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, stating that the open meetings law did not apply to the meetings in question due to a lack of a sufficient number of board members present to constitute a meeting.
Various private discussions attended by board members hosted by interest groups such as the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, the Wisconsin Association of Sporting Dogs, and Wisconsin Wolf Facts were at the center of the lawsuit’s allegations. The judge dismissed arguments of due process and administrative procedure violations as well as allegations that comments from the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance were ignored during the formation of the wolf plan. The judge highlighted that allowing discrimination claims against governmental bodies without sufficient evidence could potentially grind governmental operations to a halt.
Farmers in northern Wisconsin have long complained about the rapid increase in the wolf population and their attacks on livestock, while hunters argue that wolves are decimating the deer population in the state’s northern regions. However, conservationists believe that wolves still need protection as they establish themselves in Wisconsin. The DNR’s board adopted the wolf management plan recommending to maintain the population at about 1,000 wolves without setting a hard limit, providing the agency with more flexibility in managing the species.
State wildlife officials have justified the lack of a hard limit by saying it allows local wolf packs to fluctuate and gives the population a better chance at maintaining abundance in the long term. Hunting advocates support setting a population limit to protect both wolves and people, while conservation groups opposed certain provisions in the plan related to the DNR’s response to different population ranges in the state. Last year, a federal judge placed gray wolves back on the endangered species list, making hunting illegal and limiting control methods for farmers.
Efforts to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list have faced opposition from the Biden administration, making it unlikely for hunting to resume. The bill passed in the U.S. House aimed to take wolves off the list, but it is likely to be vetoed by the administration. Additionally, a bill passed by Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature to set a specific population goal was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The ongoing debate over wolf management in Wisconsin continues, with different stakeholders advocating for varying levels of protection and management for the wolf population in the state.
