Michigan lawmakers want gray wolf population control rights back

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Some lawmakers in Michigan are pushing for Congress to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list—allowing population management to be returned to the states.

23 state representatives introduced a resolution Tuesday to urge Congress to reinstate the Department of Interior’s prior removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the gray wolf (excluding the Mexican wolf) from the list in 2020. However, a court order in February 2022 once again protected gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

 

Critical habitat for the gray wolves in Michigan was reinstated, and gray wolves were once again classified as endangered in the state.

However, some lawmakers in Michigan think that gray wolf population management should be returned to the states—echoing lawmakers in Congress who recently introduced the Pet and Livestock Protection Act.

That bill would do exactly what the Michigan House resolution wants—remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

The resolution says that gray wolf populations in Michigan have made a large recovery since the species was classified as endangered, with more than 750 wolves estimated to live in the Upper Peninsula as of winter 2024. State lawmakers worry that, if the population continues to grow, the gray wolf population would “wreak havoc” on the “significantly declining white-tail deer population.”

 

The resolution was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism, and you can read a copy of it Here: Click Me

Source & Credit: wlns.com