A lawsuit filed by animal welfare advocates seeking to invalidate Wisconsin’s new wolf management plan was dismissed by a judge on Monday. The lawsuit accused Wisconsin wildlife officials of violating the state’s open meetings law and ignoring comments from wolf researchers and supporters. Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke granted a motion to dismiss filed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and its board. The lawsuit was filed by the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, also known as Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife. The group alleged that policy board members collected comments on the wolf management plan from favored interest groups even after the public comment period ended.
The lawsuit focused on three private discussions attended by board members hosted by various organizations. The judge ruled that the open meetings law did not apply to these discussions because there was not a sufficient number of board members present to constitute a meeting. Ehlke also rejected allegations of due process and administrative procedure violations. The judge stated that the group did not provide sufficient evidence to support their discrimination claims. Attorney Susann Bradford, representing the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, requested the judge to reconsider the ruling, but the request was denied. The group is now reviewing whether to file an appeal in response to the dismissal of their lawsuit.
Farmers in northern Wisconsin have long complained about the quickly multiplying wolf population and their impact on livestock, while hunters argue that wolves are causing significant damage to the deer population in the state’s northern regions. Conservationists, on the other hand, believe that wolves still need protection in Wisconsin and have not fully established themselves. The DNR’s board adopted the wolf management plan in October, recommending maintaining the statewide wolf population at around 1,000 wolves without setting a hard limit. State wildlife officials argue that without a specific limit, the DNR has more flexibility to manage the species and allow local wolf packs to fluctuate.
Last year, a federal judge placed gray wolves back on the endangered species list, halting hunting and limiting farmers to nonlethal control methods. The DNR updated its wolf management plan to prepare for the potential removal of wolves from the list, allowing hunting to resume. The U.S. House recently passed a bill to remove wolves from the endangered species list, but the bill faces opposition from the Biden administration. Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature also passed a bill to require setting a specific population goal, which was vetoed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. The contentious debate over wolf management in Wisconsin continues, with differing opinions on the necessity of a population limit and the protection of wolves and people alike.
