Same Jonas WDNR section supervisor describes the legal requirements of population objectives shaping the states 2023 plan to manage wolves

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife species section supervisor Sam Jonas describes the legal requirements and population objectives shaping the state's 2023 plan to manage wolves. By Nathan Denzin | Here & Now (PBS Wisconsin)

Sam Jonas:
I would say, you know, the overarching result of the 2023 wolf management plan is that it strives for a sustainable and healthy wolf population in the state of Wisconsin, and that's the real goal of the plan itself. In regards to protections, you know, wolves are federally protected currently and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife sort of manages restrictions, what the states can or cannot do, so the management plan itself doesn't direct or, it doesn't do anything as far as restrictions go for wolves. That being said, if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ever do downlist or delist wolves from the Endangered Species list, the state of Wisconsin is required by law to institute a wolf hunt and trapping season. So when and if that happens or occurs, that would be the next steps and plan and the management plan spells that out, what that would look like. It has, you know, a population table of goals for wolves in Wisconsin and we're also gonna be balancing that with what does depredation look like, what do conflicts look like within each zone, what is the community saying for the wolf saying where they live. And we're gonna take that into effect when and if the state of Wisconsin will have a hunt.