The public will have the opportunity to provide comment on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services proposal to reclassify gray wolves in the Great Lakes area during a series of October public hearings in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Service published a proposal in July that would change the status of gray wolves in the Great Lakes area from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Hearings will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on October 10, 2000; in East Lansing, Michigan on October 16, 2000; in Marquette, Michigan on October 17, 2000; and in Duluth, Minnesota on October 18, 2000. Locations are:
October 10, 2000 - Madison, Wisconsin: Mitby Auditorium, Madison Area Technical College, 3550 Anderson Street (near the Madison Regional Airport).
October 16, 2000 - East Lansing, Michigan: Communication Arts and Sciences Building, Room 147, corner of Red Cedar Road and Wilson Road, Michigan State University.
Oct. 17, 2000 - Marquette, Michigan: Holiday Inn, 1951 U.S. 41 West.
October 18, 2000 - Duluth, Minnesota: Life Sciences Building, Oakland Avenue, on the University of Minnesota Duluth Campus.
Each hearing will begin at 6 p.m. local time and end at 9 p.m. Service representatives will be present to provide an overview of the reclassification proposal and to listen to public comments.
Written comments may be submitted at the hearings or sent via email to GRAYWOLFCOMMENTS@FWS.gov Comments may also submitted by facsimile to 406-329-3021, using the subject line "wolf comments" or sent by mail to: Content Analysis Enterprise Team, Wolf Comments, 200 East Broadway, PO Box 7669, Room 301, Missoula, Montana 59807. All comments must be received by the Service no later than November 13, 2000. More information on submitting comments can be obtained by calling the gray wolf information number (612-713-7337) or on the Services wolf web site at http://midwest.fws.gov/wolf
For complete details on the proposal to reclassify the gray wolf, visit the gray wolf website or call the gray wolf information number.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
