The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has scheduled nine public hearings in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin to give the public opportunity to comment on a proposal to delist gray wolves in the Eastern Distinct Population Segment (DPS).
These public hearings follow a national announcement made on July 16 proposing the delisting of gray wolves in the Eastern DPS. The Eastern DPS extends from the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas to the East Coast. The southern boundary includes Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and its northern boundary is the Canadian border.
When it proposed delisting gray wolves in the eastern United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service noted that wolves in the Eastern DPS have climbed beyond population criteria set out in the species’ recovery plan. Further, the eastern states with gray wolf populations – Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin – have management plans in place to ensure the species’ long-term survival.
All public hearings will consist of an informational open house beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by a presentation on the proposal, a question and answer session, and then the official public hearing.
The Service will hold the nine public hearings on the following dates and locations:
Minnesota
Bemidji, MN, on August 31, 2004, at Bemidji State University, Beaux Arts Ballroom--Hobson Memorial Union, 1500 Birchmont Drive NE
Virginia, MN, on September 1, 2004, at the Mesabi Range Community College, F100—Fine Arts Theater, 1001 Chestnut Street West
Bloomington, MN, on October 6, 2004, at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, 3815 American Blvd. East
Michigan
Marquette, MI, on September 13, 2004, at Northern Michigan University, Explorer Room, Don Bottum Conference Center, 540 West Kaye Avenue (park in lot #8)
Sault Ste. Marie, MI, on September 14, 2004, at Lake Superior State University, Cisler Center, Ontario Room, 650 West Easterday Avenue (park in lots A, B, E, J, or X after 5 p.m.)
East Lansing, MI, on September 15, 2004, at Michigan State University, BioMedical and Physical Science Building—Auditorium, corner of Wilson and Farm Lane (parking allowed in staff or faculty spaces after 6 p.m.)
Wisconsin
Madison, WI, on September 27, 2004, at the University of Wisconsin Union South, 227 North Randall Avenue
Wausau, WI, on September 28, 2004, at the Westwood Conference Center, Westwood Conference Room, 1800 West Bridge Street
Ashland, WI, on September 29, 2004, at the Northern Great Lakes Center, 29270 County Highway G.
For more information on the gray wolf Eastern DPS delisting proposal, see the Service’s gray wolf web site at http://midwest.fws.gov/wolf
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 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 and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
