As a footnote, Harrison Williams was indicted in 1980 as a result of the FBI’s Abscam Sting, and convicted on nine counts of bribery and conspiracy.  Harrison met repeatedly with undercover FBI agents and worked out a deal where he would become involved in a titanium mining operation by way of having 18% of the company’s shares issued to his lawyer and promised to steer government contracts to the venture by benefit of his Senate position.  Interestingly, Rep. John Murtha (D-NY) was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the scandal.

   That’s just a little history about how Yoopers have been made to unwillingly waltz with wolves, though the good Lord knows Gang Green has been trying to educate us about how wonderful the man-eating killing machines are for the eco-system so we’ll become more and more tolerant of their increasing numbers.

   The MI-DNR recently updated its original 1997 Wolf Management Plan, taking in recommendations of the MI Wolf Roundtable, and is welcoming public comment on their new draft of the plan through Nov. 14^th. 

   While the 94 page tome seems overwhelming at first, a lot of it is redundant hype and pages of “literature cited” that can quickly be scanned through on the way to the crux of the matter, which for most folks is related to paying for wolf management, population control, and issues regarding human safety and hunting dog, pet, and livestock depredation.

   Not to diminish the value of carefully going over the entire management plan, but Section 6.9 dealing with managing “actual and perceived threats to human safety posed by wolves” is quite interesting, as is Section 6.7, which deals with wolf depredation and social carrying capacity.

    After reading through those sections, chapter and verse, it should be obvious to anyone with a lick of sense that the more Yoopers tolerate wolves, the worse it will become, and that there will be continued concentrated efforts to “educate” adults and children alike so that those who’ve been made unwilling victims of the forced reintroduction of wolves will become more and more tolerant.

   There seems to be a consensus of opinion among wolf promoters that there are few incidents in the U.P. of humans having conflicts with wolves, whether it be a personal encounter or problems with wolves threatening or killing livestock, hunting dogs, and pets. 

   In many cases, people have learned over recent years to mistrust the DNR as a whole, and want nothing to do with any investigating officer.  This is unfortunate, as it keeps a majority of Yoopers in the dark about wolf problems in the U.P. and disables those who’ve had a belly full of the wolf nonsense from organizing or joining a sensible wolf management or anti-wolf stakeholder group with clout.

   I recently talked with the clerk at the Watton grocery store who told me that wolves are using the porch area right in front of her door as a toilet.

   An incident like this isn’t exactly DNR fodder, but maybe it should be. If they’ve enough money to pay for wolf management and the problems that

 ensue, they should have enough money to pay for posting news of problem wolves on their Website in a place that’s easily found, just as the Wisconsin DNR does.

   In the meanwhile, there’s a relatively new Website, Michigan Online Wolf Petition, which provides forums where information about wolves and the problems they cause can be posted.  It may take some getting used to and patience in learning how to post something new or reply to items already posted, but readers with computers are encouraged to visit the site often at the link provided at the end of this report.

   As an example of the lack of information sharing in the U.P., consider that there was a meeting in Ironwood on July 5^th regarding problem wolves that have been killing livestock and pets in that area for quite some time, lots of them at the John Koski farm near Bessemer where at least seven wolves were lethally removed last spring. 

   Many at the meeting arranged by Eldred (Al) Clemens, with invited guests Rep. Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) and Wakefield native Rep. Kevin Green (R-Wyoming) attending, believe the MI-DNR’s estimate of 500-600 wolves in the U.P. is too low, a belief countless other Yoopers share.  To the best of my knowledge, the Ironwood Globe’s editor was the only newsman to cover the meeting, and yours truly got an e-mailed copy of that article by way of a property rights activist who lives in New Mexico.  But hey, let a child be mauled and killed and you can bet reporters will be crawling all over each other to get the scoop.

A woman later attacked Mr. Clemons in a letter to the editor by accusing him of holding a “secret meeting”.  Truth is that he was asked to keep the meeting down to a dull roar attendance-wise to accommodate the meeting room’s size and only twenty were allowed to attend.  Had it been a bigger room, say the high school gym, it’s likely it would have been busting at the seams.  She also attacked Mr. Koski by writing that if he hasn’t learned to manage his livestock after 10 years (presumably during the years he’s had to put up with wolves), he should get out of the business.  Well, at least we know where that stakeholder stands.

   What really ticks this writer off is that every Tom, Dick and Harry Stakeholder Group and/or individual member of those groups will weigh in on the new Michigan Wolf Management Plan, including those who are against lethal take, but it’s the Yoopers who are being victimized by the DNR’s and Gang Green’s poorly estimated and growing population of wolves in only one third of the state.  Put a pack of wolves or two in the “green ways” around Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw, or even Petosky and let’s see who’s howling then!

   The draft wolf management plan is posted on the MI-DNR Website at www.michigan.gov/dnr or at the direct link below.  Requests for hard copies can be sent to: MI-DNR Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 30444, Lansing, 48909.

  Comments can be e-mailed to wolf_comments@michigan.gov or mailed to: Wolf Plan Comments, Attn: Endangered Species Coordinator, MI-DNR Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 30444, Lansing 48909.