The study assessed suitability of habitat in the U. A western route could use St. Helena Island as a stepping stone, while an eastern route could cut across Mackinac, Round and Bois Blanc islands. All potential routes identified in the study are shorter than ice bridges wolves have crossed between Isle Royale in Lake Superior and the nearest points on the mainland in Minnesota and Ontario. However, DNR wildlife research specialist Dean Beyer said the amount of suitable habitat in the northern Lower Peninsula may be insufficient and too patchy to support wolf populations.
This is particularly germane in human-dominated areas of wolf recolonization where habitat is fragmented and the potential for wolf-human conflict is high. However, a radio-collared wolf from the U. Both were relatively close to the Straits of Mackinac.
The U. That marked the first verified wolf report in the Lower Peninsula since In , animals thought to be wolves were trapped and collared in Cheboygan County. Later DNA analysis confirmed them to be coyotes, not gray wolves. No scat or hair was found for a genetic testing. Staff will continue to investigate reports and administer winter track surveys.
The public's help in tracking sightings and paw prints has been sought this year. The debate over Michigan wolves -- and whether the state should be able to proceed with future hunts or lethal removal -- has continued in the wake of a federal decision that returned the Great Lakes population to endangered status.
Presently, wolves can only be killed if they pose an imminent threat to human life. In January , the USFWS removed wolves in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota from the federal endangered species list and returned management authority to the state level.
But in December of , a federal court order returned wolves to the Federal Endangered Species list. An appeal of this decision is ongoing. Wolf Management:. Beginning in the early s, the state of Michigan established a firm commitment to the protection and management of wolves. An annual "Michigan Wolf Awareness Week" observed during the month of October, was established in In , a diverse group of stakeholders known as the Wolf Management Roundtable convened to devise a new management plan to replace the old plan adopted in , when the state was still largely in a protect-and-allow-to-expand mode.
The new plan was to focus more on wolf management that would consider the coexistence of humans with a viable and recovered wolf population. The Michigan Wolf Management Plan , approved in and updated in , outlines suggested management, research and public outreach techniques used to effectively manage a recovered wolf population.
The plan directs the state to create a wolf management advisory group to periodically discuss wolf management and conservation in Michigan once the plan is implemented.
Recovery from endangered status is not the end of the story for wolves, but only a new beginning for management. Michigan's Wolf Management Plan is highly regarded and will allow the state to manage wolves in a socially and scientifically acceptable way. As a result of the U. S District Court in Washington DC, issuing an opinion immediately placing wolves in Michigan back on the federal endangered species list, the immediate impacts of this ruling are 1 Wolves may be killed only in the immediate defense of human life 2 two state laws allowing livestock or dog owners to kill wolves in the act of depredation are suspended PA and PA , both from Other non-lethal methods flagging, fencing, flashing lights, guard animals may still be used and are encouraged to prevent or minimize wolf depredation.
The Department will continue to investigate and pursue vigorous prosecution of any wolf poaching cases. Suspected poaching violations may be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the DNR's Report All Poaching hotline at Michigan Wolf Management Advisory Council.
The Wolf Plan includes directions for establishing regular communications among agencies, tribes, the general public, and other stakeholder groups. These communications will allow interested parties to monitor progress made toward full implementation of the Wolf Plan and provide opportunities for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources MDNR to receive input on specific management issues. To facilitate these benefits, the Wolf Management Advisory Council was created.
A total of 22 wolves were killed. The next year, opponents pushed two statewide ballot initiatives that won majority approval. However, the Legislature superseded them by empowering the appointed Natural Resources Commission to designate game animals. That could enable the commission to schedule more wolf hunting seasons if the state regains control.
The DNR first would update its management plan, considering alternative means of preventing livestock depredation or attacks on hunting dogs. It also would survey Michigan residents and consult with native tribes. Another reason to move slowly is the likelihood of additional court battles, Norton said.
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