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Putin 'inhumane,' Zelensky says, as Russia pounds Ukrainian power grid on Christmas DayReport: CT budget controls too restrictive, changes needed; Report: Future of IRS uncertain as Trump chooses agency critic as commissioner.

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President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Experts Propose New Methods for Managing WI Wildlife

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Monday, February 14, 2022   

A federal judge has restored endangered species protections to gray wolves across much of the Lower 48, including Wisconsin.

While conservation groups cheer the decision, some experts are urging states to learn from what they believe was mismanagement of wolf populations.

Adrian Treves, founder of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Carnivore Coexistence Lab, said wildlife management strategies give preference to a small subset of the population: hunters. He argued current standards for large carnivore management are based on either outdated, or false, science.

"Wisconsin gives us an immediate, current example of that, where wolf management was largely devoid of the latest science and didn't use the best available, although it was placed in front of the agency," Treves asserted.

While this season's wolf hunt was placed on hold due to a lawsuit, last February's hunt ended with 218 wolf deaths, blowing past the quota of 119. Hunters and their advocacy groups contended the wolf population has stabilized in recent years, and states should manage the species, not the federal government.

Treves and other environmental advocates are calling for a new wildlife management policy based on the public trust doctrine, which urges certain resources be preserved for the public and future generations. Under the model, Treves emphasized managing wildlife would be a cooperative effort between states, tribes and the federal government.

"If we stop thinking about wildlife as 'owned,' but more as a legacy asset, that's probably the thinking that's appropriate," Treves observed. "National parks are also legacy assets in the same way."

Kevin Bixby, executive director of Wildlife For All, agreed the current method of wildlife management is out of step with modern ecological knowledge. He also thinks states should abolish or significantly reform policy-setting wildlife commissions, which he said are often comprised of political appointees, and change the funding mechanisms for wildlife agencies.

"Hunters like to say that they pay for conservation, because agencies have historically, and still, get a good portion of their revenues from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses," Bixby pointed out.

Wisconsin's wildlife commission, the Natural Resources Board, has seen its fair share of controversy. Its former chair, Frederick Prehn, an appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has for months refused to step down from the board to make way for a new member appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.


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Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

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By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


Environment

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Animal rights organizers are regrouping after mixed results at the ballot box in November. A measure targeting factory farms passed in Berkeley but …

Environment

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Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill but they still want Congress…


Immigration law experts say applying for asylum status can be very lengthy, and that programs such as Temporary Protected Status can fill the void for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

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With 2025 almost here, organizations assisting Minnesota's Latino populations say they're laser focused on a couple of areas - mental health-care …

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A new report found Connecticut's fiscal controls on the state budget restrict long-term growth. The controls were introduced during the 2018 budget …

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Social Issues

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Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers …

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By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collab…

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By Julieta Cardenas for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

 

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