2023 House Concurrent Resolution 2

Whereas, The wildlife populations of the state and their habitats are of paramount importance to the citizens of this state; and

Whereas, Wolves are native to Michigan and were once present in all 83 counties. However, persecution, habitat loss, and active predator control programs throughout the 20th century led to the near extinction of wolves from the state. By 1935, wolves were extirpated from the Lower Peninsula, and by 1960, they had nearly vanished from the Upper Peninsula (UP); and

Whereas, Gray wolves in Michigan have been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1974. Since then, Michigan’s gray wolves have made a remarkable comeback, which led to the delisting of the gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species list several times, most recently, effective January 4, 2021. On February 10, 2022, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, of California, reversed a 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule removing wolves from the list in 45 states, but not the Northern Rockies, effectively relisting gray wolves in Michigan and the Great Lakes States; and

Whereas, A viable and self-sustaining wolf population, currently estimated at approximately 700 animals, has been re-established in the UP since 2007, far surpassing the original goal of around 200 set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Michigan Wolf Recovery and Management Plan. However, a sustainable wolf population has yet to be re-established in the Lower Peninsula; and

Whereas, The Lower Peninsula contains thousands of acres of suitable wolf habitat, which is characterized by large areas of contiguous forest and stable populations of wolves’ preferred prey, such as deer, rodents, and other small animals; and

Whereas, According to repeated statements from wolf advocates who are residents of the Lower Peninsula, wolves play a key role in improving the ecological systems in which they reside. Wolves target weak, sick, or otherwise vulnerable prey, which can lead to healthier populations of prey as well as increased availability of food for scavengers. Additionally, introducing wolves into the Lower Peninsula’s predator base could possibly result in reducing the spread of fatal diseases that continue to be prevalent in Lower Peninsula deer populations, such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis; and

Whereas, Public support for wolves has historically been high amongst Michigan’s Lower Peninsula residents. Survey results from the mid-1990s show that when wolves first began to rebound in the UP, 57 percent of Lower Peninsula residents supported wolf recovery. A more recent DNR report on public meetings held in 2013 indicated that the vast majority of meeting participants cared a great deal about wolves. In 2014, over 70 percent of downstate voters voted twice to disallow the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation methods for management of wolves in the UP, which would have allowed the harvesting of a limited number of wolves as a game species to prevent negative impacts from a ballooning population; and

Whereas, Legislative committees and offices have been deluged with calls and communications from Lower Peninsula residents regarding the beauty and importance of an unmanaged wolf population. Many have emphasized that they are envious of residents of the UP, as they have the privilege to live side-by-side with wolves. Additionally, these communications frequently admonish UP residents by suggesting that human-wolf conflicts are exaggerated by ignorance and selfishness. Some have even promoted UP residents to move away from their homes to allow wolves to thrive; and

Whereas, Re-establishment of gray wolves in the Lower Peninsula could be achieved by translocating wolves from the recovered and established UP wolf population. Translocation has been used for decades as an effective method to re-establish rare and endangered species around the world. Further, witnesses have assured UP residents effective tools to mitigate potential conflicts with wolves, such as cameras, lights, and donkeys, are readily available for purchase by citizens in the Lower Peninsula; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we urge the Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the federal government, to re-establish a viable and self-sustaining wolf population in the Lower Peninsula; and be it further

Resolved, That this concurrent resolution does not take effect unless House Bill No. 4102 of the 102nd Legislature is enacted into law; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Secretary of the Interior, Governor of the State of Michigan, Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the members of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and Michigan Wolf Management Advisory Council.