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| Date: | April 7, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Chris Van Guilder | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-1388 | | Contact Email: | christopher.vanguilder@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| SENATE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE PASSES RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO DELIST GRAY WOLF FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST |
(ST. PAUL) – The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed a resolution which urges the United States Congress to delist the Gray Wolf from the federal government’s endangered and threatened species list. Senator John Carlson (R-Bemidji) is a co-author of the resolution, Senate File 79.
The resolution cites multiple reasons for the delisting, which include gray wolf population growth, achievement of initial recovery plan goals, previous delisting attempts and preservation of the health and welfare of people, livestock and big game species. The resolution concludes by calling on the US Congress to enact legislation to remove the Minnesota Population Segment of gray wolves from the federal list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
Senator Carlson commented after passage, “After decades of population growth and recovery, the gray wolf is no longer an endangered species. It is beyond time for the federal government to cede management of Minnesota’s wolf population to the state of Minnesota. In order to facilitate a balanced relationship between people, wildlife and our livestock, we urge the United States Congress to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.”
Minnesota's gray wolf population is currently managed under the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If a decision is made to delist gray wolves in Minnesota, the wolves will be managed by a statutorily required wolf management plan, administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The Endangered Species Act claims a minimum population of 1,600 is required to ensure long-term survival. Recent estimates by the DNR indicate the gray wolf population has grown to nearly 3,000.
The gray wolf delisting is supported by the Minnesota Farm Bureau, Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association, Minnesota Forest Zone Trapping Organization and Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers. In December 2010, Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN) called on the Secretary of the Interior to “protect Minnesota residents, livestock and hunting industry” by delisting the gray wolf.
The DNR position is stated publicly as, “The Minnesota DNR is committed to ensuring the long-term survival of the wolf in Minnesota, and also to resolving conflicts between wolves and humans."
The Endangered Species Act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor wolves in Minnesota for five years after delisting to ensure that recovery continues.
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