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Lawmakers approve bill mandating limit on wolf population
The bill comes after the state Department of Natural Resources adopted a new wolf management plan in October that didn’t include a hard cap.
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans sent a bill to Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday that would mandate state wildlife managers set a cap on the state’s wolf population, forcing the governor to choose between pleasing conservationists who want to protect the creatures and farmers who say wolves are destroying their livestock.
The Assembly passed the bill on a voice vote with no debate. The Senate approved it in October. Evers will have to decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. His spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, didn’t immediately respond to a message asking where Evers stands on the proposal.
The state Department of Natural Resources, an Evers cabinet agency, adopted a wolf management plan in October that didn’t include a hard cap. The plan instead recommended keeping the population at around 1,000 animals.
The plan replaced a management plan the DNR adopted in 1999 that set a hard cap of 350 wolves. DNR officials have argued the new approach gives wildlife managers more flexibility.
The new plan pleased at least some environmentalists who argue that wolves haven’t firmly reestablished themselves in Wisconsin. Decades of hunting rendered wolves all but extinct in the state by the 1950s. Today the population stands at around 1,200 wolves, according to DNR estimates.
Residents and farmers across northern Wisconsin maintain that wolves have become so abundant that they’re attacking their livestock and menacing children and pets. They have demanded a hard population cap in the new management plan.
Wolves are currently listed on the federal endangered species list and cannot be hunted. But if federal officials ever delist them the DNR would be forced under state law to hold a wolf hunt. The population cap would then come into play as DNR officials consider how many wolves hunters could kill. The lower the cap, the more wolves hunters could harvest.
Republican legislators have sided with their constituents in the north, calling repeatedly on the DNR to adopt a hard cap to no avail. Republicans who control the state Senate refused to confirm four Evers appointees to the agency’s board in October after they hedged on whether they support a hard cap.
Not all conservationists support the new management plan. The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, also known as Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, filed a lawsuit in November accusing DNR board members of violating the state’s open meetings law during the run-up to adoption, not considering the dangers of overhunting wolves and allowing unverified accounts of wolf aggression to influence the plan.
The lawsuit is still pending in Dane County Circuit Court.
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
