Tag: endagered species

Wolf Shootings Raise Questions

Conservation officers are worried that an increase in illegal shootings could hamper the gray wolf’s recovery in the northwest Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Sarah Hulett explains:

Transcript

Conservation officers are worried that an increase in illegal shootings could hamper the
gray wolf’s recovery in the northwest Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Sarah Hulett reports:


Michigan and Wisconsin would like to upgrade their gray wolf populations from
“endangered” to “threatened.” Minnesota’s herd is already classified as “threatened.”
That means the wolf is no longer on the brink of extinction. Pat Lederle is the
endangered species coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He
says although the number of illegal killings is on the rise, that should not affect federal
plans to upgrade the gray wolf’s status. But Lederle says moving the gray wolf off the
endangered list altogether will require a closer look at poaching numbers:


“They’ll take into consideration things like the level of illegal takings that are occuring, if
there’s any disease issues in the population, is the population still expanding.”


Six collared wolves have been shot and killed already this year in Michigan. And at least
eight have been shot in Wisconsin, although that number could climb to ten, once
autopsies of two more wolves are complete.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m
Sarah Hulett.

Saving the Piping Plovers

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for public input on its plans to help save a bird from extinction in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for public input on its plans to help save a bird from disappearing in the Great Lakes region. The The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:


There are only 45 nesting pairs of piping plovers, a long-legged shore bird that used to nest on shores all along the Great Lakes. 45 pairs… is the highest number since the government started counting the birds back in the 1970’s. Mike DeCapita is with the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service. He says the piping plovers are skittish… and human activity keeps them from their nests on the beach. To save the bird from extinction, the plan requires that people make some changes:


“It’s just that people need to modify their behavior slightly for a brief period during the spring and early summer to avoid disturbing the birds.”


DeCapita says that means things such as not letting dogs run loose on the beach where piping plovers nest… not leaving garbage to draw predators that would eat the birds… and when walking on the beach, avoid shooshing the birds from their nests. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.


Optional Host Tag: “The U-S Fish & Wildlife’s will be taking public comments on its draft recovery plan until September 4.”