Dan Kennedy, left, endangered species coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and DNR Director Dan Eichinger attend the inaugural meeting of the Wolf Management Advisory Council in Ishpeming. The purpose of the council is to give advice to people making decisions and policy regarding wolf management. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

ISHPEMING — Making recommendations — not legislation — is the purpose of the Wolf Management Advisory Council, which held its first meeting on Wednesday at River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center in Ishpeming.

“Wolves are a tricky issue and a challenging issue, as we all know,” said Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger, who presided over the meeting. “The Wolf Management Advisory Council will play an important role in giving advice to decision-makers and policy-makers on what the management action should be with respect to wolves.”

He stressed that the role of the council is strictly advisory.

Eichinger said the council will make recommendations to the Natural Resources Commission, interested committees and others in the Michigan Legislature, and other policy-makers.

On March 11, Eichinger announced appointees to the DNR’s Wolf Management Advisory Council, whose membership and actions are dictated by state law. The council is not responsible for writing or updating the Michigan Wolf Management Plan, which is the responsibility of the DNR aided by public input.

Council appointees include Dan Kennedy, DNR endangered species coordinator; Miles Falck, serving tribal governments; Beatrice Friedlander, representing animal advocacy organizations; Mike Thorman, representing hunting and fishing organizations; Richard Pershinske, owner and operator of Engadine Feed and Supply Inc., who is representing agricultural interests; and Amy Trotter, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

According to the DNR, when the federal delisting of wolves — Public Act 290 of 2008 and Public Act 318 of 2008 — became effective, allowing residents to use lethal control on wolves in the act of killing or wounding livestock or a dog. However, Michigan wolves still are a protected game species, and it’s illegal to take a wolf if it’s not killing or wounding livestock.

From an estimated survey of 140 wolves in 1998 to more than 600 every year since 2011, the DNR said gray wolf populations in the Upper Peninsula have recovered based on goals set by state and federal governments. It also said Michigan’s Wolf Management Plan is being updated.

At the NRC’s Feb. 11 meeting, the NRC approved to request final publication of the updated plan no later than Dec. 31.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, Eichinger said two lawsuits have been filed to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wolf delisting.

However, he pointed out that the DNR’s opinion is that wolves have met and exceeded the species’ biological recovery goals.

“The Department of Natural Resources is in a position where we believe we can resume management control for that species, and we believe the delist was appropriate,” Eichinger said.

DNR staff’s job, he said, is to provide for science-based management and make recommendations. The authority to make management actions instead lies exclusively with the NRC.

State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, provided virtual comments at the meeting.

“What I hear from citizens across the Upper Peninsula is an incredible, overwhelming support for effective strategy for the wolves,” said McBroom, who noted there are good scientific management and tools available.

He also said it’s clear to him that wolves are a part of U.P. ecology and have an impact on other animals and human interactions.

“But we manage other species who also have that impact,” McBroom said. “Deer impact our ecology as well, and we’ve been managing the deer herd for a very long time with certain goals in mind.”

McBroom said “sound science” should be used in wolf management, which could involve hunting and trapping opportunities to benefit people of “all perspectives on wolves in general.”

State Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, attended the meeting in person.

“We have enough wolves in the Upper Peninsula to use scientific management to regulate them and make sure that their species continues to be in the U.P.,” LaFave said. “I don’t want to kill all of them. That doesn’t seem right to me, even though I have personal feelings that looking at, from a scientific basis, they are very helpful to take out diseased animals in a herd.”

Public input was taken at Wednesday’s meeting, including those of Nancy Warren of the National Wolfwatcher Coalition, who expressed concern that no wolf organization is represented on the council.

George Lindquist of U.P. Whitetails of Marquette County said the belief that people want to wipe out all wolves is a false narrative, but doesn’t want to minimize the impact of wolf predation.

“To continue to put these animals on a pedestal with no management is wrong,” Lindquist said.

The council voted to meet monthly through 2021, switching between the U.P. and the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in downstate Roscommon. No date or location was set for the next meeting, although that is to be decided soon.