To the Journal editor:

Facts don’t matter to those who detest the wolf. They embellish stories, make false claims and find any excuse to justify their hatred.

In the letter, “Wolves Unneeded” published in The Mining Journal March 26 the authors claimed, “last October, a hunter climbed a tree when surrounded by wolves” yet provided no evidence, no cell phone photo, no location not even a report to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

On Jan. 27, state Rep. Beau LaFave claimed he was “hunted by a pack of wolves.” Again, no location given, no photo taken, no report to DNR and not even a response to my phone messages or emails.

The child, lost near Engadine, was never in any danger from wolves.

I have been driven out of the woods by swarms of mosquitoes, black flies and deer flies but never a wolf. I hike nearly every day in an area inhabited by wolves and have seen many, some at very close range and never felt threatened. I know of no wolf researcher or biologist who felt threatened by a wolf.

Wolf attacks on humans are rare. In the past 100 years, there have been two fatal attacks in North America (and) none in Michigan. Yet, to instill fear, the authors detailed the 2010 event, when a jogger in Alaska was killed by wolves. They failed to mention that following the attack, eight wolves within 25 miles of the village were killed.

In Michigan, individuals have been injured by black bears, swans, even squirrels. In the Upper Peninsula, between 2018-2020, there were 10,193 car/deer accidents resulting in 246 injuries (and) three fatalities. Last fall an AuGres, Michigan, a woman spent three days in the hospital after she was attacked by a deer in her front yard; In September, a 13-year-old Saginaw cross-country runner suffered a fractured collarbone and concussion when she was knocked down by a deer.

Wolves provide many ecological benefits including increasing biodiversity. Wolves create what is known as a top-down trophic effect generated because wolves alter deer movements allowing for forest and habitat regeneration simply because deer spend less time in one place.

Wolves also have cultural and intrinsic value. I enjoy finding their tracks, hearing them howl and catching a photo on my trail camera. I believe most Michiganders appreciate the valuable role of wolves. It is just a vocal minority who choose to reject scientific data and instead rely on tall tales.