The time is now

A commentary submitted by Senator Tom Tiffany and Representative Adam Jarchow. 

With the election cycle coming to an end, it is time for Congress to tackle the looming gray wolf problem in the Great Lakes states. To put it plainly, the federal government has failed residents of the Great Lakes region on this issue and it is time to come together to delist the wolf from the endangered species list once and for all.

Senator Ron Johnson and Congress Reid Ribble introduced the State Wolf Population Management Bill (S.2281) with language removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. This language has also been added to the Senate version of the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2016. We feel this language should be passed as soon as possible to return wolf management back to the states.

It is now time for Senator Tammy Baldwin to step forward and offer leadership on the Democratic-side of the aisle just as Senator John Tester (D-MT) did out west.  We understand this is an uncomfortable issue for Senator Baldwin because of her home in Madison.  However, she was elected to represent the entire state, and we encourage her to take a bold step to heed the will of the people who are most affected by the runaway wolf population--rural Wisconsinites.

Nearly 200 concerned citizens attended the Great Lakes Wolf Summit held in Cumberland in September and proved that delisting of the grey wolf is a bi-partisan issue. While we can all agree that the wolf has a place on the landscape, Wisconsin should not be a wolf sanctuary.

Senator Baldwin has the opportunity to help reduce the number of tragic losses of family pets and livestock lost to an out-of-control wolf population in Wisconsin. In the past, Wisconsin has proven to be capable of managing our wolf population and now is the time to return control to the states.