歪歪漫画

The Hubbard County Board is asking the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to 鈥渇ollow the wolf management plan and consider additional public engagement and wolf management action to address depredation and other public concerns.鈥�

The county also requests that 鈥渢he DNR coordinate with other states in the Great Lakes Recovery region to appeal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine that the gray wolf has been restored to a significant portion of its historic range and that states have sufficient plans in place to prevent future threats to the gray wolf's existence.鈥�

They unanimously passed the resolution at the board's April 2 meeting.

In March, three area residents asked Hubbard County commissioners to pass a resolution proposed by Hunters For Hunters, a self-described 鈥渨atchdog organization dedicated to protecting the rights of hunters, landowners, and sportsmen.鈥� That resolution would have supported the delisting of gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act and implementing a wolf hunting and trapping season in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, Hubbard County Administrator Jeff Cadwell proposed a revised resolution based on his research into the issue.

鈥淭he Endangered Species Act is not a straight line,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very time that there has been a bill or law or something to delist the wolves in a singular state, it has been overturned because it doesn鈥檛 meet the guidelines of how that species is protected in the Endangered Species Act.鈥�

Delisting the wolf would have to be 鈥渁 coordinated effort of all the states in the Great Lakes region, according to the Endangered Species Act,鈥� he added.

A Congressional bill to delist the gray wolf, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) could pass, but Cadwell said it would likely be overturned by the courts.

Cadwell concluded, 鈥淚t鈥檚 complicated beyond any single Minnesota county鈥檚 capacity to resolve.鈥�

County commissioner Ted Van Kempen favored the Hunters For Hunters鈥� resolution.

鈥淚 like the idea of the county itself coming forward. Now it shows we also, as a county, made this decision,鈥� he said.

County commissioner David De La Hunt said, 鈥淣one of us profess to be experts in the Endangered Species Act, but we want to have a message in the resolution to ask the federal government and others that have authority to please review this.鈥�

De La Hunt supported the revised resolution, adding, "To request that they review it is appropriate here.鈥�

Board chair Char Christenson agreed, making the motion to approve the revised resolution. County commissioner Tom Krueger seconded. It passed 5-0.