April is for ADVOCACY !

Dear Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife,

The past two months have been a rollercoaster ride of both positive and negative emotions for all of us. While we experienced the most senseless, cruel and unjustified wolf slaughter in the history of Wisconsin, we’ve also been inspired and moved by the outpouring of support for not only our organization but for each other, and especially wolves.  We are a united pack, each with separate values, desires and outcomes, coming together for one cause; protecting our wolves. The energy of this movement is exceptional and we are doing our best to make this organization diverse and inclusive of all advocates.

How can we best advocate and be effective? Our weekly Fireside Chats have generated meaningful conversations about the future of wildlife conservation and wolf management in Wisconsin. 

As an organization, we have learned much from you as we hope you have from us. After each Fireside Chat, we have been deeply moved by the passion and dedication our advocate have for wildlife. Whether hunter, hiker, animal welfare advocate or environmentalist, the one thing we can all agree on is that without grassroots advocacy efforts  we cannot expect things to change for wildlife. As Brock Evans, renowned environmental advocate stated  “Endless pressure, endlessly applied” is the most effective way to make change happen.

Your Letters to the Editor (LTEs) were exceptional and the volunteer efforts on our projects have been awe-inspiring. The emails you wrote to your representatives were effective and timely. In addition, our current projects include diverse voices of hunters, farmers, and tribal members which have empowered us to create new solutions for existing issues in wildlife management.  

We are appreciative of the continued financial support in these unprecedented times. Your contributions make a significant and positive impact for wildlife in Wisconsin. We are dedicated to stopping wolf hunting and developing management plans that are democratic, transparent, and science-based for all wildlife.

April is an important advocacy month for the future of our wildlife and we have much to accomplish together. As requested, below is the breakdown for the month of April with detailed instructions and deadlines for participation.  Please reach out if you have any questions.  Remember to add events to your calendar, phone, etc. so you don’t forget! As a reminder, you can always visit our Advocacy Tools page. Fireside Chats will continue every Thursday evening at 6:00 pm for the remainder of this month as well. 

– APRIL ACTION ITEMS –

✓ BY APRIL 5, 2021 Submit a resolution in your county as we discussed by THIS SUNDAY. Amy Mueller is working closely with Project Coyote and The Humane Society of the United States and is keeping track of resolutions and counties. You can submit anything you’d like but if you would like to use the resolutions we have generated and discussed, please email amueller@wiwolvesandwildlife.org. Click HERE to submit resolutions.

✓ BY APRIL 7, 2021 – 11:00 AM Register to testify at the Natural Resources Board (NRB) with “your story” about how the wolf hunt impacted you and why you do not believe there should be a fall hunt. To register to speak, please email or call Laurie Ross, Board Liaison, Laurie.Ross@wisconsin.gov or 608-267-7420. We will post some talking points and have a mock NRB board meeting at our fireside chat. Rewatch the link about storytelling and personalize your message. Remember your audience. If you need help with your story or if have ANY issues registering to testify, please email Melissa Smith at msmith@wiwolvesandwildlife.org.

✓ APRIL 8, 2021 – (11:30 AM – 2:30 PM) The 2021 WOLF HARVEST COMMITTEE MEETING will take place virtually on April 8 at 11:30 AM and will discuss the February 2021 wolf season as well as providing Wolf Monitoring Program updates. Experts will also discuss updates from the Wildlife Conflict Program as the next steps to the Fall 2021 wolf season and the Wolf Management Plan. The public is encouraged to provide input during this meeting. Contact: Randy.Johnson@Wisconsin.gov or 715-499-0010.

Join Zoom online: https://lnks.gd/…/eyJhbGc…/s/965715598/br/101433548205-l

Join by phone: 1-312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 894 9256 5323

✓ APRIL 12-15, 2021 – Vote in the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) Annual Spring hearing here. Do not forget to look at your county’s posted resolutions and vote on those resolutions as well. Consider filling a vacant county seat if you are interested. Please contact dianemcain@yahoo.com with any questions you may have. Some questions are tricky and confusing. If you need help understanding anything, email us at info@wiwolvesandwildlife.org and we can give you our interpretation of the question. We cannot advise you how to vote, we can only provide you an explanation of the question posed.

✓ APRIL 14, 2021 – Natural Resources Board Zoom Meeting. You will have already registered to speak at this meeting. We will be on the entire NRB meeting and usually citizen testimony starts around 10:15. That can change depending on the agenda and how many of us are registered. We can alert you when citizen testimony starts or they call your name, but you need to send us your phone number so we can text you. Laurie Ross will have already emailed you instructions on how to log in, etc. If you are working, remember it’s only 3 minutes!

6.) April 15 – May 15, 2021 – This comment period is open to everyone, even out-of-state residents who have a vested interest in wild wolves. HOWEVER, PLEASE WAIT to submit your comments until we go over this survey in our next Fireside Chat Meeting on April 22nd at 6pm via Zoom. Questions on this survey have been worded to get the results the DNR wants and not necessarily what the public wants. We will go through everything with you, question-by-question, so that you all thoroughly understand and feel prepared to help family and friends participate as well. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR WAITING TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS UNTIL WE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO DISCUSS IT TOGETHER AS AN ORGANIZATION. See you next Thursday !

I would also like to give a special thanks to Sue, Amy, Britt, Jeremy, Kerry, Nancy and our entire board. 

-Melissa Smith, Executive Director