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The group that is trying to force a permanent shutdown of wolf hunting in Michigan has scheduled 11 public meetings across the state to promote its viewpoint before the November election. None of the meetings, however, have been scheduled anywhere close to the areas where most of the wolves live. Nine will be downstate. One will be at the Soo, and another will be in Marquette. Wolf populations are heaviest around Engadine… in southern Houghton and eastern Ontonagon Counties… and in western Gogebic County. Residents living in some of those areas would need to travel more than two-and-a-half hours to attend one of the sessions. We’ve asked Keep Michigan Wolves Protected for an explanation.
In response to that request, Nancy Warren, a member of the National Wolfwatcher Coalition who lives in the Western U.P., tells us she is planning a presentation next month at Finlandia University. We’ll add details to our web calendar as soon as they are finalized.
Here is Keep Michigan Wolves Protected’s full press release:
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected will host 11 statewide town hall meeting during the next four weeks to educate voters and answer questions about the two referendum proposals on the Nov. 4 ballot.
“We’re confident that when Michigan citizens review the proposals carefully, they’ll vote NO to the trophy hunting of wolves and NO to the power grab by politicians intent on taking away their voting rights,” said Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
Proposal 1 would designate gray wolves as a game species, and allow a trophy hunting and trapping season on them. Proposal 2 would grant the Natural Resources Commission the power to designate wolves and other animals as game species to be hunted, without legislative approval.
Here is a list of times and locations for the upcoming town hall meetings:
· 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 26 at the Holiday Inn, 17123 N. Laurel Park Dr., Livonia
· 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Yankee Clipper Library, 2025 Leonard St. NE, Grand Rapids
· 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Holiday Inn, 3600 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor
· 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 2 at the Radisson Hotel Lansing at the Capitol, 111 N. Grand Ave., Lansing
· 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5 at the Holiday Inn, 2747 S. 11th St., Kalamazoo
· 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10 at the Quality Inn, 1461 N. Opdyke Rd., Auburn Hills
· 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Traverse Area District Library, 610 Woodmere Ave., Traverse City
· 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Kewadin Casino & Resort, 2186 Shunk Rd., Sault Ste. Marie
· 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 13 at the Ramada Inn, 412 W. Washington St., Marquette
· 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Ferndale Public Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale
· 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Boulevard Inn & Bistro, 521 Lake Blvd, St. Joseph
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is a coalition of humane organizations, the Detroit Zoological Society, more than 100 Michigan veterinarians and veterinary hospitals, Native American tribes, conservation groups, faith-based organizations, leading wolf biologists including Michigan Tech professors Rolf Peterson and John Vucetich, rank-and-file hunters and concerned citizens across the state. Learn more about the coalition at keepwolvesprotected.com.
