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Wolf hunt is just plain wrong

To the editor:

Thank you for your article, “Wolf season is new kid on the Block,” this November/Inside the DNR. As the granddaughter of a Michigan native, I am extremely disappointed at the state’s decision to hold a wolf hunt that is unwanted, unneeded, and just plain wrong.

The Endangered Species Act was signed into law 40 years ago to help species that are heading toward extinction to recover. Under this Act, wolves, once almost eradicated in this country, have been making a tremendous comeback. But they still occupy nowhere near the historic range they once had and recovery is not complete. The decisions to remove the gray wolf from ESA protections in the Rocky Mountain and Great Lakes regions, and the proposal to remove all gray wolves in the lower 48 from protections, has not been based on sound science.

Even so, the decision on whether or not to hold a hunt was up to Michigan. And Michigan chose to ignore both sound science and the will of its citizens, over a quarter of million who signed petitions so that the wolf hunt could be put on the ballot and decided on by the people, and instead changed the regulations and render the people mute.

Michigan has a chance to honor both the spirit of the ESA and the will of the people. There is still time to right this wrong if the hunt is canceled now.

Janet Hoben

Burbank, Calif.

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