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Wolves in Iowa

Wolves in Iowa

Author: Ron DeArmond of the Pella Wildlife Company. Presentation given at the 2015 Midwest Wolf Stewards Conference at Northland College. April 2015

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Transcript

  1. Pella Wildlife Company
    A non-profit wildlife conservation organization

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  2. Wolves in Iowa

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  4. Where did these wolves come from?

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  5. Will Wolves Return to Iowa, Illinois & Missouri?
    Are they already here?
    Will we have a sustainable population?

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  6. Wolves have always been in the Midwest

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  7. In1840 an act to encourage the destruction of wolves was approved.

    Wolves were extirpated in Iowa by the end of the 1860’s

    Never to be seen again!?

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  8. In 1973 the wolf
    was placed on the
    Endangered
    Species List

    Wolves began to
    reestablish
    themselves in the
    forested areas of
    MN. WI. and MI.

    In 2012 wolves were
    taken off of the
    Endangered
    Species list.

    Placed back on the
    Endangered
    Species List 2014

    3,500 to 4,000
    wolves in this
    population segment

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  9. Dispersal
    Gray Wolf ESA Status in Illinois
    and Iowa
    There is no resident gray wolf
    population in Illinois and Iowa, but
    individual wolves have entered the
    states after dispersing from
    northern populations. The gray
    wolf Western Great Lakes Distinct
    Population Segment has been
    removed from the list of
    Endangered and Threatened
    Species and is no longer protected
    under the Endangered Species Act.
    The defined area of the Western
    Great Lakes Distinct Population
    Segment includes Illinois and Iowa
    north of the centerline of
    Interstate Highway 80.
    The gray wolf remains listed as
    endangered south of the centerline
    of Interstate Highway 80 in Illinois
    and Iowa. Where the wolf remains
    listed as endangered it is illegal to
    harm, harass, or kill a wolf unless
    there is an immediate threat to
    human safety. If someone is in a
    situation where they feel they or
    someone else is in immediate
    danger from a wolf, they can kill
    the wolf. USFWS

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  11. Wolf Ethology

    Social

    Family Units

    Predator

    Main Diet
    Deer

    Forest
    Habitat

    Adapting to
    Humans?

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  12. Wolves in Wisconsin

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  13. Where will the
    wolves live

    Three probable
    main population
    segments

    Cover, Food,
    Water, Space

    The Average
    Wolf Territory
    in Wisconsin is
    35 square miles

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  16. 2 Wolves shot in 2014
    both Females, both 2 – 3 years old

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  17. Wolf Confirmation

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  18. Wolf Confirmation

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  19. Wolf Confirmation

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  21. Ways to Monitor Dispersal
     GPS Wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin,
    Michigan
     Tattoo Wolf Pups – Each state has a unique
    color
     Work with Coyote Hunters – Get DNA sample
    from coyotes over 5’ and 45lbs
     Establish Volunteer Winter Tracking Program
     Should we expand the Midwest Wolf Stewards
    Conference to the Iowa and Illinois region

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  22. Comparison

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  23. Comparison

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  24. Comparison

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  25. The human element of wildlife management is
    becoming more important as it becomes clear that
    an understanding of the public and constituents
    often means the difference between the success or
    failure of wildlife management programs
    (Responsive Management 2011).

    While the public has been increasingly drawn into
    the wildlife decision arena, typically, their level of
    wildlife knowledge is limited. Education of the
    public remains one of the greatest challenges for
    the future (Sixty-Third North American Wildlife
    and Natural Resources Conference).

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  26. Acknowledgements

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