A public hearing in Brainerd tonight (630-9pm) on the federal government’s plan to take the grey wolf off the endangered species list in the lower 48 states. Opponents will rally at a nearby park just before the meeting. Doctor Maureen Hackett with Howling for Wolves says, “We just don’t have the public attitudes about wolves ready for wolves to lose protections from the federal government. They’re already killed, they’re killed illegally, they’re killed for conflicts [livestock predation], and we think that wolves still need the federal protections.”
Supporters of the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service plan say wolf populations have rebounded and farmers and ranchers need more flexibility to protect their livestock from predation by wolves.