St. Paul, MN— State Representative Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, issued the following statement regarding news that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will announce a new rule to remove federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states. The announcement will be made today by U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife refuge in Bloomington.
“Today’s announcement has been years in the making and I am grateful that the Trump administration is following through on their promise to return wolf management policy to individual states and tribal governments,” said Rep. Heintzeman. “I have personally observed the aftermath when a pet is attacked or killed by wolves and the destruction of farms caused by the overpopulation of wolves. After seeing this problem firsthand, I've long sought the opportunity to again work with the DNR to allow for a limited hunting and trapping season to control the wolf population. The Trump administration’s announcement is an important first step and I look forward to continuing my work on this issue in the months ahead.”
The federal plan announced Thursday will “delist” wolves across all the contiguous United States, handing wolf management back to individual states and tribal governments, allowing each state to decide if hunting and trapping should be allowed to cull wolf numbers.
###