Committee reports HR 30 urging federal delisting of gray wolf; resolution passes 10-4-1 after contested testimony

Representative Parker Fairbairn presented House Resolution 30 to the House Committee on Natural Resources, asking the legislature to urge Congress to restore the Department of the Interior's 2020 delisting of the gray wolf so management would return to state control.

"Michigan's thriving gray wolf population is evidence that federal protection through the Endangered Species Act is no longer necessary," Fairbairn told the committee, citing the Upper Peninsula winter survey and concerns about impacts to deer, livestock and local tourism.

Supporters and opponents gave competing testimony. Gary Gorniak, representing Upper Peninsula sportsmen's groups and serving on DNR advisory councils, described local deer declines and economic impacts in the UP and urged state management. He said volunteer and club-collected records show thousands of wolf photos and that a DNR camera survey covering roughly 1,200 cameras is underway.

Beatrice Friedlander of Attorneys for Animals opposed the resolution and urged caution. "It was not based on sound science," she said of the 2020 delisting, citing the Fish and Wildlife Service's own peer review process and external reviewers who raised scientific concerns. Friedlander also warned that legalizing state hunts can increase poaching, an outcome supported by some studies cited in her written materials.

A tribal citizen witness also urged the committee to reject the resolution, describing the cultural and spiritual importance of the wolf to Anishinaabe communities and asking for robust tribal consultation on any management that would follow delisting.

Amy Trotter of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs said MUCC supports federal delisting and said the organization has prepared management proposals and legal triggers to allow immediate protective action for livestock and pets if delisting occurs.

Committee members asked technical questions about population estimates and survey methods. Witnesses described discrepancies between published DNR's "at least" estimates and volunteer camera records and noted the DNR's ongoing camera-based survey; witnesses said final survey results were expected in the coming months.

After testimony, Representative Fairbairn moved to report HR 30 with recommendation. The clerk recorded individual votes; the motion was reported with recommendation by a roll call of 10 yeas, 4 nays and 1 pass. The clerk announced, "you have 10 yeas, 4 nays, and 1 pass. Resolution is reported with recommendation."

The resolution asks Congress to restore the 2020 delisting action by the Department of the Interior and thus return wolf-management authority to the states; it is a nonbinding legislative message to the U.S. Congress and does not itself change state law. The committee's action sends the legislature's position to the House floor for further action in accordance with legislative rules.