LANSING, MI— State Representative Greg Markkanen wants some U.P. wolves to be relocated downstate.
The House on Wednesday advanced a resolution that urges the DNR to re-establish a viable and self-sustaining wolf population in the Lower Peninsula by taking wolves from the U.P.’s thriving population.
Markkanen says the Lower Peninsula contains thousands of acres of suitable habitat and prey. He thinks wolves would improve the ecology by targeting weak or sick prey, which could lead to healthier prey populations. And he says reintroduction of the animals downstate could reduce the spread of fatal diseases in deer, like chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis.
The resolution advances to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation, along with a bill that which would implement the policy.
