Last week Senate Democrats brought forward a controversial Environment bill that fails to address numerous concerns, such as an exploding wolf population, the minnow shortage, and holding the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) accountable for wildlife management issues.

“Though there was a lot of bipartisan work done on this bill, it failed to address one of the most pressing concerns facing farms and communities across the state: an exploding wolf population,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia). “Folks across the state are concerned with the growing wolf population and its effect on livestock, families, and farms. This is something that has gone unaddressed for far too long, and it should have been addressed in this bill.”

A Republican amendment was offered to authorize an annual wolf hunting season in Minnesota regardless of any federal prohibition. This comes as hunters, farmers and residents across Minnesota have expressed concern about unchecked growth in the state’s wolf population in recent decades.

The amendment language would have authorized an annual wolf hunt in consultation with the US Dept. of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service to determine season dates, quotas, and other requirements based on scientific wildlife management practices. Wolves were once nearly eradicated from the lower 48 states before being protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1970, when there were estimated to be between 1,000-2,000 wolves in Minnesota. A report by The Wolf Center on wolf population expansion noted Minnesota wolf population grew to around 2,400 in the late-90s, which put numbers close to double the federal government’s goal for delisting.

One key Republican amendment that was accepted requires that forest roads and trails that are typically used to access forest lands remain open for commercial minnow trappers, leech trappers, fur trappers and loggers. This amendment had bipartisan support.