Bluestem Prairie last looked at Minnesota wolf politics in Another card dealt in MN wolf management story: feds agree to draft new wolf recovery plan and Don Peay shows up: will Hunters4Hunters be on receiving end of Utah's $500,000 war on wolves?.
Since then, the new organization, Hunters For Hunters, has created a private Facebook group, Wolf Watch.
The established Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is following that trail, but with a much more transparent platform. On Thursday, Duluth News Tribune outdoors reporter Jon Myers reported in Minnesota Deer Hunters Association wants public to report wolf sightings:
The group hopes public reports will document where wolves are roaming.
The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has announced a partnership with Wolf.Report , a new online platform for reporting wolf sightings, and they want the public to log on with their personal wolf experiences.
Association officials said the joint effort “aims to provide deer hunters and outdoor enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to contribute valuable citizen data on wolf encounters.”
The deer hunters group has been vocal in its support for wolf culling, including hunting and trapping seasons, although that remains off limits with the animal still protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
“As a group of passionate deer hunters, we believe it is crucial to manage and keep track of the Minnesota wolf population. Our simple site serves as a valuable tool for hunters and concerned citizens alike, allowing them to report sightings and encounters,” the website notes.
The Wolf.Report website allows individuals to submit their wolf sightings, categorized according to the availability of proof. Visitors to the site can access the submitted reports, complete with visuals when provided.
In addition to collecting wolf sightings, Wolf.Report is dedicated to engaging Minnesota citizens through polls on various outdoor issues that directly impact the state's deer hunters.
“MDHA and Wolf.Report are excited about the prospects of this exciting partnership and look forward to amplifying the influence of hunters and members through this valuable citizen science endeavor,’’ the hunting group noted in announcing the partnership. “Together, they have ambitious plans to change how hunters' voices are heard across Minnesota.”
The announcement comes after a new, rival group, Hunters for Hunters, has criticized MDHA for not being aggressive enough in its efforts to push for wolf culling. . . .
Read the rest at the Duluth News Tribune.
While Bluestem is pleased that the Wolf Report is public and transparent, I'm still hoping that the public will know whether Utah's public funds are being used in these efforts. By either or both organizations. I raised that issue in Don Peay shows up: will Hunters4Hunters be on receiving end of Utah's $500,000 war on wolves?.
As that post noted, the Salt Lake Tribune reported:
[Kansas-based Hunter Nation Inc founder and president Keith] Mark said his group will use Utah’s money to rally hunters in Wisconsin, Minnesota and other Midwestern states where wolves still roam wild to get more politically engaged, especially on the issue of “predator management.” The ultimate goal is to convince Congress to, yet again, pass legislation delisting wolves nationwide. . . .
Is Utah's money involved in influencing Minnesota's policy and law making?
The MDHA already receives some government grants, according to its listing in the Charities database at the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. Hunters For Hunters isn't in the AG database, presumably because of the organization's very recent creation, while--like the MDHA--it is registered as a nonprofit business with the Minnesota Secretary of State's office.
Update 10:49 a.m.: Hunters For Hunters does note on its posters for its wolf predation meetings (example: Little Falls) that "The donations that we receive at this event are not tax deductible." [end update]
Likewise. the MDHA is in the IRS's tax=exempt non-profit database, while Hunters For Hunters has yet to make an appearance. Its relative newness as an entity is likely the reason for that, given the agency's backlog.
Bluestem hopes both organizations are transparent about their sources of funding as they move to lobby the state legislature for wolf management laws in the coming session. If either--or both--are receiving assistance and funds from the State of Utah, via Hunter Nation--they should disclose that to lawmakers and citizens.
The pro-wolf organization Howling for Wolves is registered as a lobbying organization with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (MCFPDB), however limited in transparency the information available there may be for all lobbying. The organization's related Howling for Wolves Action Fund is also in the IRS's tax=exempt non-profit database. Both Howling for Wolves and Howling for Wolves Action Fund are in the Charities database at the Minnesota Attorney General's office,
Bluestem assumes the intricacies of Minnesota campaign and lobbying law keeps the hunters' organization out of the MCFPDB database-perhaps another reason for both to go above and beyond the call of the law.
If wolf sightings, science and depredation are public concerns--and Bluestem believes they are--then lobbyists and groups on wither side of the public debate should also expect scrutiny.
Especially if money's coming from another state's legislature--through another state's non-profit--to influence Minnesota's law-making.
Photo: A wolf.
Related posts
- Another card dealt in MN wolf management story: feds agree to draft new wolf recovery plan
- MN Reformer: Maps reveal where Minnesota deer hunters struck big, and struck out
- Don Peay shows up: will Hunters4Hunters be on receiving end of Utah's $500,000 war on wolves?
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