A referendum on wolf hunting in Michigan will be on the November 2014 ballot, but the vote will not stop a wolf hunting season in the Upper Peninsula scheduled for this fall.
Petitions to let voters decide whether the law should remain on the books were certified Wednesday by a state elections panel. The “Keep Michigan Wolves Protected” ballot campaign says allowing the gray wolf to be hunted could return it to the endangered species list.
But not everyone agrees, and while the group was finishing the petition process to repeal a law to allow hunting, a second law was adopted by the Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Snyder. It also allows a wolf hunting season, and will not be effected by the November 2014 vote.
The ballot campaign still has to make a decision on what to do about a second law. Jill Fritz of “Keep Michigan Wolves Protected” says the campaign could attempt another referendum, or go to court.
Wolf hunting supporters say a season is necessary in parts of the U.P. to help control wolf attacks on pets and livestock in the Upper Peninsula.
