Friday, February 24, 2006

State, federal and tribal wardens cooperate on wolf trapping case

Endangered species violation took place on Menominee reservation

SHAWANO/MENOMINEE, Wis. -- A Green Bay man, Robert A. Roland, 35, pleaded no contest in Shawano/Menominee County Court on Oct. 3, to illegally trapping and killing a gray wolf in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The court fined Roland $1,989, for unintentionally killing an endangered or threatened species and revoked his trapping privileges for two years, and his hunting and fishing privileges for one year. Wisconsin’s maximum fine for unintentionally killing an endangered or threatened species is $2,000 plus cost.

Roland also faced charges in Menominee Tribal Court for possession of a wild animal carcass and trespassing on tribal land in possession of trapping equipment. He forfeited $1,000 to the tribal court on the possession charge and $500 on the trespassing charge.

The case began in early March 2005, when Conservation Warden Michael Stahl responded to a report by Shawano County DNR wildlife manager Kay Brockman-Medaras of a “mortality signal” from a radio-collared wolf. The mortality signal – which indicates a collared wolf has not moved for several hours –was obtained by a DNR pilot conducting aerial monitoring.

GPS coordinates led Warden Stahl to a farm adjacent to the Menominee reservation where he learned that the wolf had been picked up by Menominee Tribal Biologist Don Reiter. Reiter reported that the wolf had been caught in a snare just inside the boundaries of the reservation.

DNR Warden Stahl, Tribal Warden Don Waukechon and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent agreed to conduct a joint investigation into the illegal wolf taking.

When confronted by Warden Stahl and the Special Agent, Roland admitted to setting snares that trapped and killed the wolf.

The gray wolf is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and is an endangered and threatened species in Wisconsin. Federal, state and tribal authorities worked together to investigate and prosecute the case. The federal and state charges were resolved by the Shawano/Menominee County Court and tribal charges were handled by the Menominee Tribal Court.

Warden Stahl said the investigation was a good example of federal, state and tribal cooperation through the course of the investigation of a crime. While this case was triggered by electronic tracking of wolves, Stahl said that information from private citizens remains the department’s best tool for initiating investigations and reminds citizens that they may call in violations of game laws to 1-800-TIP-WDNR.

Killing an endangered species – intentionally or unintentionally – is illegal. Intentional killing of an endangered or threatened species is a criminal offense and fines are $2,000 to $5,000 and/or 9 months in jail, plus the mandatory revocation of all hunting licenses for 3 years.

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