Endangered Resources
The Endangered Resources Program celebrated 25 years of conservation successes in 2008, working to conserve Wisconsin's biodiversity for present and future generations. Our goals are to identify, protect and manage native plants, animals and natural communities from the very common to critically endangered. We work with others to promote knowledge, appreciation and stewardship of Wisconsin's native species and ecosystems.
Features
New Endangered Resources License Plate Designs
Bluebird |
Heron |
Badger |
Woodpecker |
The Endangered Resources Program is excited to introduce a new, second license
plate that will be available for purchase in addition to the original wolf plate.
The new plate will help showcase our work to protect Species of Greatest Conservation
Need and their habitats. Each of the new plate designs represents the diversity
of Wisconsin's natural heritage and includes non-game animals and the ecosystems
that support them. The money from the $25 contributed to each Endangered Resources
license plate is used to support the program's conservation fund account. An
on-line poll that ran from October 9-19th attracted over 23,000 votes and results
will be used to help decide which plate will be available for purchase in 2010.
More....
Carnivore Tracking Programs and Wolf Ecology Workshops for 2009-2010

Sign up now to learn about wolf ecology or to become a volunteer tracker. DNR
researchers have conducted track surveys of fur-bearing mammals since 1977. These
surveys are used to determine distribution and abundance of fisher, bobcat, and
other forest carnivores in Wisconsin. Since 1995, the Wisconsin DNR has used volunteers
to conduct snow track surveys for wolves and other carnivores. Find
out more...
White-nose Syndrome: A Grave Threat to Wisconsin's Bats

Bats are a vital part of the ecosystem, vacuuming up insects that spread West
Nile virus and other illnesses. Without them, farmers would need more pesticides
for their crops. For now, Wisconsin's bat population is healthy and hearty. But
a devastating fungus is racing through cave-dwelling bat populations in eastern
states and it's headed this way. White-nose syndrome has now killed an estimated
1 million bats, and experts say it could reach Wisconsin within two to three years.
More...
(exit DNR)
Read
more... (exit DNR)
Donate to the Wisconsin
Bat Conservation Endowment Fund... (exit DNR)
New Rule Aims to Reduce Spread of Invasive Species

Chapter NR 40, Wisconsin’s new invasive species rule designed to contain new and
existing invasive species, went into effect Sept. 1, 2009. The new rule establishes
a science-based classification and regulatory system for invasive species and
addresses possession, sale, transportation and introduction of listed invasive
species. The rule’s classification system lists species of plants and algae, animals
and plant disease-causing organisms as prohibited or restricted and focuses on
education and prevention, and cooperative action to contain new problem species
when found in the state. Read more about
the new rule...
Wisconsin's Top Bat Man
Photo by Wolfgang Hoffmann
As the state’s leading authority on bats, Endangered Resources Ecologist Dave
Redell hangs out well past nightfall to observe and identify bats when they are
most active. Several times each month, he sets up near the mouth of a Wisconsin
cave to capture and measure bats as they emerge, often not finishing his work
until 3 a.m. Read
more... (exit DNR)
Gray Wolf Back on Endangered Species List

On June 29th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to reinstate federal
protection of wolves in the upper Great Lakes region. A coalition of wolf advocate
groups led by the Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit June 15,
challenged the federal government's decision. A court-ordered settlement restores
federal Endangered Species Act protections for more than 4,000 gray wolves around
the Great Lakes. The Service will provide an additional opportunity for public
comment on the rule to ensure compliance with the Administrative Procedures
Act. While the Service gathers additional public comment, gray wolves in the
Western Great Lakes area will again be protected under the Endangered Species.
All restrictions and requirements in place under the Act prior to the delisting
will be reinstated.
Read more about the changes... (exit DNR)
Read about the gray wolf in Wisconsin
Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States: An
Endangered Species Success Story
A new book edited by Adrian Wydeven (mammal ecologist and wolf program coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR), Tim Van Deelen (assistant professor of wildlife ecology at UW- Madison), and Ed Heske (Illinois Natural History Survey) is available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds from sales going to support the conservation of wolves for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The book on the recovery of gray wolves examines the history of wolf management, habitat, depredation management, population dynamics, ESA listing process, social surveys, and education efforts within the region that has allowed this recovery to occur. The book contains 21 chapters, authored by 47 individuals, including 8 current or retired employees of the Wisconsin DNR. More Information... (exit DNR)
The Vanishing Present: Wisconsin's Changing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
A new book edited by Donald M. Waller (Professor of botany and environmental studies at UW-Madison) and Thomas P. Rooney (assistant professor of biological sciences and environmental sciences at Wright State University) is available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds from sales going to support the research fund of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Endangered Resources. "The Vanishing Present brings together a distinguished set of contributors including scientists, naturalists, and policy experts to examine how human pressures on Wisconsin's changing lands, waters, and wildlife have redefined the state's ecology." More Information... (exit DNR)
More Endangered Resources News...
Last Revised: August 24, 2009
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