As the winter season approaches, the DNR is reaching out to find volunteers to help track animals.
A spokesperson says volunteer citizen scientists play a key role in wildlife management. DNR wolf monitoring program coordinator Nathan Kluge...
"...Wolves are a secretive and elusive species. They have a large home range so it makes it difficult to monitor them through direct observation. We depend on volunteers. We normally have over 100 volunteers to help us out in our 165 tracking blocks to help us determine the abundance and distribution of various carnivores, especially wolves..."
Kluge says to become a volunteer a person needs to take a carnivore tracking class and a wolf ecology and management class. DNR staff and volunteers tracked over 16,000 miles last winter looking for wolf, coyote, bobcats and other medium to large carnivores. He says without volunteer cooperation, it would be impossible for the DNR to complete the surveys and would curtail management.
More information on the program and signing up for classes is on the DNR website, or you can contact Kluge at the Rhinelander DNR Service Center.
