Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 12:01 am
Mountain lions, wolves and black bears in Illinois?
The recent
occurrence
of a mountain
lion in Whiteside
County has generated much public discussion about
the
future of this
species in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural
Resources welcomes
that discussion, and believes it’s equally important to
talk about the
possible return of other apex predators such as the
gray wolf and the
American black bear.
While we believe this and other recent confirmed
mountain lion sightings
are isolated occurrences for now, we have been
actively preparing for
the time when mountain lions, wolves and black
bears may once again
establish populations in the state. We have funded
scientific research
where suitable habitat models have been developed
for these species,
and have also researched attitudes and opinions of
Illinoisans regarding
these large carnivores.
In the spring of 2011, we supported a bill in the
General Assembly
(HB 1437) that sought to add the gray wolf,
American black bear
and mountain lion to the list of protected species
under the Illinois
Wildlife Code. While that effort was not successful,
the IDNR remains
interested in finding ways to achieve protections
for these animals
by working cooperatively with a wide range of
constituencies.
We believe
there is room
on our Illinois
landscape for
apex predators,
but these species
also will require
management as
they re-establish
and grow in numbers to deal with human-wildlife
interactions, nuisance
animals, and to keep a balance in predator-prey
numbers within suitable
habitat areas. Placing the species on the protected
list is a necessary step.
The agency is also trying to educate and inform
residents on wildlife-human
interactions and their role in wildlife management,
and has worked with the
University of Illinois Extension to develop a useful
website, “Living with
Wildlife in Illinois”: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/
wildlife/
While our attitude surveys revealed that a large
number of people in
Illinois support carnivore protection, they also
show that a majority
of people don’t want them close to their home.
Like so many of the
resources that we manage, we recognize that
there are differing
views on how mountain lions, and other large
predators, should be
managed within the state.
Our current work is focused on understanding
people’s views on
these carnivores and other wildlife, including
urban and rural
residents and all other cross-sections of citizens
in the state,
and then using that information to manage this
resource in a
way that best meets the needs and expectations
of our residents.
In the near future we will be sharing the results
of public surveys
on these issues on the “Living with Wildlife”
website.
Aldo Leopold, the father of modern conservation,
wrote his 1933
book Game Management at the time when much
of North America’s
big game animals, like wolves and deer, were
nearly extinct, and the
wildlife management profession was beginning
to be institutionalized.
Leopold stated, “The hope of the future lies not
in curbing the
influence of human occupancy – it is already too
late for that –
but in creating a better understanding of the
extent of that influence
and a new ethic for its governance.”
In the 80 years since, we have seen great
strides in conservation
and species recovery, including deer, wild
turkeys, coyotes, beaver,
raccoons, river otters and large carnivores.
Countless sportsmen,
conservationists, land owners,
environmentalists and natural
resource professionals have all played
a significant part in these
accomplishments. Now we must focus
on the next step of creating
a better understanding and new ethics
to support the future
management and protection of large
carnivores in Illinois.
Marc Miller is director of the Illinois
Department of
Natural Resources.
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