MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin wildlife officials aren't saying when they'll release hundreds of public comments on their new draft wolf management plan.
Department of Natural Resources officials released their first new wolf management plan in almost 25 years in November. The plan doesn't include a statewide population goal, recommending instead that the DNR work with local advisory committees on whether local wolf populations should be reduced, kept stable or allowed to grow.
The public comment period was initially slated to end Jan. 10 but the DNR extended the deadline to midnight Tuesday.
Asked when the DNR would release the comments, agency spokesperson Katie Grant said in an email to The Associated Press that the department plans to release them "eventually" but likely not as soon as Wednesday. She said the department needs to "process everything we've received and will make them publicly available as soon as possible."
Grant said in a follow-up email Tuesday morning that the DNR has received about 4,000 comments and needs time to put them in a format that is easily accessible online. She said the agency doesn't plan to edit content but will redact personal contact information and may remove inappropriate language.
"We hope to have (the comments) published as soon as we possibly can but are currently unable to put an exact timeline on the process," she said.
DNR officials have said they'll consider all feedback as they revise the wolf plan before submitting a final version to the agency's board for approval.
