UP Wolf advocacy group calls for resignation of Natural Resources Commissioner over false statement

Michigan wolves are again in danger of being hunted since they were removed from the federal endangered species list last year and state officials ignore science and ethics. (Photo courtesy National Wolfwatcher Coalition. Reprinted with permission.)

EWEN, Michigan -- In a letter to Michigan Natural Resources Commission Chairwoman Carol Rose and DNR Director Dan Eichinger, Nancy Warren -- a U.P. resident, wolf advocate and  National Wolfwatcher Coalition director -- asked that Commissioner JR Richardson release a public apology and resign from the Commission because of his history of deceptive actions about wolves in Michigan.

During the program "Ask the DNR," which aired on November 4, 2021, on WNMU-TV, Commissioner Richardson told an unsubstantiated story of a wolf attack on a dog chained to a porch. During the same segment, Commissioner Richardson encouraged listeners to contact him, which Warren did in an attempt to get more details. When Richardson failed to respond, Warren submitted a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Michigan DNR, asking for documentation of the incident any time within the past ten years, as alleged by Richardson. The DNR responded that no such record exists.

"Commissioner Richardson had an obligation to verify rumors he may have heard and not mislead the public by spreading them," said Warren. "He should be held accountable."

In her letter to Rose and Eichinger, Warren also states, "Commissioner Richardson also provided inaccurate information about the Wolf Management Advisory Council (WMAC) during that interview. He stated that there are six members of the WMAC from downstate and one from 'up here.' But the WMAC consists of five individuals: Three from Lower Michigan, who represent hunting organizations, 'conservation' groups (in the form of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs), and animal advocacy groups. The one person on the WMAC from the Upper Peninsula represents agriculture and hunting interests. The fifth representative on the WMAC, from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, actually lives in Ashland, Wisconsin. Two tribal members from the Upper Peninsula applied to serve but were not selected to represent tribal interests. The chair of the WMAC is a DNR employee."

This pattern of unscrupulous behavior dates back to 2013, when as Chair of the Commission, another Freedom of Information Act request revealed that Richardson admitted to his Executive Assistant that he had trashed 2000 public comments related to the wolf hunt.*

"Commissioner JR Richardson cannot be trusted to make ethical, science-based wildlife management decisions that respect the values of Michigan residents, the democratic process and the intrinsic value of wolves," said Warren. "It is apparent he only wants to hear from those whose beliefs align with his and he should not be allowed to continue serving on the Natural Resources Commission."**

Editor's Notes:

*  See our Nov. 14, 2013, article, "National Wolfwatcher Coalition: State officials ignore, destroy comments opposing Michigan wolf hunt," which reports Nancy Warren's findings, through a FOIA request, that Richardson admitted trashing public comments related to the 2013 wolf hunt.

** See also the Bridge Michigan Nov. 22, 2021, article, "Michigan wildlife official cries wolf. Gray wolf advocates want him gone."