Friday, August 6, 2004

Dan hits talk radio It's been a busy summer for radio talk show appearances.  Last Monday, I was a guest on the Mad Dog and Merrill show on WHBY in Green Bay. This Sunday, Aug. 8, I'll be a guest on Mike Jackson's show on AM-1240, WSBC radio live at 6:15 a.m.  Hard to believe anyone can carry on a coherent coversation at that hour on a Sunday morning (except if you're talking to a goose or a turkey, maybe...), so we'll see how that turns out.  Mike's show is also heard coast-to-coast, on the Outdoor Sports Radio Network. It is live-streamed as well on Sunday @www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com And on Sunday evening, Aug. 22, I'll be a guest on Charlie Potter's Great Outdoors show on WGN in Chicago.  I know that interview will go OK because we taped it yesterday afternoon.  I happened to take a break from taping the Fillet King video, when my car phone rang.  It was Charlie, happy to have found me, since I was not answering my home phone.  In that show, we'll talk about Outdoor Wisconsin, the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the delisting of wolves. Delisting wolves means removing the gray (timber) wolf from the federal endangered and threatened species list, placing the wolf under state management.  This is a two-edged sword.  The good news is that delisting means wolves have rebounded enough that they can now make it on their own without federal protection.  Wisconsin will not have a problem managing wolves, but that may not be the case in other states.  Another thing delisting means is there will not be federal funds for reintroducing wolves to places where they once lived but from which they are currently extirpated.  Like New York's Adirondack Mountains, for instance.  So there and in other areas of former wolf habitat that do not currently have wolves, it is highly unlikely we will see wolves return any time soon. Some say that's a good thing, because they oppose wolf reintroduction.  I favor letting wolves come back on their own, where they are able to reestablish themselves.  Artifically introducing them to an environment is a tough thing to justify, especially in the eyes of ranchers or other lanowners or users.  Wisconsin's wolves came back completely on their own, starting with a few pioneers from northern Minnesota and the U.P. of Michigan.  They've had time to become reestablished and fit into their habitat.  I suspect they cause a lot less damage to dogs and livestock than they might if they were descended from semi-domesticated stock or were dropped into a strange environment, where a natural balance had already been established. Anyway, listen in and let those stations know what you think of the shows. Later... 2:37:27 PM    comment []