Greg Stanley

I’m an outdoor and environment reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune. So hang around for some outside stories

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

His chief detailed the response to her home that led to a shootout, and put the suspect on the run: https://t.co/p5IjkUgHhC

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

A Brooklyn Park sergeant knew Melissa Hortman might be worried after hearing a state senator was shot. He sent two officers to check on her, just to be safe

[Voyageurs Wolf Project @VoyaWolfProject]

There were 136 verified depredations by wolves on livestock and pets in Minnesota last year, the most ever in the state. The bulk of those depredations occurred in spring, almost certainly because many wolves came out of the historically-mild winter of 2023-2024 in poor body condition and were hungry.

In response to the depredations, 238 wolves were killed across the state with the intent of removing the problem individuals.

Despite these record-levels of depredations, the large cattle ranch in the middle of the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, which has been plagued by wolf issues for over two decades, did not have a single depredation. No issues at all.

In fact, there was no evidence that any wolves stepped foot on this ranch, aside from one individual who slipped on briefly after flooding blew out a chunk of fence.

In fact, this large cattle ranch, perhaps the largest in northern Minnesota, is situated in the densest wolf population of not only Minnesota but in almost all of North America.

As such, this ranch had constant issues with wolves killing calves for years, and in response up to 16 wolves were killed per year on the ranch. And yet, despite this, the problems continued with no end in sight.

However, this ranch has gone from a wolf haven to a wolf desert.

This 180 degree change is due to a collaborative effort between the rancher, Wildlife Services, and our project, where we installed woven wire fencing around the ranch and added several Livestock Protection Dogs. This proactive, preventative, and non-lethal approach has clearly been effective.

If ever there was a year when this ranch should have had issues, it was last year when depredations were at record-levels. But all was quiet. Indeed, last year was the first time in the past 20 years, per the recollection of the rancher, that he has not had issues with wolves.

Proactive, non-lethal solutions undoubtedly cost more up front but they almost certainly pay for themselves in the long run, especially when large parts of the funding are covered by non-profits.

Most importantly, proactive solutions allow ranchers and farmers to have peace of mind knowing they don’t have to worry every night about whether their livestock will be killed by wolves.

Insofar as we can see it, such proactive solutions appear a win-win for everyone.

We cannot stress enough how much of a collaborative effort the work on this ranch was (and still is!). We continue to have great collaboration with Wildlife Services to ensure this proactive approach remains successful in the long-term.

And we cannot stress enough how valuable the contributions were from a variety of organizations who provided funding and support for this effort including: Minnesota Department of Agriculture, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Wildlife Science Center, Summerlee Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, Wildlife Services, and private donors.

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

https://t.co/5Y00QzHq2n

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

Spruce tops, wardens, Hawaiian Punch, stealing tree pieces and getting by:

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

Out looking for a particularly swampy swamp today

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

I just checked in with them the other day. November is the busiest time all year, when the water is perfect and herring are most active. They’re doing great. As busy as they hoped to be

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

I bought a frozen salmon fillet at the grocery store a couple days after writing it. Looked at the packaging, caught in Alaska, processed in China, then flown and trucked to Minneapolis.

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

How could I be so cruel to write about a food truck and all this fresh fish, a week after the food truck is closed for the season and so nobody in all of Minnesota can go try it? I know. Bad timing. It’ll open back up in the spring

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

So I hope it’s fun to read those stories, too, these men and women doing a dozen jobs each morning perfectly, from setting the nets, to picking the fish, to their single-stroke fillets

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

Shele Toftey has been doing this her whole life, starting on the west coast and up in Alaska. Not many women were in the fishing industry when she started. She’s effortless with the knife and, even in retirement, still gets up well before sunrise

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

Will and I were talking about The Great Escape. His point was, one reason that movie is still so timeless and fun to watch is because it shows all these people… the forger, the scrounger, the tunnel king… doing their job perfectly.

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

“He’s like ‘I’ve lived this long…’ Well, we’ll sit in the pickup and wait for it to go by” -- Tyler

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

They liked talking about the old ones still doing it. One, Joe, is 85. A wild man. Fishes out of Grand Portage in weather and in lightning that the young guys won’t.

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

There’s not that many fishermen left, so they all kind of know each other

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

I got a LOT of questions and nice emails from readers about this story on one of the last commercial fishing operations in north Minnesota. So I thought it’d be fun to add a little more and answer some of them

[Greg Stanley @GregGStanley]

On fishing on Superior https://t.co/Dhmyd6cCzy