Results from the DNR’s Great Wisconsin Bat Count show that populations of the state’s four cave bat species haven’t fully rebounded from white-nose syndrome.

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As pheasant hunting season begins this weekend, hunters may struggle to bag a bird as Wisconsin wildlife regulators stock fewer pheasants this year due budget constraints.

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Lake sturgeon have been around for more than 130 million years, long before the Great Lakes formed. Commercial fishing in the 19th century, followed by damming rivers, nearly wiped out the species in the Milwaukee River basin.

A breeding and release program led by Riveredge Nature Center, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin’s tribal communities aims to reverse the damage. This year marks the project’s 20th anniversary.

Staff collect sturgeon eggs, then hatch and raise them in a trailer at Riveredge Nature Center using water from the Milwaukee River. Over the past 20 years, the program has released more than 23,000 sturgeon.

Each fall, that work culminates in Sturgeon Fest, where people release young lake sturgeon into Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Milwaukee River. Wisconsin Watch attended the festival on Sept. 27 in Milwaukee’s Harbor District. Watch the video for the sights and sounds of the event — and to see us release a sturgeon of our own.

Males mature slightly faster than females and have been spotted in the Milwaukee River. The Wisconsin DNR hopes females will soon reach the age — about 20 years — when they typically begin spawning.

If they do, Milwaukee could see sturgeon spawn in the basin for the first time in more than a century.

Watch: How Wisconsin’s lake sturgeon are making a comeback in the Milwaukee River basin is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Tribal officials and an inter-tribal agency are objecting to the recent killing of nine wolves in northern Wisconsin that was authorized by state wildlife regulators.

The post Wisconsin DNR apologizes for not consulting with tribes on the killing of 9 wolves appeared first on WPR.

Nine wolves were killed by federal officials in northern Wisconsin in late August and early September, following “a series of verified threats to human health and safety," according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

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Wisconsin wildlife regulators say they’ve received more than 1,600 reports of dead deer in southeastern Wisconsin that are tied to the state’s largest outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease.

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Wisconsin wildlife regulators have now received almost 900 reports of dead deer in southeastern Wisconsin that are tied to an ongoing outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease.

The post Reports of dead deer surge in southeastern Wisconsin amid disease outbreak appeared first on WPR.

Yellow-billed loons are native to Arctic waters and have occasionally wandered to other Midwest states. They are rarely spotted outside of the Arctic at this time of year.

The post Wisconsin’s first confirmed sighting of a rare arctic loon found near Douglas County appeared first on WPR.

An outbreak of an infectious and often fatal disease among deer in southeastern Wisconsin could affect more deer than previously seen in Wisconsin, according to state wildlife regulators.

The post Wisconsin wildlife regulators confirm often fatal disease in Washington County deer appeared first on WPR.

Wolves stealing backpacks and entering tents have prompted officials at Isle Royale National Park to temporarily close one of the park's 36 campgrounds.

The post Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior closes campground due to wolves appeared first on WPR.