MADISON, Wis. -- Another Wisconsin wolf hunt is on the horizon, with Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials trying to balance concerns from wildlife protection groups and those who support them, but a new population study has added a layer of skepticism about the sustainability of the hunts.

University of Wisconsin researchers say nearly 100 additional gray wolves died around the state, after the animal was removed from the federal Endangered Species Act list last winter, on top of 218 wolves killed by licensed hunters during Wisconsin's late-season hunt.

Sarah Bergstrom, board member of Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife, said it isn't surprising.

"I think that a lot of us had that same gut feeling that that was probably the case," Bergstrom remarked. "But it's nice to see, kind of, the numbers and modeling to go with it."

The study showed it is likely most of the additional wolf deaths were the result of illegal hunting activity by poachers. The legal kills took place in a brief February hunt prompted by a lawsuit after the delisting, when hunters far exceeded the established quota.

The DNR stated it will use science to determine a quota for this fall's event, but researchers estimate all the recent deaths have dropped the state's wolf population by one-third.

The study's authors argued a pause in hunting activity over the next couple of years could allow the population to rebound.

Bergstrom feels it is impossible to move forward with a hunt this year, and contended it would interfere with the longer-term evaluation of the hunts and their impact on the wolf population.

"There's no way of saying that the fall hunt will be any better or more reasonable than the February hunt was without some concrete guidance as to how that's going to happen," Bergstrom asserted.

However, Wisconsin law requires an annual hunting period when wolves are not under federal protection.

Supporters of the hunts say wolves prey on livestock, and they insist fears about decimating the wolf population are overstated.

Murals across the country are celebrating 50 years of the Endangered Species Act, including in Oregon.

Congress passed the legislation in 1973 to protect wildlife from extinction. Five decades on, Ally Fisher, wildlife and equity, diversity and inclusion associate with Oregon Wild, said the law continues to do that.

Fisher said the climate crisis gets a lot of attention but the globe is also experiencing a biodiversity crisis.

"This mural is really significant," she said. "It is really showing our commitment to defending the Endangered Species Act and taking a stand against extinction."

The Endangered Species Act has helped save 99% of listed species, according to the Interior Department.

The Endangered Species Coalition is hosting the National Mural Project for the act. The mural in Oregon is in Portland's Pearl District and opens on Thursday.

Oregon Wild partnered with the Portland Street Art Alliance and artist Jeremy Nichols for the mural. Alliance executive director Tiffany Conklin described the species in it.

"Some of the animals included are the gray wolf, the northern spotted owl, the coho salmon, western painted turtle, monarch butterfly and some of our beautiful flora that we have here in the Northwest," she said.

Fisher said bills in Congress threaten to weaken the Endangered Species Act. However, the act has many success stories, including the California condor, which is also native to Oregon. She said at one point in time, there were only 22 left, but today there are more than 500.

"Just goes to show that when we are actually investing in bringing back species we have the power to do that," she said, "which is why the Endangered Species Act has been such an amazing tool."

There's good news for orcas off Washington's coast: Two new calves have been spotted among the endangered population. However, the births also punctuate the whales' dire situation.

Earlier this month, the Center for Whale Research confirmed the birth of two calves in the L-pod of the Southern Resident killer whales. They are the first additions to the L-pod in two years.

John Rosapepe, Pacific Northwest representative for the Endangered Species Coalition, said the whales are still under threat, lacking food primarily because of four salmon-blocking dams in eastern Washington.

"Removing the dams and restoring the salmon on the lower Snake River is central in recovering the Southern Resident killer whale population," Rosapepe asserted.

Rosapepe pointed out nearly a dozen Southern Resident orcas are malnourished, including one pregnant whale. The addition of two calves increases the number frequenting the Salish Sea from 73 to 75.

The future of the four lower Snake River dams has been contentious for decades. Proponents of the dams say they provide important services, including barging, irrigation and hydropower. But Rosapepe argued recent developments could push forward efforts to remove them.

"Gov. [Jay] Inslee and Sen. [Patty] Murray had a study done where they brought together all the different studies, and it shows that we can replace these services," Rosapepe noted.

Final removal of the dams would require authorization from the federal government. In this year's legislative session, Washington state lawmakers provided funds for planning the transition away from the services the dams provide.

Big-game advocates are pushing back against a move by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to increase the number of mountain lions that can be legally killed in the state.

It's part of an effort to protect other prey animals - but critics call it a play for trophy hunters.

The Commission moved to increase the kill number for mountain lions, reducing their population by up to 40% in many areas.

Helena Edelson - president and CEO of the Gardiner-based Large Carnivore Fund - said the increase was passed despite objections by some mountain lion hunters, sporting and conservation groups, and even state biologists - largely due to the support of big-game hunters and political special interests.

"What Montanans need to see is how these policies play into commercialization of their wildlife," said Edelson. "This seems a political and financial maneuver partly driven by outfitters that benefit from trophy mountain lion hunts."

The state contends that Montana is home to higher numbers of large carnivores today than at any time in recent history, and culling the predators will help protect more vulnerable wildlife.

Edelson contended that hunters are not the only threat mountain lions and other big game face, and said the state is ignoring another key factor already driving down big-game numbers - mountain lions and their prey alike.

"And numbers never factored into the population counts are the 30,000 large animals killed in Montana road collisions each year," said Edelson. "That's elk, deer, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bears."

State game officials say to reduce the overall mountain lion population by 40%, hunters would need to take 86% more animals each year than they currently do, for at least the next six years.