Conservation community to vote on issues
The 2018 Department of Natural Resources Spring Hearings and Wisconsin Conservation Congress County Meetings will be held Monday in each of the state’s 72 counties.
Commonly referred to as the “spring hearings,” the meetings are held to gauge public support on fishing, hunting, conservation and environmental issues.
The gatherings are free and open to the public.
This year’s ballot features 54 questions, all of which are advisory.
Due to changes imposed in 2011 by Gov. Scott Walker and the State Legislature with the passing of Act 21, the administrative rule making process was stretched out, resulting in proposed rules changes on the spring hearings mostly in oddnumbered years.
The 2018 meetings will begin with elections of local congress delegates, followed by an update on preliminary deer management recommendations from the local County Deer Advisory Council, votes on DNR fish and wildlife advisory questions, votes on Natural Resources Board advisory questions, submission of citizen resolutions and lastly votes on congress advisory questions.
Citizens are allowed to comment for up to 3 minutes on any question or rule change.
The meetings begin at 7 p.m. Votes are cast on a computerized ballot; attendees may vote and leave or stay for the entire proceedings. Meetings typically last from 1 to 3 hours.
As established in state statute, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress serves as a public advisory body to the NRB and DNR. The congress has five elected delegates in each county.
Several questions are generating lots of debate ahead of the meeting this year.
One, an advisory question from the Natural Resources Board, asks if the public favors an adjustment - read “shorter” to the crossbow deer hunting season.
Since the Wisconsin Legislature in 2014 approved a crossbow deer hunting season open to hunters of all ages and physical abilities, crossbow use has steadily increased. So, too, has the number of deer harvested by crossbow users.
For the first time in 2017 in Wisconsin, crossbow users killed more deer than vertical bow users.
Where some see progress others, including the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association, feel disadvantaged by the trend.
The growing corps of crossbow users and those who support more choice and flexibility - not less - in deer hunting options in general are likely to turn out in opposition to the question.
Two DNR fisheries advisory questions also have been getting a lot of attention.
One asks: Do you favor establishing a statewide, continuous open season for bass fishing but allow harvest only during the current traditional season?
Several groups, including the Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance, are against the proposal, preferring the current regulations which help reduce fishing pressure and hooking mortality of bass.
The other fisheries question has to do with the walleye bag limit in the Lake Winnebago system.
It asks: Do you favor reducing the walleye bag limit from 5 to 3 on the Lake Winnebago system?
Walleyes in the system, which includes Lakes Winnebago, Butte des Morts, Poygan and Winneconne and the Wolf and Fox rivers, are naturally-reproducing and have traditionally been open to yearround harvest.
In some years, exploitation rates are especially high and pose a concern to some.
But many anglers, including Mike Arrowood, chairman of Walleyes For Tomorrow, believe catch rates vary substantially and adequate recruitment continues to be observed in the system. Arrowood says there is no biological reason for reducing the bag limit.
When the DNR censored climate change information on its website a couple years ago, it caused a citizen resolution that advanced to an advisory question this year.
It asks: Would you support the WCC take a position and encourage legislators and DNR to support science and market based legislation and rules to reduce the risk of global warming and increase the use of renewable energy resources?
Dan Herscher of Birchwood and retired DNR fisheries manager Frank Pratt wrote the question.
“Given what the DNR did on its webpage and that many of our legislators won’t support efforts to mitigate climate change, this question could be a telling sign for how much the sporting and conservation community agrees with these stances,” Herscher said.
To view the entire questionnaire, visit dnr.wi.gov.
Meeting locations in southeastern Wisconsin are:
Milwaukee County: West Allis Central High School, 8516 W. Lincoln Avenue, West Allis.
Ozaukee County: Webster Middle School, W75 N624 Wauwatosa Road, Cedarburg.
Racine County: Union Grove High School, Auditorium, 3433 S Colony Avenue, Union Grove.
Walworth County: Delavan-Darien High School, Large Meeting Room, 150 Cummings Street, Delavan.
Washington County: Auditorium, 400 University Drive, West Bend.
Waukesha County: West High School, Auditorium, 3301 Saylesville Road, Waukesha.