Archive for the ‘DNR’ Category

Petersen’s E-Press

A No Vote on the Governor’s Veto Override

One of the most controversial bills voted on this session, and one of the most misunderstood, is Assembly Bill 138.  The bill places the appointing authority for the secretary of the Department of Natural Resources with the Natural Resources Board.  Currently, the secretary is appointed by the governor.

I have consistently opposed AB 138 as written. Specifically, I am concerned with the DNR board’s lack of equal representation of a sporting, recreational, agricultural, and environmental balance (Petersen’s E-Press September 18, 2009).

On September 22, 2009, I voted in favor of an amendment requiring at least three members of the Natural Resources Board must have held an annual hunting, fishing, or trapping license seven out of the previous ten years, and at least one member of the board will have an agriculture background. Assembly Democrats voted to table the amendment before the bill’s final vote.

AB 138 passed both houses; however, Governor Doyle vetoed the bill. An override of the governor’s veto failed in the Assembly on February 23^rd.   A governor’s veto can be overridden with 2/3s of the legislature voting for the override.  The attempt failed on a 59 – 39 bipartisan no vote.

Five months passed between the bill’s passage in the legislature, its gubernatorial veto, and the Assembly’s vote to override the veto.  Concerns about the DNR board’s make-up were discussed on the Assembly floor September 22^nd.  Had those concerns been met, the override would have succeeded.

Because of Governor Doyle’s appointments, a majority of the DNR board currently is comprised of environmentalists. Approximately 2 months ago, a former Sierra Club employee and current Madison resident became the DNR board’s chair.  This is the first time in Wisconsin’s history an environmentalist instead of a conservationist was selected to head the board.

Author of AB 138, Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison), led the opposition to the equal representation amendment.  Rep. Black is a former conservation representative for the Sierra Club. His district encompasses the city of Madison, which has little if any hunting land.

Illustrating the DNR board’s environmentalist agenda is their recently passed rule banning bear hunting on 160 stewardship acres in the town of Baraboo. The ban nullified a provision in the 2007-09 budget which required public access for hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and cross-country skiing on stewardship land.

Discussing the bear hunting ban issue in an article written by Tim Damos, Capital Newspapers, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Executive Director George Meyer stated; “The language is too vague. If the last two years are any indication of what is to come, outdoorsmen can expect to see more hunting and trapping bans on stewardship land.”

Ironically, this criticism is from the same person lobbying to put even more power in the hands of the DNR board. Proponents claim politics will be taken out of the process if the DNR secretary is appointed by the board.  However, board members who would choose the DNR secretary are appointed by the governor and serve staggered six year terms.

All seven members currently sitting on the Natural Resource Board were appointed by Governor Doyle.  In other words, overriding the governor’s veto of AB 138 would extend the current direction of the DNR along with Governor Doyle’s influence for years to come.

AB 138 without equal representation of hunters, anglers, and farmers is detrimental to Wisconsin. I voted no to the environmental extremist’s takeover attempt of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

What do you think about this issue?  Click here and send an email with your thoughts.

Catch and Release Update

My January 22, 2010 e-newsletter titled “Catch and Release” outlined problems with the legislative Democrats early prisoner release plan. Passed in the budget, the plan empowered the Department of Corrections to release convicted criminals early.

As of February 21^st, two of the twenty-two early release inmates have already been rearrested.  Both criminals had a history of committing crimes while on parole.  Alarmingly, in only about a month and a half, the recidivism rate is already at 10%.

The early release program’s outline and implementation were flawed from inception.  In January, along with 43 colleagues from both the Assembly and Senate, I called for an immediate repeal of the Governor’s misguided program.  To date, the governor has failed to respond to our concerns.

Therefore, I’ve now co-sponsored a bill which would reverse the early release program.

Respectfully,

Kevin Petersen

State Representative

40th Assembly District

Proposed 16-day deer hunt has snomo groups alarmed By Kurt Krueger

News-Review Editor

DNR hearing set next Wednesday in Rhinelander

RHINELANDER - While most hunting groups appear in favor of a 16-day gun deer season if it means eliminating the often-cursed earn-a-buck system, there’s no guarantee that the season won’t run into December.

The 16-day plan being forwarded by the Natural Resources Board (NRB) for public hearings this month, including one in Rhinelander next Wednesday, Oct. 21, is the only one calling for an opening date two Saturdays prior to Thanksgiving.

All of the major hunting groups and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress are pushing for the traditional opener the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which could push the gun deer seasons further into December.

That possibility has the snowmobile industry in northern Wisconsin up in arms, especially coming just six months after more than 150 snowmobilers packed the Sayner Community Center to help shoot down a late-December muzzleloader season.

“A lot of businesspeople are concerned,” said Dale Mayo, coordinator of Vilas County’s snowmobile program.

Mayo said it’s not so much an issue of snowmobilers vs. hunters, but business owners who are on the verge of having something taken away from them.

“If you take away one week of snowmobiling in December, before the holidays, it means a huge economic impact to these businesses,” said Mayo.

Mayo said if the NRB switches to the later, traditional opening date the Saturday before Thanksgiving, there’s a good chance Vilas County won’t be able to open trails next year until Dec. 20.

“There would be a 16-day gun hunt starting Nov. 20, a seven-day muzzleloader season starting Dec. 5, and a four-day antlerless hunt starting Dec. 16 and ending Dec. 19,” said Mayo.

He said the Conservation Congress has an alternative plan calling for a traditional nine-day gun season in units where the deer herd is within 20% of goal. He said that could be an enforcement nightmare.

“Under that plan, you could have a 16-day deer hunt in Unit 36 and a nine-day deer hunt in Unit 35,” said Mayo. “We might not be in herd control right now, but sooner or later, the herd will bounce back.”

The plan forwarded by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and alternatives that have surfaced in recent weeks are all intended to replace the controversial earn-a-buck system, which requires a hunter shoot an antlerless deer to receive a buck tag.

The Rhinelander hearing, one of 11 statewide, will be held at James Williams Middle School at 915 Acacia Lane. The hearing starts at 6:30 p.m. with a presentation and overview on the proposed rule, with public input starting at 7 p.m.

NRB helps North

The proposal headed to public hearing next week would open the gun deer season two Saturdays prior to Thanksgiving, followed by a seven-day muzzleloader season.

Likely to be embraced by the North Woods snowmobile industry, the DNR’s plan would do away with the four-day antlerless season that starts the Thursday after the muzzleloader hunt, limiting it to central forest and farmland units.

Also, the holiday herd control firearm season, a 10-day hunt beginning Dec. 26, would only be for central forest and farmland units.

What wouldn’t be supported here is a new bonus buck incentive for all herd control units, where hunters harvesting an antlerless deer beginning Dec. 26 would be eligible for a bonus buck tag valid through Jan. 31.

Chuck McCullough, the supervising DNR game manager in Antigo, said mild or moderate winters would help grow the herd quickly from its current below-goal status.

He said the department doesn’t want to return to the days of herd control seasons in northern Wisconsin, which would mean the herd is more than 20% above goal for at least two years.

McCullough said he’s heard many comments about how the department’s 16-day gun deer season plan would affect tradition, but he’s not sure what that means.

“The NRB really needs hunters to explain in detail how the 16-day proposal would impact their traditional hunt,” he said. “Just saying it breaks tradition isn’t enough. Hunters need to be specific about what will change and why they don’t like it.”

Conservation Congress Chairman Ed Harvey said state hunters should not consider the NRB proposal to be a last and final offer.

“We hope that if enough constructive dialog takes place at the hearings, the Natural Resources Board will be looking at a broad set of options when the final rule is written for their consideration in December,” said Harvey.

Some of that dialog is coming from the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, which wants to retain the traditional start of the 16-day season the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

The federation, along with the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and Safari Club International, make these arguments:

- an earlier gun opener has failed every public vote;

- historical data reveals the early opener is less effective on harvesting antlerless deer;

- the traditional opener allows hunters to use three days of vacation to hunt nine days;

- there are biological concerns about shooting 60% of the available bucks before the breeding period is completed; and

- elimination of the four-day antlerless hunt in December insures firearm hunting runs no later than the current season structure.

Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted via U.S. mail to Keith Warnke, Bureau of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Comments may be submitted until Nov. 3.

Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don’t need you

IRVINE, Calif. USA - October 5, 2009 - A recently published administration document outlines a structure that could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters. Under the guise of ‘protecting’ these areas, the current second phase of the Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by December 9, 2009.

Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, “In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast. Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water was adopted into the report verbatim - the key points we submitted as an industry were ignored.”

Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the United States and supports jobs in every state according to government figures. Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle to fishery conservation and education for decades. Read the rest of this entry »