March 10, 2021 at 4:46 p.m.
National Resources Board gets first look at spring hearings questions
National Resources Board gets first look at spring hearings questions
This year's hearings are scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 12.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year's hearings will be virtual, as they were last year, with an online survey form available for 72 hours after that time.
The spring hearings allow the public to weigh in on a variety of natural resources related questions. Many of these questions come from advisory committees to the DNR, and other questions come from citizen resolutions. In each county, citizens have the opportunity to pose a question to respondents in their own county first. If voters in that county agree and pass the citizen resolution, the resolution can then make its way to the statewide ballot and may eventually even become a change made to DNR rules. Many resolutions created by citizens have made their way through this process. The spring hearings are the public's opportunity to shape DNR policy and rules in the state.
Before coming to the spring hearings ballot to be voted on, questions are presented to the Natural Resources Board. At February's Natural Resource Board (NRB) meeting, newly elected WCC chair Tony Blattler came to the NRB with the spring hearings questions from various advisory committees.
'Be careful'
This year, NRB chairman Dr. Fred Prehn did take issue with some of the questions from the environmental advisory committee, as did board member Greg Kazmierski. Kazmeirski said he felt the dedicated mission of the WCC was to advise the NRB on items related to hunting, fishing and trapping issues. Instead, he felt the Congress had "decided to participate in world issues and the energy independence of our country."
Blattler said the WCC struggles with this on a consistent basis and wishes to be inclusive no matter the subject of the citizen resolutions that come in front of the board. Those resolutions are sent to study committees, he said, and agreed the environmental committee came back with ideas that did not necessarily deal with hunting and trapping. He said the WCC wanted to respect the citizens' right to be heard, whether or not these questions were outside of the scope of the WCC mission statement.
"I understand that the public shows up and they have a question they want to ask, but at some point and time you have to determine whether it affects the mission of the organization," chair Prehn told Blattler. "Be careful what's going on with the WCC because when you get questions about carbon emissions and carbon dividends with HR house representatives, you're going to lose the core thrust of the WCC, in my opinion," he warned further. The question about which Prehn was speaking was the first presented in the hearings questions from the environmental advisory committee and read:
"Should the Wisconsin Conservation Congress endorse and encourage the U.S. Congress to enact carbon fee and dividend legislation with the intent of reducing CO2 emissions, benefitting conservation, and stimulating technology innovation and economic growth through revenue recycling?"
As an information only item on the agenda, the board thanked Blattler for bringing the work done to bring the questions to the board and wished him luck with the questions posed.
Other questions
Other questions respondents will find on this year's spring hearings ballot from the environmental advisory committee include one about perennial vegetative buffers along rivers, streams and ditches. That question asks whether respondents would support legislation that would require perennial native vegetative species buffer of 50 feet along rivers and streams and 16.5 feet along ditches not covered by local zoning ordinances under Wisconsin's Shoreland Management Program in NR 115.
The committee also brought a question regarding high capacity wells. That question reads: "Should the Wisconsin Conservation Congress support DNR's use of fact-specific determination process for high capacity well applications that considers environmental impacts such as potential effects on groundwater protection areas, water loss, degradation of safe drinking water or groundwater and impacts when combined with other wells to springs, navigable waters and public water systems?"
The other questions brought to the NRB in February seem to more closely fit the mission of the WCC in that they deal with fishing, hunting and trapping issues. Only one of those questions this year came from the Great Lakes Committee. That question is in regard to a fee increase. Respondents are asked whether or not they would support legislation that would increase the fee for a Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Stamp from $10 to $15 to provide additional revenue to the state fish hatcheries and rearing stations. This additional funding would support the Wisconsin fish propagation system.
The motorized recreational equipment and devices committee will ask stakeholders whether ATV/UTV and hunter safety classes should be required to be in-person classes only. These are posed as two separate questions, allowing respondents to address each safety class requirement individually.
The warm water committee brought forth many questions, some of which do not directly affect respondents in the Northwoods, but others more statewide in scope. The Upriver Lakes Sturgeon Spearing carcass tag is addressed in one question, asking whether that tag should be allowed to be used in Lake Winnebago when the Upper Lakes spearing season has closed. Currently, the question background states, it can take seven years or more to receive a carcass tag for Upriver tag, with the season often being as short as two to three days.
The warm water committee also posed a question about guides gifting fish to clients. Currently, Section 29.539 of the Wisconsin State Statues states that "no person may sell, purchase, barter, or trade, offer to sell, purchase, barter, or trade or have in possession of under control for the purpose of sale, barter, or trade any game fish." This prohibits licensed guides from providing fish caught by the guide to the client in exchange for any compensation or reward.
Gifting of fish without compensation, however, is not addressed and is subject to conditions. A guide gifting fish on the water may violate the daily bag limit of the client. Off the water, fish may be gifted without compensation as long as it does not put the receiver over the legal possession limit for each species of fish.
At issue is the fact that guides often fish the same bodies of water multiple times and may fish a body of water with various clients in one day. Gifting of fish to clients, the background states, then allows the guide to catch a limit of fish from the same body of water more than one time per day, putting the guide over the legal take limit while evading enforcement of that bag limit. The question posed asks whether respondents would support legislation to specifically prohibit licensed professional fishing guides from "providing or gifting the guide's catch of fish to their clients."
The deer and elk committee posed questions about use of best practices in management of chronic wasting disease (CWD) within the state as well as whether the deer season should include white (not albino) deer where they are present. They also ask respondents to look at high fencing that may limit movement of wild deer.
The fur harvest committee brought forth questions about possible expanded use of cable restraints by a landowner within current trapping season restrictions, which would help with nuisance control. Their questions also look at allowing the use of traps with a jaw spread of nine inches in water and under ice sets, which would allow trappers to use newer technology that is felt to be more humane and efficient. Other questions from this committee look at changing season lengths for beaver, otter and muskrat.
Questions also came from the bear committee, the turkey and upland game committee, and the trout committee. Other questions respondents and stakeholder will find on their spring hearings ballots stemmed from the legislative committee as well as the outdoor heritage and education committee.
All of the spring hearings questions will be available on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov. Stakeholders will also find instructions on completing the spring hearings ballot when it opens, how to file a citizen resolution and information about the Wisconsin Conservation Congress including any vacancies and how to nominate someone for a position.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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