State to update Wildlife Management Strategic Plan

The Wildlife Management Program of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is in the process of revising their Wildlife Management Strategic Plan, a process which began in January of 2024. The window for public comment closes after today, so those looking to make comment should do so today.

There is an online public comment form asking stakeholders to help rate seven priorities highlighted in the updated plan. The online form also asks for respondents’ thoughts on the effectiveness of wildlife management in the state. There is also a place for the public to add their own comments.

The main priorities of the plan include:

Increase public awareness and appreciation of wildlife and their habitats

Support outdoor recreation opportunities including hiking, foraging and wildlife viewing

Enhance animal and plant diversity on priority habitats

Address nuisance and agricultural impacts (crop damage, etc.) of wildlife

Enhance and strengthen the long-term viability of game species

Maintain and preserve hunting and trapping opportunities

Reduce risk to human health ( e.g., wildlife diseases that can spread to people)

There have been opportunities for staff and partner organizations to provide input throughout the process. Recently the public input period opened, and will close after today. The main interest is in how the public would like to see the DNR rank their priorities moving forward. Better understanding these priorities will allow the department to prioritize resources such as staff time as well as funding. 

“The team poured over budgets, explored trade-offs of investing more of our resources into one type of project (often at the expense of another), and took a hard look at what could be realistically accomplished,” the DNR website stated. “Those conversations are still ongoing.”

Once the public comment period closes, staff will review the public comment and take it into consideration as they move on with the planning process. It is expected that the team will continue to work on the strategic plan update through the summer of 2025. For more information, to contribute to the public comment period or to get updates on the plan and the process, head to the DNR website dnr.wi.gov and input search term, “wildlife management strategic plan.”

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].