MONROE - Members of the Public Safety Committee struck down a personal request from city resident Jeff Everson, who spoke to Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley about trapping muskrats in city streams.
Aldermen Tom Miller, Chris Beer and Brooke Bauman discussed the issue during a committee meeting Monday. Kelley said Everson had contacted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which did not have an issue with the concept, but advised Everson to request permission from the city.
Kelley said the trapping would be done to get pelts from the animals.
Bauman said she assumed the request was to aid the city with a muskrat problem, but upon hearing it was for personal gain, did not see the need for trapping within city limits.
Kelley said the practice had been allowed in the city before, which Parks Director Paul Klinzing confirmed. However, Klinzing added that since changes had been made to streams, adding more rocks and leveling out the banks, the rodents have been less of a problem.
Beer asked whether domesticated animals could become victim to the traps, which Kelley said was possible, but had never seen before. Mayor Louis Armstrong was in attendance at the meeting, and said he personally had a dog who fell into one along a stream bank. He strongly urged denial of the request, citing better maintenance of streams as an effective deterrent for muskrats.
Committee members also expressed concerns over children being injured by the traps.
"There's too many incidents in which it could go wrong," Beer said.
DNR rules specify that once a person enters a stream, they can walk it for long stretches without trespassing on privately owned or city-owned land. Because the committee was hesitant to approve of one space, while also dictating others as off-limits, they agreed to take no action on the request, effectively denying it and leaving DNR rules in place.
Aldermen Tom Miller, Chris Beer and Brooke Bauman discussed the issue during a committee meeting Monday. Kelley said Everson had contacted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which did not have an issue with the concept, but advised Everson to request permission from the city.
Kelley said the trapping would be done to get pelts from the animals.
Bauman said she assumed the request was to aid the city with a muskrat problem, but upon hearing it was for personal gain, did not see the need for trapping within city limits.
Kelley said the practice had been allowed in the city before, which Parks Director Paul Klinzing confirmed. However, Klinzing added that since changes had been made to streams, adding more rocks and leveling out the banks, the rodents have been less of a problem.
Beer asked whether domesticated animals could become victim to the traps, which Kelley said was possible, but had never seen before. Mayor Louis Armstrong was in attendance at the meeting, and said he personally had a dog who fell into one along a stream bank. He strongly urged denial of the request, citing better maintenance of streams as an effective deterrent for muskrats.
Committee members also expressed concerns over children being injured by the traps.
"There's too many incidents in which it could go wrong," Beer said.
DNR rules specify that once a person enters a stream, they can walk it for long stretches without trespassing on privately owned or city-owned land. Because the committee was hesitant to approve of one space, while also dictating others as off-limits, they agreed to take no action on the request, effectively denying it and leaving DNR rules in place.