POYNETTE - If one were to pick the single most important topic of discussion for the New Year, the choice might well be access to public lands for hunting, fishing, trapping and other recreational pursuits.
A recent press release issued by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, the state's largest conservation organization, addresses concern over the 2,292 miles of roads closed recently to motorized traffic within the 1.5 million acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. On Nov. 7, 2008, the WWF filed an appeal to the U.S. Forest Service regarding its 2008 Travel Management Plan, resulting in a three-year "educational process."
The agreement between the WWF and the Forest Service underscores the concern among outdoor enthusiasts, but also reveals the mind-boggling complexity of user options to contest the plan.
Here are some details of the agreement:
During the period 2009-2011, law enforcement staff will issue a written warning to individuals operating a vehicle on a closed road. At the same time, the road user receives information on how he or she can request in writing that the road remain open for motorized traffic. The user is responsible for filing the written request with the Forest Service.
The Forest Service will evaluate the road opening requests based on the criteria developed in the initial road closure process. If the Forest Service denies the written request to keep the road open, the person who submitted the request has the right to appeal.
A citation for the use of a motorized vehicle on a closed road may be issued to an individual if they use a closed road in the following year - AND they either failed to file an open road request or the request was denied by the Forest Service.
Road users will be responsible for obtaining current Forest Service road maps for the Cheq-Nicolet.
The Forest Service will undertake a systematic on-going review of all the closed roads to determine whether they may be re-opened to motorized use. The Federation points out that this clause will eventually cover most of the areas that need to be evaluated.
The agreement does not apply to roads already gated or bermed.
The WWF will continue to provide advice and assistance to hunters, anglers, trappers and other recreational users regarding the terms of the agreement.
Both the Forest Service and the WWF agree to continue to publicize the road opening process to recreational users of the forest.
While this agreement represents a valiant effort on the part of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation to ensure public access, the actual implementation of the plan appears ominous. Having just received a warning ticket, will the violator feel empowered enough to challenge a bureaucracy as large and powerful as the U.S. Forest Service?
And, what happens after 2011? Will the Forest Service become more flexible regarding access or will the agency simply bid a fond farewell to this bothersome agreement?
The agreement only addresses recent road closure decisions and only in the Cheq-Nicolet. Other access issues relate to lands purchased through the Stewardship Fund, now under review by a Natural Resources Board subcommittee.
Other issues to watch in 2009
A new committee structure in the Democrat-controlled State Assembly divides responsibility for natural resource protection between the current Natural Resources Committee and a newly minted Fish and Wildlife Committee.
The forestry account, raided annually to pay off the debt from Stewardship Fund purchases, is once again in the cross hairs of state planners strapped for cash.
The use of hunting and fishing license fees also remains on the radar screen. While limited by law to fish and game programs, the actual application of that mandate becomes somewhat murky. Virtually any environmental issue can be connected in some way to fish and game, making license fees perpetually vulnerable to incursion.
Second Amendment considerations bear watching. While President-elect Obama expresses his steadfast support of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the constitution, his urban-based perspective on "responsible" gun control poses a potential threat to law abiding gun owners, especially those who use firearms to hunt.
It can be a chore at times, but eternal vigilance is the price we pay for the right to pursue our outdoor heritage.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
A recent press release issued by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, the state's largest conservation organization, addresses concern over the 2,292 miles of roads closed recently to motorized traffic within the 1.5 million acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. On Nov. 7, 2008, the WWF filed an appeal to the U.S. Forest Service regarding its 2008 Travel Management Plan, resulting in a three-year "educational process."
The agreement between the WWF and the Forest Service underscores the concern among outdoor enthusiasts, but also reveals the mind-boggling complexity of user options to contest the plan.
Here are some details of the agreement:
During the period 2009-2011, law enforcement staff will issue a written warning to individuals operating a vehicle on a closed road. At the same time, the road user receives information on how he or she can request in writing that the road remain open for motorized traffic. The user is responsible for filing the written request with the Forest Service.
The Forest Service will evaluate the road opening requests based on the criteria developed in the initial road closure process. If the Forest Service denies the written request to keep the road open, the person who submitted the request has the right to appeal.
A citation for the use of a motorized vehicle on a closed road may be issued to an individual if they use a closed road in the following year - AND they either failed to file an open road request or the request was denied by the Forest Service.
Road users will be responsible for obtaining current Forest Service road maps for the Cheq-Nicolet.
The Forest Service will undertake a systematic on-going review of all the closed roads to determine whether they may be re-opened to motorized use. The Federation points out that this clause will eventually cover most of the areas that need to be evaluated.
The agreement does not apply to roads already gated or bermed.
The WWF will continue to provide advice and assistance to hunters, anglers, trappers and other recreational users regarding the terms of the agreement.
Both the Forest Service and the WWF agree to continue to publicize the road opening process to recreational users of the forest.
While this agreement represents a valiant effort on the part of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation to ensure public access, the actual implementation of the plan appears ominous. Having just received a warning ticket, will the violator feel empowered enough to challenge a bureaucracy as large and powerful as the U.S. Forest Service?
And, what happens after 2011? Will the Forest Service become more flexible regarding access or will the agency simply bid a fond farewell to this bothersome agreement?
The agreement only addresses recent road closure decisions and only in the Cheq-Nicolet. Other access issues relate to lands purchased through the Stewardship Fund, now under review by a Natural Resources Board subcommittee.
Other issues to watch in 2009
A new committee structure in the Democrat-controlled State Assembly divides responsibility for natural resource protection between the current Natural Resources Committee and a newly minted Fish and Wildlife Committee.
The forestry account, raided annually to pay off the debt from Stewardship Fund purchases, is once again in the cross hairs of state planners strapped for cash.
The use of hunting and fishing license fees also remains on the radar screen. While limited by law to fish and game programs, the actual application of that mandate becomes somewhat murky. Virtually any environmental issue can be connected in some way to fish and game, making license fees perpetually vulnerable to incursion.
Second Amendment considerations bear watching. While President-elect Obama expresses his steadfast support of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the constitution, his urban-based perspective on "responsible" gun control poses a potential threat to law abiding gun owners, especially those who use firearms to hunt.
It can be a chore at times, but eternal vigilance is the price we pay for the right to pursue our outdoor heritage.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
