Submitting a resolution
Citizens interested in submitting a resolution for consideration at the 2010 spring hearings should contact their county delegation now for assistance in preparing the paperwork. While the process is relatively painless, the proposal must be in the correct format. Instructions are also available on line at www.dnr.state.wi.gov under Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
Contacts for each county are as follows:
Green County: Ken Risley, 938-4743
Grant County: Larrie Hazen, 988-4549
Iowa County: Steve Holmes, 935-9319
Lafayette County: Mike Gould, 482-0324
Rock County: Larry Meyer, (262) 473-2794
STEVENS POINT - Those of us who grew up on farms heard these words on a regular basis: "Don't forget to shut the gate." If you did, and the hogs, chickens or cows got out, the feedback from the family patriarch got ugly in a hurry.
In today's world of game farm operations, leaving the gate open could be fatal for the escapee. If a captive deer or elk takes advantage of a gate left open (or a collapsed fence) the Department of Natural Resources protocol demands that the animal be shot if gone missing for more than 24 hours.
Draconian? Perhaps.
Necessary? Well, with the possible exception of the gatekeeper, no one is complaining.
With more than 600 game farms in Wisconsin, these things happen. A mid-summer thunderstorm drops a 10-ton oak tree on a fence, crushing it. A forgetful ranch hand passes through a gate and drives off, leaving the detainees with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a break for it.
Not only does the game farm operator worry about such occurrences, but equally concerned are state officials, farmers and hunters, more so since the discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease in both free ranging and captive populations in Wisconsin.
Now, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress is considering possible steps to deal more aggressively with the issue. One of the questions on the ballot for the upcoming Conservation Congress and Department of Natural Resources spring hearings addresses the issue.
The question states: "Would you support a change to state statute that would require a double gate mechanism on all captive cervid farms in Wisconsin?"
The measure garnered considerable support at the recent WCC Executive Council meeting in Stevens Point, but not without debate. One issue is the divided control of captive game farms between the DNR and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is primarily responsible for the regulation of activities within the fence - animal health, testing, commerce, etc. - while DNR monitors fences and issues inspection certificates. The DNR also tracks down and kills cervids (elk, red deer, white-tailed deer) that have escaped into the wild. Critics contend having two state agencies involved has the effect of leaving no one in charge.
There have been 45 of these incidents within the past two years alone, of which approximately 25 percent have been the result of gates left open. The most notorious event occurred four years ago when approximately 30 deer disappeared over night from the Buckhorn Flats shooting preserve in Portage County.
After several deer had tested positive for the disease at the site, government officials began a depopulation effort, removing scores of deer, most of which tested positive for CWD. As they arrived one morning to finish the grisly task, however, they found the impoundment deserted.
The proprietor pointed to a hole in the fence through which he suggested the deer (all bucks) had escaped. A check of the surrounding area came up empty with the exception of three antlerless whitetails.
While no one suggests the proposed rule would have prevented the Portage County debacle, proponents contend that the double gate would allow vehicles and care givers to enter the enclosure by closing one gate before opening the second. Opponents point out that a double gate/fence can be expensive, costing both the owner and the state thousands of dollars in a cost sharing arrangement. Moreover, opening and closing gates can be a time-consuming nuisance, which may lead to the operator simply leaving one gate open at all times.
Spring hearing questions set
The Executive Council considered 51 questions derived from resolutions passed at last year's spring hearings. Of those, 38 made the cut and will be on the ballot at the April 12 hearings.
Those the council rejected had varied problems. Some had been overcome by events during the past year and were no longer relevant. For example, one encouraged the DNR to abandon Earn-a-Buck policies outside the CWD Management Zone, a policy already in place.
The DNR also proposes rule changes for consideration at the spring hearings, this year 35 pertaining to fisheries management and 23 related to wildlife management. The Natural Resources Board also has the prerogative of submitting items for consideration.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net. Fahrney is a delegate to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress from Iowa County and represents District 9 on the WCC Executive Council.
In today's world of game farm operations, leaving the gate open could be fatal for the escapee. If a captive deer or elk takes advantage of a gate left open (or a collapsed fence) the Department of Natural Resources protocol demands that the animal be shot if gone missing for more than 24 hours.
Draconian? Perhaps.
Necessary? Well, with the possible exception of the gatekeeper, no one is complaining.
With more than 600 game farms in Wisconsin, these things happen. A mid-summer thunderstorm drops a 10-ton oak tree on a fence, crushing it. A forgetful ranch hand passes through a gate and drives off, leaving the detainees with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a break for it.
Not only does the game farm operator worry about such occurrences, but equally concerned are state officials, farmers and hunters, more so since the discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease in both free ranging and captive populations in Wisconsin.
Now, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress is considering possible steps to deal more aggressively with the issue. One of the questions on the ballot for the upcoming Conservation Congress and Department of Natural Resources spring hearings addresses the issue.
The question states: "Would you support a change to state statute that would require a double gate mechanism on all captive cervid farms in Wisconsin?"
The measure garnered considerable support at the recent WCC Executive Council meeting in Stevens Point, but not without debate. One issue is the divided control of captive game farms between the DNR and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is primarily responsible for the regulation of activities within the fence - animal health, testing, commerce, etc. - while DNR monitors fences and issues inspection certificates. The DNR also tracks down and kills cervids (elk, red deer, white-tailed deer) that have escaped into the wild. Critics contend having two state agencies involved has the effect of leaving no one in charge.
There have been 45 of these incidents within the past two years alone, of which approximately 25 percent have been the result of gates left open. The most notorious event occurred four years ago when approximately 30 deer disappeared over night from the Buckhorn Flats shooting preserve in Portage County.
After several deer had tested positive for the disease at the site, government officials began a depopulation effort, removing scores of deer, most of which tested positive for CWD. As they arrived one morning to finish the grisly task, however, they found the impoundment deserted.
The proprietor pointed to a hole in the fence through which he suggested the deer (all bucks) had escaped. A check of the surrounding area came up empty with the exception of three antlerless whitetails.
While no one suggests the proposed rule would have prevented the Portage County debacle, proponents contend that the double gate would allow vehicles and care givers to enter the enclosure by closing one gate before opening the second. Opponents point out that a double gate/fence can be expensive, costing both the owner and the state thousands of dollars in a cost sharing arrangement. Moreover, opening and closing gates can be a time-consuming nuisance, which may lead to the operator simply leaving one gate open at all times.
Spring hearing questions set
The Executive Council considered 51 questions derived from resolutions passed at last year's spring hearings. Of those, 38 made the cut and will be on the ballot at the April 12 hearings.
Those the council rejected had varied problems. Some had been overcome by events during the past year and were no longer relevant. For example, one encouraged the DNR to abandon Earn-a-Buck policies outside the CWD Management Zone, a policy already in place.
The DNR also proposes rule changes for consideration at the spring hearings, this year 35 pertaining to fisheries management and 23 related to wildlife management. The Natural Resources Board also has the prerogative of submitting items for consideration.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net. Fahrney is a delegate to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress from Iowa County and represents District 9 on the WCC Executive Council.
