After a winter like the one we just had, sometimes it feels like spring and summer will never arrive. For me, at least, one of the most welcome dates on the calendar finally got here this past weekend: the start of fishing season. Between that and the excitement of turkey hunting season, it's a wonderful time to be in Wisconsin.
We are truly blessed to live in a state with such a proud outdoor tradition. From hiking in the woods to hunting, fishing or trapping, to just enjoying a relaxing weekend in the comfortable weather, Wisconsin's natural beauty is truly unparalleled.
That beauty is something we can't take for granted. A great deal of our state's identity and heritage are wrapped up in it, and countless small towns and local economies depend on the tourism dollars that come along with folks who want to experience it for themselves.
In the state Capitol in Madison, we have a critical responsibility to protect this heritage and our precious natural resources. I'm happy to report that in the past two years, we have passed a number of landmark protections and programs designed to do just that. Our job as stewards is one we take very seriously; I know that leading by example when it comes to the outdoors goes a long way.
Most importantly, I voted this year to take the landmark step of reauthorizing the state's Stewardship program until 2020. Established in 1990, the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program provides the financial means for the state to purchase land for permanent public use and environmental protection. Last year, as part of the state budget, I voted to not only re-authorize the program for an additional 10 years, but include some much-needed oversight and improvements. Land purchases are now subject to legislative oversight, giving the Legislature the ability to make sure the program is being administered responsibly, and giving taxpayers a say in how their money is spent. We included an open access requirement to make sure state-owned land is open to hunting and fishing, and we responded to numerous requests from hunters and anglers to improve sign-posting on Stewardship land.
We certainly didn't stop there. Anybody who enjoys the land or the water knows the danger of invasive species, which have already found their way to Wisconsin in a number of threatening forms. Last year, I voted along with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues to provide new penalties and increased funding to fight invasive species, including more than $4 million to control non-native fish like the Asian carp, as well as zebra mussels and other unwelcome aquatic invaders. I voted to support a statewide presence of DNR Boat Ambassadors to conduct public education and enforce invasive species regulations, and to fund a new statewide program to control terrestrial invasive species including the gypsy moth and emerald ash borer.
Many hunters like myself are also aware of a disturbing trend here in Wisconsin. Recent studies have shown that our state is in the bottom 20 percent for hunter replacement: we lose almost two hunters for every new one that we get. Our minimum hunting age has a lot to do with that, and that's why I voted to pass a bill this year to create a mentored hunting program, which would make it possible for parents to take their children hunting at a younger age, but only in a structured environment that encourages responsible behavior and safety first. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on this bill and we'll have to start over again from square one when the next session begins.
The budget we passed included no increases in hunting and fishing license fees, which certainly makes sense if we're trying to make hunting and fishing available, accessible and affordable for Wisconsin families.
For all the dollars we spend and all the laws we pass to ensure that the natural resources are preserved for our traditional use, there's a more important role we're fulfilling - protecting those resources for future generations. That's why every vote I take on something that affects hunting and fishing, I always remember that what I do in the Capitol is going to affect the next generation as well, including my two sons. Hunting and fishing just aren't the same for me without them, and I'm proud to enjoy my time in the outdoors alongside them. I'll never forget the time I spent with my father hunting and fishing; the lessons he taught me about respect, responsibility and conservation have lasted a lifetime, I am proud to pass them along to my sons as well.
That's the special thing about the outdoors here in our state; it's about a lot more than just the outdoors. It's Wisconsin's heritage.
- Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, is speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly.
We are truly blessed to live in a state with such a proud outdoor tradition. From hiking in the woods to hunting, fishing or trapping, to just enjoying a relaxing weekend in the comfortable weather, Wisconsin's natural beauty is truly unparalleled.
That beauty is something we can't take for granted. A great deal of our state's identity and heritage are wrapped up in it, and countless small towns and local economies depend on the tourism dollars that come along with folks who want to experience it for themselves.
In the state Capitol in Madison, we have a critical responsibility to protect this heritage and our precious natural resources. I'm happy to report that in the past two years, we have passed a number of landmark protections and programs designed to do just that. Our job as stewards is one we take very seriously; I know that leading by example when it comes to the outdoors goes a long way.
Most importantly, I voted this year to take the landmark step of reauthorizing the state's Stewardship program until 2020. Established in 1990, the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program provides the financial means for the state to purchase land for permanent public use and environmental protection. Last year, as part of the state budget, I voted to not only re-authorize the program for an additional 10 years, but include some much-needed oversight and improvements. Land purchases are now subject to legislative oversight, giving the Legislature the ability to make sure the program is being administered responsibly, and giving taxpayers a say in how their money is spent. We included an open access requirement to make sure state-owned land is open to hunting and fishing, and we responded to numerous requests from hunters and anglers to improve sign-posting on Stewardship land.
We certainly didn't stop there. Anybody who enjoys the land or the water knows the danger of invasive species, which have already found their way to Wisconsin in a number of threatening forms. Last year, I voted along with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues to provide new penalties and increased funding to fight invasive species, including more than $4 million to control non-native fish like the Asian carp, as well as zebra mussels and other unwelcome aquatic invaders. I voted to support a statewide presence of DNR Boat Ambassadors to conduct public education and enforce invasive species regulations, and to fund a new statewide program to control terrestrial invasive species including the gypsy moth and emerald ash borer.
Many hunters like myself are also aware of a disturbing trend here in Wisconsin. Recent studies have shown that our state is in the bottom 20 percent for hunter replacement: we lose almost two hunters for every new one that we get. Our minimum hunting age has a lot to do with that, and that's why I voted to pass a bill this year to create a mentored hunting program, which would make it possible for parents to take their children hunting at a younger age, but only in a structured environment that encourages responsible behavior and safety first. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on this bill and we'll have to start over again from square one when the next session begins.
The budget we passed included no increases in hunting and fishing license fees, which certainly makes sense if we're trying to make hunting and fishing available, accessible and affordable for Wisconsin families.
For all the dollars we spend and all the laws we pass to ensure that the natural resources are preserved for our traditional use, there's a more important role we're fulfilling - protecting those resources for future generations. That's why every vote I take on something that affects hunting and fishing, I always remember that what I do in the Capitol is going to affect the next generation as well, including my two sons. Hunting and fishing just aren't the same for me without them, and I'm proud to enjoy my time in the outdoors alongside them. I'll never forget the time I spent with my father hunting and fishing; the lessons he taught me about respect, responsibility and conservation have lasted a lifetime, I am proud to pass them along to my sons as well.
That's the special thing about the outdoors here in our state; it's about a lot more than just the outdoors. It's Wisconsin's heritage.
- Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, is speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly.
