Survey Results From 2007

Last year, the DNR asked for your help in updating the Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Plan that will cover our management years 2007-2013.

We asked you to identify natural resource issues and priorities, and to provide additional comments on natural resources.

The DNR heard from 71 Wisconsin counties. Thanks to the 2,664 people who took time to fill out the survey! Here's what you told us:

Top Five Natural Resource Management Issues For 2007-2012

According to survey respondents, these are the top five issues resource managers are likely to face during 2007-2012. The percentages show how many respondents were concerned or very concerned about the issue:

• Loss of natural habitats - 91%
• Invasive species in lakes - 87%, in forest and prairies - 77%
• Continued funding for conservation - 83%
• Wildlife disease - 72%, and fish disease - 78%
• Conflicts among different outdoor recreation users - 68%

Top Five Natural Resource Management Priorities For 2007-2012

From a list of potential priorities, respondents were asked to rate how important they thought each would be for the next six years. These are the top five priorities accompanied by the percent of respondents that rated each as important or very important:

• Pass along a conservation ethic to children - 93%
• Protect and improve wildlife habitat - 89%, fish habitat - 87%
• Combat invasive species - 86%
• Protect fish populations from disease - 80%, wildlife populations - 77%
• Monitor wildlife populations - 80%, sport fish populations - 74%

Other Top-Ranked Natural Resource Issues And Priorities

More than two-thirds of respondents also wrote additional comments, many expanding upon issues and priorities ranked highly in the previous questions. The most frequently mentioned hunting or fishing priorities included:

• Chronic wasting disease and deer management
• Baiting and feeding
• Public access to hunting and fishing
• Habitat
• Building a conservation ethic among current and future resource users
• Wolves