Weekly News

  Print

Poll on new design for endangered resources license plate draws thousands of on-line voters

Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank today announced the results of an online survey to help gauge the popularity of four potential designs for a new Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate. More than 23,000 votes were cast to help select the license plate design to benefit Wisconsin’s endangered resources

“Hands down, this has been the most popular survey to date for the DNR. We know University of Wisconsin students, using social media, lobbied hard for their school mascot,” Frank said. “Of the four plate designs depicting native Wisconsin wildlife and their habitat, the badger received 68 percent of the total, coming in at 16,167 votes.”

In second place, the great blue heron and eastern bluebird designs ran beak and beak, each with 12 percent of the total and 2,890 and 2,846 votes respectively. The red-headed woodpecker brought in 8 percent of the total with 1,905 votes. On-line voting ran from October 9 through the 19.

“There is a great deal of awareness and pride in Wisconsin’s beautiful natural resources and interest in protecting them for future generations,” Frank said. The new plate design will use the latest color technology and is expected to be available to Wisconsin motorists for a $25 contribution. One hundred percent of the $25 will be used to support the Endangered Resources conservation fund.

For images of the license plate designs and information on the endangered resources program, go to New License Plate will support Endangered Resources.

The departments of Natural Resources and Transportation will use the survey results to help make a final decision on the new design. The plate will be available to Wisconsin motorists in 2010 in addition to the grey wolf, featured on the Endangered Resources plate since 1995.

Contact: Rebecca Schroeder, (608) 266-5244; Susan Foote-Martin, (608) 266-0545

  Print

Deer carcass tag tip sheet available

MADISON – There are some important deer carcass tagging changes in 2009 that hunters will want to pay attention to, according to Department of Natural resources wildlife biologists and wardens.

Hunters can print out a handy color tip sheet [PDF] on tagging their deer from the DNR Web site or request a copy from a DNR service center. Information on carcass tags is also available in the 2009 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet or by calling the DNR Call Center at 1-888-936-7463.

Gun deer hunters

After a number of years of herd control and earn-a-buck rules in the north, many northern deer management units are Regular units in 2009. To shoot an antlerless deer in Regular units, gun deer hunters must purchase a unit-specific ($12 for residents and $20 for non-residents) antlerless deer tag. Some Regular units will not have any unit-specific antlerless tags available in 2009; some have already sold out; and others are expected to sell out. Hunters are urged to check early and to be sure they understand the rules and have the right tags for their unit.

The “Antlerless Deer Carcass Tag” that is included with a gun deer hunting license is valid only in Herd Control and CWD (EAB) units.

As in the past, there is an unlimited number of $2 antlerless deer tags available for Herd Control units for hunters wishing to harvest additional deer for personal use or for donation to the Venison Donation program.

Licensed gun and archery hunters, hunting in CWD units may pick up free CWD Deer Carcass Tags at all DNR Service Centers, and select DNR licensing locations and registration stations throughout the CWD Management Zone.

Archery deer hunters

Archery hunters receive two antlerless carcass tags with their license. The “Archery Antlerless Carcass Tag” is good for any unit statewide during an open archery season. If this tag is used, archery hunters in Regular units may also purchase the $12 unit-specific antlerless tags if there are any available for the unit they will be hunting in. The “Antlerless Deer Carcass Tag,” which is identical to the tag received by gun license buyers, is good only in Herd Control and CWD (EAB) units.

Buck stickers

Some hunters received a yellow Buck Authorization Sticker after registering an antlerless deer in an earn-a-buck or CWD unit in 2008. If the sticker was not used in 2008 to validate a buck harvest tag, it is still valid for the 2009 deer hunting season but only in a CWD Management Zone unit where earn-a-buck hunting rules are still in effect for 2009. After the 2009 hunting season, the yellow sticker will be invalid. If an antlerless deer is harvested and registered within a CWD Management Unit during any 2009 hunting season, the hunter must request a “2009-2010 Earn-a-Buck, Buck Authorization” sticker at the deer registration station. Buck Authorization stickers will not be mailed to hunters as they have for certain situations in the past.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023 or Bob Manwell - (608) 264-9248

  Print

Volunteers needed to help monitor wolf population in the state

Wolf tracking training sessions and ecology courses set

MADISON - People interested in volunteering to help locate and count gray wolves and other forest carnivores in the coming year can learn how at a series of upcoming training sessions.

In Wisconsin wolves are a protected wild animal under state law, and due to court action on July 1, 2009, are again an endangered species under federal law.

Volunteer trackers are assigned survey blocks in forest portions of northern and central Wisconsin, and are asked to conduct three or more surveys in their assigned block each winter. Information they gather can be compiled with that of other volunteers to aid Department of Natural Resources biologists in evaluating wolf populations.

Wolf and Carnivore Tracker Training sessions are scheduled:

• Nov. 7, Ashland, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Highway 2 & G, west of Ashland.
• Dec. 5, Babcock, Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, 1 mile north of Highway 173 along County Road X.
• Dec. 5-6, Grantsburg, Crex Meadow Visitor Center, along County Highway D, 1 mile north of Grantsburg.
• Dec. 12, Tomahawk, Treehaven UW-Stevens Point Field Station on Pickerel Creek Road off County A.

Training sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applicants should register as soon as possible because space is limited. Please try to register at least two weeks before each session. There is a small fee for the classes. The training at Crex Meadows near Grantsburg on Dec. 5-6 will be by world renowned tracker, Dr. James Halfpenny. Cost of the workshop has yet to be determined.

Details about the volunteer tracking program and the wolf ecology and tracking training sessions are available on the Department of Natural Resources Web site.

In late winter 2009 DNR biologists counted between 626 and 662 wolves in the state, including 599 or more outside Indian reservations. As of early fall, 62 wolves were being radio tracked by Wisconsin DNR pilots. Normally about one-third of the state packs are monitored by radio-telemetry, the remaining packs are monitored by DNR and volunteer trackers.

In 2009, 174 volunteer trackers surveyed 88, 200-square-mile survey blocks covering 8,062 miles of snow-covered roads and trails. Volunteers averaged 4.2 surveys per block, covering 91.6 miles, conducting 15 hours of tracking per block, and detected more than 367 different wolves.

“With the continued spread of the state wolf population and reduced funding for surveys, the volunteer carnivore tracking program is critical for us to obtain accurate counts of the state wolf population,” said Adrian Wydeven, DNR mammal ecologist who coordinates the state wolf program. “These surveys will continue to be important for long-term conservation of wolves and other forest carnivores in Wisconsin.”

Volunteers are also helpful in other ways, Wydeven said. Last fall, several volunteers conducted hunter outreach in the field and made contacts with deer hunters across several northern counties. During the spring volunteers helped with wolf trapping, radio collaring, donations of radio collars, and howl surveys as well as staffing educational booths at sport shows and other events.

Volunteers are also strongly encouraged to take a wolf ecology course if they have not done so already, and biologists recommend taking the ecology course before signing up for track training workshops. Wolf ecology courses will be offered next year on the following dates at the locations listed.

• Jan. 23-24, Babcock - Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, Babcock, $75 (includes 2 meals & dorm lodging). Contact Dick Thiel at Richard.Thiel@wisconsin.gov
• Jan. 30-31, Fall Creek - Beaver Creek Reserve, cost $70 contact the Beaver Creek Reserve at bcr@beavercreekreserve.org
• Jan. 30-31, Tomahawk - Treehaven, cost $105-$140 (includes meals; opt. lodging), contact Treehaven at treehaven@uwsp.edu
• Feb. 20-21, Babcock - Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, cost $75 (includes 2 meals & dorm lodging), contact Dick Thiel at Richard.Thiel@wisconsin.gov
• Feb. 27-28, Tomahawk - Treehaven, cost $105-$140 (includes meals; opt. lodging), contact Treehaven at treehaven@uwsp.edu

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrian Wydeven – (715) 762-1363

  Print

Wild Rose hatchery education center wins top national award

MADISON – The Department of Natural Resources Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery renovation has won a second prestigious award, one recognizing the facility’s educational emphasis. The previous award recognized the facility’s engineering design.

The Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Education Center -- a new building with aquariums and exhibits along with the restored, historic hatchery grounds -- has received one of three Outstanding Project of the Year Awards given by the American Fisheries Society.

Take a look inside the Wild Rose Education Center [VIDEO Length 3:15].

The American Fisheries Society, the nation’s oldest and largest professional fisheries organization, gives three awards for projects built using Sport Fish Restoration funds, revenues collected through a federal excise tax on fishing and boating equipment and revenues and returned to the states to enhance fisheries and boating. Wild Rose won in the “Education” category.

The award was presented Oct. 21 at the Natural Resources Board meeting in Madison by Don Gabelhouse, fish chief for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and outgoing president of the AFS Fisheries Administration Section.

Accepting the award, along with DNR Secretary Matt Frank, Fisheries Director Mike Staggs and Board Vice-Chair Jonathan Ela, were Wild Rose Supervisor Steve Fajfer, Assistant Supervisor Randy Larson, DNR State Fish Propagation Coordinator Al Kaas, and Theresa Stabo, the DNR aquatic education coordinator who designed the concepts and features in the center.

“Wild Rose belongs to everyone,” said Stabo, addressing the board and Gabelhouse. “It has been a pleasure to make it a welcoming and interesting place for everyone to visit.”

While visitors may not remember how many eggs are spawned or fish are raised by the facility, they’ll remember that this is a really interesting place and that our waters are interesting places to explore and fish, she said.

Staggs said after the presentation that the award “underscores the importance of having an aquatic education program as part of what we do, to get kids and others out on the water fishing and interested in our great aquatic resources.”

“It’s really great to hear that what we’re doing up there at Wild Rose is recognized on the national level,” he said.

The education center was completed in 2008 as part of the first of three phases to renovate the century-old hatchery to meet environmental standards and continue to meet stocking needs, particularly for Lake Michigan trout and salmon. It incorporates four historic buildings from the hatchery to share the story of Wild Rose and fisheries management.

Center favorites are the two large, free-standing aquariums that house fish species raised right at Wild Rose, the fish identification wall, many interactive exhibits geared for children and a meeting room available for staff or public use.

The historic hatchery grounds with restored buildings and a picnic area allow visitors and local citizens to continue to stroll the grounds and enjoy a picnic lunch in the picturesque setting, much as people have done for the past century.

“It’s great that the visitor center, which is the focal point for visitors, gets recognized,” said Fajfer, the hatchery supervisor.

This summer, Wild Rose’s new coldwater fish rearing facilities received an Award of Excellence in Engineering from an international association, the Association of Conservation Engineers. That design reflected many of the innovations and other suggestions made by Wild Rose supervisors and staff.

More information is available on the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery page of the DNR Web site.

Wisconsin annually receives almost $14 million in SFR funding to use for project to enhance fisheries and boating.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Staggs (608) 267-0796

  Print

Wisconsin’s electronics recycling bill signed into law

Media kit, informational meetings available to help understand new program

MADISON - Manufacturers of certain electronic products sold in Wisconsin will be required to assume responsibility for the collection and proper disposal of discarded household electronic devices under a new recycling bill that has been signed into law.

Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law Senate Bill 107 on Oct. 23. The law requirements become effective Jan. 1, 2010.

The law bans certain electronics from landfills and requires electronics manufacturers to register with the Department of Natural Resources and arrange for responsible recycling and disposal of consumer electronics including video displays, computers and printers.

“This is giant step forward in the state’s nationally noted recycling efforts,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank.

Electronics manufacturers, recyclers, collectors and retailers and municipal officials involved with electronics recycling are encouraged to attend one of three remaining public stakeholder meetings in November the DNR is conducting to provide information related to the new electronics recycling law.

The DNR has also put together an electronics recycling media kit explaining the basics of the law, a general timeline for implementation, and statistics on electronics use and recycling. The kit also contains a link to register for the public informational meetings, and several quotes from the DNR’s Waste and Materials Management Program director.

More information is also available on the Managing Used or Discarded Electronics page of the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Murray - (608) 264-6001 or Cynthia Moore – (608) 267-7550