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2006-07CWD zones hunting seasons set

181 deer from 2005-06 hunting season tested positive for CWD

FITCHBURG – Either sex harvest for bow and gun hunting, shorter seasons, and a longer break between the seasons highlight changes to deer hunting rules for southern Wisconsin’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) zones this fall.

The rules were approved earlier this year by the state Natural Resources Board and reviewed by the state legislature.

Rules were formulated in response to what DNR has been hearing from many hunters over the past four years.

“Hunters have said that shorter seasons and a more concentrated effort will get deer moving and result in the greater harvest that’s necessary to manage the disease,” said Alan Crossley, Department of Natural Resources CWD project leader at Fitchburg.

There is, however, some disagreement among hunters on how best to achieve herd reduction in the zone, Crossley said, noting that some people who attended forums held last March believed that Earn-a-Buck, which requires the registration of an antlerless deer to earn a buck tag, should remain in place to reduce deer numbers.

“There are no easy answers in meeting herd reduction and hunter satisfaction needs, but we will keep working with hunters and landowners to find common ground,” Crossley said. “The important thing this fall is for hunters to step to the plate and shoot enough deer of both sexes as we continue toward our long-term goal of maintaining a healthy deer herd in Wisconsin.”

Hunters can harvest as many deer as they choose under the either-sex regulation in both of southern Wisconsin’s Eastern and Western Disease Eradication Zones (DEZ) and the much larger Herd Reduction Zone (HRZ) during bow and gun seasons. Either sex tags will be available in early September at all registration stations in the CWD Zones, some licensed vendors and DNR offices.

DEZ and HRZ boundaries were not changed and remain the same as last year. A map of the CWD zone boundaries can be viewed on the DNR Web site. The bow and gun seasons for the Eastern and Western DEZs and the HRZ this fall are:

• Gun Season in the Disease Eradication Zones: Oct. 14-22 and Nov. 18 – Dec. 10;
• Gun Season in the Herd Reduction Zone: Oct. 19-22 and Nov. 18 – Dec. 10;
• Archery Season in the Disease Eradication & Herd Reduction Zones: Sept. 16 – Jan. 7.

2005-06 Hunting Seasons in DEZs

More than 12,000 deer were harvested during the 2005-2006 hunting seasons in the CWD Disease Eradication Zones.

“Hunters and landowners remain the key to herd reduction and disease management in the DEZs,” Crossley pointed out. “We recognize that we can’t get to our goal of a healthy deer herd without the cooperation of landowners and hunters. Without your help, we would be faced with an impossible challenge.”

The hunting season breakdown in the DEZs for all 2005-06 hunting seasons was:

Disease Surveillance

DNR staff tested 24,782 deer for CWD during the 2005-06 seasons and found 181 positives, with 15 identified in the outlying Herd Reduction Zone and the remainder from the Eastern or Western DEZ. Since 2002, DNR has sampled 100,147 deer and has found 652 positives, 20 from the HRZ and the rest from the two DEZs.

The breakdown by county for positive deer in 2005-06 is 115 from Iowa County, 40 from Dane County, eight from Walworth County, six from Rock County, four from Lafayette county and two each from Columbia, Jefferson, Richland and Sauk counties.

DNR staff will continue to focus disease surveillance efforts on areas in and around the two DEZs, clusters of CWD positive deer in the outlying HRZ, CWD positive deer farms, and, this year, in the agency’s 18-county West Central Region.

Last year, hunters brought in 4,563 deer for sampling in the agency’s 16-county Northeast Region. All deer tested negative for CWD.

“It’s very encouraging that no CWD positive deer were found in northeast Wisconsin last year. DNR’s continuing short term goal is to contain the disease in the known infected area. We are refining our management strategies and over the next three years will be completing another round of disease surveillance throughout the state. This fall we will be asking hunters in the West Central Region to bring in deer they shoot for testing. This work is critical to our long term goal of eradicating this disease and having a healthy deer herd in Wisconsin,” Crossley said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Crossley, CWD Project Leader, Fitchburg - (608) 275-3242 or Greg Matthews, Regional Public Affairs Mgr., Fitchburg - (608) 275-3317

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Venison processors encouraged to sign up for 2006 venison donation program

MADISON – Venison processors across the state are encouraged to contact the land conservation department for their county if they are interested in participating in the 2006 Venison Donation Program. Processors can begin accepting donated deer as soon as their application is processed.

In 2005, hunters donated 7,207 deer which 130 participating processors in 58 counties processed and packaged to provide more than 324,000 pounds of ground venison to food pantries.

The program is very simple, according to Laurie Fike, DNR Wildlife Damage and Abatement Claims Program coordinator: Hunters simply harvest, tag, field dress and register a deer as they normally would then deliver it to a participating meat processor. A call ahead to the processor can verify the processor’s hours of business and that they have room to accept the deer.

Wildlife managers remind hunters to properly handle deer they intend to donate, treating the venison as if it were destined for their own table. Proper field dressing and prompt registration and drop off at the processor are important to providing the best quality venison and ensuring that none of the venison is lost to spoilage. This is especially important in the warmer early weeks of the hunting seasons. The DNR Web site has links to a number of excellent resources on proper care and field dressing of deer .

The venison donation program is managed by the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and County Land Conservation Departments. The program is financed by a $2 wildlife damage surcharge included on every hunting license purchased and by revenue from additional antlerless deer carcass tags sold in regular season deer management units. The tags sell at $12 for residents and $20 for non resident hunters. Hunters can also opt to donate additional funds to the pantry program at the time they purchase their license. Processors receive approximately $50 per deer.

“Wisconsin is experiencing overabundant deer populations. Too many deer causes millions of dollars worth of damage. Hunters can help feed hungry people and lessen deer damage by harvesting additional antlerless deer for the pantry program,” Fike said.

“In some units we’re asking hunters to kill more deer than they or their families and friends can eat. It’s important to have an outlet for the excess venison as most hunters are opposed to taking game that is not eaten. The donation program provides a charitable outlet for the venison and is very popular,” Fike said.

Biologists estimate the 2006 white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin at 1.5 – 1.7 million animals. Many of Wisconsin’s 135 deer management units are over the deer population goals set in state law. Deer contribute to crop damage and ecological damage to forests through their grazing habits and cause nearly 50,000 car-deer collisions each year.

A list of participating meat processors, including processors in the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease management zones, will be posted and updated on the DNR Web site starting in late summer and throughout the hunting season.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurie Fike (608) 267-7974

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Recycling Means Business in Wisconsin

MADISON – Recycling has long been touted as an important component of keeping Wisconsin’s environment “green,” but state environmental officials say that recycling has been increasingly becoming more “green” in another area vital for Wisconsin: the bottom line.

Businesses and organizations involved in the recycling industry in Wisconsin are providing thousands of jobs in the state, according to the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Waste and Materials Management, which is releasing a new publication and video promoting the economic and environmental vitality of Wisconsin’s recycling businesses.

“Wisconsin Recycling Means Business” is a 50-page color publication which profiles nearly 30 businesses and organizations on the cutting edge of the recycling business boom. It covers the electronics recycling sector; paper; plastics; metal; rubber; glass; and much more.

“Too Valuable to Waste: (Recyclable Materials in Wisconsin’s Economy)” is a six and a half minute video, (primarily musically driven), that illustrates how paper, plastics, and other recyclables are changed into brand new products once they leave the curb, all while creating thousands of good jobs. “Too Valuable to Waste” is the winner of a 2005 Bronze Telly Award for video documentary shorts. It was produced by DNR’s Video Production Services.

“We’re excited to help spread the word that recycling isn’t only good for our environment – it’s good for our economy as well,” said Suzanne Bangert, Director of the Bureau of Waste and Materials Management.

The publication and video are part of an overall outreach campaign by the DNR recycling program to help increase recycling rates around the state and illustrate the availability of ready markets for recyclable raw materials. The intended audiences include elected officials, policy-makers, and the general public. Some of the businesses highlighted in either the video or the publication include: Wausau Tile; N.E.W. Plastics; the Waukesha Materials Recovery Facility; among others.

Both the recycling publication and video are available on the DNR Web site in streaming and downloadable formats.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Moore - (608) 267-7550

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Tree Seed Needed at the State Forest Nurseries

MADISON – Wisconsin’s state forest nurseries annually sow hundreds of pounds of tree seed to produce more than 15 million seedlings for reforestation in Wisconsin. Thousands of bushels of conifer cones and hardwood seed are needed each year in order to accomplish this great conservation effort. While some of the seed comes from managed seed orchards, large quantities come from private citizens who sell seed they have collected from native Wisconsin forests. And state forestry officials are looking for more people to become citizen seed collectors.

“Red pine and white pine cones are especially needed this year,” says Greg Edge, a forest geneticist with the Department of Natural Resources. “There appears to be a good crop of red pine cones in west central to northwest Wisconsin and a good crop of white pine cones in southern Wisconsin. We are interested in purchasing seed only from healthy, native Wisconsin forest trees,” Edge says.

All seed must be collected when it is ripe. For example, red and white pine cones are usually collected in late August through September, when the cones just begin to turn brown but before they open. Typically red pine cones are hand picked from trees with low branches or from recently harvested tree tops. White pine cones can be collected from recently harvested tree tops or from red squirrel caches (i.e., hidden under logs and other forest debris). For 2006, the state nurseries will pay collectors $40 per bushel for ripe red pine cones and $20 per bushel for ripe white pine cones.

People must have permission from the landowner before collecting seed or cones. Many public lands, including the National Forests, require a permit.

The forest nurseries will be also collecting and purchasing seed from a wide variety of other tree and shrub species. The seed is purchased at state nursery facilities and designated buying stations. Before picking any seed, collectors should contact the nearest state nursery for detailed information on seed needs and buying station locations. Payment for seed is through a voucher system with a check sent within two to three weeks. Collected seed or cones should be kept in a cool and shady place, since heat and mold can damage or kill seed. Remember not to store seed or cones in plastic bags because the seed will overheat.

Information on what to pick, when to pick, and tips on how to pick seed can be answered by calling the nearest state nursery or by visiting the seed purchase program pages of the DNR Web site. As the season progresses, seed goals for some species will be satisfied and purchasing for those species will stop, so collectors should regularly check in with the state nursery before picking seed.

For the latest information contact one of the following State Forest Nurseries: Griffith State Nursery, Wis. Rapids – (715) 424-3700, Hayward State Nursery, Hayward – (715) 634-2717, Wilson State Nursery, Boscobel – (608) 375-4123.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Edge – (608) 785-9011

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Signs of oak wilt showing up in infected trees

Disease causes trees to drop leaves prematurely

MADISON – The first signs of oak wilt, a tree-killing fungal disease, are now appearing in infected trees. Oak wilt occurs in the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin and affects trees in both the red oak and white oak groups.

“The first symptoms of oak wilt are branches with wilted leaves and leaves on the ground in summer when you wouldn’t expect to see them,” said Kyoko Scanlon, a forest health specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “These are not the brown, dry leaves you see in the fall.These are partially green to bronze-green and are not completely dry.”

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that plugs the water and nutrient conducting channels in the tree. Once a tree is infected, water and nutrients can’t move upward from the root system, causing the tree’s leaves to wilt and fall, eventually killing the tree.

Oaks in the red oak group are particularly vulnerable to this disease. Once symptoms become visible, a tree loses most of the leaves and dies very quickly, often within a few weeks.

“Anyone with an oak tree that is rapidly losing its leaves may want to have the tree examined for oak wilt either by an arborist or forester, or send in a sample for a laboratory test,” Scanlon added. “A person should take immediate steps to protect other nearby oaks on the property if they value those trees.”

The University of Wisconsin’s Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic can help verify the presence of oak wilt. A sample must be sent to clinic and there is a small fee for the service. The clinic can be reached at (608) 262-2863 or via the Internet at <http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/pddc/> (exit DNR).

Most often, oak wilt spreads from one oak to another through root grafts between neighboring trees. Removing a diseased or dead tree may not be enough to stop oak wilt from spreading. Forest health experts recommend trenching to sever existing root grafts to help control the spread of oak wilt.

“There are also fungicide treatments available, but they are most effective as a preventative and repeated applications are necessary for success,” Scanlon said.

Wisconsin communities may be eligible to participate in a cost-sharing program to help combat oak wilt. The Urban Forestry Grant Program is not available on an individual basis, and property owners with oak wilt are encouraged to contact their town or city forester or other local official to pursue a grant. Applications for the program are due by October 2, 2006.

Some instances of oak wilt are caused by insects that carry the oak wilt spores to healthy trees. To prevent oak trees from being infected with oak wilt transported by insects it is very important not to prune or wound oak trees from April through June, and to take a cautious approach to pruning from late March to October. Pruning or injuring the tree causes it to release sap, which attracts the fungus-transporting insects.

Additional information about oak wilt and other forest health issues can be found on the DNR Web site.

It’s Not Always Oak Wilt

Symptoms similar to oak wilt may be caused by an infestation of the two-lined chestnut borer.

“The two-lined chestnut borer is an opportunist,” Scanlon said. “It will attack weakened trees, favoring red and white oaks more or less equally.”

The borer frequently shows up in areas where a forest tent caterpillar or gypsy moth outbreak or drought has weakened trees.

The adult insect lays eggs under the bark. When the larvae emerge, they eat their way through the fluid-conducting tissues of the tree, stopping the flow of nutrients to the leaves.

“The leaves turn uniformly brown, but remain on the tree,” Scanlon said. “Unfortunately, an infestation of two-lined chestnut borer and oak wilt can occur at the same time, on the same tree.”

Maintaining vigorous healthy trees is the best defense against the insect. Watering, mulching, fertilizing properly, and avoiding physical damage to trees should be practiced.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyoko Scanlon - (608) 275-3275

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Citizen environment monitoring grants announced

MADISON – Fourteen citizen-based environmental groups have been selected to receive a share of $92,000 in grants to fund citizen-based environmental monitoring activities ranging from checking the water quality in the popular St. Croix and Kickapoo rivers to identifying forested sites that may be under stress from invasive earthworms.

Field observational data collected by the groups is used by wildlife and fisheries biologists, foresters and water resources experts for planning and on-the-ground management actions. The groups are required to match the grants for a total of $300,000.

“All citizens of Wisconsin have a stake in the quality of our air and water and in the health and productivity of our forests and fisheries,” said Laurie Osterndorf, administrator for state Department of Natural Resources Land Division. “Public-private partnerships like this keep that quality high. I am pleased we can issue these grants to keep important monitoring work moving ahead.”

Citizen-based environmental monitoring involves members of the public gathering and recording data on a wide variety of environmental conditions.

“Anyone can help regardless of his or her education or experience. The information that everyday citizens gather can and does get used to make management decisions. In an age of pinched government budgets, the work these groups do is invaluable,” said Andy Paulios, citizen monitoring network liaison.

Citizen monitoring is not new according to Paulios. As examples he points out the 100-year-old Christmas Bird Count and Wisconsin’s 20-year-old Self-Help Lake Monitoring program with more than 1,200 participators in the latter. Nationally, it is estimated that more than 52,000 citizens participate in some kind of monitoring effort.

A Monitoring Advisory Board, established in 2005, guides monitoring activities and works with DNR staff on monitoring priorities, funding opportunities, legislative involvement and agency responsiveness to citizen-based environmental and natural resources monitoring.

Grants were awarded on a competitive basis, with 20 proposals received in 2006. Non-profit organizations, tribes, academic institutions, conservation organizations and local governments may apply. Organizations must match 25 percent of the dollars awarded by the state. State dollars are provided through the legislatively established Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources Inventory (ATRI) program.

For more information on the Citizen-Based Monitoring Network in Wisconsin and more details on the winning proposals, go the network’s Web site at <http://atriweb.info/cbm/> (exit DNR).

Organizations, their contract awards and project locations include:

• UW-Madison, UW-Green Bay, UW-Steven’s Point, and Urban Ecology Center, Establishing and testing long term bat monitoring stations, $7,500, Statewide
• Riveredge Nature Center, The 2007 Riveredge Citizen-based Monitoring Program, $7,500, Ozaukee County
• Milwaukee Public Museum, Citizen Monitoring Guide to Wisconsin's Freshwater Sponges, $4,000, Statewide
• Rock River Coalition, Rock River Basin Wetland Restoration Volunteer Monitoring Project, $7,500, Jefferson County
• Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters, St. Croix River Headwaters Pesticide Monitoring, $6,500, Douglas County
• Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, Citizen monitoring of water quality in the Milwaukee River basin, $7,500, South Eastern Wisconsin
• Valley Stewardship Network, Gathering bacteria and other water quality data in support of Kickapoo River protection, $7,500, Crawford and Vernon counties
• The Milwaukee County Avian Migration Monitoring Partnership, Monitoring avian migration – use of stopover sites in Milwaukee County, $7,500, Milwaukee County
• Ojibwa Chapter of Trout Unlimited and UW-Stout, Western Wisconsin Citizen-based Monitoring Partnership Program, $4,500, Dunn and Chippewa counties
• Central Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Expansion of CWTU citizen volunteer advanced stream monitoring, $3,300, Waushara, Marquette, Waupaca and Green Lake counties
• University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point, Developing a statewide red-shouldered hawk survey: A regional evaluation of citizen volunteers, $7,200, Statewide
• University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point, Wisconsin Worm Watch, $6,900, Statewide
• UW-Madison and the Wisconsin Bear Hunter’s Assocation, Size and landscape-level distribution of Wisconsin’s black bear population using a volunteer-based mark/recapture method, $7,500, Statewide
• Bangor High School, Assessing water quality of impaired streams, $7,500, La Crosse County

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Andy Paulios – (608) 267-0813

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Fall pheasant regulations included in 2006 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations

MADISON – Hunters heading out to Wisconsin’s fields in search of ring-necked pheasants will find this year’s pheasant hunting regulations included in the 2006 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations. In previous years, the pheasant regulations had been published separately.

The pheasant season runs from noon on Oct. 14 through Dec. 31.

Special pheasant regulations and maps of selected public hunting grounds that were normally found within the pheasant hunting regulations can now be found on the Department of Natural Resources Web site or by request at DNR Service Centers.

Hunters visiting the DNR Web site will also find a new 2006 Pheasant Stocking Information Sheet (pdf, 105kb) that identifies which public hunting grounds are slated for pheasant stocking. Game farm managers report that they will release approximately 52,000 pheasants into public hunting grounds this fall. That number is up sharply from the 34,000 that were stocked in 2005.

The stocking information sheet, copies of the 2006 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations and public hunting ground maps are available in hard copy at DNR Service Centers. Local license vendors may also have supplies of some of these materials.

Wildlife managers remind pheasant hunters that a pheasant stamp is required to hunt pheasants in pheasant management zones.

On Oct. 14 and 15, the daily bag limit is one cock and possession limit is two. For the remainder of the season the daily bag limit is two cocks and the possession limit is four. Some public hunting grounds have both hen and cock pheasant hunting (requires free permits and tags) and /or 2 p.m. closure times. See the Small Game Hunting Regulations for details.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Mezera - (608) 261-8458