Weekly News

  Email   |     Print

Surveys find no sign of tree-killing beetle in Wisconsin state parks

MADISON - Researchers looking for the emerald ash borer in Wisconsin State Parks have found no evidence of the dreaded insect that’s responsible for the demise of nearly 20 million ash trees in three Midwest states and one Canadian province.

Workers cut down and stripped the bark from 53 ash trees in 21 parks this fall. An additional 78 trees were intentionally wounded and left standing as part of surveys that will be conducted next year.

“This is great news for Wisconsin and for our state parks,” said Jane Cummings Carlson, forest health specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Fitchburg. “It’s only the tip of the iceberg as we look for emerald ash borer in the state, but these are terrific results to get us started.”

Destructive surveys – those in which trees are cut down and stripped of bark or have a ring of bark removed from the trunk in a process called girdling – are necessary to detect early infestations of emerald ash borer. There are visual signs that indicate an infestation, but those are often not present until the beetle has been present in the tree for two or three years. The beetle is reproducing in that time and the infested area becomes larger, putting more ash trees at risk.

“The earlier an infestation is discovered, the better the chance that the problem can be contained,” Cummings Carlson said. “In an ash-rich state like Wisconsin, we want to catch an infestation as early as we can.”

There are some 717 million ash trees in Wisconsin’s forests and ash varieties make up approximately one-third of street trees in urban areas. It’s the second most common urban tree in Wisconsin after the Norway maple.

Researchers will conclude this year’s park surveys by cutting down and peeling bark from an additional 14 trees located in a handful of campgrounds within the Chequamegon National Forest in northern Wisconsin. The parks and campgrounds surveyed this fall were selected because of their high use by people from areas in other states where the emerald ash borer has been found and for their high ash tree populations.

Park surveys are identical but not part of the detection survey announced by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection earlier this month. The cutting and bark peeling for that survey, totaling more than 6,000 trees, will begin in November.

The emerald ash borer is a tiny, metallic green beetle native to Asia. It was first discovered in the Detroit area in 2002, but was likely introduced into Lower Michigan several years earlier. Its larvae feed in the wood layer just beneath the bark of the ash tree, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients throughout the tree. Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada each have significant populations of the beetle. Illinois officials discovered emerald ash borer in three Chicago suburbs this summer. Maryland is also working to contain an infestation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jane Cummings Carlson, 608-275-3273

Wisconsin State Parks surveyed for emerald ash borer include: Richard Bong; Big Foot Beach; Yellowstone; Nelson-Dewey; Wyalusing; Governor Dodge; Blue Mound; Lake Kegonsa; Devil’s Lake; Wildcat Mountain; Pike Lake (Kettle Moraine); Long Lake (Kettle Moraine); Mauthe Lake (Kettle Moraine); Kohler-Andrae; High Cliff; Point Beach; Potawatomi; Peninsula; Merrick; Interstate; and Perrot.

Chequamegon National Forest campgrounds surveyed for emerald ash borer include: Chippewa campground; Kathryn Lake campground; West Point campground; North Twin Lake campground; Picnic Point campground.

  Email   |     Print

Deer-vehicle collisions highest in October and November

MADISON – Reports from state wildlife biologists and archery deer hunters indicate that white-tailed deer are nearing their rut, or mating season, and deer movement will increase over the next few weeks, resulting in a significant increase in car-deer collisions.

State officials are urging motorists to protect themselves by being alert for deer darting into roadways creating collision dangers.

With a deer herd estimated at 1.5 to 1.7 million animals combined with a growing number of rural miles driven in the state, deer and vehicle collisions remain at dangerously high levels. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reports that there were 12 fatal deer-vehicle crashes in Wisconsin in 2005, all involving motorcycles.

From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, motorists struck and killed nearly 39,500 deer in Wisconsin, according to Department of Natural Resources records of deer removed by contractors from along roadways and permits issued to motorists to keep deer they hit. That number is significantly higher than the 17,555 deer-vehicle crashes that the Department of Transportation reported for calendar year 2005. That number only reflects reportable accidents with more than $1,000 damage to vehicles.

DNR conservation wardens and state and local law enforcement agencies urge all motorists to be on the lookout for deer, especially during the rut, which generally peaks from late October to mid November.

The five counties with the most reported vehicle-killed deer for 2005-2006 were Oconto (1,754), Marinette (1,722), Waupaca (1,478), Dane (1,282), and Fond du Lac (1,265). Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) figures show the counties with the highest reportable deer-vehicle crashes in 2005 were Dane County (838), Waupaca County (726), and Shawano County (707).

The DNR pays private contractors to pick up and properly dispose of the deer carcasses. In the last fiscal year, contractors picked up 34,856 deer for a total cost of $783,060. [EDITOR'S ADVISORY **CORRECTION** -- A total of $1,004,200 was previously listed in this news release. That was the amount budgeted for this period of time, but the actual amount spent on deer carcas collection contractors was $783,060.] Law enforcement officers issued free permits to motorists who claimed an additional 4,632 deer.

DNR conservation wardens and Wisconsin State Patrol officers advise motorists to take the following steps to help prevent car-deer collisions:

• Watch the roadsides carefully for movement and be particularly alert in the early morning and evening when deer are moving around to feeding spots.
• Look for more deer to follow when one appears on a roadside.
• Be especially cautious when road signs indicate a deer crossing area.
• Reduce speed, tap the brakes to warn other drivers or sound the vehicle horn when a deer is visible on the roadside.
• Always wear your safety belt—there are fewer and less severe injuries in vehicle-deer crashes when safety belts are worn.
• Do not swerve—it can confuse the deer as to where to run, and may place you in the path of oncoming traffic.

Anyone who is involved with a deer collision should stay in their vehicle and not touch the animal if it is still alive. Move the vehicle off the road if possible, and call a law enforcement agency.

In Wisconsin, a motorist who hits a deer with a vehicle is entitled to claim the animal, but must first have the deer tagged with a special free tag or receive authorization before transporting the deer. Contact the county sheriff's office to report the accident. An officer may come to the scene and tag the deer or direct the person to take it to a different location for tagging. Any other passing motorist may also claim the deer if the person who struck it does not want it by calling the sheriff's office to get the deer tagged.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Van Haren, DNR Law Enforcement - (608) 266-3244 or Brad Koele, DNR Wildlife Management - (608) 261-7589

  Email   |     Print

Deer donation program off to a strong start

MADISON – Wisconsin deer hunters can donate venison from deer they harvest this fall for distribution to food pantries across the state.

“Wisconsin Deer Donation 2006 is off to a great start for the 2006 deer hunting season,” says Laurie Fike, who coordinates the program for the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wildlife Management. “We’ve heard from some processors in the Earn-A-Buck units that they have already received 50 to 60 percent of the total they processed all season last year.”

This fall 59 counties and 143 processors are participating in the deer donation program. Hunters can help feed needy people throughout Wisconsin this fall, Fike says, by following five simple steps:

• Tag, field dress and register the deer at a DNR registration station prior to donating the deer. Placing a couple bags of ice in the body cavity will help keep the carcass cool.
• Call First! Contact one of the participating processors before dropping the deer off to verify the processor has space to accept your deer.
• Donate any legally harvested deer taken outside the CWD management zone (there is a separate program for those zones) by dropping it off at a participating processor by Jan. 8, 2007.
• Donate the entire deer to receive the processing for free. (Head and/or antlers may be removed for mounting.)
• When dropping a deer off at a processor, sign the simple log sheet indicating your desire to donate the deer. The donated deer will be processed and the venison will be distributed to charitable organizations to help feed Wisconsin’s needy.

There is a separate program for donated deer taken in the chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones. The testing program for deer shot in the CWD zones has been expanded to include both the Disease Eradication Zone and the Herd Reduction Zone. Seventeen processors will hold the venison until test results are available, and only CWD negative deer will be processed for pantries. Hunters donating deer from the CWD Zones MUST take the deer to one of these processors that will have the deer tested for CWD.

Since the fall hunting season of 2000, hunters have donated more than 35,000 deer that have provided over one million pounds of ground venison to needy families.

“Last year’s total of 7,207 deer was the third highest in the past 6 years, and I’m confident we can beat the 2004 record of 10,938,” Fike said.

A large network of volunteers including sports groups, church groups, civic organizations and food pantry staff work together to distribute the meat from the processor to the food pantries. USDA - Wildlife Services staff, Dept. of Natural Resources staff and county wildlife damage staff also help administer the program. Hunt For The Hungry, headed by Lee Dudek of northeast Wisconsin is also a strong partner in the Wisconsin Deer Donation 2006 program.

“Hunters can help keep the deer herd at established goals and help feed hungry people by donating extra deer,” Fike notes. “It would really help if hunters could take two does for every buck and donate the extra deer to the program.

Fike is also asking hunters to treat the carcass as if it were destined for their own table. “A couple bags of ice placed in the body cavity will help keep the meat cool until it is dropped off at a participating processor,” she said.

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

  Email   |     Print

Properly maintain firearm for a successful deer season

MADISON – With the gun deer season rapidly approaching in Wisconsin, many hunters are working to increase their chances of bagging a deer by cleaning their rifle.

“Proper cleaning of your rifle is a simple task that can not only increase its lifespan, but also improve your success during a hunt,” says Tim Lawhern, hunter education administrator for the state Department of Natural Resources. “A thorough cleaning will remove the copper fouling that builds up during normal use and affects your rifle’s accuracy.”

The first step to properly cleaning a rifle is collecting the necessary tools. A one piece cleaning rod, gun oil and solvents for both copper and gun powder are essential, as well as a bore guide the appropriate size for the firearm or a muzzle protector. Cotton cleaning patches and a jag tip, which attaches the patches to the cleaning rod, are also essential. Additionally, in order to have two hands free to work and allow you to use appropriate force, a gun vise and sturdy table are very helpful.

Lawhern says it’s also a good idea to protect certain parts of the rifle during cleaning. After securing it in the vise, cover the rifle’s stock with a rag or other cloth to protect the finish. If it’s equipped with a scope, cover the lenses with scope caps or other lens covers.

Lawhern recommends these steps to properly clean your rifle:

• Always use a bore guide or muzzle protector when cleaning a rifle. Without one you can cause harm to the rifling in your barrel while using a cleaning rod and jag tip.
• Cotton patches should always be pushed from the breech end of the barrel to the muzzle end. Since many firearms don’t have room for the cleaning rod to enter the barrel from the breech end, you may have to push the cleaning rod and jag tip in through the muzzle end of the barrel without a cotton patch. Then, when the jag tip appears at the breech, thread it with the patch and pull it back through the muzzle. However, with some bolt actions, you may be able to remove the bolt and push the cleaning rod in from the breech end.
• Run dry patch through your barrel first to remove large debris.
• Clean powder residue from your barrel with a powder solvent wetted patch attached to the cleaning rod with a jag tip. Remove it when it appears at the muzzle end of your barrel and discard it. Never return a patch to the inside of a barrel once it has passed through the bore. Repeat this with a dry patch to remove any remaining solvent.
• Clean copper fouling from your barrel in the same manner you cleaned powder residue from it, using copper solvent in place of powder solvent. Repeat this process, alternating between wet and dry patches, until the blue-green colored copper residue has been completely removed.
• If you wish, use a patch wetted with gun oil for the final conditioning of the barrel.
• After removing the bore guide or muzzle protector, make sure no debris remains in this section of the barrel.
• To discourage rusting, use a gun oil wetted cloth to wipe down all external metal parts of your rifle and its action, as well as the area inside your barrel that was covered by the bore guide or muzzle protector. Only a few drops are needed. When it comes to firearms, more isn’t necessarily better. Never use WD-40 in place of gun oil.

In addition to cleaning a firearm, it is important to make sure that all screws are tightly secured. Loose screws can render a firearm unsafe and decrease its accuracy. If using a scope, make sure that the screws fastening it to the firearm are very tight as well. Also consider cleaning the scope’s lenses with your breath or distilled water on a cotton cloth. Or use a device, such as a lenspen, that’s specifically designed for this. Never use glass cleaner.

“This deer season, have confidence in your rifle by making sure that it is clean and properly maintained,” Lawhern says. “It’s one more essential factor in a successful and satisfying hunt.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern (608) 266-1317

  Email   |     Print

Plan calls for improvements at Buckhorn State Park and Wildlife Area

Draft master plan available for review, comment at public hearing

EAU CLAIRE. – A new family campground, improved facilities such as shower and toilet buildings, additional bike and nature trails, and an amphitheater are among the improvements proposed in a draft revision of the management plan for Buckhorn State Park and Wildlife Area. Buckhorn State Park is located along Castle Rock Lake in Juneau County.

The draft master plan revision and draft Environmental Analysis (EA) are now available for public review and comment. The master plan describes proposed future management, development and recreational opportunities for the combined 7,000-acre park and wildlife area properties. The master plan is intended to guide development and management of the park and wildlife area for the next 15 years or more.

Joe Stecker-Kochanski, Buckhorn park superintendent, said public comments received in developing the plan called for expanding the park and wildlife area boundaries and recommended passive recreation use of the new land, including hunting but not off-road vehicles.

Vegetation management in the plan emphasizes maintenance and restoration of pine-barrens, oak-barrens, and wetland habitats, which are native to the area.

People will have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft master plan revision and draft environmental assessment at an open-house information meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 9, at the Germantown Town Hall, N7560 17th Ave., New Lisbon.

“Participants will have the opportunity to review and comment on various elements of the draft plan and environmental analysis, and DNR staff will be available to answer questions at the meeting,” Stecker-Kochanski said.

Currently Buckhorn State Park and Wildlife Area offers cart-in, lake-side campsites, camping sites meeting American Disability Act standards and beaches and boat launches. Youth hunts are conducted annually at the park and wildlife area, which also offer other hunting opportunities. Two State Natural Areas are designated on the park and wildlife area. One features a high quality bottomlands natural community, the other features barrens type communities.

Comments received during the 30-day public review period will be considered as Department of Natural Resources staff makes final revisions to the Master Plan and Environmental Assessment before submitting it to the Natural Resources Board for consideration and approval.

The proposed action is not anticipated to result in significant adverse environmental effects. DNR staff have made a preliminary determination that an environmental impact statement will not be required.

Interested parties may view the Buckhorn State Park Draft Master Plan and Draft Environmental Analysis on the DNR master plan Web pages. Those without access to the Internet may pick up copies of the Draft Master Plan and Draft Environmental Analysis at the Buckhorn State Park office. A copy of the plan may be requested by contacting Stecker-Kochanski at the phone number or address listed below. Copies can also be viewed at libraries in Mauston, Necedah, and New Lisbon; Town Halls at Germantown, Necedah and New Lisbon; and Ranger Stations at Necedah and Friendship.

Comments on the draft plan and environmental analysis may be submitted at the public meeting, or may be submitted by mail or e-mail to the addresses indicated below, or left at the web site. The Department of Natural Resources will receive comments until the end of the public comment period at 5 p.m., Nov. 24, 2006. Those interested can also contact Stecker-Kochanski by writing at: Buckhorn State Park, W8450 Buckhorn Park Avenue, Necedah, WI 54646, or by phone at (608)-565-2789 or e-mail at Joseph.SteckerKochanski@Wisconsin.gov.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Stecker-Kochanski - (608) 565-2789

  Email   |     Print

DNR Secretary Hassett named president of Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

MADISON -- Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Hassett has been named president of the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. His term as president will run from October 2006 through September 2007. As president, he will host the organization's annual meeting next July in Minocqua, Wisconsin.

The Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is an organization of 14 state and three provincial Midwest fish and wildlife agencies. It was formed in 1934 to provide a common forum for state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies to share ideas, information, pool resources, and form action initiatives to better the management and conservation of fish and wildlife resources in the Midwest.

“I’m looking forward to representing our state and bringing the expertise of our integrated conservation and environmental agency to the table to share with our Midwestern neighbors,” Hassett said. “I’m especially looking forward to hosting the annual meeting next July and showing off the wide range of recreational opportunities in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, as well as providing tours of projects and facilities our agency has developed to enhance and protect our natural resources.”

The Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies advocates state's rights in fish and wildlife issues, promotes efficiencies in government by exchanging research and management information, initiated a wildlife education program for kindergarten through 12 grades, and promotes multi-state, range-wide initiatives to keep species from being listed under the Endangered Species Act.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Niebauer - (608) 266-5893

  Email   |     Print

Volunteers needed to help monitor wolf population in the state

Wolf tracking training sessions and ecology courses set

MADISON - The Wisconsin wolf program is looking for a few good trackers. People interested in volunteering to locate gray wolves and other forest carnivores in the coming year and help keep count on the elusive animals can learn how to track wolves during a series of upcoming training sessions.

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. Data they gather can be compiled with those of other volunteers to aid Department of Natural Resources biologists in evaluating wolf populations.

In 2006, 120 volunteer trackers surveyed 67,200-square-mile survey blocks covering 4,897 miles of snow-covered roads and trails, and detected more than 255 different wolves.

Based on volunteer and wildlife biologist surveys, in late winter 2006 biologists estimated there were 465 to 502 wolves in the state, including 449 or more outside Indian reservations. During spring and summer 2006, 29 wolves were trapped and radio-collared. By early fall, 56 wolves were being radio tracked by Wisconsin DNR pilots, including wolves captured and collared in previous years. This accounts for about one-third of the state packs being monitored by radio-telemetry, the remaining packs are monitored by DNR and volunteer trackers.

“With the expanding wolf population and reduced funding for surveys, volunteer carnivore tracking is critical to us in estimating the state wolf population,” said Adrian Wydeven, DNR mammal ecologist who coordinates the state wolf program. “These surveys are very important for completing federal delisting and planning future management of the state wolf population.”

Wolf and Carnivore Tracker Training sessions are scheduled:

• Nov. 4 in Ashland at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.
• Dec. 2 in Babcock at Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center.
• Dec. 5-6 in Watersmeet, Mich. at Lac Vieux Desert Casino.
• Dec. 9-10 in Tomahawk at Treehaven UW-SP Field Station.

There is a small fee for the classes on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. The session on Dec. 5-6 and 9-10 will be taught by world renowned wildlife tracker Jim Halfpenny and has a fee of $175 to $210 depending on arrival time. Volunteer trackers are also asked to participate in a wolf ecology class before joining the Wisconsin Volunteer Carnivore Tracking program.

Wolf Ecology workshops are available:

• Jan. 20-21 in Babcock at Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center.
• Jan. 27-28 in Fall Creek at Beaver Creek Reserve.
• Feb. 2-4 in Tomahawk at Treehaven.
• Feb. 17-18 in Babcock at Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center.
• Feb. 24-25 in Fall Creek at Beaver Creek Reserve.
• Mar. 2- 4 in Tomahawk at Treehaven.

If people have already taken these or similar type classes, they can take one of the tracking courses, and be signed up to do track surveys this upcoming winter.

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

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.

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