MADISON (Press Release) – People planning on attending any of the upcoming five public
listening sessions on hunting and trapping in Wisconsin state parks can now
review the proposed hunting and
trapping maps for each park property online.
State Natural Resources Board members will conduct the sessions around the
state in late October and early November to gather input on the Department of
Natural Resources proposed plan to implement a new law opening state parks to
hunting and trapping. The board will then take up the plan at their December
meeting in Madison.
One part of a new law the legislature approved earlier this year -- Act 168,
known as the Sporting Heritage Bill –expands hunting and trapping in Wisconsin
State Parks.
Act 168, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013, allows the DNR to prohibit
hunting and trapping within 100 yards of a state park designated use area such
as a campground, picnic area, or beach. A determination to prohibit hunting and
trapping in any other areas of a state park, a portion of a state park, or
during certain time periods must be approved by a majority of the Natural
Resources Board, and can only be approved to protect public safety or unique
natural resources such as fragile plant or animal habitat.
While Act 168 allows hunting when any season is open, the department is
proposing that the board allow hunting in parks from Oct. 15 through the
Thursday prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
Maps of the proposed open and closed areas can now be reviewed on the parks
pages of the DNR website. The maps will also be available for review at the
listening sessions and people attending the sessions will be able to comment to
board members on the department's proposal to implement the law.
The department will be seeking to keep some properties closed to hunting,
such as Heritage Hill State Park in Green Bay and Lakeshore State Park in
Milwaukee. Both are within city limits.
Two or three Natural Resources Board members will attend every listening
session. The board will then discuss the comments they received at the listening
sessions at their Dec. 11 or 12 meeting in Madison. Written comments can be sent
by U.S. mail to Wisconsin State Parks – Act 168, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI
53707-7921 or by email to DNRWisconsinParks@wisconsin.gov
by Nov. 23. In addition, the board welcomes testimony and written comments at
its December meeting on this issue. December meeting information will be located
at: http://dnr.wi.gov/about/nrb/.
The listening sessions will all begin at 6:30 p.m. and attendees that would
like to speak or submit written comments should sign up at the door on arriving
at the session. Locations are:
Oct. 29, Fitchburg - Quality Inn and Suites, 2969 Cahill Main, with
board members Preston Cole and Jane Wiley present.
Oct. 30, Eau Claire - Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), 620 W.
Clairemont Ave., with board members Dave Clausen and Jane Wiley present.
Nov. 5, Merrill - Merrill High School, 1201 N. Sales St., with board
members Christine Thomas and Jane Wiley present.
Nov. 8, Appleton - The Bordini Center, Fox Valley Technical College
Campus, 5 Systems Drive, with board members William Bruins, Terry Hilgenberg and
Jane Wiley present.
Nov. 13, West Allis - Tommy Thompson Youth Center (State Fair Park),
640 S. 84th St., with board members Gregory Kazmierski and Jane Wiley present.
