DNR Weekly News Update for January 9, 2018
Weekly NewsPublished - January 9, 2018 by the Central Office
- Winter Free Fishing Weekend is Jan. 20-21, 2018
- Baiting and feeding bans begin for La Crosse and Dodge counties Feb. 1, 2018 following new positive CWD detections
- Snapshot Wisconsin rolls into eight new counties
- Now is a great time to prepare habitat improvement plans
- Public invited to comment on River View Construction's entrance into Green Tier
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Winter Free Fishing Weekend is Jan. 20-21, 2018
More than 20 DNR sites offer loaner ice fishing equipment
MADISON -- Wisconsin's winter Free Fishing Weekend is set for Jan. 20-21, 2018, and free loaner equipment and ice fishing clinics make it a great time for open water anglers to discover the fun of ice fishing or to introduce family and friends to this hard-water recreation.
Fishing is free for Wisconsin residents and visitors alike on these days. No fishing license or Great Lakes salmon stamp or Inland Trout Stamp is needed to fish all inland waters and Wisconsin's side of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River and other boundary waters. Spring trout ponds are not open, however. All other fishing rules apply, such as limits on the number and size of fish anglers can keep and any seasons when anglers must release certain fish species.
"Free Fishing Weekend is a great way to get outside during the winter and have fun with family and friends," says Theresa Stabo, Department of Natural Resources R 3 coordinator who is working on angling recruitment, retention and reactivation.
It's also a chance for anglers to try the early catch and release trout season for free. That season opened Jan. 6 and normally requires anglers to have a fishing license and an inland trout stamp to join in.
Stabo says that people interested in ice fishing or trying the early catch-and-release trout season shouldn't let a lack of equipment stop them. More than 20 DNR tackle loaner sites have ice fishing gear for loan that groups and individuals can use. Ice augurs are not available through DNR but fellow anglers are usually willing to drill a hole in the ice for newcomers or they can use an abandoned ice fishing hole, she says.
So far, DNR is aware of free fishing clinics during Free Fishing Weekend at these locations: Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo; Straight Lake State Park in Polk County; Mauthe Lake State Recreation Area in Fond du Lac County; Perch Lake County Park and Maple Lake Public Beach in Oneida County; Glen Lock in Chippewa Falls; Brittingham Park in Madison and Fireman's Park in Marshall.
More information on the free fishing clinics, on how and where to borrow ice fishing equipment from DNR offices and parks, and on the weekend itself can be found on DNR's Free Fishing Weekend webpage. Go to dnr.wi.gov and search "Free Fishing Weekend."
Fishing groups, local chambers of commerce, outing organizations, recreation departments and others hosting their own Free Fishing Weekend events can fill out an electronic form with their event details so DNR can help publicize events that are open to the public.
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Baiting and feeding bans begin for La Crosse and Dodge counties Feb. 1, 2018 following new positive CWD detections
MADISON - Following confirmation that wild deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease in western Vernon and central Dodge counties in 2017, baiting and feeding bans will begin Feb. 1, 2018 in these counties.
As required by law, these findings establish baiting and feeding bans for La Crosse and Dodge counties, effective Feb. 1, 2018. La Crosse County is within 10 miles of the Vernon county positive wild deer, and due to being adjacent to a county with a CWD-positive test result, a two-year ban will be enacted. The ban for Dodge County will be enacted for three years. Existing baiting and feeding bans will remain in place for Vernon County.
A 2-year-old buck harvested in Hamburg township is the third confirmed positive case in Vernon County, while a 1-year-old buck harvested in Clyman township is the first positive case confirmed in Dodge County. To determine if the disease is present in other wild deer in the area, disease surveillance will occur within a 10-mile radius around the positive locations. La Crosse metropolitan sub-unit deer hunters are encouraged to submit adult deer harvested for CWD sampling during the remainder of the metro sub-unit season.
Anyone looking to learn more about CWD in Wisconsin is encouraged to check out an informational brochure found on the DNR website.
For more information regarding baiting and feeding regulations and CWD in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keywords "baiting and feeding" and "CWD" respectively.
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Snapshot Wisconsin rolls into eight new counties
Ashland, Bayfield, Crawford, Douglas, Price, Richland, Sauk and Vilas counties - get involved today!
MADISON - Landowners in Ashland, Bayfield, Crawford, Douglas, Price, Richland, Sauk and Vilas counties who would like to play an important role in wildlife management are encouraged to check out Snapshot Wisconsin.
Snapshot Wisconsin is a volunteer based monitoring effort to capture images of all types of wildlife including deer, elk, bears, fox, bobcats, whooping cranes and more to learn more about Wisconsin's wildlife. This project is led by Department of Natural Resources staff in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Extension.
SLIDE SHOW | 5 photosSnapshot Wisconsin comes to eight more counties. Follow Wisconsin DNR on Facebook and Twitter for Snapshot Wisconsin updates and fun photos of all types of critters.
This project offers a unique opportunity to view wildlife in their normal routines in the wild and data collected will help researchers better understand Wisconsin's ecological landscapes. To date, 808 volunteers currently maintain 983 trail cameras - 17,207,749 photos have been collected.
"Snapshot Wisconsin is a great way to get involved in volunteer-based monitoring and learn more about all of our different wildlife species," said Susan Frett, one of the volunteer coordinators working on the project. "We have volunteers in Wisconsin participating as trail camera hosts and over 5,000 volunteers from around the world participating in crowd-sourced classification of our images on www.snapshotwisconsin.org."
To qualify to participate, volunteers must have access to at least 10 acres of contiguous private land in Ashland, Bayfield, Crawford, Douglas, Price, Richland, Sauk or Vilas county and agree to maintain a trail camera on that land for at least one year. Training and supplies are provided and no prior experience with trail cameras is necessary. Basic computer knowledge and access to the internet is necessary to participate. Local, in-person training sessions are currently planned for late winter or early spring and online training is also available.
Snapshot Wisconsin is also recruiting applicants in Clark, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Oneida, Racine, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vernon and Waupaca counties. Tribal members or affiliates on tribal lands and educators throughout the state are also encouraged to participate. Additional counties will be added over the next few years.
Volunteers can sign up by visiting www.snapshotwisignup.org or find out more details by visiting the webpage which can be found at dnr.wi.gov using keyword "Snapshot Wisconsin".
And, be sure to follow the department's Facebook page [EXIT DNR] for Snapshot Wisconsin updates, which will include photos from a number of project volunteers.
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Now is a great time to prepare habitat improvement plans
Check out the Deer Management Assistance Program today
MADISON - While some of Wisconsin's hunting seasons have ended, hunters thinking about next year can prepare their property for success through enrollment in the Deer Management Assistance Program.
Good habitat means more deer and better hunting
Interested landowners, hunters and land managers are encouraged to join nearly 1,100 current DMAP cooperators managing habitat for wildlife on the property they own or hunt. DMAP cooperators receive personalized advice and technical assistance from their local DNR wildlife biologist and forester.
Landowners and hunters are encouraged to apply now to receive immediate access to informational resources, including:
- habitat and deer management information;
- communication with local DNR staff;
- annual DMAP reports and publications;
- volunteer opportunities; and
- invitations to DMAP workshops.
DMAP applications can be submitted at any time; however, landowners enrolling 160 acres or more should submit their DMAP application by March 1, 2018 to be eligible for a site visit, property specific management plan and reduced price antlerless tags in 2018.
"DMAP is a great program for conservation-minded people that want to improve habitat for wildlife on the property they own or hunt," said Bob Nack, DNR DMAP coordinator. "Even if you don't own land, landowners can authorize a representative for the property they enroll in DMAP."
Anyone looking to learn more about what DMAP enrollment could mean for their hunt is encouraged to check out a Wild Wisconsin: Off the Record podcast with two current program enrollees.
What can active habitat management do for your deer hunt?
A series of annual workshops held regionally throughout Wisconsin are an additional benefit of DMAP enrollment - spring workshops focus on deer ecology and research findings, while summer programs focus on habitat management techniques and strategies. These workshops also include a tour of a DMAP property led by wildlife biologists and foresters.
For DMAP application information, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword "DMAP."
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Public invited to comment on River View Construction's entrance into Green Tier
WAUSAU, Wis. -- The public has an opportunity to comment on an application to the Department of Natural Resources' Green Tier program for River View Construction, Inc.
River View Construction is applying for Tier 1 of the Green Tier program for its Wausau facility in Marathon County. River View is a heavy equipment contractor that primarily works on landfill construction, site development, grading, Wisconsin Department of Transportation heavy highway, lake and pond construction and other various site work. River View Construction operates at sites across Wisconsin, working on more than 2,000 sites across the state since 1950.
Tier 1 is designed to encourage, recognize and reward companies that are committed to improved environmental performance. Green Tier encourages businesses to voluntarily collaborate with DNR. Applicants with a good environmental record are required to develop and implement an Environmental Management System (EMS), which will be used to set goals, assess progress and identify potential improvements.
The Green Tier application will cover River View Construction's Wausau facility, various parameters at job sites across the state and emission/fuel related standards of River View Transport LLC.
River View Construction applies an integrated approach to environmental performance to attain innovative, social, environmental and economic benefits. In addition, River View is finalizing an Environmental Management System, which will be ISO 14000 equivalent. Future goals for environmental achievements include:
- reducing emission output from on-road and off-road fleets;
- implementing an idle reduction policy; and
- purchasing equipment that reduces harmful off-gasses and meets high standards of emission reduction.
The DNR will accept public comments on River View's Green Tier application through February 9, 2018. Comments may be directed to Laurel Sukup at 608-267-6817, or by email at Laurel.Sukup@wisconsin.gov.
More details about River View Construction's application can be found by searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for "Green Tier" and clicking on the button for See Green Tier participants and selecting "River View Construction" under the applicants tab.