Wisconsin Wildlife Update: Hunting Seasons And Helping Animals Survive The Winter

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• Wisconsin DNR Conducts Survey On Wildlife Management

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  Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are conducting a survey to gauge the public’s thoughts and opinions on fish, wildlife and habitat management.

  Results from the once-a-decade survey inform the DNR’s ongoing Wildlife Action Plan and Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat Management Plan, agency officials said.

  Scott Craven, an emeritus wildlife specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, said the survey is a good opportunity for the public to provide feedback on wildlife management in Wisconsin. He said the Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat Management Plan is an especially valuable document for people to look over and give input on.

  “The plan is just a complete review of everything that’s going on in the state for virtually every species and every habitat they live in,” Craven said. “It’s (also) a good review if you think you know something about these things, and then you can provide the feedback.”

  Craven said the DNR has hosted “Conversation Cafes,” where the public is invited to chat face to face with department representatives, but the events haven’t been well-attended.

  “The fact is that it takes some controversy to bring people out,” said Craven. “So, if we’d been talking about ending the deer season, there’d been 9,000 people there.”

  Nevertheless, Craven said the conversations have provided an opportunity to talk about what the DNR is doing well, what problems persist, and what their priorities should be in the future. He said he hopes the five- to ten-minute online survey the agency is now administering will garner more engagement from the public.

  “It’s a neat opportunity and it doesn’t come around very often,” Craven said.