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The
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’
(DNR) Bureau of Law Enforcement has posted an online questionnaire to
solicit public input on priorities for the conservation warden force’s 5-7 year strategic plan. As the state’s most visible conservation professionals,
wardens could play a substantial role as enforcers of wetland protection
laws and as leaders in wetland education efforts, however currently these
are not traditional warden functions.
Act now
to add your voice to WWA’s effort to
encourage DNR to increase conservation warden involvement in wetland
outreach and enforcement.
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The
sportsman-wetland-warden connection
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In recent years, closer ties between the
Wisconsin Wetlands Association and statewide hunting and fishing
organizations have been established and recognized because of our shared
interest in protecting wetland habitats (for sport, enjoyment, and ecological
function). Both communities agree that public perceptions and
misperceptions about wetlands create many challenges for our cause. To
meet these challenges, much more wetland education and outreach is needed
to increase public support for wetland preservation.
Wisconsin’s conservation
warden force is uniquely suited to
advance wetland education. Their mission includes “to protect, enhance and promote the safe and wise use of our
natural resources through enforcement, education and community based wardening.” Their
online
questionnaire poses questions about the degree to which wardens
should incorporate education and outreach activities into their duties,
and about what audiences they should address.
In
working to promote and enforce the state’s
hunting, fishing, trapping and boating safety laws, wardens
routinely patrol in and near wetlands and have regular contact with
people who use wetlands for sport and recreation. But how much does the
Bureau of Law Enforcement currently use this opportunity to promote
responsible use and enjoyment of wetlands and to remind resource users of
the need to tread lightly in sensitive wetland areas? With little to no
additional investment, could they do more? For example, when checking
hunting and fishing licenses in back bays, sloughs, and wetlands, do
wardens take the time to talk about the importance of protecting the resource
or do their discussions focus only on licenses and safety?
As you
fill out the Bureau of Law Enforcement’s
online questionnaire, we encourage you to comment on possible
warden-based wetland education opportunities and to make recommendations
for ways the conservation warden force could better promote wetland
protection.
WWA
will follow-up with DNR this fall to discuss your collective
recommendations and to offer our assistance to help increase the wetland
outreach activities of Wisconsin’s conservation wardens.
Click here for
Bureau of Law Enforcement Questionnaire
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Citation
authority may be needed to deter illegal wetland fill
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Most hunters know you can’t shoot a deer
out of season. Why? Because if
you do, you risk getting a citation from a warden and a hefty fine.
Enforcement is a tool for educating the general public about how to
comply with state laws and can be a very effective deterrent to illegal
behavior. DNR can issue tickets for hunting violations, fishing
violations and boating violations. Did you know that it currently has no
authority to issue citations for illegal wetland fills? By law, wetland
enforcement actions must be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The ensuing legal process is lengthy and expensive, and viewed by wetland
detractors as overly aggressive. These and other factors severely limit DNR’s ability to take action
on illegal wetland fill activity.
Meanwhile, illegal wetland fills are
believed to be on the rise. This is due in part to a lack of public
understanding about the types of wetland impacts that require a permit.
Wetland fill increases are also due to bad-actors taking calculated risks
that they can fill a wetland without a permit, without consequences.
Providing conservation wardens with
citation authority for illegal wetland fills may be just what is needed
to address this problem. WWA would like to see DNR evaluate the need for,
and benefits of, providing conservation wardens with the authority to
issue citations for illegal wetland fills. We also encourage the agency
to evaluate the costs to administer such a program and the feasibility of
modifying Wisconsin regulations to allow
it.
If you support a DNR evaluation of the
costs and benefits of pursuing citation authority to stop and deter
illegal wetland fill activity, please express that support when you fill
out the Bureau of Law Enforcement’s online questionnaire.
Click here for
Bureau of Law Enforcement Questionnaire
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Voice your
opinion on conservation warden priorities
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources’ (DNR) Bureau of Law
Enforcement (BLE) has launched an online questionnaire to help the warden
force develop a strategic plan to guide its efforts to protect Wisconsin’s natural resources. The Wisconsin Wetlands Association is
using this opportunity to begin a dialogue with the BLE about ways their
staff can better support state efforts to protect and preserve wetlands.
Now your input is needed to help DNR consider why, and how, the BLE
should increase their investment in wetland regulatory enforcement and
outreach. We need to make the case to DNR as to why this investment will
help protect and enhance hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities
in the state.
DNR’s short
survey provides ample opportunities to make this case with questions
such as:
· What are the most
important issues facing hunting and fishing in Wisconsin in the future?
· What are the 3 most
important environmental conservation issues facing Wisconsin in the future?
· Should the DNR spend
more/less time on enforcement of environmental regulations and public
education?
· Should they increase
or decrease the availability of wardens and increase or decrease the use
of citations)? (Note: see story, "Citation authority may be
needed to deter illegal wetland fill," at left, for more information
about this issue.)
The
questionnaire also provides comment opportunities where you can share
your insights and expertise on how illegal wetland fills or legal wetland
disturbance(s) have degraded habitat values and hunting, fishing and
recreational opportunities in your community.
The
deadline for responses is September 30th. Because your original input is
important to this process we’ve refrained from drafting talking points.
However, the articles to the left include background information on the
sportsman-wetland-warden connection and one wetland enforcement issue WWA
would like the state to address more proactively in the coming years.
Click here for
Bureau of Law Enforcement Questionnaire
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