With in-person gatherings curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional spring hearings held in each of the state’s 72 counties have been replaced entirely with an online survey.
State residents will have until 7 p.m. Thursday to respond to 55 advisory questions for the state’s Natural Resources Board and Wisconsin Conservation Congress to consider. The surveys went live at 7 p.m. Monday.
This will be the first time in its 86-year history that the Conservation Congress has not held in-person meetings, although it will be the second year using the online survey.
“We had a system in place,” said chairman Larry Bonde. “We never in our wildest imagination thought we wouldn’t be holding in-person hearings.”
Of the nearly 14,000 people who participated last year, about three-fourths used the online survey, which Bonde said resulted in higher than normal turnout.
Bonde said online results mirrored in-person survey responses, suggesting that concerns about potential manipulation were misplaced. The WCC and DNR say they have security measures in place to detect and eliminate duplicate responses.
Among the key issues on this year’s survey are whether to extend the traditional 9-day firearm deer hunting season by 10 days.
According to the NRB, the proposal is not intended to increase the number of deer killed but “excitement and participation in our premier hunt.”
A separate proposal by the board’s deer and elk advisory committee would create a 16-day gun season starting on the Saturday closest to Nov. 15, instead of the Saturday before Thanksgiving, in an effort to avoid late seasons like 2019, when Thanksgiving fell on Nov. 28. Such a change would require new legislation.
Some of the other changes proposed by the NRB would eliminate the antlerless-only holiday deer season, close the crossbow season in November and impose a hunting moratorium before the first day of the gun season.
The NRB is also seeking feedback on a spring bear hunting season and requiring the use of non-toxic ammunition on state lands. Despite a 1991 federal ban on the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting, lead poisoning is one of the leading causes of death for bald eagles.
The questions are advisory only. Rule changes would require action by the NRB or state Legislature, and none would take effect this year.
In a break from tradition, the WCC will not hold elections, instead extending delegate terms by one year. County chairs will appoint people to fill vacancies if any delegates decide to step down.
The DNR estimates it will take 20 to 30 minutes to complete the survey, which is being administered by the online platform SurveyMonkey, which works on most computers, tablets and smart phones.
©2020 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
