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DATE: January 21, 2009 TO: Matt Frank, Secretary Department of Natural Resources 101 S. Webster St. Madison, WI 53707-7921 RE: 10 year CWD plan Dear Secretary Frank, On September 22, 2007 you addressed a group of Wisconsin citizens by saying: "We live in a democracy where the people have a voice . . .We want to do everything possible not to squelch those voices. . .The DNR needs to be open - to take stock after 5 years." [SAG Meeting, DNR Headquarters, Madison] On January 17, 2009 Barack Obama said: "Let's build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable." [30th Street train station, Philadelphia] It was these remarks that inspired us to communicate our thoughts and concerns about future Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) policy with you through this letter. We are writing in recognition that the people of Wisconsin and their government representatives have a shared responsibility for making state public policy the best it can be. Together we can do better. The hard-learned lessons of CWD policy during the past 7 years have come at great cost (over $35 million) to the citizens of the state. The first 6-year policy phase was widely perceived to be a major public policy disappointment. Almost nothing the DNR said in 2002 to justify the extreme herd eradication strategy turned out to be true. Eventually the unpopular strategy and tactics were abandoned. More telling, perhaps, most key government officials responsible for the policy subsequently moved on to other things. By the spring of 2006, the policy was faltering, key legislators were holding meetings with disgruntled citizens, and the DNR was undergoing review by the Legislative Audit Bureau. The DNR eventually sought input from a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) made up of people with a diversity of interests from around the state. Members of SAG brought to the table seven years of first-hand experience with what did and what did not work with CWD policy. In stark contrast to the 2002-2007 seasons, the public generally considered the 2008 season (policy phase two) in the CWD management zone, with the exception of the holiday hunt, to be a big improvement. What changed was that the 2008 season closely followed common-sense recommendations provided by SAG. A SAG majority thought that the DNR had taken its eyes off the ball back in 2002, and would have to make a number of significant changes to get policy back on track. The primary SAG suggestions were: (1) the DNR should focus on the disease itself, and not try to use CWD policy as an excuse to serve other agendas; (2) CWD or not, the DNR should deal directly with its core challenge, which is managing deer effectively on small private land holdings; (3) The DNR should pursue a CWD policy that is stable, predictable and sustainable for years at a time; (4) The DNR should strive to invite the public into a full partnership with the agency, with the aim of developing a cooperative deer management model that is better suited to 21st century needs; (5) The DNR should find the courage and confidence to embrace the democratic process fully in all future CWD policy matters; (6) the DNR should adopt a stance of unquestionable openness and honesty when dealing with the public on CWD matters; and (7) The DNR should abandon the notion that policy performance problems have been caused by a failure of communication (a public relations matter), and not by objectionable strategy and tactics. The contrasting history of DNR successes and failures in these two policy phases now constitutes an extensive body of information around which we have a right to expect more pragmatic future policy will be crafted. It is with the benefit of this hindsight that the DNR has proposed a plan for a next (third) policy phase in a draft document titled: A Plan for Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin: The Next 10 Years. Our response to this plan is outlined here. [Note: Some of our concerns with the draft plan may have been addressed in the plan ultimately presented for your consideration]. read more.... |
CWD Advisory Board Letter |
The vast majority of the CWD Advisory Board commissioned by the state of WI to formulate
recommendations for a management plan to deal with CWD in the deer herd
has come out in opposition to the DNR's 10 year plan. more than 75% (12 of the
15 active members) who attended the required meetings drafted a letter to the
Secretary of the DNR, rejecting their plan. This letter was also forwarded onto
the Governor, Members of the legislature and the Natural resources Board. The CWD Advisory Board was made up of a varied cross section of members representing a variety stakeholders with an interest in formulating solutions to the CWD issue. Those members rejecting the plan represented: Out-state Landowners & Hunters, CWD area Landowners & Hunters, Deer Hunters New to Wisconsin, The Conservation Congress, Sporting Good Retailers, the WI Wildlife Federation; Farmed Cervid Producers, WI Hunters Rights Coalition and the WI Bowhunters Association. The group rejects the DNR's CWD plan for a variety of issues contained in a 14 page document delivered on Jan. 21st. The document is viewable below Link to Attachnents |