New resource can help people
establish state park and trail friends groups
MADISON – People interested in
setting up a friends group to support a Wisconsin State Park,
Forest, Trail or Recreation Area now have a new tool at their
disposal that will help guide them through the process. Friends
groups are non-profit organizations that are incorporated and
officially recognized by the Department of Natural Resources to
provide additional support for parks, trails and forests.
Friends groups often sponsor special events and provide
additional services at that the properties they form to support.
Friends of Wisconsin State
Parks, an umbrella organization for state parks friends groups,
has developed a new “Friends Handbook: A Best Practice Guide for
Wisconsin Friends Groups” that provides details on establishing
and running friends groups. The organization spent several years
researching many topics to develop the handbook. It covers a
wide variety of information from creating a strategic plan, to
organizing boards, to fundraising, to incorporating and becoming
registered as a 501(c)(3). nonprofit group.
“This tool was created using
the knowledge of several nonprofit conservation groups that work
with contractors, volunteers and state properties,” notes Kate
Zurlo-Cuva, state parks friend group coordinator for the DNR
Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
The handbook will prove helpful
not only for state park Friends groups, but for a lot of other
groups or organizations looking to formalize their efforts,
according to David Machotka of Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.
Similarly, while it offers valuable information for new
conservation groups hoping to formalize their efforts, it also
has plenty of useful tips for older experienced conservation
groups, he says.
The handbook is available for
purchase for $15 or it is free to individual Friends of
Wisconsin State Park members or organizations. People may David
Machotka at (608) 266-7301 to purchase a handbook.
The Friends of Wisconsin State
Parks is a nonprofit organizations set to support the State Park
System through promotion, protection, enhancement, and
restoration activities. More information on FWSP can be found at
<www.fwsp.org> (exit DNR).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kate Zurlo-Cuva - (608) 266-7617
Wisconsin endorses Midwest
regional policy for managing electronic waste
MADISON – Wisconsin and four
other Midwest states have endorsed a regional policy statement
for managing electronic wastes such as computers and televisions
that would rely on producers of these items for proper
environmental management.
Industry, environmental groups,
recyclers and other interested parties worked with state
environmental agencies in Wisconsin and the other Midwest states
to explore policy options. States can use the new policy to
draft consistent electronic waste management legislation, says
Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Hassett.
“The department supports a
regional approach to recycling electronic waste,” Hassett says.
“The Midwest regional policy initiative shows the commitment
Wisconsin and its neighbors have toward making electronic waste
recycling a priority.”
The sheer volume of computers,
televisions and other electronic products that are currently
being thrown away for lack of easy access to environmentally
sound recycling options “is staggering,” says Suzanne Bangert,
director of DNR’s Bureau of Waste and Materials Management.
“Our local governments are
concerned that they will be responsible for financing and
managing environmentally sound collection and recycling of this
material,” she says. “They are asking state governments and
legislators to lead the way toward a workable solution across
multiple Midwest states.”
The Midwest policy has the
official support of state environmental agencies in Michigan,
Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, and endorsement is expected
shortly from Minnesota, she says.
The Midwest is not alone in
seeking a regional approach to the problem of “e-waste.” Earlier
this year, the Northeast Recycling Council, working with the
Council of State Legislators, produced model legislation for its
10 member states to use for a consistent, harmonized approach to
managing e-waste in that region. The New York State Legislature
is considering adopting this model, and other states have
indicated they will introduce legislation in the near future.
Many other states have one or
more bills proposed or under consideration. Four states have
adopted e-waste legislation, but no two are alike. California
requires an advance recycling fee placed on certain products
when they are purchased and uses those fees to pay for recycling
the products. Maine, Maryland and Washington have all passed
legislation requiring manufacturers to take responsibility for
e-waste recycling, but each law has unique requirements.
A national system for managing
e-waste would simplify the task, but Bangert says national
legislation is not likely in the near future.
“A regional approach provides
the next best option,” she says. “Managing electronic wastes
across a region rather than a patchwork of individual state laws
gives industry, governments and consumers fewer rules and
regulations to understand and comply with.”
The Midwest policy and the
Northeast model legislation include similar principles. In both,
manufacturers are responsible for collecting, transporting and
recycling a specific amount of electronic products based on the
manufacturer’s sales in the state. Manufacturers who do not have
a recycling program for managing their electronic waste may meet
their obligation by paying into a recycling fund. Retailers’
responsibilities include reporting sales data to manufacturers,
and only selling products of complying manufacturers.
Both the Midwest policy and
Northeast model legislation include a prohibition on landfill
disposal being put in place after two years. The Midwest policy
also allows states to be part of a multi-state organization to
help put comparable recycling policies in place across multiple
states.
The policy, letters of support
from the five Midwest state agencies, and additional information
is available at the Minnesota Product Stewardship Web site, <http://www.moea.state.mn.us/stewardship/electronicsmidwest.cfm>
(exit DNR).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Suzanne Bangert - (608) 266-0014 or Cynthia Moore - (608)
267-7550
Preliminary Canada goose
hunting season outlook is excellent
MADISON -- Preliminary breeding
survey results show an increase in both migratory Canada geese
and local breeding Canada geese populations, which wildlife
officials say will likely result in increased permit numbers for
this fall’s Wisconsin goose hunting seasons. Final season
structure and regulations for the
Wisconsin waterfowl seasons will be set by the state Natural
Resource Board at their August 16 meeting.
“There are two different
populations of Canada geese that are present in Wisconsin during
the regular fall hunting season,” says Kent Van Horn, waterfowl
specialist for the Department of Natural Resources. “One
population is our resident giant Canada geese that nest in
Wisconsin. A second population of slightly smaller birds nests
in northern Ontario along the coast of Hudson Bay and then
migrates through Wisconsin and other Midwestern states.”
The 2006 breeding population
estimate for giant Canada geese nesting in Wisconsin is 134,683,
which is up 9 percent from 2005 and 83 percent above the
long-term (20-year) mean. This is generally consistent with a
growing population of Canada geese nesting in Wisconsin.
The migratory population of
smaller Ontario nesting birds is called the Mississippi Valley
Population (MVP). Results from the most current banding data
indicate that about 45 percent of Wisconsin’s regular goose
season harvest comes from the MVP.
Information on Ontario breeding
Canada geese in 2006 suggests a second very good breeding year
in a row following one of the poorest breeding years on record
during 2004, Van Horn says.
“An early spring produced very
good breeding conditions for the MVP Canada geese in Ontario
this year and it appears that the adult breeders should have a
another very good production year,” he said.
The breeding survey of MVP
Canada geese estimated 384,353 breeding adults, which is the
highest level since 1999 and 6 percent above the 1989-2006
average. The harvest of MVP geese is shared by several other
states and provinces so harvest quotas are set to protect the
breeding population and distribute harvest among several states.
Wisconsin’s harvest quota will
be set at the Mississippi Flyway Council meeting on July 23.
Based on the preliminary spring survey results, Van Horn says,
“it appears that we will have the highest quota we have had in
over 10 years.”
In addition to the good spring
breeding numbers, recent banding and harvest analysis by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicates that Wisconsin’s Canada
goose harvest has continued to shift toward a greater proportion
of resident giant Canada geese.
“This shift helps to increase
our overall harvest quota because the resident Canada goose
numbers buffer the impact of harvest on the migrant MVP
population,” Van Horn says.
August 1 Deadline to apply for
Horicon and Collins goose hunting permits
Why final quotas are still to
be set by the Flyway Council, with the positive spring survey
results, Van Horn believes Wisconsin may be able to issue six
Canada goose harvest tags per hunter in the Horicon and Collins
Canada goose management zones versus four tags in 2005. Van Horn
also expects that each of the Horicon periods will likely be
longer in 2006. The opening day for the first Horicon/Collins
zones hunting period is proposed for Sept. 16, the same date
proposed for the opening of the Exterior zone goose hunting.
Canada goose hunters intending
to hunt in either the Horicon or Collins management zones must
apply for permits to hunt in those zones. The permit application
deadline is Aug. 1. There is a $3 goose hunting permit fee.
Hunters who intend to hunt in the exterior zone do not need to
apply for a permit.
Permits can be purchased: over
the Internet through the
DNR Web site;
at any
DNR Service Center ; at
automated
license issuance system sales locations; or by calling
toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236).
Horicon Intensive Management
subzone proposed elimination
State wildlife officials are
proposing to eliminate the Horicon Intensive Management subzone,
which is a small area within the Horicon zone that has special
restrictions. This subzone contains lands adjacent to the
Horicon National Wildlife Refuge and was created decades ago to
help control hunter overcrowding and unsafe practices. The
special restrictions include rules on hunting from blinds,
number of hunters per blind, distance of hunting from the refuge
and distance between blinds. Based on public requests, wildlife
officials have proposed eliminating this zone and will be taking
public input on this change between now and Aug. 10. If the
elimination is approved, hunting in this area would be allowed
under the normal Horicon Zone permit regulations.
Early September Canada goose
season Sept. 1-15
The early Canada goose hunting
period will be Sept. 1-15 this year. This season specifically
targets local breeding giant Canada geese and is held before
migratory geese begin to move into Wisconsin. An estimated
13,410 geese were harvested during this season in 2005.
“This has become a popular
early hunting season and an important part of our resident
Canada goose population management,.” Van Horn says. Hunters
should note that this season requires a special permit and $3
fee.
Wisconsin had the third highest
number of goose hunters in the nation last year with only
Minnesota and Texas surpassing the state’s 50,000 to 60,000
goose hunters. If the fall weather is favorable these goose
hunters should have an active and successful fall goose hunting
season.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kent Van Horn - (608) 266-8841 or Kimberlee Benton - (608)
261-6458
