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Outdoors: Hearings made up of two parts

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/09/2008 8:24 am

Next Monday night's Spring hearings are made up of two parts. The first half is the official spring public hearings for rules proposed by the Department of Natural Resources regarding hunting, fishing and environmental rules. If approved here, the DNR can forward them to the Natural Resources Board for approval and they could go into effect afterward.

The second half features advisory questions by the Conservation Congress, which advises the DNR on natural resources. Their questions that are approved could then be forwarded to the DNR and could appear the following year as formal rule proposals.

The Dane County meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

Several DNR questions involve a catch-and-release season for muskies in waters north of Highway 10, and would require anglers to use artificial lures with barbless hooks, and require anglers to use artificial lures and barbless hooks only during the northern zone catch-and-release season for bass.

Both of these proposals came through unusual channels. They were made by a northern state legislator. Rather than forwarding the proposals to the DNR or introducing them as a bill where they would go through public hearings, the proposals were slipped into the 2007-2009 State Budget Bill and now will be in effect.

The DNR is asking for the public to vote on several alternatives for these rules, but the Conservation Congress has taken a strong stand against both proposals included in questions 12-16. The Congress believes these rules bypassed the established procedures to propose changes, solicit public comments and then seek approval of the Natural Resources Board.

"This has no business in conservation, and appears to be waist deep in politics," said Ed Harvey, Congress chairman.

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/09/2008 8:24 am