Wisconsin Waterfowl Association

There is an official comment form being used by the DNR and NRB to gather public input on the new stewardship rules. The questions are a little confusing to me because come have been asked and answered a long time ago by statue. However, if this is the official form, we must use it.

This is your chance to comment. It is important that you do comment. Remember, if you don't, then you have lost your right to complain about how all this ends up. This is your program, your state and your future. YOU MUST COMMENT BEFORE APRIL 18, 2008. If you choose to write a letter then you need to send it to:

Laurie Ross, NRB Liaison, PO Box 7921, 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI 53707-7921.

The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association is please to announce that Cabela's will be the sponsor of the 2008 Wisconsin State Duck and Goose Calling Competition!

The Competition will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2008 at the Cabela's store location in Richfield, WI.

Please check back for more information such as registration information, contest times, prizes, etc.

WWA has developed a new e-news format. The interest in our e-news has resulted in a subscriber list that could no longer be handled by conventional email. As a result we have changed to a third-party service. One of the greatest struggles we face as people that hunt, fish and trap is getting immediate information out regarding issues that directly affect our traditions. This new program should help tremendously.

I promise you that I will not waste your time with constant emails. If I use this format it will be because I believe the issue is important. One way to make sure we are effective is for you to give us feedback. If there are issues you want to hear about let us know.

If you believe in our outdoor traditions as strongly as I do, then this is your newsletter.

WWA represents our members in a variety of summer meetings with staff of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources concerning the upcoming waterfowl seasons. Topics of discussion include season date framework, shooting times, bag limits and a variety of other topics pertaining to hunting ducks and geese. WWA wants to represent its membership efficiently and fully, and so we conduct this annual survey of our membership regarding potential topics. Please help us to best represent our members opinions by taking the 2008 Waterfowl Hunter's Survey:

Survey results are updated as surveys are completed. To view the current results please click on the Results link below.

Most of you by now should have received a letter in the mail regarding WWA's Youth Education Fund Drive. If you did not receive a letter it is included below. If you received a letter and have not yet sent in your contribution to the drive please take a minute to do so now. Our goal is to raise enough money through member donations and gifts from foundations to establish a large enough fund that WWA would be able to support a couple of wildlife biologist/youth education positions to support our youth education program in perpetuity. T

This fund raising needs to start with broad support from all of our membership, so we can show foundations and grant entities that our members fully support of our education programs. If every member were to donate just $10 each we would raise over $50,000 and we would be well on our way to hiring, growing and establishing a fund to carry our youth programs forward. So, please consider your donation today. Your entire donation is tax deductible.

Donate Today!

On Friday, December 21st the winner of WWA's 2007 Chesapeake Bay Dream Hunt was drawn and we are pleased to congratulate Tyler Spencer of Mazomanie who won through his attendance at the Baraboo River banquet!

Mr. Spencer has won a 4-Person, 3-Day guided waterfowl hunt with the Upper Chesapeake Bay Outfitters in the 2008 season along with $1,000 in cash for travel and lodging expenses.

Congratulations to Mr. Spencer and a great thanks to our friends at Upper Chesapeake Bay Outfitters for their help in setting up this amazing dream hunt!

It is now official - the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program was reauthorized at 85 million dollars a year. It will remain at current funding levels for the next two years and then jump up to the new approved level.

1. Lands purchased with stewardship dollars, regardless of who makes the purchase, must be open to hunting, fishing and trapping unless there are safety issues or to protect unique ecological values. It is important to note what we have always said in this discussion that hunting, fishing and trapping should be allowed on properties purchased with public money, when it is appropriate. We have always recognized that not every public property will be, or should be, open for hunting. However, there should be a public process determining land use and reasons for closure should be quantifiable.

2. Eighty percent of all annual Stewardship grants must be used to purchase parcels greater than ten acres in size. This allows for small purchases to “square off properties” to still go through, but it keeps the focus on larger purchases that are more with the original intent of the Stewardship program. These larger parcels are just by the nature of their size better suited to a higher number of compatible uses including, of course, hunting, fishing and trapping.

3. The legislature authorized DNR to contract with outside groups such as non-profits including hunting and fishing groups, land trusts and private companies to do work on public land. This can include everything from wetland, woodland and grassland restoration, to invasive species control to parking lot and road maintenance. I think this is a very significant part of this budget. DNR field staff are operating at about the same staffing level they had in the 1960’s. However, they have acquired over 200,000 acres of land in the last 12 years. The legislature has recognized the importance of habitat work on State land and has given us $200,000 to see what we can do. This is a long time in coming; we need to work together to make this program successful.

4. The legislature made it clear to us early on that Stewardship would not be reauthorized without more legislative oversight on land purchases. The specific language is designed not to delay the process but to make certain that Stewardship purchases meet the goals of the program. Their reasoning was simple - it is an 850 million dollar program. The legislature needs to be involved in this spending.

The reauthorization of this program at 85 million dollars is a good victory for sportsmen and women, but it is a great victory for the future of our traditions, our children and our grandchildren. It took many people to get this done and it is a clear demonstration of what we can accomplish when we work together.

Thanks to the Conservation Congress delegates from each county in this State. They knew the right thing to do and had the guts to do it, and stick with it.

Bob Welch and the Hunters Rights Coalition was a significant and effective part of the entire process. However, he was pivotal in the final negotiations. It was Bob’s work that brought the final deal home on the side of the hunting, fishing, and trapping community.

George Meyer and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Several years ago when then Governor McCallum fired George as DNR Secretary I was very, very critical of that decision. I would now like to apologize to Governor McCallum and express my thanks for his decision. George is now where we need him most, our tireless advocate.

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch and his staff. Mike never swayed from his promise to protect the future of our outdoor traditions in the Stewardship reauthorization. Never. He has shown leadership that I hope will be long appreciated by the hunting, fishing and trapping community.

Lastly, I will never be able to express my thanks for the efforts of Ray and Sandy Heidel from Onalaska. They are motivated by only one thing: protecting the future of our traditions and natural resources for generations to come. It is this type of heartfelt dedication that has served Wisconsin so well. They are the embodiment of the statement, “Making a difference is not so much based on opportunity as much as it is the willingness of the individual to work for change.”

The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association is very excited to announce that our Executive Director Jeff Nania has won the 2007 National Wetlands Award in the Conservation and Restoration category. This is a huge honor for Jeff as he was selected out of almost 70 nominees from across the country. Jeff was nominated by Becky Abel of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and received numerous letters of support from our partners across the state. Jeff will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 9th.

As most of you know by now, Jeff is truly a leader in wetland and upland restoration in the state of Wisconsin and he has become nationally known for his amazing restoration accomplishments. Jeff has been involved in projects ranging from 1-1,000+ acres in size and is highly dedicated to each and every restoration he is involved with. WWA is truly honored to have Jeff as our Executive Director and we are thrilled that his efforts have been recognized with this National Wetlands Award.

Next time you see Jeff be sure to congratulate him on winning this prestigious national award!

"Next Generation", a painting by Wisconsin Artist Arthur Anderson, has been chosen as the 2008 Wisconsin Waterfowl Association sponsor artwork. All members donating at the sponsor level to WWA will receive this beautiful print. Art Anderson takes much of his inspiration from the bluffs and river marshes near his home in Western Wisconsin by the Mississippi River. Art has been a sponsor artist of numerous conservation organizations over the years and has won countless awards for his paintings including having his artwork used as the 2007 Wisconsin Waterfowl Stamp print. We are thrilled to have him as our 2008 Artist of the Year. For more information on Arthur Anderson please visit www.originalbirdart.com/anderson.htm.

Jeff Nania looks on as two students from WWA's sponsored charter school, River Crossing Environmental Charter School in Portage, undertake a log cross-cut. The students are participating in one of the weekly outdoor classroom sessions WWA staff lead out in the field. Rain or shine, hot & humid or frigid & windy, these students participate in at least one day per week out in the field actively restoring wetlands, creating uplands, participating in burns and learning about their natural environment.

Each year the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association prepares an Annual Report of our accomplishments in each of the three programs focused on within our mission: Habitat, Education and Legislation. This report can be viewed online and printed out by clicking on the link below. For a hard copy, please e-mail your name and address to wwainfo@centurytel.net. Please request a copy of our 2007 Report within the text of your e-mail.

WWA also completes a full outside audit of our financial records every year. This audit is available to the general public by request. Our audits are completed by July of the year following the close of our audited fiscal year. Fiscal Year 2006's audited report is currently available by written request. To request one of WWA's audited reports please e-mail wwainfo@centurytel.net with your name, address and the fiscal year's audit you are requesting.