LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
Please take action—Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Access
Dear Hunter, Angler and Trapper:
The Legislature's Joint Finance Club has done it again. In the middle of the night last Friday, while they were finalizing their work on the state budget bill, the committee inserted a provision into the current state budget bill which takes away your right for public access on thousands of acres of lands in Wisconsin for hunting, fishing and trapping. Background: In the last state budget bill two years ago, Wisconsin sportsmen and women worked hard to reauthorize the Wisconsin Stewardship Fund for another ten years with the funds to be used to purchase land for wildlife, fisheries, forest, parks and natural areas. Without the hard work of sportsmen and women in this state, it was highly unlikely that the Stewardship Fund would have been reauthorized. A key provision that sportsmen and women fought hard for in the Stewardship Reauthorization was that land purchased with Stewardship Funds would have to be open for hunting, fishing and trapping except in limited circumstances like public safety.
However last Friday, the Joint Finance Committee inserted a paragraph in the state budget bill stating that DNR does not have to require public access for hunting, fishing and trapping on lands purchased with Stewardship Funds by local units of government and nonprofit organizations. This amendment will affect thousands of acres of land that would otherwise be open to hunting, fishing and trapping by Wisconsin sportsmen.
There was not a public hearing on this amendment and there was no input from hunters, anglers and trappers. This amendment passed in the middle of the night, the same way that four years ago, the same committee raided the state trout, turkey and waterfowl stamp accounts.
This decision must be reversed and it will be if you and hundreds of state sportsmen and women make their voice heard immediately. The budget bill must still pass the full State Assembly and State Senate.
Please call or email the following people:
1. Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, email address:
[email protected] Phone number: 608-266-7503
2 Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, email address:
[email protected] Phone number: 608-266-2502
3 Your state representative and your state senator. To email them just use the above email address for Senator Decker and
Representative Sheridan but just replace the word decker in the email address with your senators last name and the word sheridan with your representatives last name.
If you do not know your legislator's phone number you can find it on the Legislature's web page: www.legis.state.wi.us or call the
Legislative Hotline (1-800-362-9472) and leave a message for both your Senator and your Representative.
THE MESSAGE YOU SHOULD GIVE TO YOUR LEGISLATORS IS THAT YOU ARE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO THE STEWARDSHIP AMENDMENTS THAT WERE PLACED IN THE BUDGET BILL AND YOU WANT THEM TO VOTE TO TAKE ALL STEWARDSHIP AMENDMENTS OUT OF THE STATE BUDGET! Leave the Stewardship Fund alone!
