Pro-wildlife citizens deserve seat at DNR's table
From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)
We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including
experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.
Pro-wildlife citizens deserve seat at DNR's table
Letter as published on
The Cap Times
August 1, 2017
Since 2011 it has been abundantly clear that democracy for non-favored
groups is an endangered species in Wisconsin. Nowhere is this clearer than
with the Department of Natural Resources and how wildlife is “managed” in
this state.
Approximately 13 percent of the state population participates in hunting or
trapping. Despite such a small number of citizens relative to the total
state population being involved in the “consumptive use” of wildlife, they
are given 100 percent control of how wildlife management decisions are made
in this state. While it is true that their killing-license fees fund much of
the DNR, this is clearly done by design to exclude "non-consumptive" users
from having a seat at the table.
I do not know of any non-hunter who would have an issue paying fees to fund
the DNR and wildlife management in this state. We want and deserve a seat at
the table. After all, wildlife is allegedly part of the public trust and is
supposed to benefit ALL state citizens. Unfortunately, each time that
pro-wildlife advocates and other non-consumptive users have tried to become
involved in the funding apparatus of the DNR or wildlife management
planning, we are immediately shot down by the hunting- and agriculture-
lobby-controlled Legislature, the supposedly independent Natural Resource
Board, and the special-interest-controlled executive leadership of the
Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
Pro-wildlife groups are also specifically excluded from the DNR’s wildlife
advisory committees, which are stacked with anti-wildlife agriculture groups
and state hunting groups and their paid lobbyists. As taxpaying citizens of
this state, ALL of us deserve the right to be involved in the decisions that
impact the resources in the public trust such as our wildlife. We want to be
a part of the funding apparatus and we want a seat at the table.
Paul Collins, Madison
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