Periodically, the Wisconsin DNR surveys Wisconsin residents concerning its long-range plans for resource management. For example, a 10-year plan for fish management. These surveys don’t serve the general public very well, and here’s why:
When the DNR wants to make a plan, (let’s say a fishery management plan), the first thing they do is convene a panel of “stakeholders “. The stakeholders are often not subject matter experts, but rather representatives of groups that have a particular point of view, and are motivated to advance their view into the plan. Then, without asking the public what we want, a biased plan is formulated.
Only then is the public asked to comment – on a plan that doesn’t reflect our interests, and on questions that are only of interest to the flawed committee that made the plan. The result is usually a plan that doesn’t reflect what the public wants, but which reflects only the special interests of the “stakeholders” that developed the plan.
The DNR would sell the process as “collaboration”, which can be a good thing when subject matter experts work together to achieve a worthy outcome. When the collaboration is between special interests, for a self-serving outcome, it doesn’t serve us well at all.
A better approach would be to first convene a small panel of subject matter experts and charge them to develop a plan that best serves the resource in question, and also best serves the GENERAL PUBLIC, without regard to any special interest.
Importantly, members of the general public whose lives or activities are not significantly engaged with the resource should have little or no consideration in the plan. This is critical because currently the DNR seeks input from anyone, including even out of state people, for their opinions. This creates a false narrative that the “public” wants the plan a certain way, when it really doesn’t.
I have a good friend in South Carolina who has no idea what a musky even is, so why should he be able to comment on a DNR plan to manage the musky in Wisconsin? Closer to home, I have another friend in central Wisconsin who probably does know what a musky is, but has never seen one, and never will, because she doesn’t fish. Why should the DNR seek her input for a good plan to manage musky? Yet they do.
Only after a good plan is formulated, by subject matter experts, which serves the best interests of the resource in question, and the truly impacted general public, should the public be questioned for its opinions. Importantly, to prevent the questions from leading the public to pre-determined answers, which can lead to false conclusions about public support, there should be an opportunity in the surveys for essay-type responses, which should be given serious consideration.
Also importantly, special interest groups should not be allowed to input. Only individuals.
Currently, the DNR surveys reflect the special interests of the committees that formulate the plans. The way it’s done, allows the DNR to manage our resources in ways that the using public does not desire, while falsely claiming that it does.
The copy below was taken directly from a draft of the DNR’s Wolf Management Plan.
Acknowledgements
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recognizes and appreciates the many individuals, agencies, tribes, and organizations who have provided countless valuable contributions during the development of this plan and over the course of wolf recovery in Wisconsin.
Wolf Management Plan Committee (2021)
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe
Forest County Potawatomi
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance
Humane Society of the United States
Ho-Chunk Nation
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe
Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe
Safari Club International Wisconsin Chapter
Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter
Stockbridge-Munsee Community
Timber Wolf Alliance
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Forest Service
USDA Wildlife Services
Wisconsin Bear Hunter’s Association
Wisconsin Bowhunter’s Association
Wisconsin Cattleman’s Association
Wisconsin Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Wisconsin County Forest Association
Wisconsin Conservation Congress
Wisconsin Conservation Voices
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
Wisconsin Farmer’s Union
Wisconsin Green Fire
Wisconsin Trapper’s Association
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation
Wisconsin Wolf Facts
Plan Writers and Key Contributors
-Randy Johnson, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Lead Writer
-Sara Fischer, Bureau of Wildlife Management
-Brad Koele, Bureau of Wildlife Management
-Sarah Wyrick, Bureau of Wildlife Management
-Lauren Bradshaw, Bureau of Environmental Analysis & Sustainability
-Dave MacFarland, Office of Applied Science
-Dr. Lindsey Long, Bureau of Wildlife Management
-Jennifer Price-Tack, Office of Applied Science
-Christine Anhalt-Depies, Office of Applied Science
-Glenn Stauffer, Office of Applied Science
-Chandra Harvey, Bureau of Legal Services
-Robert Holsman, Bureau of Environmental Analysis & Sustainability
-Reviews and input by numerous other Wisconsin DNR staff
With Approvals by the:
-Wisconsin DNR Wildlife Management Leadership Team
