Stakeholder Advisory Group

On Saturday July 21st, the first of 7 planned monthly meetings of the
DNR formed "Stakeholder Advisory Group" (SAG) was held at the DNR service Center, Fish Hatchery Road, Fitchburg, WI to discuss the issueof CWD in the state. The goal of this process is to engage a diverse
group of people in a dialog to guide the Department in future managementof the disease. The group's charter or mission question was stated assuch:

"How should WI manage CWD to minimize the impact of the disease on
Wisconsin's free ranging deer population, the habitats and biological
systems that include deer, the economy, hunters, landowners and others
that benefit from a healthy deer herd?"

My name is Ron Kulas and I am one of 15 members of the "SAG" I am a WBHmember from Delafield. I was contacted by Todd Zeuske and asked toattend these meetings for the WBH and to share with you what this groupis doing. This group is made up of two member types, both of which areimpacted by CWD.

Those groups are

1. Partner organizations with a stake in CWD management. (Representative
member)

2. Citizens with an interest in CWD and herd management (At large
member)

The partner organizations that were present were:

Business interests (sporting goods) Mills Fleet Farm
Conservation Congress
Farmed Cervid Industry (deer/elk farmers)
Food Pantries
WI Assoc of Meat Producers
WI Bowhunters Assoc.
WI Deer Hunters Assoc.
WI Deer Hunters Coalition

The "At Large" members are made up of:

An out-state hunter (WI hunter not in the CWD zone)
A new resident hunter recently returned to WI
A non-hunter
A HRZ hunter
A HRZ Land owner
A DEZ hunter
A DEZ Land owner

The geographical make up of the members of the group shows members from:
Appleton, Baraboo, Barneveld, Blue Mounds, Delafield, Eagle River,
Fitchburg, Jefferson, Lodi, Madison, Platteville and Stanley

This first meeting was primarily organizational but it laid the
foundation for a discussion of the issues and impacts as well as the
goals for the group. The August meeting will provide members with
information from the group's Technical Advisory team made up of DNR
Scientists/biologists, The Dept of Agriculture, Health and family
services and law enforcement, to name a few. After that, the remaining 5
meetings will be used by the group to formulate recommendations to the
DNR Secretary who will then forward the group's findings to the Natural
resources board and then the legislature with public input and dialog
along the way.

The public will have the opportunity to follow the progress of the
Advisory Group on the CWD website at
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/cwd/

Members of the public are encouraged to observe the group in action. The
public may engage members of the SAG during breaks in the working
sessions. Members will also be available to the public outside the
advisory group sessions as contact information for all the members will
be available on the web site.

I will do my best to keep the members of WBH informed of what the group
is doing.