Wisconsin DNR dusts off plans for more elk
TODD RICHMOND, Associated Pressdd;dsfgate.com
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin wildlife officials have resurrected plans to grow the state's elk population, raising hopes for a hunt and more tourism dollars.The Department of Natural Resources has wanted to expand a herd in Ashland County and start a second herd in Jackson County since the 1990s. The agency ran into a roadblock, though, when agriculture officials clamped down on deer and elk importation after chronic wasting disease turned up in the state a decade ago. Now the department has located apparently healthy elk in Kentucky and has started talks about bringing some here.
Local leaders see dollar signs. The Ashland County herd has grown into a tourist draw that Jackson County officials hope to duplicate. And future elk hunts could pump more money into the local economies.
But bureaucratic mountains would have to move before any new elk set hoof in Wisconsin. The DNR must convince legislators to lift the state's post-CWD ban on importing wild deer and elk. The agency also must find money for expanded herd monitoring and calm fears about crop damage. Still, agency officials are optimistic.
"It has everything to do with trying to re-create the ecosystem that existed pre-white man settlement," said DNR big-game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang. "We think this is probably our best chance to get it done."
Elk vanished from Wisconsin in the 19th century due to hunting and shrinking habitat as prairies became farmland. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point reintroduced the animal in 1995, setting 25 Michigan elk loose near Clam Lake.The DNR wanted to grow the herd to 1,400 elk and planned to establish a second herd of 390 elk in Jackson County. The department planned to start hunts in both counties when each population reached 150 animals.
The agency shelved its plans, though, after CWD was discovered in the state's deer herd in 2002.
Hoping to slow the disease's spread, state agriculture officials prohibited anyone from bringing deer or elk into Wisconsin unless the animals originated from a counted herd that has been verified as disease-free for five years. The rule has effectively halted importation of wild elk since wild herds can't be quantified exactly or confirmed disease-free.
Since then, the Clam Lake herd has struggled. Wolves, bears, collisions with cars and a lack of young aspen trees, a favorite elk food source, have kept the herd small. The DNR estimates it stands at only about 180 animals. The agency has put off a hunt until the population reaches at least 200.
That hasn't stopped Clam Lake, a resort burg of about 40 people, from declaring itself the elk capital of Wisconsin. James Bolen, executive director of the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce, the closest tourism marketing organization to Clam Lake, estimated about 1,200 people come into the chamber's center each year asking about elk. The average adult visitor spends $175 a day, he said, which translates to $210,000 annually for the local economy.
Jackson County officials have pushed for a decade to get a piece of that action.
"Every year people ask when are the elk coming? When are the elk coming?" said Dennis Eberhardt, chairman of the Jackson County Board and a member of the Jackson County Wildlife Fund, an organization that funds outdoor projects.
DNR officials say fears of CWD have faded now and the agency has located 10,000 wild elk in southeastern Kentucky that could serve as a source herd.Tina Brunjes, elk and deer coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said the agency has tested more than 22,000 elk and deer for CWD since 2002 and never found an infection. The state has exported elk to Missouri and Virginia over the last two years, she added.
Wisconsin DNR has yet to reach a formal agreement with Kentucky but the states have discussed a donation of 200 elk for Clam Lake and about 75 elk to start the Jackson County herd, Wallenfang said.
But bureaucratic mountains would have to move before any new elk set hoof in Wisconsin. The DNR must convince legislators to lift the state's post-CWD ban on importing wild deer and elk. The agency also must find money for expanded herd monitoring and calm fears about crop damage. Still, agency officials are optimistic.
"It has everything to do with trying to re-create the ecosystem that existed pre-white man settlement," said DNR big-game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang. "We think this is probably our best chance to get it done."
Elk vanished from Wisconsin in the 19th century due to hunting and shrinking habitat as prairies became farmland. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point reintroduced the animal in 1995, setting 25 Michigan elk loose near Clam Lake.The DNR wanted to grow the herd to 1,400 elk and planned to establish a second herd of 390 elk in Jackson County. The department planned to start hunts in both counties when each population reached 150 animals.
The agency shelved its plans, though, after CWD was discovered in the state's deer herd in 2002.
Hoping to slow the disease's spread, state agriculture officials prohibited anyone from bringing deer or elk into Wisconsin unless the animals originated from a counted herd that has been verified as disease-free for five years. The rule has effectively halted importation of wild elk since wild herds can't be quantified exactly or confirmed disease-free.
Since then, the Clam Lake herd has struggled. Wolves, bears, collisions with cars and a lack of young aspen trees, a favorite elk food source, have kept the herd small. The DNR estimates it stands at only about 180 animals. The agency has put off a hunt until the population reaches at least 200.
That hasn't stopped Clam Lake, a resort burg of about 40 people, from declaring itself the elk capital of Wisconsin. James Bolen, executive director of the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce, the closest tourism marketing organization to Clam Lake, estimated about 1,200 people come into the chamber's center each year asking about elk. The average adult visitor spends $175 a day, he said, which translates to $210,000 annually for the local economy.
Jackson County officials have pushed for a decade to get a piece of that action.
"Every year people ask when are the elk coming? When are the elk coming?" said Dennis Eberhardt, chairman of the Jackson County Board and a member of the Jackson County Wildlife Fund, an organization that funds outdoor projects.
DNR officials say fears of CWD have faded now and the agency has located 10,000 wild elk in southeastern Kentucky that could serve as a source herd.Tina Brunjes, elk and deer coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said the agency has tested more than 22,000 elk and deer for CWD since 2002 and never found an infection. The state has exported elk to Missouri and Virginia over the last two years, she added.
Wisconsin DNR has yet to reach a formal agreement with Kentucky but the states have discussed a donation of 200 elk for Clam Lake and about 75 elk to start the Jackson County herd, Wallenfang said.
That doesn't mean importation would be free. Wisconsin officials likely would have to reimburse Kentucky for capturing the animals and testing them for disease. He estimated the reimbursement as well as the first three years of expanded herd monitoring would run about $450,000.
The DNR wouldn't be on the hook for the bill, at least for a while, he said. The Ho-Chunk Nation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Jackson County Wildlife Fund have agreed to cover the cost until a hunting season begins and the DNR starts making money from fees.
"The finances are the least of our problems," Wallenfang said.
Still, talk of more elk in Wisconsin has raised eyebrows. The Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association is worried the elk herds will never grow large enough to sustain hunts. The group fears the DNR will start pulling more money from hunting fees to cover management expenses once the agency's partners stop paying and close off roads hunters need to reduce car-elk collisions.
Jackson County cranberry farmers are nervous, too, about elk eating their product. The DNR's wildlife crop damage compensation program already extends to elk, but Tom Lochner, head of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, said he's worried it won't be enough. "We don't think we should have to bear (the cost) for reintroduction of a species," Lochner said.
Wallenfang said the Clam Lake herd may be large enough by next year for a hunt. No one grows cranberries or any other crops in what would be the Jackson County elk's core range, he said.
According to the DNR's management plan, any animals that wander outside the core range would be driven back or killed.
The DNR still has plenty of hurdles to clear. Aside from hammering out a deal with Kentucky, the agency must update its elk management plans, a process that entails public hearings and DNR board approval. And the department must convince state lawmakers to allow importation.
Rep. Roger Rivard, R-Rice Lake, drafted a bill this year authorizing importation of wild elk that have been tested as much as possible. Rivard said bear hunters opposed the measure and it died without getting a vote. He might try again if the DNR can make peace with the hunters, he said. The next legislative session is set to begin in January.
Wallenfang said the earliest the state would see more elk would be 2014."We've got a willing state and willing people out there to finance it," Wallenfang said. "Timing is everything and that's why we want to jump on it now."
The DNR wouldn't be on the hook for the bill, at least for a while, he said. The Ho-Chunk Nation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Jackson County Wildlife Fund have agreed to cover the cost until a hunting season begins and the DNR starts making money from fees.
"The finances are the least of our problems," Wallenfang said.
Still, talk of more elk in Wisconsin has raised eyebrows. The Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association is worried the elk herds will never grow large enough to sustain hunts. The group fears the DNR will start pulling more money from hunting fees to cover management expenses once the agency's partners stop paying and close off roads hunters need to reduce car-elk collisions.
Jackson County cranberry farmers are nervous, too, about elk eating their product. The DNR's wildlife crop damage compensation program already extends to elk, but Tom Lochner, head of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, said he's worried it won't be enough. "We don't think we should have to bear (the cost) for reintroduction of a species," Lochner said.
Wallenfang said the Clam Lake herd may be large enough by next year for a hunt. No one grows cranberries or any other crops in what would be the Jackson County elk's core range, he said.
According to the DNR's management plan, any animals that wander outside the core range would be driven back or killed.
The DNR still has plenty of hurdles to clear. Aside from hammering out a deal with Kentucky, the agency must update its elk management plans, a process that entails public hearings and DNR board approval. And the department must convince state lawmakers to allow importation.
Rep. Roger Rivard, R-Rice Lake, drafted a bill this year authorizing importation of wild elk that have been tested as much as possible. Rivard said bear hunters opposed the measure and it died without getting a vote. He might try again if the DNR can make peace with the hunters, he said. The next legislative session is set to begin in January.
Wallenfang said the earliest the state would see more elk would be 2014."We've got a willing state and willing people out there to finance it," Wallenfang said. "Timing is everything and that's why we want to jump on it now."
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