Eastern Meadowlark (photo by Arlene Koziol).
Spring has sprung, the grass has ris,
I wonder where the girls is?
In the early (very early) days of my schooling, my male classmates and I thought this was about the funniest poem ever. Maturity gradually intervened, but the staying power of a silly little poem is amazing.
In Wisconsin, the Conservation Congress (WCC) rises every spring, this year from April 8–13. Please consider this the annual plea from the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA) asking you to participate.
If you visit the DNR’s page on the 2024 Conservation Congress Spring Hearings you’ll find a description of the process, how to participate, and all the questions to be considered at the hearing. Twenty-two pages of those, but they go pretty fast.
The questions are divided between those offered by the DNR and by the WCC. If the DNR questions are approved, they will most likely proceed through an administrative process and probably become regulations. The questions offered by the WCC, an advisory body to the DNR, provide the public the chance to register their judgments about a wide variety of conservation and environmental matters.
A question in this year’s survey is on lead ammunition, known to harm Bald Eagles (photo by Arlene Koziol).
Before I offer a few opinions of my own, I think one reason I thought of that truly silly poem is that I fear the WCC is too close to becoming a silly spring pastime. Historically, the Congress was taken seriously and enjoyed the participation of our most competent conservationists. You can read accounts of Aldo Leopold engaged with it.
One way to revitalize the Congress is to have lots of folks from every part of Wisconsin participate in the Spring Hearings. At its best, the WCC is a democratic (please note the small “d”) process that enables us to express our views and values on important conservation issues. It should result in the DNR taking those opinions seriously, with serious study and timely action.
Some of the questions address serious conservation concerns and, at the very least, bring some important concerns to the public’s attention. SoWBA, for example, thinks we need to pay way more attention to the death and destruction that the continued use of lead ammunition visits on many species of wildlife. Just as bad are feral and free-ranging cats. We’ll have the chance to advance conservation by answering the questions on those topics affirmatively.
Shovelnose sturgeon (photo by Sam Stukel/USFWS).
Most of the DNR questions concern specific regulations that might be easy to skip over. May I please make a pitch for one? The shovelnose is a wonderful and ancient species of native fish. Its population on the Lower Wisconsin River is being legally and illegally overexploited. Please support the DNR question that will offer more protection to that fish.
Now is the perfect time to visit the Conservation Congress website and prepare to participate in the hearings. Read all the questions and please register your opinion on all the ones you care about. SoWBA, and all of us who care about Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife, deeply appreciate your time and commitment.
Thank you,
Topf Wells, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance advocacy committee
P.S. Please don't hesitate to contact SoWBA if you have questions re: the Spring Hearing questions. You can also view their guide to some of the questions most crucial to birds and conservation.
