Notice is hereby further given that the Department has made a preliminary determination that this action does not involve significant adverse environmental effects and does not need an environmental analysis under ch. NR 150, Wis. Adm. Code. However, based on the comments received, the Department may prepare an environmental analysis before proceeding with the proposal. This environmental review document would summarize the Department's consideration of the impacts of the proposal and reasonable alternatives.
Hearing Information
Notice is hereby further given that the hearings will be held on:
December 4, 2000 Basement Meeting Room
Monday DNR Spooner Service Center
at 7:00 p.m. 810 W. Maple
Spooner
December 4, 2000 Basement Meeting Room
Monday Best Western Royale
at 7:00 p.m. 5110 Main Street
Stevens Point
December 5, 2000 DNR Western Region Hdqrs.
Tuesday 1300 W. Clairemont Ave.
at 7:00 p.m. Eau Claire
December 5, 2000 Fireside Room
Tuesday Nicolet Area Tech College
at 7:00 p.m. University Transfer Center
County Highway G
Rhinelander
December 11, 2000 Gymnasium
Monday Pembine High School
at 7:00 p.m. N18775 Sauld Street
Pembine
December 11, 2000 Public Library
Monday 124 W. Main Street
at 7:00 p.m. Sparta
December 12, 2000 Downstairs Meeting Room
Tuesday Brown Co. Library
at 7:00 p.m. 515 Pine St.
Green Bay
December 12, 2000 DNR Janesville Service Center
Tuesday 2514 Morse Road
at 7:00 p.m. Janesville
December 13, 2000 Room C101
Wednesday 1500 N. University Drive
at 7:00 p.m. UW-Waukesha
Waukesha
December 13, 2000 Public Library
Wednesday 502 Main Street West
at 7:00 p.m. Ashland
December 14, 2000 DNR Dodgeville Service Center
Thursday 1500 N. Johns Street
at 7:00 p.m. Dodgeville
December 14, 2000 Public Library
Thursday 32 Sheboygan Street
at 7:00 p.m. Fond du Lac
Notice is hereby further given that pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request, Please call William VanderZouwen at (608) 266-8840 with specific information on your request at least 10 days before the date of the scheduled hearing.
Written Comments and Contact Information
Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted to Mr. William VanderZouwen, Bureau of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 no later than December 15, 2000. Written comments will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the hearings. A copy of the proposed rule [WM-40-00] and fiscal estimate may be obtained from Mr. VanderZouwen.
Fiscal Estimate
1. This administrative rule package includes the following proposals to change the current deer season framework:
• Create a permanent 4-day December antlerless deer season.
Begin the early archery season on the Saturday closest to September 15.
End the early archery season on the Thursday before Thanksgiving.
• Begin the late archery season on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
• End the late archery season on the Saturday closest to January 15.
• Extend the muzzleloader season by 3 days.
• Establish a one-day youth hunt the Saturday closest to October 24.
2. The rule package also includes proposals that would bring more predictability to herd control seasons:
• Create two new criteria for determining deer population goals.
• Allow the Department to modify the deer hunting season where normal seasons and permits are not expected to bring a deer population to within 20% of a units population goal.
Establish a formula for establishing herd control seasons, thereby no longer requiring public meetings on affected units and Natural Resources Board approval for each Zone T unit each year.
• Expand DNR authority to administer herd control seasons in all management units and eliminates the map identifying units as farm deer management units.
3. Finally this package involves modifications to the current Wisconsin Damage and Abatement Claims Program (WDACP):
• Modify the enrollment procedures for those currently participating in the WDACP.
• Modify the WDACP's harvest objective by shortening the time frame for meeting harvest requirements.
• Increases:
One expected impact is the increase in cost for law enforcement operations. Extra hunting days (Average 24 days for bow, 3 days for muzzleloaders, and 4 days for gun hunters) will equate into more days wardens will need to provide an active enforcement presence in the field. The additions of extra days for the 4 day December antlerless gun season will require 50% of the effort that is required for the enforcement of an October Zone T hunt ($16866). The additional archery and muzzleloader days will require law enforcement wardens to increase their regular daily efforts when they would not traditionally be enforcing deer seasons. This effort would be approximately 20% of the daily effort to enforce a December 4 day gun hunt (24 extra days X $843 =$20,239).
FISCAL IMPACT - Herd Control Seasons
Revenue Reductions:
With any Zone T season comes the reality that free permits mean the loss of revenue from Bonus permit sales in the units conducting the Zone T hunt and the loss of the $3 Hunter's Choice application fee. In 2000 this was estimated to be a loss of $688,800 (229,600 applicants X $3) in Hunter's Choice revenues and a loss of $4,411,600 (Non-Resident 22,100 X $20 & Resident 330,800 X $12) in the sale of Bonus permits based on 1999 figures.
Revenue reductions from the 1999 level of $6.1 million (when 451,000 bonus permits and 342,700 hunter's choice permits were sold) are anticipated to be similar to the 2000 estimate of $5,100,400. However, over time, it is anticipated that revenue from hunter's choice permit applications and bonus permits will be restored to some extent as efforts to control the deer herd take effect.
Revenue Increases:
Over the next five years, it is assumed that with the success of the new herd control seasons, the revenues from the sale of hunter's choice permits and bonus antlerless deer permits will increase. With less units participating in Zone T and Earn-a-buck hunts, free antlerless permits associated with the herd control seasons will be reduced, bonus permits will be sold and the hunter's choice application system will be in effect. The estimated loss of $5.1 million will be reduced to reflect a net gain. Based on a 6-year average, (1994 - 1999) 227,786 antlerless permits have been purchased annually by Wisconsin deer hunters, equating to a net annual revenue increase of $2.7 million (227,787 X$12). Hunter's choice permits over that same time period averaged a revenue increase of $890,490 per year (296,830 X $3). This will lead to a net annual decrease in revenue from 1999 levels of an estimated $1.5 million, although 1999 was an unusually high year because of the need to issue extra bonus permits for deer herd control purposes. Eventually however, if the proposed season framework changes are effective in reducing the herd to goal, the number of bonus permits each year that are available will decrease, and revenues will return to levels common in years prior to Zone T hunts, estimated $2,648,600 (Average of 1994-1995; Bonus: 139,000 X $12, Hunter's choice: 326,000 X $3).
Cost Reductions:
With the elimination of Hunter's Choice applications and decrease in Bonus permit sales, the amount of administrative costs to the Bureau of Customer Service and Licensing associated with printing, postage, freight, supplies and services, and DNR employee wages and fringes will be reduced. Costs associated with the issuance of bonus permits at ALIS terminal (materials and transaction fees) will also be reduced.
