Ripper
05-19-2005, 10:23 AM
The federal Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act of 1997 requires refuges be
managed according to their mission to restore fish, wildlife and plants.
The act calls for every national refuge to have a plan by 2012, Nissen
said.
Public hearings have been scheduled in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Illinois. Agency staff will tweak the document after the public comment
period ends in August, and Fish and Wildlife regional director Robyn
Thorson then will sign off on it, putting it into effect.
Among the agency's recommendations:
*Limit overnight camping to main channel islands and shorelines. Anyone
with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher would be banned
from camping, and district managers would be allowed to declare beaches
alcohol-free.
*Explore beach user fees, but the plan doesn't set any.
*Set up 16 areas encompassing nearly 14,500 mostly backwater acres where
boaters could use nothing more powerful than electric motors and must
obey a 5-mph speed limit.
*Increase the number of no-hunting zones from seven to 13, encompassing
5,322 acres. The number of zones where waterfowl hunting is banned would
go from 15 to 21 * 790 acres larger than the current areas * in 2006.
Hunters would be limited to 25 shells. Currently there are no limits on
how much ammunition they can carry.
*New waterfowl sanctuaries would be added near McGregor, Iowa, Winona,
Minn., and Savanna, Ill.
Nissen said refuge officials have struggled with huge parties and
underage drinking on the river, particularly in the Winona area, and
people have complained they can't get any peace and quiet, even in the
backwaters.
"If you're fishing in a small flat and you've got Jet Skis buzzing all
around you, so much for the solitude," Nissen said.
The hunting restrictions were added to minimize conflict between people
using the river for different purposes, improve safety, help waterfowl
find more safe breeding areas and fill gaps between current closed
areas, according to the plan.
The ammunition limit would discourage "skybusting," the practice of
shooting excessively at out-of-range birds, the plan said. Skybusting
can result in crippled ducks that can't be retrieved, it said.
Bill Howe, 82, of Prairie du Chien, Wis., grew up on the Mississippi. He
scoffed at the plan.
District managers shouldn't have the power to ban alcohol from beaches,
he said. That's the purview of state and local governments, he said. He
wondered how the agency would enforce such restrictions.
"Where do you go if you have a can of beer on your boat and you have
problems and go to a beach to fix it?" Howe asked. "It isn't a document
that considers people."
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., a duck hunter with a house on the
Mississippi, said he couldn't support a plan that restricts so much
river access. Enforcement would be nearly impossible, he said.
"That's the problem with the plan. You can't enforce it unless you hire
100 or 200 agents," Kind said.
He said he's still meeting with Fish and Wildlife personnel, but he
might fight to withhold funding if the plan isn't revised.
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a statewide group of sportsmen,
plans to write a letter to Fish and Wildlife asking the agency to extend
the public comment period to six months.
Proposed Mississippi River Refuge regulations
HUNTING AND FISHING
--Add six new no-hunting zones, bringing the number of no-hunting zones
to 13.
--Increase number of areas closed to waterfowl hunting from 15 to 21.
--Add new waterfowl sanctuaries near McGregor, Iowa, and Savanna, Ill.
--All closed areas except Lake Onalaska would be closed to on-the-water
fishing and motorized watercraft from Oct. 1 to the end of the
respective state's duck season.
--Starting in 2006, limit each hunter to 25 shotshells during waterfowl
season. Hunters must maintain 100 yards between each other.
--Establish a managed waterfowl hunting area on Lake Onalaska. The
number of hunters would be limited through a random drawing and permits.
--Phase out the use of permanent hunting blinds around the Savanna,
Ill., area.
--Issue special permits for fishing tournaments.
RECREATION
--Starting in 2007, camping and overnight mooring would be limited to
islands and shorelines that border the main channel.
--All campers must have an approved marine onboard toilet or a human
waste disposal system for each person.
--Entering or staying in the refuge while under the influence of
alcohol, defined as a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent, would be
prohibited.
--The refuge manager or district managers may restrict beaches as
no-alcohol or day-only.
--Explore user fees for beachgoers.
--Starting in spring 2006, establish 16 electric motor-only areas on the
refuge, encompassing 14,498 acres. A 5 mph speed limit would be in
effect in those areas.
--Add 10 new no-wake zones in 2006, bringing the total to 12.
--Starting in 2007, all dogs must be on a leash between March and June.
The rest of the year, dogs can be free only when they're at least 100
yards from roads, trails, rest areas and boat landings, and within sight
and earshot of their handlers. Dogs hunting or retrieving are exempt
from the regulations.
LANSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
--Resurvey and post the refuge boundary by 2020.
--Acquire 1,000 acres of land per year to complete the refuge's 1987
master plan.
--Protect bluffs through easements or fee-title acquisitions.
--Nominate the refuge as a Wetland of International Importance.
--Increase control of invasive species. Achieve a 10 percent reduction
in acres affected by 2010.
--Complete drawdowns on all refuge pools during the growing season by
2020. Lowering water levels leads to more vegetation, and, in turn, more
food and cover for fish and wildlife.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
River Refuge Public Hearings
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set up public hearings and workshops
on regulatory changes for the upper Mississippi River. All meetings are
from 5:30 to 9 p.m.:
Prairie du Chien, Wis., today high school auditorium, 800 E. Crawford
St.
Lansing, Iowa, Monday, May 23, Lansing High School gymnasium(also called
Kee High School), 569 Center St.
Stoddard, Wis., Tuesday, May 24, American Legion Post 315, 414 Broadway
La Crescent, Minn., Wednesday, May 25, American Legion Club Room, 509 N.
Chestnut St.
Onalaska, Wis., May 26, conference center at Stoney Creek Inn, 3060 S.
Kinney Coulee Road
Winona, Minn., May 31, Winona Middle School auditorium, 1570 Homer Road
Winona, June 13, Winona Middle School cafeteria
Prairie du Chien, June 16, high school cafeteria
Stoddard, June 22, American Legion Post 315
Onalaska, June 23, Eagle Bluff Elementary School, 200 Eagle Bluff Court
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
managed according to their mission to restore fish, wildlife and plants.
The act calls for every national refuge to have a plan by 2012, Nissen
said.
Public hearings have been scheduled in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Illinois. Agency staff will tweak the document after the public comment
period ends in August, and Fish and Wildlife regional director Robyn
Thorson then will sign off on it, putting it into effect.
Among the agency's recommendations:
*Limit overnight camping to main channel islands and shorelines. Anyone
with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher would be banned
from camping, and district managers would be allowed to declare beaches
alcohol-free.
*Explore beach user fees, but the plan doesn't set any.
*Set up 16 areas encompassing nearly 14,500 mostly backwater acres where
boaters could use nothing more powerful than electric motors and must
obey a 5-mph speed limit.
*Increase the number of no-hunting zones from seven to 13, encompassing
5,322 acres. The number of zones where waterfowl hunting is banned would
go from 15 to 21 * 790 acres larger than the current areas * in 2006.
Hunters would be limited to 25 shells. Currently there are no limits on
how much ammunition they can carry.
*New waterfowl sanctuaries would be added near McGregor, Iowa, Winona,
Minn., and Savanna, Ill.
Nissen said refuge officials have struggled with huge parties and
underage drinking on the river, particularly in the Winona area, and
people have complained they can't get any peace and quiet, even in the
backwaters.
"If you're fishing in a small flat and you've got Jet Skis buzzing all
around you, so much for the solitude," Nissen said.
The hunting restrictions were added to minimize conflict between people
using the river for different purposes, improve safety, help waterfowl
find more safe breeding areas and fill gaps between current closed
areas, according to the plan.
The ammunition limit would discourage "skybusting," the practice of
shooting excessively at out-of-range birds, the plan said. Skybusting
can result in crippled ducks that can't be retrieved, it said.
Bill Howe, 82, of Prairie du Chien, Wis., grew up on the Mississippi. He
scoffed at the plan.
District managers shouldn't have the power to ban alcohol from beaches,
he said. That's the purview of state and local governments, he said. He
wondered how the agency would enforce such restrictions.
"Where do you go if you have a can of beer on your boat and you have
problems and go to a beach to fix it?" Howe asked. "It isn't a document
that considers people."
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., a duck hunter with a house on the
Mississippi, said he couldn't support a plan that restricts so much
river access. Enforcement would be nearly impossible, he said.
"That's the problem with the plan. You can't enforce it unless you hire
100 or 200 agents," Kind said.
He said he's still meeting with Fish and Wildlife personnel, but he
might fight to withhold funding if the plan isn't revised.
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a statewide group of sportsmen,
plans to write a letter to Fish and Wildlife asking the agency to extend
the public comment period to six months.
Proposed Mississippi River Refuge regulations
HUNTING AND FISHING
--Add six new no-hunting zones, bringing the number of no-hunting zones
to 13.
--Increase number of areas closed to waterfowl hunting from 15 to 21.
--Add new waterfowl sanctuaries near McGregor, Iowa, and Savanna, Ill.
--All closed areas except Lake Onalaska would be closed to on-the-water
fishing and motorized watercraft from Oct. 1 to the end of the
respective state's duck season.
--Starting in 2006, limit each hunter to 25 shotshells during waterfowl
season. Hunters must maintain 100 yards between each other.
--Establish a managed waterfowl hunting area on Lake Onalaska. The
number of hunters would be limited through a random drawing and permits.
--Phase out the use of permanent hunting blinds around the Savanna,
Ill., area.
--Issue special permits for fishing tournaments.
RECREATION
--Starting in 2007, camping and overnight mooring would be limited to
islands and shorelines that border the main channel.
--All campers must have an approved marine onboard toilet or a human
waste disposal system for each person.
--Entering or staying in the refuge while under the influence of
alcohol, defined as a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent, would be
prohibited.
--The refuge manager or district managers may restrict beaches as
no-alcohol or day-only.
--Explore user fees for beachgoers.
--Starting in spring 2006, establish 16 electric motor-only areas on the
refuge, encompassing 14,498 acres. A 5 mph speed limit would be in
effect in those areas.
--Add 10 new no-wake zones in 2006, bringing the total to 12.
--Starting in 2007, all dogs must be on a leash between March and June.
The rest of the year, dogs can be free only when they're at least 100
yards from roads, trails, rest areas and boat landings, and within sight
and earshot of their handlers. Dogs hunting or retrieving are exempt
from the regulations.
LANSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
--Resurvey and post the refuge boundary by 2020.
--Acquire 1,000 acres of land per year to complete the refuge's 1987
master plan.
--Protect bluffs through easements or fee-title acquisitions.
--Nominate the refuge as a Wetland of International Importance.
--Increase control of invasive species. Achieve a 10 percent reduction
in acres affected by 2010.
--Complete drawdowns on all refuge pools during the growing season by
2020. Lowering water levels leads to more vegetation, and, in turn, more
food and cover for fish and wildlife.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
River Refuge Public Hearings
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set up public hearings and workshops
on regulatory changes for the upper Mississippi River. All meetings are
from 5:30 to 9 p.m.:
Prairie du Chien, Wis., today high school auditorium, 800 E. Crawford
St.
Lansing, Iowa, Monday, May 23, Lansing High School gymnasium(also called
Kee High School), 569 Center St.
Stoddard, Wis., Tuesday, May 24, American Legion Post 315, 414 Broadway
La Crescent, Minn., Wednesday, May 25, American Legion Club Room, 509 N.
Chestnut St.
Onalaska, Wis., May 26, conference center at Stoney Creek Inn, 3060 S.
Kinney Coulee Road
Winona, Minn., May 31, Winona Middle School auditorium, 1570 Homer Road
Winona, June 13, Winona Middle School cafeteria
Prairie du Chien, June 16, high school cafeteria
Stoddard, June 22, American Legion Post 315
Onalaska, June 23, Eagle Bluff Elementary School, 200 Eagle Bluff Court
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service