WisconsinState ReportJune 4, 2013

Cathy Stepp, SecretaryWisconsin Department of Natural Resources101 S. Webster StreetP.O. Box 7921Madison, WI 53707-7921

Significant Accomplishments

Kirtland’s Warbler: A federally endangered bird, the Kirtland’s Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii), has nested at a site in Adams County, Wisconsin for at least six consecutive years beginning in 2007. Twenty males were counted at the Adams County site in 2012, including 14 of 20 males color-banded at the site in 2011. We recorded a total of 14 nesting attempts in the county. At least four Adams County nests were successful, fledging an estimated 8 to 13 young. Nest monitoring using a digital video recorder was implemented and successfully recorded predation of a nest by an eastern chipmunk. In Marinette County, volunteers participating in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (WDNR) 2012 Annual Kirtland’s Warbler Survey reported finding singing males at three sites. Other reports came from Bayfield County (1 male confirmed and banded), from Douglas County (2-3 males not banded) and Vilas County (1 male confirmed but not banded). The nesting and survey successes have been attributed to conservation and management activities implemented by a multi-partner project led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the WDNR under the guidance of the Kirtland’s Warbler Recovery Team.

Citizen Based Monitoring (CBM) Program: The Wisconsin DNR’s CBM Program is rounding out its ninth year of support and development of citizen (volunteer) programs. The goal of the CBM initiative is to facilitate the expansion of public involvement in terrestrial and aquatic natural resource monitoring and conservation. DNR provides direct financial and technical support to new or evolving projects and offers continuity to a growing network by facilitating communication and information exchange between organizations, disciplines, projects and individuals. Since initiation in 2004, the popular CBM Partnership Program fund has supported 178 high priority natural resource monitoring projects statewide; most of which are directed entirely by external organizations. This provides a significant cost savings to the State of Wisconsin since partners normally exceeds a 3:1 match in non-state cash and donated time. The Citizen-based Monitoring Program manages a directory called the “Who's Who of Citizen-based Monitoring,” a website and YouTube channel full of training resources, and a Facebook page. We also organize a conference to provide project coordinators, volunteers and agency staff additional networking, training and educational opportunities. This year’s conference was held in partnership with the Wisconsin Water Action Volunteers program and was attended by over 130 members of the CBM community. New initiatives kicked off this year include an equipment lending program and a volunteer registry.

Climate Change Adaptation: The Department held three climate change adaptation workshops for agency supervisors and program managers in March, 2012. The workshops built on information from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI 2011) and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Partnership (NFWPCAP 2012). The intent of the workshops was to:

Share information about Wisconsin’s past and current climate, likely future climate, and the potential impacts to the state’s natural resources and “built” environment; and

Engage supervisors in a discussion about the policy and management issues that need to be considered through the lens of changing climate in the state.

The planning and implementation of the workshops was a collaborative effort among the department, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Approximately 90 department supervisors and program managers attended the workshops in Wausau and Madison.

A report summarizing the workshops was released in February 2013. It presents a case for action, a description of adaptation, what the origins, purpose, goals and format of the workshops were and results of the breakout sessions. The report’s introductory component is a useful summary for staff of likely climate changes and impacts on Wisconsin’s species and ecosystems, and of the department’s involvement in climate change vulnerability analysis and adaptation through WICCI. Climate adaptation is also defined, and the challenges of managing and planning under uncertainty are discussed.

Pre- and post-workshop surveys indicated that over 90% of participants think that climate change will affect the resources they manage, and that adaptation to climate change is needed for successful future resource management. To that end, the department is continuing efforts to develop and implement adaptation strategies for the long-term future of the state’s natural and “built” environments, public health, and economic vitality.

Wisconsin Stopover Initiative: Coordinated by WDNR, The Wisconsin Stopover Initiative is a multi-partner project working together to protect, conserve, and enhance the “stopover” habitats used by birds migrating through the Great Lakes. In 2012, the project focused on educational programs and outreach to raise awareness of migratory birds and stopover habitat. The Grosbeaks Galore, Birds On Your Landscape Workshop educated over 150 private landowners on how to use native plants in their yards to provide cover and food for migratory birds during migration. The Landscaping for Migratory Birds Workshop was attended by over 140 professional land managers and educators from a variety of organizations and agencies. These folks were trained to incorporate migratory bird stopover habitat needs into their property management, restoration, and educational programs. To aid both landowners and professionals, partners produced a new handbook titled Managing Habitats for Migrating Land Birds in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Basin: A Guide to Landscaping and Land Management. This guide has been distributed at conferences, trainings, nature centers, and will be featured at several International Migratory Bird Day celebrations along the Lake Michigan shore in May. More information on the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative may be found at www.wisconsinbirds.org/Migratory

Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership: 2013 marks the twelfth year in the effort to reintroduce a flock of migratory whooping cranes into the eastern US. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is a state, federal, and private partnership. WCEP partners have released over 200 birds since the beginning of the program. In 2012, releases took place on state managed property for only the second time in the history of the project. This cohort of ultra-light birds began their migration south on schedule and eventually arrived and wintered at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.. Another set of whooping craneswill again be raised at White River Marsh State Wildife Area in 2013.

EHD:New upgrades were made to the Wildlife Health Disease and Contaminants Database in 2012 to allow for real time reporting of observations and sampling of sick deer. This real time reporting into the database allows for better tracking and mapping of disease concerns in deer. The timely upgrades were very useful in tracking and reporting of sick and dead deer during a fall mortality event due to epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus(EHD). Citizens who see a sick deer can log onto the home page for the DNR and enterkeyword “sick deer” which will give them a list of DNR contacts for their county. Thebiologist or warden informed of the sick deer will follow up and either collect and enter a sample into the database or enter the observation report into in the database.

The last time EHD was diagnosed in Wisconsin deer was in 2002, when approximately14deer were found suddenly dead in Iowa County during September. Until the fall of 2012,deer surveyed and tested since 2002 have not identified exposure to HD viruses. Thisyear, deer found dead in Columbia, Rock, Dane, Sauk, Iowa, Marquette, Jefferson andWaukesha counties in August and September of 2012 tested positive for EHD. Sampleswere also submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) for serotyping. The only serotype isolated from Wisconsin this year was EHDV-6 (epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, serotype 6). In total, 427 deer were confirmed positive or suspected to have died from EHD in a total of 13 counties during the late summer/fall of 2012.

Wisconsin Bald Eagle Biosentinel ProgramThe Wisconsin Bald Eagle Biosentinel Program, a research program in WDNR Science Services, has tracked eagle productivity and contaminant levels in WI since 1990, with an emphasis on eagles nesting along the Great Lakes shoreline. Aerial surveys have shown the WI Lake Superior bald eagle population has recovered in numbers and reproductive performance has improved. Concurrently, contaminant levels in these eagles have markedly declined. Since 2006, the National Park Service have supported work to track contaminant levels of WI eagles nesting at Lake Superior sites, illustrating that contaminant levels have continued to decline or remained level.

At Wisconsin Green Bay/Lake Michigan nest sites, WDNR and USFWS measured very low reproductive performance and high contaminant levels in the 1990s. WDNR aerial surveys have recently shown that WI Green Bay/Lake Michigan eagle numbers increased 5-fold and productivity has dramatically improved. A collaborative project between WDNR-Wildlife Management, WDNR-Science Services, and the USFWS began in 2011 to continue aerial surveys and nestling blood sampling for contaminant analysis to assess whether the dramatic improvement in Green Bay/Lake Michigan eagle performance is related to a decline in contaminant exposure. Preliminary results indicate that the increase in the number of nesting bald eagles as well as nesting success has coincided with a decrease in PCBs and organochlorine pesticides, especially in the Lower Fox River population. The decrease in levels of contaminants in eaglets from the Lower Fox River is especially apparent along the areas of the river that have been remediated – indicating that bald eagles can be a useful and reliable indicator of environmental change.

Wisconsin Deer Trustee and Review Committee ReportThe Final Report and Recommendations by Wisconsin’s White-tailed Deer Trustee and Review Committee (Drs. Kroll, Guynn, and Alt) was presented to the Department of Administration in July 2012, and subsequently to the Department of Natural Resources. In the Deer Trustee Report (DTR), there are a total of 62 specific recommendations identified which lay a path for modifying the future of deer management in Wisconsin. Since the release of the report, many individuals have been reviewing the report and focusing attention on developing a collaborative process with the combined intent to enhance Wisconsin’s White-tailed Deer program for the future. As starting points in the process, the 62 recommendations from the DTR have been divided into 5 categories based on subject matter and are identified as follows:

Administrative Items Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Herd Health / Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Regulations and Seasons Science and Research

Action Teams of private citizens and representatives of conservation groups from around the state have been developed to take the final recommendations of the report and transition them into action on the ground. These teams will be meeting a total of 7 times between March 9 and July 20, 2013, to convert the recommendations of the Report to proposed implementation action items for the Wisconsin DNR to consider while making administrative rules to affect the deer seasons in 2014.

Southwest Wisconsin Grassland and Stream Conservation Area ProjectThe Southwest Wisconsin Grassland and Stream Conservation Area Project (SWGSCA) is a landscape-scale project totaling 473,900 acres in portions of four counties in southwest Wisconsin.  The project was approved by the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board in June, 2009 granting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) the authority to proceed with the acquisition of up to 12,000 acres spread out primarily over three Bird Conservation Areas (BCA) having the highest potential for conserving and restoring grassland and stream habitats.  In addition to acquisition and restoration of grasslands and streams on public lands, another goal of the project is to work with private landowners to provide outreach and incentives for restoration and management of these habitat types on private lands.  The WDNR is the lead agency on the SWGSCA project working with a partnership that includes more than twenty conservation groups, in addition to county, state and federal land management agencies.  During the past year, WDNR has found success in moving from the planning stage into the implementation stage.  Two parcels of land were acquired in 2012 totaling 341 acres. Both parcels are located in the Core Area of the Perry/Primrose.  SWGSCA partner groups have also been working on fee acquisition and easements of smaller properties within the SWGSCA project to add to existing parcels owned and managed by several non-profit conservation organizations.   

 

The SWGSCA Landowner Assistance and Habitat Team is working toward obtaining a large, multi-year grant to support a grazer-broker position to work with graziers and private, non-agricultural landowners as an incentive for using managed grazing to maintain or restore grassland habitat. We recognized a need for a person to bring together landowners and graziers to maintain and, hopefully, increase grassland acres in SW Wisconsin.  This grazer-broker concept and the SWGSCA partnership is being recognized on a national level for this innovative plan to maintain and restore additional grassland habitat in an agriculture-based landscape.

The SWGSCA Outreach and Education Team conducted several Landowner Workshops and a celebratory Prairie Festival during 2012.  These events were well-attended and have had a significant positive influence on efforts by private landowners to restore and maintain grassland, savanna and riparian habitats in the project area.  Due to the popularity of these events, plans are underway to conduct more Landowner Workshops in 2013. Visit the SWGSCA website at:  www.swgsca.org

Photo (pasture stream):

Mississippi RiverGreat work continues past our land boundaries and into the Mississippi River, one of our state’s greatest natural resources assets.  Wisconsin borders the Mississippi River for 230 miles from the confluence of the St. Croix to the Illinois border.  In 1986, Congress recognized the Upper Mississippi River System as a “nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant navigational system.”  Wisconsin shares its resource management responsibilities on the Mississippi River with the adjoining states of Iowa and Minnesota, along with two other states that form the Upper Mississippi River, Illinois and Missouri.   In addition, federal agencies included in this partnership forms the basis for interagency work.  The Department carries out wildlife management functions on the Mississippi River with two staff members, a biologist and technician. 

Law Enforcement Training Use of Mediasite – Training through the use of online video resources has

increased in the last year. Wardens have been trained on the Castle Doctrine, open records and Critical Incident Response. This has been an effective tool in providing tactical instructors with greater detail in scenario based and technical skills training to increase consistency when statewide training is delivered at the local level.

Internet based supervisory training – In 2012, seven Conservation Wardens attended a Department of Justice grant funded online supervisory training. This program is offered at the cost of textbooks (about $100) to Wardens. The course has received positive reviews from Wardens, and two of the programs graduates have accepted promotional positions since taking the course.

Policy reviews – An internet based website has been used to deliver and train policy updates and legal decisions to Wardens. Survey questions are developed and sent out to Wardens along with the policy or decision. Wardens then log into the survey and answer a few questions. The surveys are tracked for completion. This approach has been used for annual training updates to Wardens as well.

Recruiting Chat – Two internet “chat” sessions were developed and conducted during the past Conservation Warden hiring process. This allowed the recruiting team to reach out well beyond Wisconsin to potential candidates nationwide.

Tracking training – Wardens are participating in joint agency tracking training with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to enhance our ability to locate individuals in a woodland environment.

Tactical training “hooded” drills – This approached has been used more in tactical training. Last year, wardens were given three scenarios in quick succession. A hood was placed over the wardens head and they were walked in to the scenario. They were then presented with a situation in front of them. Wardens were to react as they normally would. They had the hood placed over their head immediately following the scenario. Another scenario was set up and the Warden completed three scenarios in quick succession. All three scenarios were debriefed all at once at the end. This allowed for several repetitions in a shorter period of time. It also gave the instructors an opportunity to focus on specific training needs.

Law Enforcement Unique Cross Boundary or Cooperative, Enforcement Efforts

Tribal Relations – Wisconsin Conservation Wardens continue to build a strong partnership with our Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission Wardens (GLIFWC)- GLIFWC has jurisdiction over tribal members off the reservation but within the ceded territory. During this past year GLIFWC and WI Wardens have partnered during firearms certification, team and regional trainings and work together to solve major wildlife violations.

Tribal Youth Initiative -The Department of Natural Resources has worked with the Lake Superior Chippewa Indian youth to provide them hands-on training

on natural resource related issues. The youth are hired to complete habitat related projects on trout streams, boat landing improvements, trail maintenance and conduct various tree plantings to name a few. This initiative started several years ago with the Lac Courte Oreille tribe and has become so popular additional tribes are working toward their own youth outdoor projects. The goal is to provide a mentoring and educational experience to High School aged youth interested in a natural resources career.

Asian Carp Task Force – WDNR is one of several Great Lakes States and Canada that belongs to the USFWS Asian Carp (AC) Task force. This task force is designed to share information on AC movement. Thus far, the task force has met in Chicago, IL and will be meeting in Arkansas in late June for another meeting. The AC initiative is a two pronged approach that deals both with education and enforcement. On the educational end we’ve had meetings with all State Patrol Troops to educate them on the movement of AC. (identify vehicles, species of fish, what to do if they find live AC) We have also met with some sheriff departments to discuss this issue as well. In addition we met with Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) – Food Safety Division to distribute informational brochures to retail and wholesale fish dealers on the sale/possession of live AC. WI has reached out to the Chinese communities in WI and will have an article written in the Chinese newspaper about the laws pertaining to AC in WI. We will also be participated in a meeting (in New York) with the Great Lakes LE fisheries committee focusing on AC movement. The enforcement prong has seen WI wardens contact some retail outlet. WI has followed through on two Asian retail grocery stores that are selling dead AC. The owner was educated on the sale of live AC. Both store owners have said they tried to obtain live AC, but were unable to do so.

Port Security – Wardens along Lake Superior will be participating in a full-scale port security exercise in the Duluth/Superior Twin Ports on August 28 and 29. The exercise will include multiple local, county, state and federal agencies.

Law Enforcement Innovations

TraCS – The Bureau of Law Enforcement is currently working with BadgerTraCS on the rollout of an updated (TraCS 10) statewide electronic Natural Resource citation system. TraCS 10 includes several improvements with one being a mapping system and also a court date entry element. Electronic citation is a time saver for LE staff and also helpful as a records management system. The bureau completed all work that was required to allow citations to be keypunched by wardens in the field, printed for the defendant, transmitted electronically to the agency Dbase, then electronically transmitted to the court. After adjudication, the court records are then electronically returned to the department and the defendant records are updated. The switch from issuing hand-written citations to electronic citation management will save the agency $20,000-$25,000 annually. However, there will still be instances where hand-written citations will be necessary because

computer access is not realistic, i.e. during patrols involving boating, ATVing and snowmobiling. Upcoming innovations in tablet technology should give Law Enforcement additional locations in which electronic citations can be used. Electronic citations also reduce the time necessary for adjudicated citations to be uploaded to Law Enforcement’s citation database by up to a month.

MACH – MACH (Mobile Architecture for Communications Handling) will be Law Enforcement’s next iteration of an Auto Vehicle Location application. The location of LE squads and assets will be available virtually real-time (20 second delay). This will allow our hotline center to dispatch the nearest warden to the scene of an incident. It will also allow warden to know where their nearest assisting officer is. MACH is incredibly important to officer safety, response time, and incident command coordination efforts. The current plan is to have 180 LE agencies statewide on the MACH system. Various agencies can be added to the MACH mapping system depending on geography, type of incident, etc. MACH will also be able to manage asset location for this agency’s (boat, snowmobiles, ATVs, public works/construction assets, etc). MACH has a server element and a client element. The client is not only compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems, but also with Android devices. This ability to utilize smartphones will allow Law Enforcement to located on the map and locate others not only in their vehicles, but also on foot.

Next Panasonic Toughbook – We are current exploring a variety of options for the next Toughbook procurement (~3 years from now). Ideally, we would like the next model to be a convertible tablet that would take advantage of both the laptop platform when necessary, but when needs become more mobile, the ability to convert to a tablet would be available.

Smartphones – Law Enforcement has roughly 30% implementation of smartphones within the program. We have currently put a mobile data management system in place that will allow central administration of our smartphones. When these devices are enrolled in MDM, we have the ability to centrally administer the device’s security, the applications that are mandatory and optional based on need, the synchronization of email and contacts, and device inventory. It also will allow access to file shares and have possible VPN use in the near future. See the following article for a specific LE use of smartphones. http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/12/4216086/nypd-trials-android-smartphone-apps-in-the-field Law enforcement is currently creating its own smartphone applications based on need. Some of these have been made available to the public as well.

launching an initiative to take some specialized skills, equipment, and training and mold this all into statewide “mission ready response teams.” These include ROV, Tactical Flight Officers, and Tactical Boat Operators. These teams will train and respond from a statewide perspective versus a regional level, which will increase proficiency and effectiveness.

Law Enforcement Cost Savings Initiatives Phone Consolidation – Over the last year, WI has worked to consolidate are

phone expenditures where possible. In the past, many wardens had 3 Department provided phone lines: office, home, and cell. We have made strides to have many of our field staff shifted to a single phone (cell). Although we still require many of our supervisory or administrative staff to have an office phone, many of those has reduced out their home phone costs as well. Forty-five of 137 wardens eligible to opt out have now stopped using their home for work and have switched to using the DNR business line and or cellular phone only.

Later Vehicle Assignment to Recruits – In the past, WI used to assign a squad truck to a recruit shortly after they were hired, and they would use this vehicle for driving back and forth from home to the Academy for about 15 weeks, and then to go to their assigned FTO’s. We have changed our policy and procedures, and now assign a vehicle to the recruits shortly before going into their final FTO assignment. They are responsible for getting themselves to the Academy and their assigned FTO stations prior to the vehicle assignment. Based on last year’s result, this saved us about $4000 per recruit in mileage costs alone.

Fleet Fuel Economy – WI is currently working on improving our fuel economy by switching many of older vehicles out for new Ford F150 Ecoboost pickups. Early results are showing these new trucks getting 16-19 MPG (even in winter), compared to older trucks which got at the best times about 13 MPG.

Fleet Accident Costs – WI is also trying to keep our per mile rate down by agreeing to pay for our “at-fault” crashes direct from our operational budget instead of having that cost factored into our mileage rate. This past year, we set aside $60,000 to pay for these repairs from our operational budget, and having actively working with our Fleet Managers to scrutinize which repairs are necessary. Additional steps are being taken to reduce the number of crashes including increased training, testing backup sensors, and increased fiscal responsibility at the team level.

Major Issues for the Agency

Chronic Wasting DiseaseWisconsin has intensively monitored Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) for 11 years. Between 2002 and April 2013, we tested over 178,000 free-ranging deer, of which over 2,100 have tested positive for CWD. Wisconsin has two separate cores of disease infection in the CWD – Management Zone (MZ), one in the southwest part of the state, one in the southeast. The southeast CWD outbreak is contiguous with a CWD area in northern Illinois where 372 CWD positive deer have been found since 2002.

CWD was found outside of the CWD-MZ in Juneau, Adams, Portage, Waukesha, & Grant counties in 2012 and in Washburn County in 2011. In 2012 CWD was also found for the first time in Racine County within the CWD-MZ.

CWD Prevalence in Wisconsin: Since 2002, CWD prevalence within our western monitoring area has shown an overall increasing trend in all sex and age classes. During the past 11 years, the trend in prevalence in adult males has risen from 8-10 percent to over 20 percent, and in adult females from about 3-4 percent to approximately 9 percent. During that same time, the prevalence trend in yearling males has increased from about 2 percent to about 6 percent and in yearling females from roughly 2 percent to about 5 percent. We continue to see similar trends in the eastern monitoring area as well, albeit at lower prevalence levels.

We continue to find that disease prevalence is higher in males than females and higher in adults than yearlings. These annual monitoring data are important for Wisconsin’s understanding of CWD distribution and prevalence.

Invasive Species.  A large river system can be a super spreader of invasive species.  Wildlife staff monitor effects of invasives such as the parasitic trematode that causes large waterfowl die offs annually each spring and fall.  In 2011 Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce was found on the Mississippi River and wildlife staff are assisting in annual collection and removal to eradicate this invasive.   

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Bats: This year the DNR continued to be involved in WNS planning efforts at a national level and took the lead on a multistate State Wildlife Grant with seven other states focusing on summer acoustic and roost surveys. The DNR has maintained close communication with partner states in USFWS Region 3 to ensure coordinated and collaborative ties to these neighboring states as state plans are developed. The DNR continued work this past winter with US Fish and Wildlife Service to study the mortality and return rates of banded bats at hibernacula. The DNR also collaborated with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in research efforts to help characterize climatic parameters within bat hibernacula, which has potential implications for the mitigation of WNS in bats.

State-wide acoustic bat surveys increased dramatically in 2012, resulting in the highest number on record of surveys completed (n=547) and volunteers (n=440). 38 acoustic driving transects will be incorporated this year in an effort to replicate work being done on a national level. Volunteers have also played a large role in summer roost surveys. Roost volunteers actively monitored over 50 sites last year, most of which reside on private property (~80%).

A smaller, more intensive approach was taken this year in Wisconsin while conducting underground surveillance for WNS and the fungus causing WNS. Over 70 sites were surveyed, all of which included the highest priority sites based on population, species present and distance to closest known suspect site. Department staff submitted more than 50 samples to the USGS diagnostic lab and for the third year in a row no sign of the fungus or WNS was found. In addition to the Departments’ sampling efforts to detect WNS or the fungus, an independent research group from University of Southern California - Santa Cruz was allowed to collect samples at 12 sites throughout the state. Results from their fall visit were negative, although their follow-up spring visit results are still pending.

Law Enforcement Trends Marijuana Grows & Meth Labs – Large scale organized marijuana grows in

addition to some Meth Labs continue to show up on primarily public lands across the state. Conservation wardens have played a pivotal role in working together with other local, state, and federal agencies to detect, apprehend those responsible and to eradicate these operations.

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) – The warden service is stepping up its AIS enforcement in an effort to slow the spread of these plant and animal species in the state. This has included close coordination with other Department staff, local AIS coordinators and other law enforcement agencies.

Internet Investigations – The growing use of computers to facilitate and share information about fish and wildlife violations is prompting our agency to train and equip additional wardens across the state to assist with these types of cases and investigations.

Snowmobile Fatalities – With improved snow conditions this past winter, the number of snowmobile related deaths increased significantly from recent past years. This season 20 people were killed primarily as a result of excessive speed, over use of alcohol, and poor ice conditions.

Radio Communications – Despite the fact that Wisconsin is moving towards radio interoperability, challenges continue to arise as many local agencies acquire unique radio systems that may not be compatible with warden radio systems. Having dependable radio communications across agencies is a high priority for our staff who work closely with these agencies on a regular basis.

Assistance to Other Law Enforcement Agencies – While wardens have always provided some assistance to local law enforcement agencies when appropriate, there have been increasing requests for assistance at the regional and statewide level. In the recent past, wardens have provided security at the state capitol during large protests, have assisted the state patrol during snowstorm events, have worked with the Secret Service providing dignitary protection, etc.

Port Security – Wardens along the Great Lakes are taking an increasingly active role working together with other County, State and Federal agencies to ensure security at the major ports in Wisconsin. This includes the identification and protection of critical resources, ensuring the integrity of on water security zones when necessary, serving as on water platform for the FBI’s Swat Team, etc.

Active Shooter Training – In response to the increasing number of “Active Shooter” events occurring across the country, the warden service has continued providing training to assist in these responses. In addition, many wardens are also training with local agencies in their respective areas to enhance any active shooter responses.

Use of Social Media – As a way to further connect with those who live and recreate in Wisconsin, the law enforcement program launched a couple of new social media initiatives this past year. During some of the major fish and game seasons, the law enforcement program’s public affairs manager did some “ride-alongs” with wardens on patrol during which time “tweets” about

what was happening were pushed out via Twitter. In addition, as significant enforcement, educational, or community involvement activities are occurring around the state, this information is being sent out to “Warden Wire” subscribers. These social media forums have proved very successful based on the feedback received.

Deer Farm Inspections – With several hundred deer farms in Wisconsin, wardens respond to any reports of escapes and then work with the owner and wildlife program to effectively address these situations on a case by case basis. In addition, “fence certificates” for these farms need to be renewed every 10 years requiring the local wardens to re-inspect to ensure compliance with the fencing standards before a new certificate can be issued. In Wisconsin the Department of Agriculture regulates the farm and the Department of Natural Resources regulates the fences.

Other Issues and Challenges

Great Lakes Areas of Concern

Consumption advisories for waterfowl are currently in effect within the Sheboygan River AOC. Waterfowl hunters are advised not to consume mallard ducks or scaup using these waters. These advisories are the result of bioaccumulation of PCBs by waterfowl. We are evaluating current advisories by monitoring waterfowl for contaminants at locations where consumption advisories already exist and determine if any existing waterfowl consumption advisories can be removed or whether any new advisories are necessary. Our results indicate that waterfowl from the Sheboygan River AOC are still contaminated with PCBs and the current consumption advisories will remain in effect. Waterfowl sampling will begin at the Fox River/Green Bay AOC as well as the Milwaukee Estuary AOC in 2013.

Law Enforcement Funding and Staffing

Functional Analysis – Over the last year, WI has continued to increase its scrutiny on the Department’s expenditures. It originally focused on Fish & Wildlife funding, but has now grown to all funding sources including boating, ATV, Environmental, and Snowmobile funds among others. This has prompted a number of behind the scenes accounting changes in order to provide the data to the level of detail desired by the public oversight. Increased Reliance on Federal Grants – As the downward trend continues on

the sale of hunting licenses, WI has continued to try to look to maximize our legitimate usage of the federal grants (PR and USCG). Of interest, we have discovered that our wardens really do many of the same tasks as wildlife biologists such as participating in wildlife surveys, developing new hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and registering deer, turkeys, and certain furbearers to name a few. We discovered that our Wildlife Management staff

has been legitimately coding these activities to the federal PR grant for years. We have inquired and found that we can tap the PR grant for these activities as well, as long as we follow the same criteria as the Wildlife Management staff. We are progressing with the necessary accounting changes and application process to make this a reality.

Staffing Issues – WI has begun our process to try to work out a hole of high vacancy rates, caused primarily by our workforce demographics. At the beginning of 2013, we had 30 vacant warden positions (out of 205). However, we had an excellent pool of candidates in our most recent hiring process, and we were able to bring on 18 new recruit wardens in March. We currently now sit at 12 vacancies, although we anticipate about 7 retirements by the time these 18 will be trained and ready to station. Despite additional efforts this year, diversity still remains an issue in hiring our permanent staff.