Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Madison: Committee considers draft legislation to hunt Sandhill Cranes.
The Sandhill crane population has been growing in Wisconsin and a committee of lawmakers, conservationists and farmers are trying to decide how to manage them. That sounds like a complicated job. It’s being made more difficult as accusations of bias surround the legislative committee tasked with the job. The committee is meeting to discuss draft legislation on five bills. The proposals would direct the Department of Natural Resources to hold a sandhill crane hunt pending federal approval, allow hunters to obtain permits to kill problem birds and create a framework for reimbursements or rebates to corn growers who incur costs from seed treatments to prevent crop damage. WPR quotes a Journal Sentinel article saying the committee is also discussing a pair of documents portrayed as “findings of fact” and “conclusions” on the migratory birds that were written by an advocate for hunting cranes. The author’s identity was not made clear to the committee. The Sandhill Crane was early hunted to extinction in the late 1800s, the eastern population of sandhill cranes, which includes Wisconsin, has rebounded to over 110,000 birds in the most recent count. Full Story
Bagley: Bull Elk sighted in Southern Wisconsin during breeding season.
Sometimes you have to travel a long way to find love. That doesn’t just go for humans. Two bull elk have moved south this fall from their home range in Jackson County. The bulls are looking for female elk, or cows, during the species’ breeding season. The bulls’ travels have been captured on trail cams in Iowa and Grant counties according to the Department of Natural Resources. Christina Kizewski, DNR central elk zone biologist, told the Journal Sentinel that one of the bulls, a bigger more mature animal, has been hanging out near Wyalusing State Park near Bagley and a smaller “rag horn” has been spending its time in Iowa County near Mineral Point. Elk, a larger member of the deer family, have different mating behaviors than Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer.. The bulls compete for dominance and the winners form groups of cows called “harems.” The groups can number in the dozens. Elk were native to Wisconsin but were wiped out by unregulated hunting and habitat loss by the late 1800s. Following approval by the Legislature and Gov. Tommy Thompson, elk were brought back to the Badger State beginning in 1995. Full Story
Oshkosh: Menominee Zoo welcomes Alaskan Black Bear.
Mr. Reeves, a young black bear from Alaska, has moved into the new Black Bear and Fox exhibit at the zoo. The move comes as part of the master plan to have the Menominee Park Zoo reflect the native habitat of the North Highlands Forest, according to a news release from the city of Oshkosh. Described as a “playful, pudgy, and mischievous 107-pound black bear who will soon turn one year old,” Mr. Reeves was relocated to the zoo after he lost fear of humans in Alaska and started to associate people as suppliers of food. In anticipation of the popularity of Mr. Reeves, Menominee Park Zoo has extended its open season to Dec. 30. Full Story
