Conservation News
May 20, 2013
Duck stamp revenue, grants aim at saving wildlife habitat
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday announced more than $25 million in federal grants and Federal Duck Stamp revenue "to protect, restore or enhance thousands of acres of wildlife habitat in the United States and Mexico for the benefit of shared migratory bird populations." The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission voted to approve the use of Migratory Bird Conservation Fund money and North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants to acquire and enhance habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wetland-dependent species.
May 20, 2013
Ice Age Trail corridors proposed for Langlade and Marathon counties
The public has an opportunity to review and comment on proposed corridors for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail through Marathon and Langlade counties in north central Wisconsin. Draft corridor plans and environmental assessments for the Ice Age Trail delineates a 2- to 6-mile-wide “preferred alternative” corridor in Langlade County and 3- to 5-mile-wide “preferred alternative” corridor in Marathon County within which the trail may be built. The Langlade County portion of the completed trail could total 74 miles and the Marathon County portion of the completed trail could total 50 miles. Currently, about 54 miles of the Ice Age Trail has been built within Langlade County and about 16.5 miles of the trail has been built within Marathon County.
May 20, 2013
Our view: Land conservation worthy effort
Wisconsin has a long and rich history of conserving natural resources. Public access and enjoyment of those resources is one of our state’s major attractions for both residents and visitors. So we urge Republican leadership to proceed cautiously with their plans to scale back state land acquisition and to begin selling off some of our most precious assets.
May 16, 2013
Legislature’s budget panel slashes state land stewardship program
Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee approved a plan Wednesday that would dramatically scale back the state Department of Natural Resources' land stewardship program, arguing the program's debt has ballooned and the state has enough land.
May 16, 2013
State stewardship funds trimmed
The Legislature's budget committee made major cuts and changes to Wisconsin's land conservation program Wednesday after Republicans on the panel expressed worries about its long-term cost. The Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 on a party-line vote to cut bonding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program by a total of $18 million over the next two fiscal years.
