The need to compromise was the sentiment echoed by numerous outdoorsmen, and women, during a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5, regarding the proposals of Alternative E of the Upper Mississippi Refuge draft comprehensive conservation plan.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service held an open house for nearly an hour in the La Crescent High School cafeteria, followed by a public open forum in the auditorium, which lasted another two and a half hours. F&W officials estimated about 130 people attended.
With the leadership of a facilitator, F&WS officials fielded comments and questions from the public. The panel included Don Hultman, refuge complex manager for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge (NW&FR); James Nissen, La Crosse district manager of the Upper Mississippi River NW&FR, headquartered at the office in Onalaska; and Eric Nelson, refuge biologist and member of the planning team for the CCP (comprehensive conservation plan).
In opening statements at the forum, Hultman explained that Alternative E was prepared in response to public comments during a series of public meetings last summer on the draft (CCP) and environmental impact statement (EIS).
The plan is being crafted to guide refuge management of the 240,000 acres encompassed by the refuge which stretches for 261 miles along the Mississippi River in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, for the next 15 years, as mandated from Congress.
"We had 41 requests — nine were most controversial. We used this input to make many changes. We did a new Alternative E to replace Alternative D," Hultman stated.
This new preferred plan was released on Dec. 5 for a 60-day comment period. Nine public open houses and forums were scheduled. At the first meeting, it was decided to extend the comment period another 30 days until March 6.
Plan includes major changes
Major changes in Alternative E compared to Alternative D include:
o dropping three of six proposed no hunting zones around public use facilities;
o changes to boundaries in several proposed waterfowl hunting closed areas;
o dropping the "no fishing, no motors" provision for closed areas in favor of voluntary avoidance for large areas and no motors and voluntary avoidance for small areas, with restrictions taking effect Oct. 15 versus Oct. 1 each year to extend fall fishing;
o dropping the 25 shot shell daily limit and 100 yard spacing regulations;
o dropping the fee managed hunt proposal for the Gibbs Lake area of Lake Onalaska in Pool 7 in favor of devising a plan with water fowlers;
o reducing the number of electric motor areas from 17 to six, but adding eight slow, no wake areas where from March 16 to Oct. 31 each year watercraft must go slow and no airboats or hovercraft are permitted;
o dropping the restrictions on areas open to camping and proposed alcohol and human waste regulations, but adding a new regulation prohibiting glass containers; and
o dropping the proposal for a launch fee at refuge-administered boat ramps.
Public comments
Numerous individuals were concerned about restricted use of airboats and jet skis due to their speed, noise, and also the wakes produced on the water.
James Oldenburg of La Crosse is an avid kayaker and concerned about safety in the water. "It’s a real problem when people can’t see you sitting on the bottom of the kayak."
"We are restricting the means of navigation. It’s still open to navigation," Hultman stated. "No one envisioned the technology we have today. Look at what it was in 1924 and what we have now."
"Reducing disturbances will benefit wildlife in the backwaters," Nissen pointed out. "Their nest is destroyed when you throw a wake over them. Birds leave when the first air boat fires up."
"I see nothing for senior citizens or handicapped people," Terry Niebeling of La Crescent stated. "All the slow, no wake areas are too hard to navigate. I take senior citizens fishing in my airboat. These people are getting too old or unable to go and enjoy the river without the help of others." He stood and showed the handicapped permit he has.
"We take disabled access seriously," Hultman replied. "We can look at a special permit for you who work with these people."
Ray Heidel of Onalaska expressed concern that proposed new trails and observation towers, decks and overlooks would involve more filling in and intrusion of wetlands.
"They will be low maintenance trails," Nelson responded, adding, "No filling in would be needed."
Along with this issue, Clarence Ferrier of La Crosse commented, "You’re building observation towers and say people can’t hunt there?" To which Hultman responded, "We have no intention/plan to close areas. Some are near areas where hunting isn’t allowed anyway."
"You’re closing all the walkout areas for the handicapped," stated Mike Adams of La Crescent, "and what about the younger people who can go out without adult supervision?"
Jim Rohrer of Brownsville stated, "I’m handicapped. Do I have to give up everything? How am I supposed to get back to my trailer? I can’t."
Bruce Brown of Houston urged, "Maintain what’s going on between Highway 26 and Wisconsin," and added, "Looks like you’re gaining more ground toward Hokah."
"Our acquisition ground is all the way up to Hokah," Nissen responded, adding, "The Root River produces 50,000 to 60,000 cubic yards of sediment per year. There are things we can do there. One option is, should we use the old channel?"
Staffing concerns
Another point of concern was the CCPs proposal to acquire additional staff. By year 2015, they want to increase from the current 37 to 60.5 FTEs.
Hultman defended the need saying, "This is based on a minimum staffing volume. We have no forester. We have no fishery biologist. We have no biologist at the La Crosse District. We have no maintenance people for 90,000 acres at McGregor."
Summing it up
"We want to do this for future generations," Bob Hurd of Coon Valley stated about the refuge plan. "We have to protect the resource and be careful how you do it. We have to make sacrifice for something for our kids and grandkids to use."
"There’s room for compromise on a lot of these items," stated a man from Stoddard, Wis. "Maybe compromise can become reality."
"The resource should be managed for all," Hultman said. "I hope what we’re doing here has some value and reason."
"The final [CCP and EIS] will come out in early summer, if we’re lucky, and then a 30-day waiting period," Hultman reported.
Copies of the executive summary and full supplement, along with the full draft CCP and EIS, can be viewed on the Internet at the service’s Planning Web site: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/uppermiss/.
The documents can also be viewed at 52 public libraries in communities near the refuge or at refuge district offices in Savanna, Ill., McGregor, La Crosse and Winona. For assistance, persons can call the refuge at (507) 452-4232, or leave a message at the toll-free number (888) 291-5719.
