Dear Wisconsin tournament angler:
We need your help! The time has come for you to take immediate action to defend your rights as a tournament angler in Wisconsin. As you probably know, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board is considering proposed changes to Administrative Code NR 20.40 that will outright ban live-release fishing tournaments between July 1 and Aug. 31 and effectively prohibit organizations like FLW Outdoors and The Bass Federation from hosting events in the state due to excessive permitting requirements and excessive fees. As a tournament angler you have been singled out to pay additional fees that recreational anglers will be exempt from paying.
If adopted, the proposed changes to Administrative Code NR 20.40 will have serious economic implications for small businesses throughout the state. In fact, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ own study in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the University of Wisconsin – Madison and the Chippewa Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau shows that a single tournament can contribute $2.1 million to small businesses. In its proposal to the board, however, the DNR states that the proposed changes will have no effect on small businesses. This simply is not true.
It’s time for small business owners and tournament anglers throughout Wisconsin to stand united against the proposed changes to Administrative Code NR 20.40. Please get together with your fishing friends and attend as many of the following public hearings as possible to let your voices be heard:
• October 30, Fond du Lac – 7 p.m., Holiday Inn, 624 W. Rolling Meadows Drive (US 151 & 41).
• November 1, La Crosse – 7 p.m., Strzelczyk Great Hall, Cleary Center, UW-La Crosse, 615 East Avenue South.
• November 2, Fitchburg – 7 p.m., Fitchburg Community Center, 5510 Lacy Road.
• November 8, Green Bay – 7 p.m., Auditorium, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Center, 1660 East Shore Dr.
• November 9, Sturtevant – 7 p.m., Suite IV, DNR Service Center, 9531 Rayne Road.
• November 14, Spooner – 7 p.m., Spooner Agricultural Research Station, W6646 Highway 70.
• November 15, Rhinelander – 7 p.m., Theater, Nicolet Technical College, County Highway G.
Unless we show up in force at these hearings, the proposed changes will be implemented and tournament anglers and small business owners throughout Wisconsin will pay the price.
In addition to attending the hearings, please e-mail Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Chairman Gerald O’Brien at [email protected] and Wisconsin DNR Treaty Fisheries Coordinator Patrick J. Schmalz at [email protected] to express your concerns. Tell them your opinion, ask how the proposed changes will benefit Wisconsin fisheries, anglers and small businesses, and offer alternative solutions to whatever perceived problem they hope to address. The simple truth is that there is no biological or economic justification for the proposed changes.
To review the proposed changes in their entirety, visit www.wisconsinbass.com/DNR_tourn_changes.pdf (Note: To view the proposal you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download a free version of that software, click here). A copy of a letter from FLW Outdoors sent to Chairman O’Brien to express our concern is enclosed for reference (click here to read it).
Your rights are in jeopardy. Please act today.
Sincerely,
Charlie Evans
President and CEO, FLW Outdoors