DNR Disease

From Ross Reinhold, editor of Wisconsin CWD Watch (www.caids-wi.org)
CAIDS is a pro deer hunting web site - they even support trophy hunting which is the sickest manifestation of the hunting practice. But even they see the stupidity of the DNR's "kill zone" mentality. Even they are horrified by the massive waste of money(millions set aside for CWD over the regular DNR allotment including bounty payments) for the boy's killing fun while old people are losing their homes to huge tax bills. The DNR and the killers are making big bucks off a phony issue while most taxpayers don't even know the details. The CAIDS web site demonstrates that there are members of the hunter's crowd who are intelligent in an unfeeling way. Here are some interesting items from their interesting web site.

*Chronic Panic Disorder (CPD) is a cognitive disease known to spontaneously occur among Natural Resources bureaucrats. The disease is progressive in that it leads to implementing increasingly irrational programs and chronically wasting taxpayer dollars.

To date the disease is confined to the State of Wisconsin but because of its unknown rate of infectivity, unknown cause, and unknown means of transmission, "experts" are cautioning against direct contact with Wisconsin DNR officials.

Many experts believe there is no known cure for CPD and therefore urge that "removal of the infected individuals" from the Department is the only way to prevent its collapse.

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From Aldo Leopold, December 5th, 1944

". . . This episode shows that a scientific bureau, confronted with a question of wildlife eradication, may prefer to lose the wildlife than to lose time in scientific research for alternatives. In one sense this is water over the dam, but in another it carries a lesson for the future. At best, the scientific base in this case was sketchy, and no imagination had been used in searching for less destructive alternatives."
"It is time for us to learn caution and restraint in our power to eradicate wild things."

Other items of interest on the CAIDS website

October 10 Fire in the Sistine Chapel: How Wisconsin Responded to Chronic Wasting Disease. Full text of article by Prof Thomas Heberlein appearing in "Human Dimensions of Wildlife" a peer-reviewed journal. (PDF file)
ABSTRACT: The discovery of CWD in the Wisconsin deer herd in February 2002 was treated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as if it was a fire. Rapid action led to abandoning stakeholder concerns while human dimensions expertise and research was largely ignored and opportunities to learn from innovations were missed. After two years, neither the biological nor the social goals of the program have been achieved. Hunters killed fewer rather than more deer, deer densities in the eradication zone remained high, and efforts to end recreational feeding failed. Deer hunting license sales dropped by over 90,000. Revenues to the agency declined and other programs suffered as money was reallocated to fight CWD. Hunters were hardest hit, losing about 60 million in recreational benefits or a 20% decline in the annual surplus value of deer hunting in the state. This article examines the Wisconsin response to CWD to help better understand why the human and biological goals were not met.
Sept 1 Overreaction to CWD? UW emeritus professor of Sociology reviews impact of DNR management of CWD issue.
April 29 Wisconsin DNR Board expands Deer Eradication Zone but turns deaf ear to claims from hunting groups that the program needs massive overhaul.
Statement by Anthony Grabski