Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager Highlights Why it matters: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was created to help species at risk of extinction and whose future is uncertain in the United States. Species on the list are provided with protections and funding for conservation efforts to ensure their recovery. Since its inception, 34…
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager During Wisconsin’s relatively short legislative session this year, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) staff worked to stay in close communication with members of the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and in-state partners to monitor legislation in an effective and efficient manner. When the session ended, there were several CSF-supported bills that…
By Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager On December 5, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined Ducks Unlimited for a breakfast briefing at the Wisconsin Capitol, in Madison. The event brought together state legislators, legislative staff, and local conservation organizations. CSF Upper Midwestern States Manager Nick Buggia, gave a presentation on the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), explaining that…
By Zachary Sheldon, Upper Midwestern States Coordinator On May 2, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Scott Walker announced a three-step plan to combat the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state. CWD is a progressive, fatal, degenerative neurological disease that occurs in farmed and free-ranging members of the family Cervidae, which includes deer,…
On November 21, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member Congressman Ron Kind (WI) and Congressman Jamie Sensenbrenner (WI) introduced the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Act (H.R. 4454). This bipartisan piece of legislation will help support state and tribal efforts to develop and implement strategies to address Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer, elk, and moose. Likewise,…
On November 7, the Wisconsin Senate approved Assembly Bill (AB) 455 by a vote of 21 – 12, and now awaits the signature of Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Scott Walker. Sponsored by Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Terry Moulton and Representative Joel Kleefisch, the bill removes restrictions on Wisconsin’s popular mentored hunting program. The…
The Wisconsin Legislature is currently considering two companion bills, Assembly Bill (AB) 455 and Senate Bill (SB) 362, which would remove restrictions on Wisconsin’s popular mentored hunting program. AB 455 is co-sponsored by Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Joel Kleefisch. SB 362 was introduced by Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Terry Moulton. Both…
On August 15, the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted their inaugural “Learn-to-Fish” Day at Okauchee Lake in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The Caucus partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, numerous sportsmen’s groups, and community organizations to introduce attendees to fishing. Volunteers from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Ducks Unlimited, the Sportsmen’s Caucus, local fishing clubs, and…
On March 8, the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted an informational briefing for legislators on priority issues for sportsmen and women in the state. In addition to welcoming legislators and providing an overview of the policy priorities, Caucus leadership introduced key leaders of Wisconsin’s conservation community to address the audience. Representatives from Trout Unlimited, the…
On October 20, members of the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus gathered with Wisconsin’s sportsmen’s community for a day of fishing and shooting at the Caucus’s 2nd annual Cast and Blast event, hosted at the Milford Hills Hunt Club in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Mark Miller, Senator Terry Moulton, Representative Joel Kleefisch, and…
Bills in both the Wisconsin house and senate that would give sportsmen an exemption to laws prohibiting the crossing of railroad tracks by pedestrians, failed to pass during the 2016 legislative session. Under current Wisconsin law, no person may enter or remain on railroad tracks and tracks cannot be crossed unless at a designated crossing….
Wisconsin was one of the most recent states to form a legislative sportsmen’s caucus, joining the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) as the 45th member state in January 2015. Working in close coordination with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus has quickly gained a membership base of 50 legislators (nearly…