Throughout the past year, we have been collaborating with Wisconsin wildlife advocates to challenge the anti-democratic stance and measures of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress leadership and Advisory Committees. We have been encouraging the public’s participation in Spring Hearings and Advisory Committee meetings, uplifting wildlife advocates’ voices within the WCC resolution process, encouraging wildlife advocates to become delegates, and publicly challenging the WCC’s lack of inclusivity, its bias against wildlife advocates and science, and its efforts to resist any changes that would increase transparency, democracy, and accountability within it. Although there is much work left to be done to reform the WCC, we are seeing the beginnings of change due to public and internal pressure.
First, following the delegate elections last April, it is encouraging to see that there will be a new voice or two on many WCC committees that have been incredibly harmful to wild animals (e.g., ‘Fur Harvest’, Bear, Wolf, Legislative). We are looking forward to supporting those new delegates in reforming those Committees and the WCC for the benefit of wild animals and the broad public.
Additionally, some WCC County Delegates are increasingly attempting to hold the WCC accountable. In mid-May, the WCC held their annual convention for all County Delegates in Oshkosh. Unsurprisingly, during that meeting, the majority of delegates wanted the body’s process to revert to in-person resolutions and voting with paper ballots, in another desperate attempt to silence the voices of the broad public who wish the WCC would represent all citizens. However, public pressure is becoming internal: at the convention, a vocal minority of County Delegates were attempting to hold leadership to proper process and procedure, and stopped a motion pushed by both the ‘Fur Harvest’ Committee Chair (Ed Harvey) and WCC Chair (Rob Bohmann) to eliminate the ‘3/2 rule’ (allowing a resolution to be included in the spring statewide survey if it passed in the same three counties for two consecutive years) relied on by wildlife advocates to bypass biased wildlife committees. Similarly, at the recent District Leadership Council meeting, some delegates called out the WCC Chair and how recent changes he pushed for (such as the ‘3/2 rule’ change) were in violation of the WCC’s Code of Procedure. Some delegates also submitted a letter outlining multiple concerns with the WCC process (following the concerns in the linked articles above).
These are all meaningful signs that reform is knocking at the WCC’s door, and it is because the public is increasingly paying attention and becoming involved. To continue to catalyze reform, we will continue to support wildlife advocates in encouraging such participation and holding the WCC accountable. On that note, we want to acknowledge the tireless, relentless, and inspiring work and leadership of many Wisconsin wildlife advocates that have been leading the challenges against the WCC for years.
Stay tuned for more updates this Fall, as the citizen resolution process resumes through WCC Advisory Committee meetings. Until then, please share this information with other Wisconsin wildlife advocates.