Kewaunee County became the latest county this week to oppose changes to the state’s Wildlife Damage Abatement and Claims Program.

The bipartisan Senate Bill 63 and Assembly Bill call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and not the individual county Land Conservation Committees to administer the program. Currently, landowners with crops damaged by wildlife have to appeal to the Land Conservation Committee to be reimbursed. The bill would force landowners to take their case to Madison. The resolution passed the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Committee unanimously earlier this month before doing the same in front of the Kewaunee County Board on Tuesday.

Land and Water Conservation Committee Chairperson Chuck Wagner feels the program should stay in the county’s hands.

In 2018, two claims of damage from deer and turkeys accounted for over $9,000 in damage. During Tuesday’s meeting, the Kewaunee County Board also approved resolutions authorizing applications for grants covering projects at the Ahnapee Trail and the Riverview ATV Park.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay