Outdoor Roundup: Meeting in Spooner tonight to discuss CWD

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Folks in northwest Wisconsin can get their questions about chronic wasting disease answered tonight at a meeting in Spooner. That’s close to where a female deer was discovered to have the fatal brain disease last fall. It was the first time that a deer in the wild was found to have C-W-D in northern Wisconsin. The doe was discovered on private land near Shell Lake in Washburn County. A panel of conservation and legal experts will discuss the matter and answer questions at tonight’s meeting, which begins at seven at the Spooner High School auditorium.

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The National Resources Defense Council says the time is now for Wisconsin to fight global warming. The group says the Badger State is one of just nine that has developed comprehensive plans to cut the pollution that’s blamed for climate change. But Ben Chou of the Defense Council says four states – including Wisconsin – have not acted on their plans. He blames the recession and changes in political structure. A coalition headed by the state D-N-R and U-W Madison issued a report 14 months ago that proposed what it called “flexible strategies” which seek to protect eco-systems. They include the monitoring of blue-green algae on inland beaches, identifying priorities for restoring wetlands, reducing run-off into lakes and rivers, encouraging industries to conserve water.

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After a year-and-a-half, Wisconsin is not up-to-speed yet in enforcing the strict limits on phosphorus designed to reduce algae in lakes and other waterways. Gannett's 10 Wisconsin daily newspapers found that only 19 discharge permits have been issued under the new requirements, since they took effect in the fall of 2010. Factories, wastewater plants, and other businesses were told to restrict their phosphorus emissions. And to help enforce the law, they must re-apply for their discharge permits every five years. While only 19 permits have been approved, Gannett says over 201 municipal wastewater plants and 155 industrial facilities have permit applications pending -- and hundreds more will apply in the near future. The D-N-R says it's working as fast as it can. They were held up when Republican Governor Scott Walker delayed enforcement of the law for two years, but later withdrew the order. That forced the D-N-R to scramble to get the process going. The federal E-P-A requires states to have lists of waterways that don't meet water quality standards -- and then report on how they'll improve. The D-N-R's Amanda Minks says Wisconsin is the first state to have phosphorus for all types of waterways.

Tags: news, wisconsin, outdoors