Buoyed by success in the mining moratorium bill struggle, leaders from the sporting and environmental communities put aside their differences to hold the first steering committee meeting of the  Wisconsin Stewardship Network. The Stewardship Network held the meeting at Goose Pond Sanctuary near Arlington Wisconsin on April 18th.

The 3 year old network has worked on a grassroots level to unite conservationists and environmentalists to address concerns with sulfide mining, changes within the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Public Intervenors office, and urban sprawl/landuse. The steering committee is comprised of 15 organizations that will remain independent of each other, but have made a strong commitment to work together on key common ground issues.
 
"The Crandon mine and frustration within the hunting and fishing community over changes within the DNR and the Public Intervenors Office has prompted people to act," said Jim Baldock of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and steering committee member.  Baldock has been involved with the Wisconsin Stewardship Network since 1995.  "We like to think that our visible coalition efforts to help pass the mining moratorium bill have helped attract different groups to this historic meeting as well."

The meeting was attended by leaders from Pheasants Forever, Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, River Alliance of Wisconsin, Twin City Rod and Gun Club, Madison Audubon Society, the Wisconsin Federation of Great Lakes Sports Fishing Clubs, Citizens for a Better Environment, Clean Water Action Council, Environmentally Concerned Citizens of the Lakeland Area, Northern Thunder,  Sierra Club - John Muir Chapter, and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.  Representatives from Musky Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin and Lake Superior Greens were not able to attend.

The group developed a priority list of common ground issues for 1998 -2000.  That list includes:

• restoring the independence of the DNR and the Public Intervenors Office,
• protecting shorelands,
• monitoring the rule-making process of the mining moratorium bill.

The Public Intervenor’s Office was created in 1967 to ensure that the new DNR did not become a captive of industry when two agencies, the Conservation Department and the Department of Resource Development, were combined to form the DNR.  The role of the Public Intervenor’s Office was to represent the public’s interest in natural resource protection, and the office was extremely effective in efforts to keep clean lakes and rivers, as well as to protect the right of access to those waters.

"Enforcement within the DNR has dropped by 40% since the politicizing of the Department in 1996," said Pam Porter of Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade.  "The Stewardship Network will work to ensure that the DNR enforces existing laws designed to stop polluters and protect natural resources."

In addition to its three priority issues, the Stewardship Network steering committee prioritized three long term issues also:

• urban sprawl and land use
• alternative funding for conservation programs, and
• pollution problems associated with factory farming.  The steering committee will meet twice a year and the working committees plan to meet more regularly  to continue their efforts.