IN RETROSPECT

Lou Cornicelli on five accomplishments of the DNR deer program he led the past 10 years:

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Collaborative decision-making process

We really took seriously the notion of incorporating social science into decision-making. That was done through random surveys of hunters and public input meetings.

Deer goal-setting

This was a public process where DNR staff were advisers, not decision- makers.

Nationally recognized wildlife health program

Our surveillance and disease response methods are modeled by other states.

Deer season/license simplification

We streamlined license types, deer harvest and hunting patterns to better manage deer.

Electronic registration

Using the internet and phone to register deer.

TO-DO LIST

Population size

In some places we have too few deer and in others, too many.

Permit areas in the farmland

We took a quantitative look at forest permit areas and consolidated those. The same should be considered for farmlands.

Southwestern deer

Our new deer research biologist will spend a significant portion of time on this issue.

Engage stakeholders

Deer are managed at a social as well as biological level. Integrating the competing interests will be a challenge for all natural resources agencies.