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.