Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Cranes and Doves
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."-Margaret Mead
Welcome to the Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Cranes and Doves (WCCCD) Page. WCCCD was formed to give a voice to those citizens of Wisconsin and beyond, who object to the idea of hunting Sandhill Cranes and Mourning Doves. If you would like to help keep Wisconsin a safe haven for Mourning Doves, now is the time, for the battle is on! Our numbers make us strong and your contribution to our cause is greatly appreciated!
The proposal to hunt Mourning Doves and Sandhill Cranes was called to my attention by Pat Fisher of New London, Wisconsin. She is a wildlife expert and a good friend of mine. Together we share a love and knowledge of the Greater Sandhill Crane, a species nearly hunted out of existence in Wisconsin by the middle 1930s (about 20-years after the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon). Since then, the crane population has been protected, and has responded by expanding to a point where all usable breeding habitats in Wisconsin are being used. Would be crane hunters have regarded this population with jealous eyes.
In April of 1999, questions were raised to the Conservation Congress at hearings held by the DNR. These questions pertained to legalizing the hunting of Sandhill Cranes and Mourning Doves in Wisconsin. Statements were issued supporting both proposals. We found these statements lacked objectivity, as they were obviously biased and factually incorrect. We organized a rebuttal and presented the correct facts to the DNR. Sadly, the DNR and special interest groups were not interested in the truth. They could not see past their own agendas. They moved ahead with their proposals.
In response, Ms. Fisher and I decided to form the WCCCD. Our first order of business was to circulate a petition statewide, opposing the hunting proposals. The response was strong. Today the WCCCD has over 800 members and has collected better than 28,000 signatures from citizens opposed to legalizing the hunting of Mourning Doves and Sandhill Cranes.
When the proposal to hunt Mourning Doves was to be advanced to the DNR at the 2000 Spring Hearings, we began an effort to inform people of their right to appear at these Hearings and vote. We sent out 1,200 postcards, wrote letters to the editor of every newspaper in Wisconsin, and took out ads in about 12 of the major newspapers in the state. Our efforts resulted in over 6,000 people turning out to vote against the proposed Mourning Dove Hunt.
Normally this many people voting against a proposal would have resulted in defeat. Not so in this case. Citing a threat to all hunting rights if this proposal was defeated (a logic I still don’t understand), 21,000 hunting proponents from within and without the state appeared to pass the proposal. Many voting irregularities were noted: Thousands were turned away from school buildings jammed beyond capacity—their votes never heard. Votes were tallied with a “show of hands”, a ludicrous measure in lieu of the crowds. Many residents noted Illinois license plates in the parking lots and lining the streets. Since when do Illinois residents vote policy in Wisconsin? Speakers could not be heard over the din of the pro hunt crowd. In all, this ad hoc referendum was a farce.
Since then, both Fisher and myself have appeared at the 2000 May meeting of the DNR Board, the 2000 June Senate and the Assembly Hearings—all three concerned the Dove Hunting Proposal. When appearing, we pointed out public opposition to the proposal and questioned the DNR's authority to make this ruling. We kept a high profile and informed our members of events. We asked members and their allies to mobilize their efforts by gathering signatures against the proposed Dove Hunt, and to appear at the 2000 June hearings. The result: opposition to the proposed Mourning Dove Hunt outnumbered support for the hunt by nearly four to one! In 2001 March we rallied our supporters to the Senate hearings in Madison. Again, opposition to the Mourning Dove hunt outnumbered support by a ratio of three to one! In both instances, greater public opinion was ignored. The Conservation Congress, with the DNR, is going ahead with the Mourning Dove hunting proposal. Evidently, the agenda of a minority special interest group carries more weight than the will of the tax paying population of the state.
We are at the present time raising a Legal Fund to challenge this proposal in Court. We have retained attorneys and plan to file a lawsuit. In order pay attorney fees and other expenses we have established The WCCCD Legal Fund.
We are asking any concerned party to contribute. 100% of contributions to The WCCCD Legal Fund will go to cover expenses and fees. All of the money, all of the time, goes directly to the cause. Will you help?
This is not a lost cause! Statutes actually support our position. In an attempt to do an end-run around the statutes that currently protect the Mourning Dove in Wisconsin, the Conservation Congress along with the DNR, is boldly trying to railroad this proposal into law. Government was not intended to work this way!
Our legal strategy is strong and well considered.
But litigation takes money. If each of our 800 members contributed
$10.00 today, we would be well on our way!
Presently, our legal fund is substantial. The legal retainer is paid.
But if we do win the day, you can bet there will be an appeal…
We need your help!
Our Opposition To Hunting Mourning Doves Is Based On Sound Biological Reasoning.
The DNR claims that the number of Mourning Doves removed through hunting is statistically insignificant to the overall population of the species. But their logic is faulty. According to the Department, this species population has recently dropped by over 20% nationally and by over 50% in this state. The USF&W Service maintains that this drop in population is not due to hunting because populations in non-hunting states are dropping the same as in hunting states. They somehow fail to remember that Doves are a migrating species, and populations from non-hunting states pass through hunting states in the hunting season. For the most part, the majority of the migrating population will be gone from the state by the Sept. 1 opening day of the proposed season. At any rate, if the population is declining, why the urgency to hasten the trend with a hunting season?
Do I think "Wisconsin's official Symbol of Peace" will be obliterated? No. But I do think that until more is known about the population that winters over here, there is the potential to do great harm to the total population by allowing a hunting season in which this over-wintering population would suffer the brunt of the loss. Their “science” is sloppy at best.
I have read through Ecology and Management of the Mourning Dove. I understand habitat and recruitment. The Department states that Doves are precocious and frequent breeders, and have even quoted a national nesting frequency of 3-5 times per breeding season. They fail to state that most nesting attempts end in failure and that the actual frequency of nesting in Wisconsin is 2 or 3 attempts. They fail to state that actual recruitment of the species in Wisconsin is less than 3 fledglings per breeding pair, per season. Their conclusions are wrong because their premise is faulty. With that, a thinking person has to question wildlife practices in this state.
I feel government is being awfully cavalier to press policy founded on faulty statistics and incomplete research. In the interim, about the only way to insure the Mourning Dove population is to refrain from hunting them. To do otherwise is to attack the core population of the species in our state. Wildlife biologists and hunters alike need to fess up to this.
We Object For Social Reasons As Well.
A simple rule should be observed: a songbird species that frequents our bird feeders on a regular basis should not be designated “game”.
We Object For Political Reasons Too.
The fact is, state statutes protect the Mourning Dove. The bird was designated as the state’s official “Symbol Of Peace” by a valid, ruling government. Who are we to reverse that decision, and for what purpose, to give hunters something new to shoot at?
What we are asking for is due process. If Wisconsin is to condone the practice of hunting Mourning Doves, then every resident should have a voice in this decision. It clearly should not be a "wildlife management” issue, decided by special interest and narrow agendas. The outcome of this case will set a precedent for generations to come. Lets speak to the future today on behalf of the Mourning Dove.
Your kind contributions can be sent to the address below.
Thank you.
New London, WI 54961