DNR Spring Hearing

media release: The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invite the public to attend an open house the week of April 3-6 to learn about resource management in their area.

Location details for each county open house are available on the WCC/DNR Open Houses webpage.

The Dane County meeting is April 6 at McFarland High School PAC, 5103 Farwell St, Mc Farland, WI 53558.

• 6 p.m. | Doors open for meet and greet (public wishing to participate in election can get ballots at this time)
• 7 p.m. | WCC elections [PDF] (must be a county resident to participate in this portion of the evening events) A panel discussion with DNR staff and WCC delegates will immediately follow the elections. Each DNR program will provide a brief update on issues/items pertinent to the county. WCC delegates will provide an overview of their work on the WCC and what the organization is all about. There will be an opportunity for Q&A following the panel discussion.
• 9 p.m. | Conclude

DNR staff and WCC delegates will be on hand at these open houses to discuss local issues of importance, answer questions from the public, and open a dialogue between the public, the DNR and the WCC about areas of interest and concern.  

The WCC will also hold their delegates' elections at each open house. Two of the five WCC seats will be up for election in each county.

The open houses precede the annual WCC/DNR Spring Hearings. In addition to the opportunity to engage with DNR staff and WCC delegates at these open houses, the public is also invited to participate in the annual spring hearings the following week that focus on natural resource-related advisory questions and proposed rule changes.

The Spring Hearings will again be held in a virtual format, as has been done since 2020. This year’s online questionnaire will be open for input from April 10 at noon through April 13 at noon via the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearing webpage.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress is the only statutory body in the state where the public elects delegates to advise the Natural Resources Board and the DNR on responsibly managing Wisconsin's natural resources for present and future generations. The Congress accomplishes this through open, impartial, broad-ranged actions. Learn more about the WCC and how to become involved in resource management decisions on the webpage.