The International Crane Foundation — the Baraboo-based nonprofit that advocates for crane conservation — proudly launched its first license plate on Oct. 9. The license plate displays four whooping and sandhill cranes in swampy environs. Along its bottom border, the organization’s web page, savingcranes.org, is listed.
How did a nonprofit advocating for cranes get such a license plate through at the same time the state Legislature is weighing new ways — including a hunt — to tackle the state’s booming sandhill crane population?
Prior to 2016, it would have been a tougher sell. At that time, so-called “special group” license plates — like the one issued by the Crane Foundation, which raises $25 per order or plate renewal — needed to be proposed as a bill, approved by the state Legislature and signed by the governor. But some lawmakers worked to change what they saw as an unduly burdensome process and in March 2016 passed Wisconsin Act 227, which transferred the license plate approval process to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles.
Ryan Michalesko, a communications and advocacy specialist with the International Crane Foundation, says “removing the requirement for legislative approval really opened this up to a lot of folks.”
To propose a license plate, applicants must collect 500 signatures and pay the DMV a “development fee” of $15,500 (the fee is refunded if an application is denied). The application is subject to public review for 30 days. If no objection is raised, the application is approved and the group can begin the plate development process with the DOT. That process takes up to one year. Once a specialty plate is available to the public, a minimum of 500 must be on the road within the first year for the DOT to continue offering it.
The International Crane Foundation worked with Jay Jocham, an artist who is a member of the organization, to design the plate. Once Jocham completed the design, he and the International Crane Foundation worked with the DOT to make sure the plate’s artwork wouldn’t be covered up by characters on the license plate.
Michalesko says the ICF does not have order numbers for the $25 license plate yet, but will likely get a total by the end of the fiscal quarter. He says he has “no complaints” about the process of working with the DOT.
“This is such a great opportunity for organizations to not only find a means of financial support, but really to raise awareness. At some point, eventually, we’ll have 500 license plates minimum on the road that are helping spread awareness about cranes and the landscapes upon which they rely.”
