NRB_Content Page_April 2026 agenda and meeting materials

April 2026 Agenda and Meeting Materials

Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

April 2026 Natural Resources Board agenda. This is the official agenda.

WISCONSIN NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD

MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Location:
Room G09, State Natural Resources Building (GEF2)
101 South Webster Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703

The meeting can be streamed live on YouTube: April 15, 2026 NRB Meeting Broadcast

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting will convene at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The Board will act on items 1-4 and 7 as listed on the agenda.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that public testimony will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for this meeting. The deadline to request to testify and/or submit written comments for board consideration is 11 a.m. on April 8, 2026.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that matters concerning natural resource issues or the Department’s program responsibilities or operations specified in the Wisconsin Statutes which arise after publication of this agenda may be added to the agenda and publicly noticed no less than two hours before the scheduled board meeting if the Board Chair determines that the matter is urgent.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

  1. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
    1. Calling the roll
    2. Secretary’s Remarks
    3. Approval of agenda for April 15, 2026
  2. CONSENT
    1. Approval of brief of action from Feb. 25, 2026
    2. Acknowledgement of Donation – The Friends of Crex Meadows donated $25,000 to the Bureau of Wildlife Management. This donation will be used to pay for LTE hours working on Glacial Lake Grantsburg Work Unit
      (Karen Hyun, Ph.D., Secretary)
    3. Acknowledgement of Donation – The Paul E. Stry Foundation donated $15,000 to the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation. This donation will be used for restoration and management activities such as native seeding and invasive species control at State Natural Areas located within the Driftless Area counties of Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Trempealeau and Vernon
      (Karen Hyun, Ph.D., Secretary)
    4. Acknowledgement of Donation – The Newport Wilderness Society donated a Ski-Doo Skandic snowmobile valued at $15,840. This donation will be used to groom the winter trail system at Newport State Park
      (Karen Hyun, Ph.D., Secretary)
    5. Request that the Board authorize a preliminary public hearing and comment period for the Statement of Scope for Board Order FH-20-25 for proposed rules affecting s. NR 20.35 to allow for alternate size and bag limits for walleye under specific conditions for the rehabilitation of walleye fisheries
      (Kari Lee-Zimmermann, Fisheries Regulations & Policy Specialist)
  3. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION CONCERNING ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA

  4. ACTION ITEMS
    ADOPTION (Citizen Testimony and Written Comment Welcome)

    1. Request that the board adopt Emergency Board Order WM-16-25 (E), proposed rules affecting chapter NR 10, related to the elk hunting license drawing
      (Scott Karel, Wildlife Regulation Policy Specialist)
    2. Request that the board adopt Emergency Board Order WM-13-25 (E), proposed rules affecting chapter NR 10, related to establishing the 2026-2030 migratory bird season framework and regulations
      (Taylor Finger, Game Bird Specialist, Bureau of Wildlife Management)

    SCOPE STATEMENTS (Citizen Testimony and Written Comment Welcome)

    1. Request that the Board approve the Statement of Scope for FH-21-25(E) and FH-22-25 and conditionally approve the public hearing notice and notice of submittal of proposed rules to the Legislative Council Rules Clearinghouse, for proposed rules affecting chs. NR 20 and 40, related to changes to the bag and possession limit for round goby on Lake Winnebago system area waters and possession and bag limit for other detrimental species on other waters of the state
      (Kari Lee-Zimmermann, Fisheries Management Regulation and Policy Specialist)

    OTHER APPROVALS (Citizen Testimony and Written Comment Welcome) 

    1. Request approval of the North Central Forest Regional Master Plan
      (Erin Rieser, Property Planning Section Manager)
    2. Land Acquisition – Fish Lake Wildlife Area - Burnett County
      (Kaylin Helm, Real Estate Section Manager)
    3. Request approval of department recommendations for the FY27 Laboratory Accreditation Program Fee Adjustment
      (Zana Sijan, Section Manager, Certification Services)
  5. OPEN FORUM (Citizen testimony and written comment on topics not addressed in other agenda items welcome)
  6. INFORMATION ITEMS (Written Comment Welcome)
    1. Presentation of the Laboratory of the Year Award
      (Zana Sijan, Section Manager, Certification Services)
    2. Presentation of the Rebecca Wallace Award
      (Tim Cooke, Internal Services Division Administrator; Mike Thompson, Southeast Region Secretary’s Director)
    3. Forest Management on Department Lands
      (Kristin Lambert, Public and Private Forestry Section Chief; Teague Prichard, State Forest Specialist)
    4. Overview of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) 2026 Assessment Report, Wisconsin's Changing Climate: Envisioning a Climate-Resilient Future
      (Sean Kennedy, Climate and Resilience Policy Advisor, Office of the Secretary; Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin State Climatologist, and Senior Scientist, UW-Madison Division of Extension and Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research)
  7. DEPARTMENT SECRETARY’S MATTERS
    1. Retirement Recognitions
      1. Tim Simonson, Fisheries Management, 39 years
      2. Theresa Stabo, Bureau of Recreation Safety and Outdoor Skills, 37 years
    2. Acts of the Department Secretary
      1. Real Estate Transactions
    3. Department Secretary’s Matters
  8. BOARD MEMBERS’ MATTERS
    1. Board Member Matters

For up-to-date information about the NRB, including meeting agendas, materials and how to provide comments or testify, please visit https://dnr.wi.gov/about/nrb/.

For any NRB-related questions, to request information or to submit written comments, please contact:
Ashley Bystol, NRB Liaison
telephone: 1-608-267-7420
email: DNRNRBLiaison@wisconsin.gov

The NRB and the DNR are committed to ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities. To request information in an alternative format, please contact the NRB Liaison.

The DNR is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment for all staff and visitors. To support individuals with chemical sensitivities, we kindly request that you refrain from wearing or using scented products while attending a meeting.

Natural Resources Board

For more information, contact