Hearings and Meetings Calendar

Drinking Water & Groundwater Program |

Drinking Water & Groundwater Study Group Meeting

Start Date: 02/05/2026

End Date: 12/30/2026

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Location: In-Person & Virtual Options; See Details for Information

Natalia Hernandez, Natalia.Hernandez@wisconsin.gov 

This is the quarterly Drinking Water and Groundwater Study Group meeting.

Join this meeting via Microsoft Teams.

Join by phone: +1 608-571-2209; Phone conference ID: 820 364 128#

Join in person:
State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2)
Room G09
101 S. Webster St.
Madison, WI

Fisheries Management |

35 years of Fisheries Management in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory

Start Date: 02/12/2026

End Date: 02/12/2026

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Location: In-Person & Virtual Options; See Details for Information

John Kubisiak, John.Kubisiak@wisconsin.gov or 715-360-0888

The rights of Wisconsin Ojibwe tribes to hunt, fish and gather on lands ceded to the federal government were guaranteed in treaties. These treaty rights were reaffirmed in several court decisions during the 1980s. Since that time, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, six Wisconsin Ojibwe tribes and the Wisconsin DNR have worked cooperatively to conserve and manage fisheries in the ceded territories of northern Wisconsin. We will discuss the management system for walleye and muskellunge, talk about common misconceptions and reflect on over 35 years of cooperative fisheries management.  

This meeting is part of the Northern Wisconsin Fisheries Spotlight Series, which allows the public to learn about game fish management and meet the DNR staff members working in northern Wisconsin.

Presenters: Lawrence Eslinger and Gene Hatzenbeler, DNR fisheries biologists, Mark Luehring, GLIFWC Inland Fisheries Section Leader, and Aaron Shultz GLIFWC climate change inland fisheries biologist

Join this meeting via Microsoft Teams.
Meeting ID: 256 142 402 908 95; Passcode: se7Zv35t

Join by phone: +1 608-571-2209; Phone Conference ID: 702516941#

Join in person:
Rhinelander and Spooner DNR Service Centers (107 Sutliff Ave., Rhinelander, or 810 W Maple St., Spooner)

Legal

Contested Case Hearing For Legend Lake Protection And Rehabilitation District Aquatic Plant Management Permit

Start Date: 02/23/2026

End Date: 02/27/2026

Time: 1:00 p.m. - End of Agenda

Location: Shawano County Public Library, Veslak Room, 128 S. Sawyer Road, Shawano, Wisconsin

Division of Hearings and Appeals, 608-266-7709

On March 20, 2025, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a Permit No. NE-2025-40-2220 to the Legend Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District to Conduct Chemical Aquatic Plant Management on Legend Lake, Menominee County, Wisconsin. Midwest Environmental Advocates, on behalf of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (Petitioner), filed a Petition for a Contested Case Hearing with the DNR to review the decision to issue the permit to the Legend Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 227.42. By letter dated May 5, 2025, the DNR granted the request for contested case hearing and limited the hearing to the following issues:

1. Whether Permit No. NE-2025-40-22420 meets the standards for issuance pursuant to Wis. Admin. Code §§ NR 107.05(3) and (4); and

2. Whether Legend Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District Complied with the procedural requirement of Wis. Admin. Code § NR 107.04(4).

Also on May 5, 2025, the DNR suspended Permit No. NE-2025-40-22420 pursuant to Wis. Admin. Code § NR 107.05(2) pending resolution of the contested case. On March 15, 2025, the Division of Hearings and Appeals received, for filing, a request for a hearing from the DNR. The parties have agreed to a date for a prehearing conference.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the State of Wisconsin Division of Hearings and Appeals will hold a contested case hearing on the above-captioned matter pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 227.44, Wis. Admin. Code § NR 2.13 and Wis. Admin. Code § HA 1.12 at the Shawano County Public Library, Veslak Room, 128 S. Sawyer Road, Shawano, Wisconsin commencing at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, and continuing, as necessary, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026 through Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Members of the public desiring to participate in this hearing pursuant to Wis. Admin. Code § NR 2.08 will be allowed the opportunity to do so at the beginning of the first day of hearing prior to the parties’ presentation of evidence. Such interested persons must enter an appearance either prior to or at the commencement of the contested case hearing. Public comments may be limited in scope to the issues for hearing and limited to five minutes or less to accommodate all interested persons. Information about the hearing may be found at the DNR Website (https://dnr.wi.gov/Calendar/Hearings/) and can also be requested from Susan Burns at 608-266-3865. Please monitor the DNR website for updates.

The hearing is a Class 2 contested case pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 227.01(3)(a), and the provisions of Wis. Stat. ch. 227 will apply. The procedures relating to contested cases set forth in Wis. Admin. Code ch. NR 2 will be followed. Said procedures will closely resemble those that are normally followed at a trial in State circuit court. All parties are advised that they have the right to seek the aid and assistance of legal counsel and to be represented by legal counsel at the contested case hearing.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations will be made to any qualified individual upon request. Please contact the undersigned Administrative Law Judge at 608-266-2447 or Kristin.Posekany@wisconsin.gov with specific information on your request on or before Feb. 2, 2026.