Sandhill crane committee poised to discuss findings, potential legislation in Wisconsin

The Legislative Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes will meet Wednesday in Madison to begin discussing potential bills to address crane-caused crop damage in Wisconsin.

But first it will likely talk about a pair of documents titled “SHC Findings of Fact” and “SHC Conclusions.” The items were emailed Nov. 1 to committee members by legislative council staff on behalf of committee chairman Rep. Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc).

The email said the documents were “prepared by Rep. Tittl” but didn’t mention the author for both was Bruce Ross, executive director of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Ross is not on the committee but testified before it and is a strong advocate for a crane hunting season in the state. The species is currently protected by state law.

The lack of transparency about the origin of the documents heightened tensions between those perceived to be working mostly to secure a committee vote in favor of a crane hunting season and those working to provide relief to farmers, according to several committee members.

“These documents were developed by someone who is not a scientist or a lawyer and who has a clear bias,” said committee member Meleesa Johnson, executive director of Wisconsin’s Green Fire. “I think it’s not a good look for the committee. I would hope we could do better.”

Tittl also has a record of supporting crane hunting in Wisconsin. He authored a 2021 bill to open a crane hunt in the state; it failed to get approved by the Legislature.

Tittl said Ross submitted the documents “unsolicited” and “aimed at helping the committee arrive at some agreed upon facts.”

“As I reviewed the documents I thought the approach would be a helpful first step for the committee to find areas of agreement, develop possible solutions and gain consensus on an appropriate path forward,” Tittl said in a statement. He did not say why he didn’t make it clear to committee members or legislative council staff that Ross had authored the documents.

Tittl said he has allocated a significant amount of time at Wednesday’s meeting to review the documents and suggest changes.

Ross said he submitted the documents as a “strawman” of items intended for discussion by the committee.  

“It was my hope the committee will understand the logic, modify or create documents as they see fit, decide what they collectively can agree on, and make their final conclusions a part of the committee’s record,” Ross said.

The committee has become a stage for debate over sandhill crane management in Wisconsin, especially for providing relief to farmers for crane-caused crop damage and a potential crane hunting season.

The committee was formed in late spring and met Aug. 1, Sept. 4 and Oct. 1. Its goal is to “examine population trends and determine whether any changes to state law would effectively address the incidence and consequences of crop damage caused by sandhill cranes in this state,” according to the committee description.

Sandhill cranes were once threatened in Wisconsin but have recovered over the last century. Sandhills in Wisconsin are part of the Eastern Population which was estimated at 110,000 in 2023, according to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources report.

Three states in the Mississippi Flyway offer crane hunting seasons. Two previous attempts to allow sandhill hunting in Wisconsin (2011 and 2021) failed to garner support in the Legislature.

The agendas of the first three committee meetings were heavily weighted with presentations related to crane hunting.

However in the first meeting, Kent Van Horn, a retired Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources waterfowl ecologist who helped write the 2010 sandhill crane management plan for Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Council, said while the sandhill population in Wisconsin is large enough to support a limited hunting season, such a hunt would be designed to have a small, if any, impact on the crane population.

“It’s structured to be sustainable, so you’re not going to lower the population in Wisconsin by adding a hunting season,” Van Horn said to the committee.

No scientific study has shown hunting has reduced crane-caused crop damage in any of the hunted populations in North America.

The crane study committee includes four legislators and eight public members. In addition to Tittl, the legislators are Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron), Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo).

Public members include representatives of agricultural and conservation organizations, including the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Delta Waterfowl, International Crane Foundation, Wisconsin’s Green Fire and Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.

The restored population of sandhills in Wisconsin provides enjoyment for wildlife watchers and others but also causes an estimated $1.9 million in crop damage annually in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most of the crop damage occurs in spring when cranes eat newly-planted corn. Other losses occur later in the year to crops including peas and potatoes.

Those seeking solutions for farmers are frustrated with the amount of time the committee has spent discussing hunting.

“Advocates for a (sandhill crane) hunting season have long promoted it as the solution to crop damage, but we know a hunting season is not going to help farmers,” said Rich Bielfuss, president and CEO of the International Crane Foundation, in a statement. “The science presented in this legislative committee has made clear that hunting will not provide meaningful assistance to farmers, not by way of population management, nor financially.”

If hunting for cranes were approved, it would allow farmers to file for compensation through the state’s wildlife damage abatement fund.

In 2021 the DNR estimated that as many as 200 sandhill damage claims, with an appraised value of $1.6 million, could be filed annually in Wisconsin, more than all other wildlife damage claims made to the program. Annual revenue to the fund from hunting would likely be less than $50,000. Thus the added burden from sandhill damage claims could soon make the fund insolvent, pointing to the need for other means to provide lasting relief to the state’s agricultural producers.

“We all need to roll up our sleeves and work together to find real solutions for Wisconsin farmers,” Bielfuss said.

Wednesday’s meeting of the Legislative Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes begins at 10 a.m. in Room 412 East at the Capitol.