Wisconsin’s whitetail deer research got a financial boost today when the Safari Club International Foundation donated $25,000 to the Department of Natural Resources’ Bureau of Science Services at the Wednesday meeting of the Natural Resources Board.
DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp accepted the donation from the foundation’s Jim Hammill, who in turn was presented with a certificate of appreciation from the agency.
Stepp called the donation an appreciated vote of confidence in the agency’s science-based conservation efforts by a respected worldwide organization.
Foundation president Joseph Hosmer said in a that statement Safari Club International was “proud to partner” with the DNR for the purposes of effective game management. “State agencies provide the most critical science to improve game management in the United States,” Hosmer said. “By working collaboratively with state agencies we will be building a long term partnership to keep sustainable wildlife populations for future generations of sportsmen and women.”
Bureau Director Jack Sullivan said the donation will be used for equipment and staff costs related to research into Wisconsin’s state wildlife animal. And, in exchange for the financial donation, the agency will provide to the foundation photographs and video showing how the donation was used for whitetail deer research.
Founded in 2000, the foundation is the charitable organization of the larger Safari Club International. It has provided $47 million to conservation, wildlife education and humanitarian programs worldwide in the past 12 years. The Safari Club International began in 1972 with a mission to protect hunters’ rights while promoting wildlife conservation. The group has about 190 chapters with about 55,000 members globally.
The DNR Bureau of Science Services in 2010 launched a multi-year research project to gather data regarding a variety of factors surrounding the white-tailed deer–including the effects of a changing predator population as well as the hunting patterns in addition to the fluctuations in hunter ranks.
Dr. Karl Martin, chief of wildlife and forestry research, said the Safari donation will be used to assess the causes and rates of fawn and adult buck mortality in the state’s whitetail deer herd. “The goal of these projects is to provide information that will help maintain Wisconsin's healthy deer herd and continue to produce abundant recreational and trophy hunting opportunities for current and future generations of Wisconsinites.”
Martin said hunters statewide have long been interested in the DNR’s methods of estimating deer herd numbers and assessing the role of the changing predator populations. “Wisconsin's deer research program dates back to the 1940's and with the help of Safari Club International this long tradition is continuing to provide information for science-based management of our deer herd. The help of Safari Club International, citizen volunteers, and the sporting community, have been key components to the success of these large-scale field research projects.”