Creating a sporting recruitment and retention council, programs to encourage recruitment of hunters and trappers, restrictions on expenditures under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson stewardship program, reduced fees for certain first-time hunting and trapping approvals, high school credit under and administration of the hunter and trapper education programs, waiving fishing license requirements for a weekend ice fishing event, and sturgeon spearing license age requirements

This bill requires DNR to charge a reduced fee for certain hunting approvals, including small game, deer, and wild turkey licenses, issued to persons who have not received that type of approval in any of the ten years preceding the date on which the application for the approval is made. For these approvals issued to residents of this state, the bill requires DNR to charge a reduced fee of $4.25 and for these approvals issued to nonresidents, the bill requires DNR to charge a reduced fee of one-half of the fee that would otherwise apply for the approval.

Hunter and trapper education Current law requires DNR to establish a hunter education program, a bow hunter education program, and a trapper education program and to issue a certificate of accomplishment to a person who successfully completes the course of instruction under the respective program. Generally, with certain exceptions, a person may not obtain a hunting or trapping approval unless the person has been issued a certificate of accomplishment by DNR under the relevant hunter education or trapper education program. This bill requires school boards to award one-half high school credit to a pupil who successfully completes the hunter education program, the bow hunter education program, or the trapper education program.

This bill also requires DNR to offer an online course of instruction under the hunter education program and under the trapper education program for persons who are at least 18 years old. In addition, the bill provides that if the online course of instruction under the hunter education program or the trapper education program requires field testing or completion of a written test, DNR must make that testing available at each DNR service center at least bimonthly for persons who take the online course of instruction.

Hunter and trapper recruitment This bill requires DNR to establish a program to recognize people who recruit others as hunters and trappers. The bill requires the program to include a component under which a person who is issued his or her first hunting or trapping approval may designate one person as the person who encouraged the applicant to obtain the approval. The bill establishes requirements for DNR to keep record of these designations and to establish a method for issuing a credit toward future fees or, under certain conditions a donated prize, to a person who receives a designation a specified number of times.

The bill also creates a 15-member sporting recruitment and retention council (council). The bill requires the council to study, and advise and make recommendations to the natural resources board and the legislature on, ways to improve the recruitment and retention of hunters and trappers. The bill requires the council to conduct an initial study of options and recommendations for increasing access to private land for hunting and trapping and options and recommendations for simplifying DNR hunting and trapping rules.

Stewardship program Current law authorizes the state to incur public debt for certain conservation activities under the stewardship program, which is administered by DNR. The state may incur this debt to acquire land for the state and may award grants to certain local governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire lands for these conservation activities.

This bill prohibits DNR from awarding a grant under the stewardship program unless DNR first considers whether the grant will benefit local businesses and the economy of this state. It also prohibits DNR from acquiring land under the stewardship program unless hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and cross-country skiing will be allowed on the land acquired or unless every member of the natural resources board approves the land acquisition.

Other provisions Under current law, a person must have a sturgeon spearing license issued by DNR in order to spear lake sturgeon. Current law requires a person to be at least 14 years old to obtain a sturgeon spearing license. Under this bill, a person may obtain a sturgeon spearing license if the person is at least 12 years old.

This bill also requires DNR to designate the first full weekend in January as a special event weekend during which a person may engage in ice fishing without holding or paying a fee for a fishing license.