The Wisconsin Natural Resource Board approved controversial regulations Tuesday that could restrict access to public lands purchased by the state.

The unanimous decision created a mechanism for the Department of Natural Resources to decide when to prohibit use of state land, especially for activities like hunting, fishing and trapping.

The regulations apply to lands purchased through the Stewardship fund, which is a $60 million grant and loan program that acquires land for recreational activities and preserves land and water resources.

Laurel Steffes, spokesperson for the DNR, said the new rules do not effectively change the status quo, but reaffirm interim regulations already in place.

Steffes added the rules set up a “very specific process” for restricting land access that would only be used in rare circumstances. Some of the restrictions would be for land within city limits that has a prohibition on the firing of arms and land that contains rare ecological communities.

“All land that’s purchased … is presumed to be open,” Steffes said. “Ninety-two percent of land acquired is open to all those activities.”

Don Kirby, executive director of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, said his group is concerned the new regulations might put unnecessary restrictions on land that should be open to the public.

“The problem is that if it’s worded too loosely it gives an opportunity to people who have intentions of limiting access to those areas under guise of protecting something,” Kirby said. “If it places undue restrictions on access, then that becomes an issue of public trust and public money.”

According to Kirby, the WWA was one of the groups that was involved in writing the original rules, however the language was changed later in the process, which is when they became concerned.

Kirby also said the statistic regarding 92 percent of state-purchased land being unrestricted is misleading.

“I see figures talking about more than 90 percent being open, well that’s true and not true,” Kirby said. “If property is only open two days a year for limited hunting, most people wouldn’t call that really open for hunting.”

The board regulations will be going to the Legislature for approval in the next weeks.