Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited News and Views from

Wisconsin TroutSummer 2020

Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited1423 Storytown RoadOregon, WI 53575wicouncil.tu.org

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 1723

MADISON, WI

News and Views from Wisconsin Trout Unlimited

By Kim McCarthy, WITU Grant Programs Coordinator

Covid-19 has had an impact onthe Friends of Wisconsin TU andWatershed Access Fund programs,just like it has had on just about allaspects of life in recent times.

The Watershed Access Fund wasable to complete the purchase of

prime frontage on the South Branchof the Oconto River in OcontoCounty.

Since the South Branch pur-chase, we have been asked to possi-bly participate in two moreacquisitions. One is in western Wis-consin and one is in northeasternWisconsin. Both of those projectshave been quiet since the virus has

put most things on hold. Hopefully,as we are able to return to somekind of normalcy, both of thoseprojects will get back on track, andwe will be able to add more primefrontage to the public trout water inthe state.

Should the best-case scenario de-velop and the Watershed AccessFund ends up participating in bothof these acquisitions, the fund wouldbasically be depleted. That could ac-tually be a good thing because itshows that the fund is fulfilling itsmission to obtain access to primetrout water.

Of course, we could miss addi-tional opportunities that might arisebecause of a lack of donations in thefund. If you have donated to ourWatershed Access Fund in the past,or are thinking of donating in the fu-ture, we would like you to know thatthe fund may be in need of dollars.

The Friends program has had avery good year. Donations were verygood and grant requests for goodprojects were also numerous. Thegrant request period is now over forthe 2020 calendar year, so we nowknow that the final tally for 2020 willbe eight chapters requesting grants.All requests met the established re-quirements of the program and

were accepted. We awarded $16,000to the requesting chapters.

The biggest issue with theFriends program at this time iswhether all of the projects will beable to be completed because of thepandemic. As of late May, DNRcrews are not yet working, and TUNational is still not authorizing anychapter activities that would violatesocial distancing practices. So thequestion hanging over the Friendsgrants is whether work crews will beable to get into the field to completework that has been approved.

As you read through this newedition of Wisconsin Trout, you willfind an envelope for sending dona-tions to our Watershed and Friendsprograms. Notice that the new enve-lope has a new address on it. Pleasediscard and do not use old enve-lopes, because that address is nolonger accurate. You will also seethat the new envelope has places tocheck where you intend your dona-tion to be used. Please be sure to in-dicate the intent of your donation.

Thank you to all of our donorswho make the successes of Friendsand Watershed possible. Both of theprograms are completely voluntaryand would not be possible withoutyour support.

Watershed Access Fund and Friends of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited update

Grant programs finding tremendous successPlease consider supporting our habitat and access grant programs.

COUNCIL’S WATERSHED ACCESS FUND SECURES ANOTHER EASEMENTOur Watershed Access Fund helped secure a 37-acre parcel on the South Branch of the Oconto River just below County Highway AA in Oconto County. The river flows through most of the parcel.

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By Todd Franklin,Wisconsin Trout Editor

The tumultuous sixties wereover, and Americans were charginginto a new decade. It was 1970. TheBeatles had broken up, while JanisJoplin and Jimi Hendrix both diedof overdoses at age 27. Four stu-dents were killed by NationalGuardsmen at Kent State Universi-ty in Ohio during a demonstrationprotesting the U.S. incursion intoCambodia. The Datsun 240-Z is in-troduced to American car buyersand the Boeing 747 is introduced toworld travelers. George C. Scott de-livers an Academy-Award-winningperformance in the movie Patton.Other movie hits that year includedMASH, Airport, Love Story andbest-picture winner Midnight Cow-boy. A first-class stamp was sixcents.

Here in Wisconsin, the SeattlePilots, after only one year, moved toMilwaukee and became the Brew-ers. A bomb planted by anti-war ex-tremists exploded at the Universityof Wisconsin's Army Math ResearchCenter in Madison, killing 33-year-old researcher Robert Fassnacht.

Our own Sen. Gaylor Nelsonsuggested Earth Day as a means tofocus national attention on ecologi-cal issues. Organizers identified 12

anti-environment members of theU.S. House and Senate, seven ofwhom lost their seats.

Tough times for trout waters

It was a tough time for trout,however. Many coldwater streamsand rivers were being used for sew-age discharge. Others were beingstraightened, sometimes legally,sometimes not. Some were lost for-ever when they were dammed tocreate lakeside housing develop-ments or federal flood control proj-ects, and many more nearly met thatsame fate. That includes the entireBlue River Watershed in Iowa andGrant counties, where nine damswere proposed by the Soil Conser-vation Service.

Abuses such as these inspired agroup of passionate and very deter-mined Wisconsinites to establish theWisconsin Council of Trout Unlim-ited. Although TU National hadbeen in existence since 1959, andseveral chapters had formed in Wis-consin, including Wolf River, GreenBay, Southeast and Southern. Therewas an obvious need for a state-levelTrout Unlimited presence.

In July, they convened in Madi-son for an organizational meeting.The list of attendees includednames we’re now familiar with, such

as Robert Hunt, Ray White, NashWilliams, Bronson LaFollette, BillFlader, Dick Ela, John Lawton,Herb Buettner, George Steed, Lar-ry Knack, Jack Mason, Cliff Bryn-oldson, Joe Simpson, Jim Stewart,Fred Horn, Jack Walworth, DennisBryan, Robert Carline, Les Bishop,along with Doug Hart of the GreenBay Packers and TU National Exec-utive Director Pete Van Bytenbeek.

The young new Council wastedno time getting down to business. In1971 the Council supported legisla-tion prohibiting the impoundmentof trout streams without legislativeapproval.

By 1972 the Council had im-pressed TU National enough thatthey hosted the annual meeting. In

1973, the Council’s first chairman,Jim Stewart, was elected vice presi-dent of TU National. Jim was also afounder and first president of theSouthern Wisconsin Chapter. Hewas the first of many Wisconsin TUleaders to serve key roles for TUNational.

Following in his footsteps overthe years were some of our most ac-tive and influential leaders, such asSteve Born, John Christiansen, DanWisniewski, Duke Welter and Hen-ry Koltz.

The Council pushed hard for atrout stamp, supporting Rep. JonWilcox of Wautoma, who intro-duced legislation calling for a $1

See HISTORY, page 6

FIRST COUNCIL NEWSLETTERVolume 1, Number 1. In addition the list of the Council’s very first officers and board members, this first State Council newsletter included eight pages of information about the many threats facing trout streams in Wisconsin.

WITU turns 50

Summer 2020Page 2 Wisconsin Trout

SIGN-IN SHEET FROM ORGANIZATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING IN JULY 1970The list of names from the Council’s organizational meeting includes many instrumental leaders, some of who are now memorialized via awards (The Council’s Robert Hunt Resource Professional Award) and events (Southern Wisconsin Chapter’s Nash Williams Awards Banquet). They were prominent business leaders, attorneys and even a Green Bay Packer — and all were hoping to turn the tide that threatened our coldwater resources.

Summer 2020 Page 3Wisconsin Trout

Chair’s Column

By Mike Kuhr, State Council Chair

History has been weighing on melately. For more than a year nowI’ve been trying to visualize the set-ting and tease out details of theState Council’s 50th AnniversaryCelebration.

I envisioned a large gathering ofoutdoor enthusiasts on the banks ofone of our more fabled trout waters,or maybe even one of our GreatLakes. We’d talk about how 50 yearsago representatives from our earli-est TU Chapters — Green Bay,Wolf River, Southeastern Wisconsinand Southern Wisconsin — cametogether and formed the WisconsinState Council of TU.

We’d recognize that the threatsmany of our coldwater resourcesfaced then, such as dams, waterwithdrawals, mining and public ac-cess, are still threats today. We’dmake analogies of brook trout beingthe “canaries in the coal mine,” andadd climate change to the list ofchallenges our watersheds face.

We’d rejoice in the expansion ofTU in our state. We now have mem-bers in 21 chapters who have takenit upon themselves to protect theirhome waters. But water doesn’t rec-ognize the lines on our maps. It onlyreacts to gravity. In order to be ef-fective, we have to work at both thelocal and state levels.

We’d thank these chapters forsupporting the Council, and ac-knowledge the Council’s duty inserving these chapters. The Councilamplifies the conservation messageand strengthens local efforts to pro-tect our watersheds.

Having reflected upon our past,and reaffirmed the Council’s role insustaining our coldwater resources,we would raise a glass and look for-

ward to the next 50 years!At least, that’s how I pictured it

playing out. Then COVID-19 hit,and things haven’t been the samesince.

Three months of being “safer athome” has brought some new per-spective. We’ve done our part toprotect our family and those aroundus in our community. We've beenspending more time outdoors, notdays or weeks at a time, but shortdaily jaunts exploring nature closeto home.

I’m definitely a person whoneeds to be near the water — wad-ing in it, hiking by it, paddling on it.It’s my connection to the naturalworld. These places keep megrounded and give me a sense ofplace.

As it turns out, a lot of folks havebeen reconnecting with nature. Ourpublic lands and our public access towater have never been more impor-tant. We’ll need the voices of allthese folks in our effort to renewthe Knowles-Nelson StewardshipFund, Wisconsin's iconic publiclands program and the source of allthose white and green “public fish-ing easement” signs.

I believe TU has a role to play aswe start back down the path to “nor-mal.” I know I’m ready to volunteeragain, whether it’s cutting brush,rolling rock, cleaning up trash orwhatever our local waterways need.Our TU workdays could be just theoutlet many people are looking for.We can offer this opportunity to “dosome good” while being respectfulof everyone’s health. It won’t be thesame, but we can keep our facescovered, keep our distance fromeach other and skip communallunches.

The people in this organization

are what I miss the most: Sharingmoments on the water and sharingthose stories afterwards. I know it’sbeen difficult to function as an orga-nization these last few months, butI’m convinced that TU will comethrough this moment as a strongerorganization.

The strength will come fromopening our doors a little wider. It’snot enough to come through thispandemic and go back to normal.Normal will not keep us relevantduring the next 50 years. We need tobe extraordinary if we are to pre-serve the woods, meadows and wa-ters that we cherish for futuregenerations.

So what does it mean to “openthe doors a little wider?” I'm a whitemale in my mid-40’s and I’ve neverreally had a problem fitting into thisorganization. That’s not the case fora lot of people who may be of a dif-ferent gender, or race or generation.

I feel most comfortable knee

deep in a trout stream. What makesme uncomfortable is realizing thatnot everyone feels at ease recreatingoutdoors. It’s up to us to changethat.

We have the tools in place, suchas Trout In the Classroom, youthconservation and fishing programs,5 Rivers College clubs, Diversityand Women’s initiatives, citizen sci-ence and restoration workdays, tostart breaking down barriers.

It’s our responsibility to makespace in TU for all voices to beheard. This organization has a wayof bringing out the best in people. Ifwe want our work to mean some-thing in 50 years, we will have toevolve. Everyone deserves access tocold, clean, fishable water.

I’m looking forward to helpingthe next generation of conservation-ists rise up and occupy their space inthe outdoor community, so that wecan continue building our coldwa-ter legacy. Are you with me?

Look back, pause, then look forward

Our readers writeIn the spring issue of Wisconsin Trout, an article on potential restoration

of Grayling in Michigan was published. It claimed Grayling were found inMontana and Michigan historically, but failed to mention Wisconsin. Afriend somewhat older than me (I am in my 70s) used to tell me about fishingin his past. He often mentioned the great walleye fishing on the Turtle Flam-beau Flowage when it was more recently flooded. He also mentioned catch-ing Grayling in Iron County when he was a kid. This greatly interested me asI thought they were a species of northern Canada and Alaska. He assured methey were found within an Iron County stream he fished, but disappeared af-ter the area was logged.

I no longer remember the name of the stream and my friend died severalyears ago. Perhaps early records of the Wisconsin Conservation Departmentmight have records of Wisconsin Grayling, or historical records from IronCounty may reference local fishermen catching Grayling. I recommendedtrying to restore them many years ago to the Wisconsin DNR EndangeredResources Bureau Director, but to no avail. If Michigan restores them suc-cessfully, perhaps we can someday get them back in Wisconsin.—Bruce Moss

Youth camp postponed until 2021

Due to Covid-19, we postponedthis year’s youth camp. After multi-ple phone calls with the staff at PineLake Bible camp, TU Nationalcamp directors and varying recom-mendations from the Centers forDisease Control and the WisconsinDepartment of Public Health andthe American Campers Association,we made the decision to postponethe camp until 2021.

Not only is it a big disappoint-ment for all the youth we had signedup, but it is a major disappointmentfor all the TU members involvedwith the camp. We were looking for-ward to the camp this year, as therewas a lot of early registration andwe had 11 youth signed up, withquite a few inquiries about thecamp.

It’s hard to believe, but there is asilver lining within all this. All thecampers are able to attend in 2021.This means we already have 11youth signed up for next year, leav-ing only nine positions availablewhen we start registration next Feb-ruary. So, if your chapter usuallysends a youth and you do not haveanyone lined up, please start earlyon finding a camper for next year, aswe anticipate filling out the rosterearly.

The camp will be August 19-22,2021. Watch for more informationin the fall issue of Wisconsin Trout.

Update on DNR habitat and stream projects

Wisconsin DNR habitat project teams were still sidelined by Covid-19rules as of press time for Wisconsin Trout. A survey of fisheries leaders andproject teams found the latter still waiting for the go-ahead.

Fisheries Bureau Assistant Director Todd Kalish said in early June “Weare currently working on plans to incrementally and safely resume some fish-eries field work. However, nothing has been finalized yet. We are primarilyworking on logistics to assure that all staff that resume field work can abideby all the current health and safety guidelines and have all the equipmentand materials to assure the safety of staff and the public we serve.”

Meanwhile, habitat crews in the La Crosse, Black River Falls and EauClaire areas have rock staged in place along several stream project sites,waiting for the word. With projects usually starting around May 1, they’velost two months of the season so far.

Other habitat projects being done by the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter,TUDARE and county conservation department contractors are under way.—Duke Welter

“I'm definitely a person who needs to be near the water - wading in it, hiking by it, paddling on it. It's my connection to the natural world. These places keep me grounded and give me a sense of place.” — Mike Kuhr

Split Bamboo Rods New, repairs, restoration, appraisals Rodmaking Tools and Advice

Call or email Scott for details at

920/687-0987 or [email protected]

Scott W. Grady Rodmaker

Page 4 Summer 2020

WISCONSIN TROUTVol. 32, No. 3 — Summer 2020

Wisconsin Trout is the official publication of the Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited and is distributed to the members of Wisconsin’s 21 TU chapters. Non-member subscriptions are $12.50/year. Publication dates are the first weeks of January, April, July and October. Dead-lines for articles and advertisements are the 10th of December, March, June and September. For a current advertising rate sheet, contact the editor.

Photo/article contributions, letters to the editor and advertisements are welcomed. Submit to:

Todd Franklin, Editor1423 Storytown RoadOregon, WI 53575(608) [email protected]

Wisconsin TU Chapters, Presidents, and Websites

Are you getting emails from TU? If you are currently not receiving news and event-related email messages from your chapter, the state council and TU National, then you are truly missing out on what’s happening at all three lev-els. TU National manages the mailing list for the council and chap-ters, so update your address by going to www.tu.org, log in, then go to “Email Preferences.” You can also call 1-800-834-2419 to make these changes, or to ask questions about making the changes via the web site.

Aldo Leopold (#375): Mike Barniskis, 805 S. Center St., Beaver Dam WI 53916; [email protected]; aldoleopold.tu.org

Antigo (#313): Scott Henricks, 213 Mary St., Antigo, WI 54409-2536 715-623-3867; [email protected]

Blackhawk (#390): Dave Brethauer; 17348 W. Gepler Road, Brod-head, WI 53520; 608-897-4166; [email protected]; www.BlackhawkTU.org

Central Wisconsin (#117): Stan Cichowski; 6395 E. Decorah, Osh-kosh, WI 54902; 708-362-9001; [email protected]; cwtu.org,

Coulee Region (#278): Fred Spademan; [email protected]; 429 2nd St. North, LaCrosse, 54601; 248-408-3873; CouleeRegion-TU.org

Fox Valley (#193): Nate Ratliff, 199 Taylor Street, Little Chute, 54140 (920) 851-0502; [email protected];www.foxvalleytu.org

Frank Hornberg (#624): Doug Erdmann, 1523 Rosewood Ave., Wis-consin Rapids, 54494; 715-712-3134; [email protected]

Green Bay (#083): Adrian Meseberg, 315 S Michigan St. De Pere, WI 54115; 920-562-6129; [email protected];greenbaytu.org

Harry & Laura Nohr (#257): Tim Fraley, 2 Pagham Court, Madison, WI 53719; hm: 608-271-1733; c: 608-220-0762; [email protected]; www.NohrTU.org

Kiap-TU-Wish (#168): Scott Wagner, 1208 Highway 35 N. Hudson, WI 54016; 715-781-6874; [email protected]; kiaptuwish.org

Lakeshore (#423): Myk Hranicka, N2766 Hopeman Heights, Waldo, WI 53093; 920-627-5779; [email protected]; www.Wisconsin-TU.org/Lakeshore

Marinette (#422): Dale Lange, N2095 CTH BB, Marinette, WI; 715-582-1135; [email protected], marinettecounty.tu.org.

Northwoods (#256): Jay N. Joppa; 5631 Mohawk Shores Drive, Rhinelander, WI 54501; 715-499-1022; [email protected]; northwoods.tu.org

Oconto River (#385): Wayne Czypinski; 920-590-2748; [email protected]; ocontorivertu.com

Shaw-Paca (#381): Kyle Kossel, E2392 Cardinal Court, Waupaca, WI 54981; 920-379-5741; [email protected]; shawpaca.tu.org

Southeastern Wisconsin (#078): John Rennpferd; P.O. Box 86, Brookfield, WI 53008; [email protected]; 414-745-8488; sewtu.tu.org; www.facebook.com/southeastwisconsintroutun-limited; SoutheasternWITU on Instragram

Southern Wisconsin (#061): Amy Klusmeier; 608-215-1228; [email protected]; P.O. Box 45555, Madison, WI 53744-5555; www.swtu.org

Wild Rivers (#415): Bill Heart; 29450 Verners Road, Ashland WI 54806; 715-209-0431; [email protected]/wildrivers

Wisconsin Clear Waters (#255): Jim Erickson; 341 Garfield Ave., Eau Claire, 53701; 715-559-1864; [email protected]; Wiscon-sinTU.org/ClearWaters

Wisconsin River Valley (#395): Kirk Stark; 811 2nd Street, Roths-child, WI 54474; 715-432-0560; [email protected]; wrvtu.org

Wolf River (#050): Chuck Valliere, 5040 Hardy Trail, Waunakee, WI 53597; 608-836-1908 or 608-332-9652; [email protected]; WolfriverTU.org

Mike Kuhr, Chair

Bob Rice, Secretary

Scott Allen, Vice Chair

Gary Stoychoff, Treasurer

Douglas Bayfield

Ashland

Iron

Vilas

Forest

Florence

Marinette

Oconto

Langlade

Shawano

Lincoln

Marathon

Taylor

PriceSawyer

Rusk

WashburnBurnett

Polk

Barron

St. Croix

Dunn

Chippewa

Wood

Portage

Waupaca

Outagamie

Waushara WinnebagoCalumet

Manitowoc

Kewaunee

Door

Fond du Lac

Sheboygan

Ozaukee

Washington

Dodge

MilwaukeeWaukeshaJefferson

Racine

Kenosha

WalworthRockGreenLafayette

Grant

Iowa

Dane

ColumbiaSauk

Green

Lake

Marquette

Adams

Juneau

Richland

Crawford

Vernon

MonroeLa Crosse

Jackson

Trempealeau

Buffalo

Pepin

Clark

Eau ClairePierce

Oneida

Brown

Menominee

WILD RIVERS

NORTHWOODS

FOXVALLEY

LAKESHORE

FRANK HORNBERG

WISCONSINRIVER VALLEY

SHAW-PACA

MARINETTE

GREEN BAYANTIGO

OCONTORIVER

SOUTHEASTERNWISCONSIN

BLACKHAWK

SOUTHERN WISCONSIN

HARRY &LAURA NOHR

COULEEREGION

CENTRALWISCONSIN

ALDO LEOPOLD

WI CLEARWATERS

KIAP-TU-WISH

WOLFRIVER

Wisconsin Trout

State Council LeadershipChair: Mike Kuhr, 6103 Queen-sway, Monona, WI 53716; (414) 588-4281;[email protected] Chair: Scott Allen; E4835 N. Stoney Ridge Road, Reedsburg, WI 53959; 608-495-1482;Secretary: Bob Rice 74355 Kauka-mo Road, Iron River, WI 54847; (715) 292-1143;[email protected]: Gary Stoychoff, 1326 14th Ave., Green Bay, WI 54304 [email protected] Chair, Central Region:Tom Lager, 1700 Spring Hill Ct., Neenah, WI 54956; [email protected] Chair, Northeast Region:Dale Lange, See Marinette Coun-ty above.Vice Chair, Southern Region: Jim Wierzba, 2817 Country Club Drive, Mequon, WI 53092; 414-688-3606; [email protected] Chair, Western Region: Gary Horvath, 623 W. Pine Street, River Falls, WI 54806 (715)425-8489; [email protected] Trustee: Henry Koltz, 2300 N. Mayfair Rd., Ste. 1175, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (414) 331-5679 (H); [email protected]: Todd Franklin; Contact info at rightEducation: Bob Haase, W7949 Treptow Ln., Eldorado, WI 54932 (920) 922-8003 (H);[email protected]

Friends of WITU and Watershed Access Fund Grant Coordinator: Kim McCarthy, 736 Meadow-brook Court, Green Bay, WI 54313; 920-639-3697; [email protected] Chair: Henry Koltz Membership: Chair Paul Kruse, 500 Saint Jude St., Green Bay, WI 54303 (920) 639-2361); [email protected]; National Leadership Council Representative: Linn Beck, 160 W. 19th Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54902 (920) 216-7408;[email protected] In the Classroom Coordina-tor: Greg Olson, 16370 Division St., Lakeland MN, 55043; [email protected] Services Partnership Co-ordinator: Mike Burda; 608-332-0397; [email protected]: Brandon Schmalz [email protected]’s Initiatives: Heidi Oberstadt, 456 Wadleigh St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; 715-573-5104; [email protected] Counsel: OpenCommunications: Open

State Council OfficersExecutive Committee includes officers and vice chairs

Visit the Wisconsin State Council’s web site at wicouncil.tu.org, or find us on Facebook.


Dan Wisniewski, a stalwart lead-er of TU and a major contributor toWisconsin resource issues for morethan 40 years, passed away fromheart complications on April 16 inMadison. He is survived by his wife,Frances De Graff, five children andeight grandchildren. He was 73.

During his career, Dan servedWisconsin with key roles includingchief of staff to Gov. Tony Earl andpolicy advisor to two other gover-nors and Democratic state senatorsand secretary of the Bureau of Com-missioners of Public Lands (BCPL).He was an aide to two Dane Countyexecutives, including Kathleen Falk.He was a key advisor to KathleenFalk as she organized and wonWisconsin's first and only local con-servation fund referendum.

He was a citizen volunteer andleader of the Northwoods LandTrust, Dane County Parks Commis-sion and other groups. He led ef-forts to continue and strengthen thestate’s Knowles-Nelson Steward-ship Program and moved forwardsome of the state’s major land ac-quisition and conservation efforts.

Dan’s role in those positionswasn’t necessarily as the guy at themicrophone. His obituary said, “Al-ways active in Democratic politics,Dan preferred to be the behind-the-scenes guy, working out strategy, co-ordinating successful campaigns,mentoring others and getting legis-lation passed.”

Dan could often be found alongthe trout waters of southwesternWisconsin or near his Vilas Countycabin, expertly fishing his favoritesoft-hackled flies and enjoying thesolitude and peace to be found inthose places. At the cabin on SpringLake loved by Dan, Fran and theirfamily, he planted (and protectedfrom browsing deer) thousands ofwhite pines, and built the “Zen Cab-in” reminiscent of Aldo Leopold’s

(although much better built), as aplace for his grandchildren to enjoy.

As Dan’s friend and co-conspira-tor of many decades, Topf Wells, putit, “He was a skilled and lovely an-gler. He tied a beautiful wet fly intraditional and innovative styles andfished them to great effect. His onlydisappointment was that his versionof a Pink Squirrel wet fly onlycaught one trout (but it saved himfrom being skunked that day). Hewas a patient and skilled caster. Hedid not have to catch a lot of fish orbig fish, but he hated beingskunked.”

We tried to fish together once ortwice a season, and it was always ev-ident that trout streams for Danwere places of great peace and con-tentment. We’d sit and talk and ev-erywhere we went he’d bewondering how better to protectmore of our state’s special places.He would get equally excited aboutprotecting a coldwater stream or anold-growth hemlock forest.

As a TU volunteer and leader,Dan worked with Southern Wiscon-sin TU, Wisconsin TU and the Na-tional Leadership Council on policydevelopment and numerous proj-ects. He co-led a key volunteer ef-fort for SWTU to raise $30,000 topurchase the Token Creek Springson the northeast side of Madison.For years he served on the DaneCounty Parks Commission andstrived to obtain for the county pub-lic access easements on all of thecounty’s trout streams. Dan spokefor coldwater resources as the statedeveloped Stewardship funding, andprotected tens of thousands of acresof rare natural lands and foreststhrough BCPL. In all, Dan had ahand in conserving more than100,000 acres of Wisconsin's mostprecious lands and waters duringthe last 20 years.

At the national level, Dan spoke

and worked for public access to re-sources, and was a key strategist asthe NLC and grassroots leadersfought two successive efforts in 2004and 2007 to put TU on the sidelineswhen public access rights to waterswere threatened. Big-monied inter-ests in the west had bet that if theycould forestall TU from speakingfor access rights, they could abro-gate Montana’s stream access lawand limit public access. But theywere turned back and TU devel-oped a workable policy to decidewhen to take an active role to pro-tect access rights.

Dan also worked at the nationallevel to develop a TU program tohelp acquire public access rights to

key riverine lands.Both Wisconsin TU (in 2020)

and Gathering Waters (in 2017), thestate’s land trust umbrella organiza-tion, honored Dan with LifetimeAchievement Awards for his work.

Dan’s obituary summed up hiscontributions: “Dan dedicated hislife to the betterment of Wisconsinand love of his family and friends,sharing his wisdom, kindness andoptimism with all he encountered.”

Dan’s family asked that contribu-tions in his memory be given toSouthern Wisconsin TU, North-woods Land Trust or Dane CountyParks Endowment Fund.—Duke Welter

By Allison Werner, River Alliance of Wisconsin

Mining activities have not sloweddown much in the last few months.Badger Minerals has begun explor-atory drilling and the MenomineeRiver has been named one of Amer-ica’s Most Endangered Rivers forthe second time. There are actionsyou can take to continue to fightthese mine proposals that threatenour waters.

Back Forty Project Wisconsin's mighty Menominee

River was just listed for a secondtime on the America's Most Endan-gered Rivers list. This listing isthanks to the work of the Coalitionto Save the Menominee River.American Rivers has recognizedthat the threats to the MenomineeRiver are far from over and thatthere is still a chance to stop thisproject.

You can take action today to pro-tect the Menominee River by sub-mitting the action alert onAmerican Rivers’ webpage that asksyou to tell Michigan’s Department

of Environment, Great Lakes andEnergy (EGLE) to deny Aquila Re-sources, Inc.’s permit to develop theBack Forty project. Go to https://en-dangeredrivers.americanrivers.org/to learn more and take action.

Aquila Resources withdrew theirDam Safety Permit at the end of2019 and has not submitted a newpermit yet. There are a lot of con-cerns about the design of the damand the risks to our waters if thedam fails.

After the catastrophic failure ofthe Edenville and Sanford dams inMichigan this spring, the Coalitionto Save the Menominee River sent aletter to EGLE, “…to express ourconcerns about the permitting pro-cess for the Back Forty tailings damin light of the unprecedented flood-ing after two dams collapsedin Michigan following record rain-fall.”

Their request to EGLE is, “Inlight of the recent dam failures andthe well-documented threat of up-stream dam failure for the proposedBack Forty tailings dam in an areaof heavy rainfall, we areasking EGLE to exercise your au-thority to prohibit the upstream

dam construction design for theproposed Back Forty tailings dam.If EGLE fails to prohibit a dam de-sign that has already been banned inBrazil, Chile and Ecuador as an in-herently risky technology, the com-munities downstream from the BackForty’s tailings dam can only inter-pret this decision as placing Aquila’scorporate profits over public health,safety and clean drinking water.”

The coalition’s legal challenge toAquila Resources’ wetland permit isstill waiting for a decision. You canstay up to date on the Back Fortyproject and support the coalition’sefforts with a donation by going totheir website at http://jointheriver-coalition.org

Badger Minerals Threatens the Wolf River

The Oneida County Planningand Development committee ap-proved Badger Minerals’ explorato-ry license on April 22 (yes, ironicallyon Earth Day). Many Oneida Coun-ty residents and concerned citizenssent in comments to remind thecommittee of the great pollutionrisks that come from sulfide mining.

Badger Minerals has also receivedall of their approvals for exploratorydrilling from the DNR. They begandrilling the first week of June. Trib-al nations, non-profit organizationsand local residents have come to-gether to protect the Wolf Riverfrom this threat. They are holding afour-part virtual panel series thatwill feature tribal historians, tribalallies and environmental and politi-cal experts connected to the Wolfand Menominee Rivers. Panelistswill discuss their experiences in cul-tural and environmental activism, aswell as their knowledge of the min-ing process, followed by a briefquestion-and-answer session. Allevents in the series will take placeonline from 6:30-7:30pm. The datesand topics are: • Tribal Allies, July 7• Mining & the Environment,

July 21• Regulatory Mining Process,

August 4 You can learn more about the

panel series at http://wolfriverac-tioncommittee.com/

Mining updateNews regarding the Back Forty Project and the proposed sulfide mine in Oneida County.

Remembering Dan Wisniewski, 1946-2020Dan had a hand in conserving more than 100,000 acres of Wisconsin's most precious lands and waters during the last 20 years.


HISTORY, from page 1

trout stamp, with all funds going toward habitat restoration and none towardput-and-take stocking. Finally, in 1977 the efforts of the Council, chaptersand all TU members paid off, and the first stamps would be sold in 1978. Bythe end of 1978, the DNR had approved more than $225,000 in habitat im-provement projects. Also in 1978, the Council supported legislation impos-ing stricter standards on sewage discharges into trout streams. Here aremore of the Council’s historic highlights.

1980s highlights* 1980: Recognizing the damage being done to trout streams

and spring ponds by beavers, the Council establishes a BeaverCommittee and commences putting together a video to educatethe public about the situation.

* 1982: TU members from throughout the state establishes sixnew chapters: Aldo Leopold, Chequamegon, Oconto River,Blackhawk, Shaw-Paca and Wisconsin River Valley.

* 1984: The Council holds its first fundraising banquet at thePaper Valley Hotel in Appleton. About 250 attendees help raisemore than $5,000 for the Council. Meanwhile, Council memberscreate three new chapters: Wild Rivers, Marinette County andLakeshore. There were 22 chapters at the time, with statewidemembership approaching 2,000.

* 1985: The Council creates a regional structure to help chap-ters work together on issues in their part of the state. The Council supportsan amendment to the DNR’s budget imposing penalties of $100-$200 perfish for illegal harvesting of trout.

* 1986: The Council voices concerns over a proposed underground mineand ore concentrating facility by Exxon near Crandon.

* 1987: The Council establishes a Special Regulation Committee to in-form the DNR as it undergoes a major overhaul of trout fishing regulations.A new multi-category regulation system was introduced in 1990.

1990s highlights* 1990: With a desire to increase revenues to meet the challenges of cold-

water conservation in the 1990s, the Council establishes its Friends of Wis-consin Trout program, allowing for tax-deductible donations for theprotection and restoration of coldwater resources.

* 1991: The Council’s Friends of Wisconsin TU makes its firstgrants to support projects on Black Earth Creek, West ForkKickapoo and Saul Spring Pond in Langlade County.

* 1991: Lincoln County approves the removal of thePrairie Dells Dam on the Prairie River, while the WillowFalls Dam in St. Croix County is removed.

* 1992: Council Chair Stephen Born submits a letterto DNR Secretary Buzz Besadny regarding the Council’sconcerns that the early trout season held in only eightsouthwestern counties has a disproportionate impact onthe coldwater resources of that area.

* 1993: The Council forms a Catch-and-Release Com-mittee to educate the public about the proper methodsfor releasing trout.

* 1994: The Council opposes the filling or altering of80 acres of wetlands by the Crandon Mining Co.

* 1995: In spite of several years of opposition by theCouncil, Gov. Tommy Thompson’s budget effectivelyeliminates the Office of Public Intervener and strips theNatural Resources Board of its ability to select the secre-tary of the DNR

* 1995: The Council officially goes on record opposing the CrandonMine.

* 1996: Inspired by Robert Hunt’s research showing about half a milliontrout die in Wisconsin each year as a result of mishandling during release,the Council’s Catch-and-Release Committee debuts a video on the propertechniques for safely handling trout for release. The script for the video wasproduced by Todd Hanson. The video was eventually distributed to all TUchapters in the nation with the help of TU National. The committee also de-veloped “Consider Proper Release” signage to be placed along troutstreams.

* 1998: The Council joins a lawsuit against a dairy farm operation onBlack Earth Creek that had moved 500-700 cows into a feedlot along theheadwaters, allowing them unrestricted and direct access to the creek.

* 1998: After three years of $1.5 million in inland trout stamp fund sur-pluses, the Council’s ad hoc Trout Stamp Committee creates and submits areport with recommendations to the DNR. The DNR adopts many of thecommittee’s recommendations. In addition, the report recommends that theCouncil establish a Trout Stamp Coordinator to work with the DNR in pro-moting the trout stamp program and keeping the Council and chapters up-dated on the program’s progress.

* 1999: The Council establishes its first website, called a “home page” atthe time, thanks to the efforts of Andy Lamberson.

* 1999: A study by TU National shows that Wisconsin’s trout manage-ment programs set an example for other states to follow. It pointed out thatWisconsin is one of few states that dedicates virtually 100 percent of its troutstamp funding to habitat restoration for wild fish, versus stocking.

Highlights from the 2000’s* 2000: Word of a plan by Perrier to drill a 100-foot-deep well in the Me-

can River Springs State Natural Area sparks a movement. The Council andCentral Wisconsin Chapter joined other groups asking the DNR to do a fullenvironmental impact survey. After more than two years, Perrier finally givesup its plans.

* 2000: TU National presents the Council with its council of the yearaward for its efforts battling Perrier and for advocating for dam removals ontrout streams.

* 2001: The Council backs a bill to give DNR authority over isolated wet-lands after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said the Army Corps of Engi-

CPR IDEA FORMED IN 1993In 1993 the Council formed a Catch-and-Release Committee, which created a logo, brochures and in 1996, a video.

BORN, COUNCIL VOLUNTEERS STRATEGIZE AGAINST PERRIERIn 2000, word of a plan by Perrier to drill a 100-foot-deep well in the Mecan River Springs State Natural Area sparks a movement. The Council and Central Wisconsin Chapter joined other groups ask the DNR to do a full environmental impact survey. After more than two years, Perrier finally gave up its plans.

neers did not have permitting authority over wetlands that are not connectedto navigable waters. The bill was eventually signed into law.

* 2001: The Council establishes the Jeff Carlson award in honor of Carl-son, who spearheaded coaster brook trout restoration efforts near Ashland,including the establishment of the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Ref-uge. Carlson died unexpectedly of cancer at age 39.

* 2001: The Council goes on record opposing plans by two republicanlawmakers to split the DNR into two agencies. The effort to split the agencyeventually failed.

* 2001: The Council establishes an endowment fund for individuals andcorporations to make donations to further the Council’s goals.

* 2003: The Council produces a polluted runoff toolkit tohelp chapters identify and correct suspected nonpoint sourcepollution sites in their areas.

* 2003: The Council contributes $5,000 toward the legalcosts of challenging a high-capacity well permit to a water bot-tling plant being planned near Polar in Langlade County.

* 2004: With the support of the Council, the state legislaturepasses the Groundwater Protection Act. Although the Councildeemed the bill “far from perfect,” the bi-partisan, compromiselegislation did forward groundwater protections in Wisconsin.The bill protects trout streams and larger springs from high-ca-pacity wells.

* 2004: The Council helps defeat a bill that would have rede-fined navigable waters, privatizing hundreds of trout streams.

* 2005: A report is released outlining plans for a multi-stateDriftless Area Restoration Effort for trout streams. Governors of Wisconsin,Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois commit to the plan.

* 2007: The Wisconsin Inland Trout Stamp turns 30 years old.* 2007: Bob Haase and Linda Lehman lead a booth at a youth expo in

Beaver Dam, beginning an annual WITU volunteer event that has sincetaught thousands of children how to tie a fly.

* 2007: On the suggestion from Robert Hunt, the Council’s ConsiderProper Release (CPR) Committee that produced various signs, brochuresand a video 10 years earlier reconvened to update its CPR publication. TheCouncil printed 50,000 flyers for statewide distribution.

* 2007: Duke Welter is elected chair of TU’s National Leadership Coun-cil.

* 2007: Damaging floods deluge southwest Wisconsin, changing the lookof many trout streams. Streams with habitat work held up bet-ter.

* 2008: The Council’s top legislative priority came to fruitionwhen the long-delayed state budget passed with a significant in-crease in funding to help farmers design and implement nutrientmanagement plans.

* 2008: Another priority, reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, was also achieved, and specifiedthat a portion be used for trout stream easements.

* 2008: The Council joined the Duluth Chapter of the IzaakWalton League, Minnesota TU and the Save Lake Superior As-sociation in a federal lawsuit to compel two federal agencies to

fulfil their responsibilities to protect public waters from the spreadof viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS).

* 2009: After a year of discussion, the DNR and the Council’snortheast chapters begin a process whereby the chapters andcouncil will help fund work crews to do stream work in that partof the state. Chapters, along with a Friends of Wisconsin TUgrant from the Council, covered two thirds of the $22,500 cost forthe first year. Trout stamp funds covered the remaining third.Since that time, TU-funded work crews have improved habitat on

many miles of trout streams.* 2009: Larry Meicher passes away only two weeks after receiving the

Council’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.* 2009: The Council announces plans to create a new Land Access Fund,

with proceeds from the 2010 banquet being used as seed funding. Kim Mc-Carthy and Bill Pielsticker volunteer to coordinate the new grant program’soperational guidelines.

* 2009: Gary Stoychoff is elected Council treasurer, one of the most im-portant council positions, and a role he continues to hold today.


Highlights from the 2010’s* 2010: The Council celebrates its 40th birthday at a meeting in Waupaca.* 2010: The Council’s Northeast Region continues its second year of sup-

porting DNR LTE crews doing habitat work in the northeast part of thestate. In 2009 the crews did work on more than 21,000 feet on six streams.Plans for 2010 are even more ambitious. The NE Region also supports ef-forts to control beavers and also a tree drop on the Border Brule River.

* 2010: The first grant from the Councils’ new Watershed Access Fundprovides $4,000 to the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust for a purchase on thesouth branch of the Kinnickinnic River.

* 2010: Former Council Chair and National Leadership Council ChairDuke Welter accepts a consulting position with TUDARE as an outreach co-ordinator.

* 2011: TU President Chris Wood attends the Council banquet, calling usa model council for other states.

* 2011: Amid Gogebic Taconite’s efforts to mine in the Penokees, thecouncil and many chapters take a stand against loosening environmental pro-tections to accommodate mining interests.

* 2011: Demand for Wisconsin sand for the fracking industry drives a dra-matic increase in the number, size and scope of frac sand mines, processingfacilities and transportation infrastructure. Concerns include water usage, airpollution, noise pollution, light pollution and decreased property values forneighboring landowners. Some operations are dangerously close to troutstreams.

* 2012: The Council’s Northeast Region chapters approve more than$40,000 to support DNR LTE crews doing habitat work that summer.

* 2012: Dale Schultz is the lone Republican siding with Democrats to voteagainst a bill that gave Gogebic Taconite key wetland-protection exemptionsand permitting process changes for its proposed mine in the Penokee Hills.The company eventually abandoned its mining plans.

* 2012: The Council steps in to revive the inland trout stamp and printprogram.

* 2012: TU National trustees meet in Spring Green, where they an-nounced their plans to hold the 2013 national meeting in the Madison area.

* 2012: In a collaboration with the DNR and the River Alliance of Wis-consin, the Council creates a web site to gather angler-supplied data on gilllice in the state’s brook trout populations.

* 2013: TU National chooses the Council to host its Midwest RegionalMeeting in the Spring of 2013, which served as a sort of practice run for thenational meeting in September.

* 2013: The Council provides support for the first ever TU Stream Girlsprogram for Girl Scouts.

* 2013: The Council hosts an extraordinary National TU meeting, withhosted fishing, stream tours, a terrific awards ceremony at a local distilleryand a grand banquet.

COUNCIL SUPPORTS INAUGURAL STREAM GIRLS EVENTIn 2013 the Council helped launch the first ever TU Stream Girls program for Girl Scouts.

* 2014: The DNR announces that New Zealand mudsnails were discov-ered in samples taken earlier from Black Earth Creek in Dane County. TheCouncil and other organizations take steps to promote clean angling to re-move aquatic invasive species from their gear when they leave a stream.

* 2014: Henry Koltz addresses the Assembly Transportation Committeewith a powerful speech highlighting TU’s many ef-forts. A bill providing Wisconsin TU with a licenseplate passes the State Assembly. The State Senatethen approves the bill.

* 2014: The DNR gears up on its efforts to ob-tain 100 miles of streambank easements during thenext biennium.

* 2014: In July, Gov. Scott Walker signs the Wis-consin TU License Plate bill into law.

* 2014: After a surprise cancellation of the Out-door Expo in Beaver Dam, organizers hold a simi-lar event at the MacKenzie Center near Poynette.Council volunteers from throughout the state helphundreds of kids tie a fly.

* 2014: The Council holds its first ever YouthFishing Camp, which was a complete success, thanks to the many volunteers.15 students attended the first camp, and some will return in subsequentyears to serve as volunteers and mentors.

* 2014: Wisconsin TU members volunteer at the TU National Teen Sum-mit held at the Sugar Creek Bible Camp near Ferryville.

* 2015: Wisconsin TU license plates become available. Many TU mem-bers are excited to display their new plates, most of them choosing personal-

ized versions.* 2015: As the state legislature debates the proposed 2015-2017 budget,

Wisconsin TU encourages members to contact their representatives andcommunicate their opposition to: A freeze of stream bank easement acquisi-tions; elimination of science positions within the Wisconsin DNR and ren-dering the Natural Resources Board advisory-only.

* 2015: The Council again supports the Stream Girls event for GirlScouts. “TU volunteers came from all over Wisconsin to share their passionand knowledge about water, and I'm incredibly thankful for the kindness andgenerosity of everyone who contributed,” organizer Heidi Oberstadt said.

* 2015: Council volunteers help more than 800 kids tie a fly at the Mid-west Outdoor Heritage Education Expo at the MacKenzie Center nearPoynette.

* 2015: At the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Annual Spring CountyConservation Meetings, Wisconsin TU members introduced and spoke onbehalf of a citizen resolution calling for providing DNR fisheries managers

with the authority to set temporary alternate size and bag limits for trout.The resolution was passed in all 14 counties in which it was introduced, dueto the efforts of dedicated Wisconsin TU members.

* 2015: At the 2015 Conservation Lobby Day, WITU members visited leg-islators to voice their positions on three specific budget proposals: freezingthe Stewardship Program, eliminating science positions at the DNR, andturning the Natural Resources Board into an advisory body. Members alsoopposed proposed cuts to county conservation departments. Later the bud-get committee restored partial funding of stewardship program and reversedthe NRB decision.

* 2015: The Department of Natural Resources released a list of 118 par-cels of DNR-owned property that were to be evaluated for possible sale inorder to meet the requirements of 2013 Wisconsin Act 20, the biennial bud-get bill. On the list were lands located in 40 counties totaling approximately8,288 acres. Upon learning of the release of this list, those of our memberswho began searching through it quickly noticed how many of the listed prop-erties contained frontage on, or were in close proximity to, designated troutwaters.

* 2015: The Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage,Mining and Forestry held a public hearing on a rule package that includednew trout regulations. Henry Koltz, in testimony before the committee, com-mented on the thoroughness of the rule development process which allowedmultiple opportunities for individuals to voice their opinions and provide theDNR with solid information on which the rule package is based. Mike Kuhrand Matt Krueger also testified in favor of the proposed rules.

* 2015: Chapters from the Central and Northeast Region approve$52,500 to fund LTE stream crews in northeast and central Wisconsin. Theprogram continues to grow and evolve, with additional support from troutstamp funds and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

* 2015: The Council creates TIC Guidelines for Wisconsin TU Chapters.The guidelines cover the necessary steps and suggested timeline for startingup new TIC programs. Kim McCarthy, Boyd Roessler, Greg Olson, Mike

Kuhr and the DNR provide valuable input. * 2015: The Council hosts a successful second annu-

al Youth Fishing Camp. There were 13 great campers,including the first two girls. Campers came fromthroughout the state, and even a couple from out ofstate.

* 2016: The Council and its members advocate forand against various provisions in a substantial legisla-tive bill regarding groundwater. We supported a provi-sion to lengthen the distance from a high-capacity wellto a trout stream before a special environmental reviewis required, the establishment of Sensitive ResourceAreas, requiring the DNR to consider the cumulativeimpact of wells during the permitting process and aprovision requiring periodic review of high-capacity

well permits.* 2016: The Council supports two bills that provide civil liability immunity

for individuals who construct and place, and maintain, habitat structures innavigable waterways under a permit or other approval from the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources.

* 2016: In ongoing efforts to bring more women into the TU community,Women’s Initiative Coordinator Heidi Oberstadt encourages chapters to

COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE TAUGHT THOUSANDS OF KIDS TO TIE A FLYIn 2007 Bob Haase and Linda Lehman (shown here) volunteered to teach fly tying to kids at a youth expo in Beaver Dam. The program evolved into the Midwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo, now held in Poynette. Since that first year, many Council volunteers have taught thousands of kids how to tie a fly, with encouragement to use the fly to catch bluegills.

WITU LICENSE PLATE BILL WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR IN 2014


nominate Women’s Initiative Chairs.* 2016: The Council and members continue to press the DNR to remove

from potential land sales properties that are adjacent to trout streams andspring ponds. The Council also successfully lobbied against provisions in alarge bill that allowed discharge permitting exemptions from drainages androadside ditches, which serve as fish spawning habitat, or passages to fishspawning habitat.

* 2016: The Council denounces an opinion issued by Attorney GeneralBrad Schimmel. As a result, it appears that DNR will no longer perform cu-mulative impact analysis of high-capacity well applications, and will only re-view wells using the certain criteria. In addition, DNR will only imposepermit restrictions which are explicitly allowed by statute, which will considerupon request whether permit restrictions on existing permits will remain inforce. Wisconsin TU believes that the DNR’s adoption of the attorney gener-al’s opinion, and the broad action with significant statewide impacts that ittriggers, sidesteps both legislative and court processes. Second, WisconsinTU strongly believes that well permits should not be issued ignoring the pres-ence of existing high-capacity wells.

* 2016: Council volunteers teach more than 750 kids how to tie a fly at theMidwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo near Poynette.

* 2016: The Council’s Watershed Access Fund grant program helps securean easement on the “horseshoe” section of the North Fork of the Bad AxeRiver in Vernon County.

* 2016: Numerous bills were introduced concerning a variety of topics in-cluding groundwater regulatory reform, high-capacity wells, aquaculture reg-ulatory reform, stream work liability immunity, railroad crossings and in-stream dredging. The Council’s Legislative Committee and its volunteermembers provided input to the Wisconsin Legislature concerning each ofthese bills, and traveled to Madison to testify athearings.

* 2016: For the first time, the WITU YouthCamp reached our goal of 20 campers, who repre-sented 16 of our 21 chapters.

* 2017: Generous supporters donated nearly$15,000 to the Council’s Friends of Wisconsin TUgrant program in 2016.

* 2017: The Council and members continue toadvocate for an increase in the trout stamp fee,Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding and pe-riodic review of high-capacity wells and anglers’ability to cross railroad tracks. Meanwhile, we con-tinued to advocate against net pen aquaculture inthe Great Lakes and splitting the DNR into twoagencies. We also actively sought changes to a pro-posed inland aquaculture bill.

* 2017: Organizers embark on an ambitious planentitled Trout Unlimited Central Area RestorationEffort for Sustainability (TU CARES). This plancalled for funding and managing the Central SandHills Ecoregion in a manner similar to TU’s Drift-less Area Restoration Effort (TU DARE) program.

* 2017: The Council’s Friends of Wisconsin TUgrant program provides grants for six chapters. TheWisconsin Clearwaters Chapter received $2,000 formaintenance of prior projects. The Antigo Chapterreceived $2,000 for a DNR brushing crew. The Cen-tral Wisconsin Chapter received $2,000 for the WildRose habitat crew. The Marinette Chapter received$1,000 for a habitat crew for the Chequamegon/Ni-colet National Forests. The Wild Rivers Chapter re-ceived $1,200 for a habitat crew for theChequamegon/Nicolet National Forests. The Wolf River received $2,000 forthe Antigo habitat crew.

* 2017: The Council’s annual banquet continues to grow in popularity andfundraising success. The 2017 banquet raises $21,000.

* 2017: The Council and its members strongly oppose new bills threaten-ing to cut the Stewardship Fund from $9 million to $2 million. We also op-posed bills that would change dredging laws to the potential detriment ofcoldwater resources. Meanwhile, we supported the idea of a statewide mora-torium on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).

* 2017: The Council holds its fall meeting at the Leigh Yawkey WoodsonArt Museum in Wausau, in conjunction with an event entitled “At The Con-fluence 2017.” It featured author John Gierach, author/artist Bob White,

photographer Mike Dvorak and retired UW — Stevens Point scientist AlanHaney.

* 2018: The Council strongly advocates for changes to several bills thatwould remove protections for isolated wetlands. Our efforts led to variouscompromise amendments.

* 2018: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has begun theprocess of creating a Statewide Inland Trout Management Plan. Currently,no inland trout management plan exists, so this new plan will support the ex-isting efforts in the department. The stakeholder group includes a TU mem-ber from four regions of the state.

* 2018: The Council’s Advocacy Committee outlined its conservation pol-icy objectives for the next year, and reauthorization of the state’s stewardshipprogram tops the list. Other priorities include protecting groundwater andsurface water resources, increasing the trout stamp fee, and fully fundingnatural resource agencies and critical related programs.

* 2018: Council volunteers teach 839 kids how to tie a fly at the MidwestOutdoor Heritage Education Expo near Poynette. As always, Bob Haase or-ganized the troops.

* 2019: The Council continues to advocate for an increase in the troutstamp fee and reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund.Wisconsin Trout Unlimited is proud to be a part of “Team Knowles-Nelson,”a consortium of more than 50 different groups advocating for a 10-year re-authorization of Wisconsin’s iconic public lands initiative at current fundinglevels. Meanwhile, the Council joins various hunting, fishing, trapping andconservation groups to form an advocacy coalition called “Sportsmen forWetlands.” The goal is to advocate in a non-partisan effort to protect, restoreand safely manage Wisconsin wetlands.

* 2019: The Council’s Northeast Region chapters and Friends of Wiscon-sin TU approve $45,800 to support the work of DNRLTE habitat crews for the summer season. The programcontinues to be huge success, with many miles of streamsreceiving habitat work each year.

* 2019: Larry Mann of Hayward Flyfishing Co. takes10 veterans from our Wisconsin veterans programs on aguided bass-fishing trip. The State Council paid for thelodging for the crew and some of our chapters providedsupport.

* 2019: Council volunteers teach 892 kids how to tie afly at the annual Midwest Outdoor Heritage EducationExpo near Poynette.

* 2019: Generous contributors donate $18,000 forFriends of Wisconsin TU. The Council approved grantssupporting the northeast stream crews, Nichols Creek,Sixmile Creek and stream repairs in Vernon County.

* 2019: The Council hosts a “Partners Paddle” on theBois Brule River that includes U.S. Senator TammyBaldwin.

* 2020: The Council’s annual fundraising and awardsbanquet, with TU CEO Chris Wood in attendance, netsnearly $25,000. Dan Wisniewski is awarded the Council’sLifetime Achievement Award. He passed away a shorttime later.

* 2020: The Council and members continue to advo-cate for reauthorization of the Stewardship Fund andsupport an increase in funding for county conservationstaff and a pilot flood reduction project in AshlandCounty. We supported a bill which streamlines the per-mitting process for wetland, stream and floodplain resto-ration projects. However, the bill would have streamlinedthe permitting process for any “low-risk dam.” We feltthat any new obstruction to free-flowing water should be

given greater scrutiny than the bill’s general permit. We worked with ourpartners at the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and several legislators tohave this language removed.

* 2020: The Council’s Watershed Access Fund helps secure property onthe South Branch of the Oconto River.

* 2020: The Covid-19 Pandemic leads to social-distancing guidelines andthe elimination of gatherings, leaving the Council and its chapters to cancelor postpone most activities.

FIRST WISCONSIN TU YOUTH CAMP IN 2014In 2014, the Council held its first ever Youth Fishing Camp, which was a complete success, thanks to the many volunteers. 15 students attended the first camp, and some will return in subsequent years to serve as volunteers and mentors.

Share your stories, your photos, your recollections!

Hopefully these highlights from thepast 50 years spark some memories foryou. Please consider sharing your experi-ences with your fellow Wisconsin TUmembers.

Whether you want to share your recol-lections of a particular event, a conserva-tion battle or any other Council activitythat has meant a great deal to you over theyears, send it along.

Do you have some good photos relatingto our history that perhaps have not beenseen before? Send them along.

Or, perhaps you just want to share yourthoughts about the Council highlights thatwe’ve included here.

Send them to Todd Franklin at [email protected] or ToddFranklin, 1423 Storytown Road, Oregon,WI 53575.


By Kyle Siebers

When I first laid eyes on the spot,it was like an oasis in a desert. I hadbeen slogging upstream throughhundreds of yards of shallow riffle.My ankles felt like they were aboutto give up on me. My calf musclesburned in defiance of every step. Ihad already fished more than a mileand landed but a handful of smallbrook trout, none over six inches,and many too small to eat the spin-ner I was using. The spot I had juststumbled upon was sure to give upthe biggest brookie of the day. Whathappened next was at once exactlywhat I expected, and like nothing Icould have imagined.

A perfect spotThe spot this fish called home

was a spot you just knew would holda fish, just not this fish. Everyonewould expect the biggest fish in theriver to be in the 8-foot-deep plungepool below the short but steep rap-ids upstream. A pool that deepwould remain cool enough to with-stand the dangerously high watertemperatures of even the hottestsummer. The depth was also excel-lent refuge cover. The rapids up-stream provided an abundance offood and oxygen. This picture-per-fect spot was not the home of thelegendary fish, however. He choseto live elsewhere.

Downstream from the murkydepths of our fish’s suspected haunt,the river widened and became quiteshallow. If not for the impossiblyslippery rocks of this wide riffle, youcould cross the river in knee boots.Where this long riffle began to nar-row ever so slightly, there was asmall island. The smaller braidalong the back side of the island wasinconsequential. The other side,however, was where one had achance to observe the fish that de-fied existence.

The stream in the vicinity of theisland showed signs of bending. Notenough to notice at first, but if youstopped andlooked up ordownstream youwere surprisedyou couldn’t seefurther. Becauseof this slightbend, and per-haps some per-fect combinationof rocks andboulders, therewas spot on thefar bank that hadsome depth to it.It wasn’t soaking-ly deep, but it wasdeep comparedto the six-to-ten-inch riffle extend-ing up and downstream as far as youcould see. 16 to 20 inches was all thewater this fish needed.

I can picture the fish now. Theimage in my mind couldn’t be clear-er if I was holding it in my own twohands. And this fish was not just big,but truly gigantic. It’s a fish so bigthat nobody would believe it existeduntil you flopped it down dead attheir feet. Even then, some may ac-cuse you of poaching a private pond,or even burglarizing a fish from thestate hatchery.

Your fishing buddy, an eyewit-ness with a firsthand account, maychoose to believe it was a carp in-stead of a brown trout to avoid astay in a mental institution. Indeed,

this fish was no ordinary big fish.This was not a fish of a lifetime. Itwas more. It was a fish that wouldimmortalize your name in history.The picture of you holding this fishwould spread like wildfire across theinternet. It would be talked about indiners and dive bars, fly shops andfarmers markets. This was a fishthat incited sleepless nights, andendless daydreams.

A love of brook troutBrook trout were my first love.

Far prettier than they had any rightto be, they caught my eye, and myheart, at first sight. The first trout Iever caught were wild, native brooktrout. The first fish I ever landed ona fly of my own creation, or any flyfor that matter, was a brook trout.Their enthusiasm in the take was anaddiction to which there was nooverdose. As long as I live, I don’tforesee myself burning out on catch-ing brook trout.

Part of the reason brook troutstill hold a special place in my heartis their size. In my part of the world

a 10-inch brookieis a quality fish,with fish over 12inches being bigones, and any-thing 14 inches orbetter being a re-al trophy.

When com-pared to variousother species offish, it may seemsilly to get excitedby a 10-incher. A10-inch small-mouth, whilefighting doggedly,is considered a lit-

tle guy. A 10-inch pike is exciting forthe opposite reason, as you almostnever catch them that small. If youcaught 10-inch walleyes you wouldreel in and move to a new location.Brook trout are fun that way. I amjust as much in awe of a 10-inchbrookie as I am of an 18-inch small-mouth, or a 30-inch pike.

I had been walking steadily up-stream, pausing only long enough tothrow a cast or two at fishy lookingcover. Some casts produced minis-cule brook trout. Most turned upnothing. This section of stream wasturning out to be worth a lot less ef-fort than I was putting into it. Mostof the stream was too shallow tohold fish. Riffles baked in middaysun were devoid of life. Even the log

jams producing depth and coverwere often fishless. Still, I nevergave up hope. I knew that my effortswould surely be rewarded with aquality brook trout.

The brookies I had been catchingthat day were fun, but at the end ofthe day they were nothing morethan promising up-and-comers.That is why I could feel the adrena-line coursing through my veins when

I laid eyes on the spot that wouldend up haunting me. I was excitedby the promise of a quality brooktrout living here. I had this feeling ofcertainty that I would catch a fishhere, and that it would be the fish Iwas hoping for. The spot just lookedtoo good to be empty.

In addition to the depth providedby the bend and the boulders, theriver had piled up some old stormdamaged wood near the bank. Thedogwoods and alders anchored thelogs in place. Some had their up-stream ends on the bank while theirdownstream ends reached bottom.Others were wedged so that theywere held just below the surface. Alog or two had their upstream endstucked tight to the bank while theirdownstream ends were hung up inthe bushes.

Over top of all this wood grew adogwood, providing shade and over-head cover for at least two feet be-fore the water reached the bank. Itjust had the right combination ofwood, shade and depth in a placewhere the next quality holding coverwas hundreds of yards away. Eventhe air here smelled fishy. I couldn’twait to see what was living there.

Because of the small island herethe river was none too wide. An un-derhand flip would be all the cast Ineeded. This was close-quartersfishing. The only way to fish it wasfrom almost directly across. Thiswould allow for a retrieve across thefront of the wooden labyrinth.

My first cast was right on themoney. About halfway through theretrieve, when the spinner was justabout to be swept under the leadingedge of the wood, a brook troutstruck. I couldn’t have scripted itany better. This was the quality fish Iwas searching for. The fight wasshort and uneventful, until it wasn’t.Just as the fish was beginning to exitthe depths and climb the shallows ofthe sand bar that I was standing on,I saw the impossible fish.

The brook trout at the end of myline was fighting valiantly, flashingand thrashing all the way. At the last

moment before the fish lost thedepth to remain upright a darkshadow charged. It took a swipe atthe brook trout, trying to eat it, butbecause of the shallow water wasforced to stop short. The fury withwhich it changed direction splashedwater in my face.

Thankfully I was already on myknees in anticipation of landing thebrook trout because I doubt I couldhave remained standing after suchan event. I was frozen there, shak-ing, with my mouth hanging open.The splashing of the brook trout infront of me, still firmly attached tomy line, snapped me out of mytrance.

I unhooked and released thebrook trout and sat down in thesand. By now my fishing partner hadbroken the silence with the ques-tion, “What just happened?” He ofcourse already knew. We both knew.We were both standing right therefrom start to finish. How could wehave missed it? We sat there replay-ing the scene out loud for the nextten minutes.

“Was that a…?” “Had to have been.”“How big do you think it was?”*Sigh* “….Big.”“Biggest brown I’ve ever seen.

Pike aren’t that golden brown.”“Yeah and carp don’t have spots

like that on ‘em.”“Are there even carp in here?

Never mind, doesn’t matter. Wasn’ta carp. No way.”

“Had to be a brown.”“Nothing else it could have

been.”We concluded that it had to have

been a brown trout trying to eat thebrookie I had on the line. I hadn’tgotten the best view of the ordeal.After all I had been kneeling to landthe brook trout and the watersplashed in my face altered my viewof everything after that point. Benhad been standing the whole time,and he caught it all. We had bothseen the color of the fish, and thespots the size of dimes. I hadn’tcaught much of the fish’s retreat,but Ben had made note of stones onthe riverbed to help us estimate ameasurement. The stones werespaced wider than two wading bootswere long. Almost two and a half infact. Measuring our wading bootswhen we got home showed that oneboot was thirteen inches long. Twoand a half boots came out to thirty-two and a half inches.

Remembering we only got arough estimate of the fish’s size weconcluded the fish was a minimumof twenty-eight inches long. Therewas a real possibility the fish waslarger. It could well have been in thelow-to-mid thirty-inch range.

What to do next?For the next few days it seemed

this leviathan was all we could talkabout. We both had dreams about it.We talked about how we would re-turn to try for it again. Do we waitfor nightfall? Do we try again duringa rainstorm? Do we bring our bassgear: Stout rods with heavy braidedline? Do we drift a large chub or ashiner into its lair from upstream?Would a big gaudy streamer work?Were we even allowed to try for italone, or did we need to fish togeth-er what we had started together?

See MONSTER, page 16

The greatest fish there (n)ever wasAn encounter with a monster trout leaves him wondering to this day.

A NICE BROOKIE, AND POTENTIAL MEAL FOR A GIANT BROWN

At the last moment before the fish lost the

depth to remain upright a dark shadow

charged. It took a swipe at the

brook trout, trying to eat it, but because of the

shallow water was forced to stop short.


By Duke Welter

Our local library has, until veryrecently, been closed, and our homebookshelves are read bare. But thelack of good reading has been ame-liorated by three recent books. Ourthree reviews this issue aren’t an-gler-centric, but two should be of in-terest for the breadth of their focuson Wisconsin’s natural world, andthe third may interest those who arefans of the Bois Brule River and itsunique history and culture.

Afield: Portraits of Wisconsin Naturalists, Empowering Leopold’s Legacy, Vol. 1, by Sumner Matteson

One of the unexpected joys ofreading over the last several pan-demic months has been SumnerMatteson’s book about WisconsinNaturalists, “Afield.” At more than700 pages, it’s not a quick read. Butif you call our state’s outdoors homeand are at all curious about it, thisbook deserves your attention. Mat-teson has spent his career as a DNRnaturalist, focusing for years on sev-eral major species restoration ef-forts, and started collecting materialfor this book 40 years ago. He inter-viewed naturalists, many now longdead, gathered their biographies,papers and journal excerpts andgleaned more materials from theirpublications. The writing is excel-lent and brings in thoughts fromother sources, from Aristotle toBarry Lopez, to augment the mainsubject. I always fold up the lowercorner of a page to bring me back toa rich thought or well-turnedphrase. In some chapters almost ev-ery page is folded up.

Some names will be familiar: Aninterview with Sigurd Olson at hiscabin in the Boundary Waters, “Lis-tening Point,” a few years before hisdeath in 1982. Stories of Francesand Frederick Hamerstrom, legend-ary prairie chicken researchers inthe Central Sands area. Some aretremendously focused in their work,like George Becker who gatheredresearch on every fish species in thestate over 25 years for his “Fishes ofWisconsin,” considered the best sur-vey of its type in the nation. Or theRev. Sam Robbins, ornithologicalleader with a rarified ear for bird-song, writing his sermons as hewalked outdoors with binoculars inhand. It’s interesting to compare thetable of contents with the inducteesin the Wisconsin Conservation Hallof Fame, two lists with many over-laps.

Others are endlessly curiousabout everything: a subject may be awildlife biologist assigned to makesure game numbers are enough tokeep hunters happy, but when hewalks through old-growth cedars oralong the Green Bay shoreline he isnoting every sedge, fungus, animal,bird and insect species, and waitingfor the evening to stargaze. I’veknown a few of these folks, and thebook’s treatment in those casescomports nicely with my impres-sions and adds richness to their sto-ries.

These are not all professionalnaturalists. There is room for self-taught urban prairie restoration ex-pert Laurie Otto, for Bad River

Chippewa Band leader and long-time teacher Joe Rose, and for UWSoils Prof. Francis Hole, who sangthe praises of Antigo Silt Loam andhelped make it our official state soil.I wonder how many out there canstill sing the “Antigo Silt LoamSong” he wrote and performed foranyone who would listen?

Reverence is regularly a topic ofMatteson’s interviews with his sub-jects, and sometimes in the excerptsfrom papers or letters. For many ofhis subjects, the wonders and orderof nature can only be understoodwith an underpinning of reverence.The range of sources of that rever-ence makes another interesting as-pect of this book.

One subject who contributedrichly is the late LeRoy Lintereur,DNR wildlife biologist in the Ocon-to area, whose journals make upmore than 125 pages of the book.He mourned the loss of old growthforests special to him being cutdown for new subdivisions, celebrat-ed the avian arrivals and departureseach year, and was immensely can-did about his observations about hu-man impacts on the outdoor world.The quality of his journal writingevokes that of Aldo Leopold’s es-says. When a developer logged off300-year-old hemlocks, Lintereurconsidered it an “ecologic crimeshouting to heaven. Damn, when wehumans decide to obliterate, wehave it in our power to do a bang-upjob in a hurry. Now, just like that,presto, it’s gone, no one to even givea backward glance.”

Lintereur was dismayed at thefilthy water of Green Bay before theClean Water Act took effect, and atthe loss of irreplaceable resources.His journals sometimes scream withfrustration at human’s overuse,thoughtlessness and greed. Onecan’t help but wonder: Had Leopoldwritten with this bite, would he haveobtained the reach he has?

This book is a gem. It should bein every high school and college li-brary in the state, where it could in-spire other young people withcuriosity about the natural world.I’m pleased to hear there is a secondvolume in the works.

Afield: Portraits of Wisconsin Nat-uralists, Empowering Leopold’s Leg-acy, Vol. 1, Sumner Matteson, LittleCreek Press, 728 pages, $29.95

Boys of the BruleBy Ross Fruen

The Bois Brule River has longbeen iconic in our state’s lore: Thefur traders’ and tribes’ highway con-necting Lake Superior and the Mis-sissippi, log drivers’ route, protectedby wealthy post-logging familieswho built estates and hosted presi-dents, home to Gordon MacQuar-rie’s most famous trout fishingstories, paddling destination. Its ma-ny facets contribute to its richness inour minds. To me, quietly paddlingthe upper river through cathedral-like pines toward a fishing site is atime to appreciate a sublimely lovelyplace.

“The Boys of the Brule” is a ma-ny-faceted book as well. Written bya scion of one of the oldest lodgefamilies on the river, the GitcheeGumee Camping Club, also knownas the “Noyes Camp,” founded inthe 1880s, it could have devolved

into a self-centered reminiscence ofa lifetime of stays at their lodge andthe antics of a bunch of guys nowcoming into their 70s. It has some ofthat, but to its credit it brings inmore.

The two most interesting aspects,to me, were the history of some ofthe older lodges (like Cedar Island,owned by the Twin Cities’ Ordwayfamily) and private camps (like theWinneboujou Club on Big Lake),with some of the traditions and his-toric figures who guided the oldfamilies on the river, and the rolethe river played in the culture of thebands of the Lake Superior Chippe-wa tribe.

There’s a little more attention tosome legal wrangling than seemednecessary, but I guess that’s not un-expected. One of the families asso-ciated with the club is the Noyesclan, notable Milwaukee attorneysand conservation supporters for wellover a century. With a family of suchnotable legal acumen, some report-ing of internecine disputes shouldnot be unexpected. But it remindsme that plenty of Wisconsin’s realestate law was spawned by Milwau-kee lawyers on vacation at cabins onlakes, where they spent their leisuretime fabricating new theories to set-tle a lot line dispute over a neigh-bor’s encroaching driveway orpetunia patch.

The book could have used somefact-checking, perhaps by some ofthe participants. One of the BOBcrew is said to have gone to the 1963Boy Scout National Jamboree andWorld’s Fair in New York. Nope.The 1964 World’s Fair was in NewYork and the 1964 Jamboree was inValley Forge, PA. I know because Iwas there. It’s a little thing, perhaps,but when I observe that I wonderabout other recitations of fact whichare new to me.

The Brule is a well-loved andvaried river, with its fishing, rapids,lodges and scenery. Many otherWisconsin rivers are wild(ish) rivers,like the Wolf, Prairie, Mecan,Namekagen, Flambeau, Totogatic,and Popple, all of which have theirfans and river keepers. Even hard-used ones like the Wisconsin, Kicka-poo and Milwaukee do. Do we onlyrevere those closest to wild, or dowe appreciate the limited “wild” inothers and appreciate them none-theless?

Boys of the Brule, Ross Fruen, Ca-ble Publishing, 231 pages, $18.95

When Things Happen: A Guide to Natural Events in Wisconsin, By Randy Hoffman

Several of my long-time anglingand hunting buddies have thisquirky fascination with species otherthan that which we target in our out-door endeavors. They stop castingto marvel at the warblers in thestreamside brush, or quit walking uppheasants to watch a swirl of migrat-ing waterfowl overhead. That’s ok. Ikeep fishing or follow my dog whilethey’re distracted. This book is forthem.

For 40 or so years, Randy Hoff-man has been one of our state’s pro-fessional and most peripateticnaturalists, working for the DNR’sBureau of Endangered Resources(the folks you support with your ea-gle, badger or wolf license plate).Phenology, the study of coincidingevents in the natural world, gives usplenty of clues to cyclic happenings,weather or climate changes, and thelike. Hoffman is perfectly equippedto assemble a book like this. He’ssurveyed hundreds of sites andhelped establish many of our StateNatural Areas, and he’s kept re-cords of the species he’s encoun-tered. The extended period ofobservations and his wide-rangingknowledge makes this book usefulto many subspecies of outdoor ob-servers.

His self-published book breaksthe year down into 36 10-day peri-ods and reports on the natural phe-nomena you can observe in each.Lengths of days, meteor showers,bird and insect arrivals and depar-tures, herptile activities, plant activi-ty, fungi emergences, mating andspawning activity are each coveredin succession. The sheer number ofobservations — for birds alone hehas recorded at more than 400 sitesover 40 years, from northern hem-lock forests to his back yard in Wau-nakee—could be overwhelming, butinterspersed with them are little es-says in detail on dozens of topics.He consistently refers to informa-tion from a network of accom-plished observers around the state,professional and otherwise, and toreports and observations in regular-ly published sources like the Passen-ger Pigeon, the long-time newsletterof the Wisconsin Society for Orni-thology. Alien earthworms, seasonalfluctuations in migrations, expand-ing citizen study of dragonflies, andreasons and ways to support conser-vation are all well covered.

BOOK REVIEWS

The natural world and the Bois Brule explored in three books


MAIL TO: Kim McCarthy736 Meadowbrook CourtGreen Bay WI 54313

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Address

City, State, Zip

Phone

Here is my contribution of $100 or more to the Wisconsin TU Watershed Access FundMake your check payable to Wisconsin Trout Unlimited

Watershed Access Fund: Obtaining public access

During the Spring of 2020 funding from our Watershed Access Fund,along with donations from Oconto River, Marinette and Green Bay chap-ters, the Wisconsin Stewardship Fund, Oconto County and Oconto CountyConservation Clubs, allowed acquisition of a key parcel bordering theSouth Branch of the Oconto River in Oconto County.

This acquisition is important for northeastern Wisconsin trout anglersbecause it will greatly improve access to the South Branch below Menomi-nee County and provide a put-in point for those wanting to float the lowerSouth Branch.

This recent acquisition continues the success of the Watershed AccessFund in providing public access to important trout waters in all areas ofWisconsin.

Thanks go to our donors for the contributions that made this purchasepossible.

Our WAF ContributorsHenry Anderson Madison, WILouis Arata Whitefish Bay, WICharles Barnhill Madison, WIJim Bayorgeon Appleton, WIMark Beilfuss New London, WIBarry Benson Cambridge, WIJolene Berg Chippewa Falls, WISteve Bien, in memory of Tom PentyJay, MEWilliam Blobner Waunakee, WIRichard Boda Boyceville, WIStephen Born Madison, WIEd Brockner Beaver Dam, WIDamian Budzinski Eau Claire, WILinda and Dennis Buzzar DeForest, WICasey CalkinsRoger Clausen DeForest, WIDavid and Jill Coenen Combined Locks, WIDana Corbett Madison, WIRobert Cowles Green Bay, WITom Crabb Monona, WIEd Culhane Appleton, WITerry Cummings Rhinelander, WIDavid Darling River Falls, WIRichard Diedrich Grafton, WIBob Disch Madison, WIVirginia Dodson McFarland, WIWalter Dowty Big Bend, WIPeter Dramm Manitowoc, WIRichard Duplessie Eau Claire, WIDavid Egger Madison, WISteven Engelbert Janesville, WIJay Everson Melrose, WIJohn Ewen Neenah, WIPaul Feldhake Port Washington, WICindy and Alan Finesilver DePere, WIJoel Fisher Birnamwood, WIWilliam Flader M.D. Madison, WIDr. James Fruit Jr. Hartland, WIRichard Galling Hartland, WI

Ralph Gaudio DeSoto, WIDaniel Geddes Appleton, WIJohn Ghastin Richland Center, WIThomas Goodmann Miami, FLJames Goodwin Sturgeon Bay, WIDan Grauer Wausau, WIGordon Grieshaber Mineral Point, WIKathryn and James Groves Webster, WIRobert Haglund Green Bay, WIDean Hagness Custer, WIJohn Halbrehder Sparta, WIRob Hanson Oregon, WIAl Hauber Wausau, WIAshton Hawk Madison, WIJohn Hawk New Holstein, WIStephen Hawk Madison, WIBill Heart Ashland, WIMark and Janis Heifner Appleton, WIBob Hellyer Boulder Jct., WICline Hickok Hudson, WIPerry Higgins Stratford, WIDan and Nancy Hill Spencer, WIAndrew Holverson Wauwatosa, WIJeff Jackson Oconto Falls, WIJeff Johnson St. Croix Falls, WIMatthew Jones Oshkosh,WITom Kammerman Suring, WIJohn Keneally III Waukesha, WISteven Kennedy Amery, WILee Kersten Marion, WILane Kistler Milwaukee, WIGerald Kobus Milwaukee, WIClifford Kremmer Sparta, WIRoger Krogstad Marshfield, WIDavid Kronwall Lake Geneva, WIPeter Kurtz O.D. Menominee, WILinda Lehman Wausau, WIThomas and Larissa Lyon Janesville, WIDouglas McFarland Rhinelander, WIKenneth Maciejewski Fond Du Lac, WI

Dan Malchow Tomah, WIPaul and Nichelle Martin Baraboo, WIKim McCarthy Green Bay, WIChad McGrath Park Falls, WILinda MeierPeter Meronek Stevens Point, WITom Mertens Green Bay, WIRobert Meyer Strum, WIFred Mikolajewski Franklin, WIRobert Moser Milwaukee, WIThomas Mrazek Fond Du Lac, WIGene Mueller Monona, WIDavid Muresan Middleton, WIPatrick Murphy Pewaukee, WIRichard Neitzel Tomah, WIHerb Oechler Wauwatosa, WIJames Olson Oconomowoc, WICheryl and Winston Ostrow Viroqua, WICraig Pannemann Port Washington, WIWilliam Pearson III Eau Claire, WIDonald Persons Janesville, WIRay Piehl Wautoma, WITom Ponty Eau Claire, WIScott Quandt D.D.S. Green Bay, WIRandal Rake Helena, MTBob Retko Cedarburg, WIKen Rizzo Oconomowoc, WIJames Robertson Green Bay, WIRichard Rowe Neenah, WIRosemary Ryan Wauwatosa, WIMichael SanDretto Neenah, WIJack Saunders - in memory of Earl Little

Beaver Dam, WIDavid Schiebel Abrams, WIJeff Schimpff Madison, WIMary and Jeff Schmoeger Lake Mills, WIRichard Schumann Hartford, WIJohn Serunian Madison, WIFrederick Seybold Madison, WIJohn Shillinglaw Madison, WIGeorge Shinners Antigo, WIDavid Slezewski Sun Prairie, WINancy Snyder Milwaukee, WIMichael Spakowicz Madison, WIMichael Staggs Poynette, WIWarren Stern West Bend, WIJuergen Stuebs Wautoma, WI

Ronald Suslick Peshtigo, WIRobert Tabbert Lafayette, LAJulie Templen Dubuque, IAJohn Tweddale Madison, WISteven Ugoretz Verona, WIChuck Urban Wauwatosa, WIDennsi and Becky Vanden Bloomen Eau Claire, WIDr. Condon Vander Ark McFarland, WICarol Vendt - in memory of parents Oconto, WIKaren and Martin Voss Eau Claire, WIRichard Wachowski Eau Claire, WIRodd Wangen Oregon, WIThomas Wasilewski Brookfield, WIDonald Welhouse Kaukauna, WIDuke Welter - in memory of Al Noll ViroquaWIDuke Welter in memory of Dan Wisniewski Dennis Wieck Minocqua, WICharles Wiemerslage Hudson, WIStephen Wilke Marinette, WIPaul Williams Madison, WIDan Wisniewski Middleton, WIRon Wojack Greenfield, WIJaren Wunderlich DePere, WIRobert Wyman Beaver Dam, WIFred Young Roscoe, ILBenjamin Ziegler Madison, WISusan Zuege - in memory of Thomas ZuegeEagle River, WI

Antigo Chapter Antigo, WIGreat Lakes Eco Monitoring LLC FitchburgWIHALFPINT NATURALS Madison, WIKinnickinnic River Land Trust River Falls, WIMarinette County Chapter Marinette, WIKiap-TU-Wish TU Hudson, WI

On ravens in the Northwoods inFebruary, for example, he writes,“While many species are strugglingto survive winter’s challenge, thecommon raven displays an exuber-ance that seems todefy the season.They are in prepa-ration mode forcourtship and any-thing goes. Ob-servers in thenorth shouldspend time justwatching thesehighly intelligentand creative birds.They have beenseen swooping inthe winds, makingquick turns, com-pleting barrel rolls,dropping stonesand performingfoot grabs while inflight. On the ground or in trees,they conduct tug-of-war games withleaves and twigs, hang by one footor their bill, roll onto their backs,steal food, and play various otherfun games.” He is a master of de-scription whether he’s talking aboutnewts, fungi, butterflies, snakes oranything else.

When I heard about the book, Iwas intrigued to see if it would covera specialized area of phenologicaloccurrences which I have beenstudying casually for close to 40years: as we go through the annualcycle of aquatic and terrestrialemergences and subsidences alongour streams, what are the parallelhappenings in other parts of ourworld? My fishing journal for May16, 2003 on a stream near Viola re-ported: “lilacs and trilliums and cad-

dis and craneflies thornapple andcrabapples and apple blossoms. Ohmy. This is a spectacular country,fish or no fish.” You may follow thespring ephemeral wildflowers in

their successionalong troutstreams you fre-quent, watchingtrout lilies andbaetis, ramps andblack caddis,Hendricksonsand bluebells, li-lacs and sulfurs.

Hoffmantouches a few ofthese coincidingevents, but he’snot too con-cerned withthem, in light ofthe wider pletho-ra of events goingon. His book is

rich with a range of insects—did youknow there are six cicada speciesfound in the state?—as well as birdsand butterflies. Grasshoppers getsome attention too, but if you’re areal dedicated hopper fan youshould turn to Kathryn Kirk andProf. Chuck Bomar’s monograph“Guide to the Grasshoppers of Wis-consin,” which reports on more than80 of that species catalogued here.

Reading Hoffman’s book just af-ter Matteson’s first volume, onecan’t help but think the formerwould be a perfect subject for vol-ume two. They’re birds of a feather,if I may coin a phrase.

When Things Happen: A Guide toNatural Events in Wisconsin, RandyHoffman, 240 pages, $19.98.

“He is a master of description

whether he’s talking about newts, fungi, butterflies, snakes or

anything else.”

By Taylor Ridderbusch,TU Great Lakes Organizer

Despite Congress and state hous-es spending much of the last fewmonths responding to COVID-19,there are still several very importantconservation bills making their waythrough the U.S. House and Senate.

First, the Great American Out-doors Act (S. 3422) (GOA) address-es the maintenance backlogs onpublic lands and ensures full, dedi-cated funding for the Land and Wa-ter Conservation Fund (LWCF), aprogram that received reauthoriza-tion last year and has been a topiccovered in previous editions of Wis-consin Trout.

If passed, GAOA would appro-priate the full $900 million annuallyallocated to LWCF in addition toproviding $1.9 billion annuallythrough fiscal year 2025 to addressthe National Park Service, U.S. For-est Service, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, Bureau of Land Manage-

ment and Bureau of Indian Educa-tion accumulating maintenancebacklogs on roads, trails, facilitiesand aquatic structures.

GAOA has already been passedout of committee and could see afloor vote in the Senate as early asJune.

Second, America’s Water Infra-structure Act (S. 3591), this year’sversion of the biannual Water Re-sources Development Act (WR-DA), has also seen movementthrough the Senate in recent weeks.This bill includes a number of vitalGreat Lakes provisions, includingreauthorizing the Great Lakes Res-toration Initiative (GLRI) at $350million, funding Asian carp defens-es at Brandon Road and funding toaddress toxic contaminants likePFAS.

Trout Unlimited hopes to seeboth of these bills passed and signedinto law before Congress breaks fortheir summer recess and the upcom-ing election.

Update from Washington, D.C.

Support Wisconsin TU and get your Wisconsin TU license plate now. Go to www.dot.state.wi.us/drivers/vehicles/personal/special/trout.htm

Does your fishing car have a TU license plate yet?


By Matthew Mitro, DNR Fisheries Research Scientist

Discussions of beaver and troutin Wisconsin often elicit two differ-ent views.

“Beaver and trout are incompati-ble in Wisconsin’s low gradientstreams. Their dams create pondsthat destroy trout habitat. Beaverand beaver dams should be removedto maintain free-flowing conditionsto best support trout.”

“Beaver dams create deep poolswith large trout and are easy to fish,in streams otherwise limited in trouthabitat. We should allow beaver tobuild dams to improve trout fish-ing.”

There is perhaps an element oftruth to both statements. And bothviews are about equally supportedby trout anglers. In a 2011 survey ofWisconsin trout anglers to solicit in-put on our trout management pro-gram, we asked anglers about theirfamiliarity and satisfaction withWisconsin’s beaver damage man-agement program for removing bea-ver and beaver dams from desig-nated coldwater streams to restoreand maintain free flowing condi-tions.

This was not a well-known pro-gram among survey participants,and support for it was mixed. Abouthalf were unfamiliar with the pro-gram and 41 percent heard of it butknew little about it. For the 11 per-cent quite familiar with the pro-gram, 42 percent were satisfied withit and 36 percent were unsatisfied.

Beaver management in Wiscon-sin is not all about trout. A DNRbeaver management plan was up-dated in 2015 with input from manydifferent stakeholders, includingtrappers and anglers. While the planmaintained beaver control efforts tominimize negative impacts on trout,

gaps in the science supporting theprogram were identified and re-search was recommended.

A new study on beaver impactson trout was prioritized by DNRFisheries Management, is beingconducted in cooperation withDNR Wildlife Research, and willaddress concerns raised in the bea-ver management plan. The goal ofthis study is to test for the effects,both positive and negative, of bea-vers, beaver dams and beaver damremoval on coldwater stream habi-tat and trout populations in differ-ent ecoregions and beaver man-agement zones across Wisconsin.

The study design utilizes an ex-perimental approach. One group ofstreams have had years of beavercontrol to maintain free-flowingconditions. We are allowing beaverto recolonize and build dams onthese streams. In another group ofstreams in which beaver have notbeen controlled, beaver and damswill be removed. And we will use agroup of control streams in whichthere will be no changes in beavermanagement. Control streams willhelp ensure that any changes wedocument in treatment streams area result of changes in beaver man-agement and not year-to-year vari-ability in trout populations,temperature, flow and other habitatcharacteristics.

We began the project in autumn2018, working with DNR fisheriesmanagers to begin identifying studysites. Study sites will represent troutstreams in Beaver ManagementZones A (north of Hwy 64 and westof Hwy 13), B (north of Hwy 64 andeast of Hwy 13), and C (south ofHwy 64 in the Driftless Area). Siteswill also be in the three major drain-age basins: Lake Michigan, LakeSuperior and Mississippi River ba-sins.

In 2019, we surveyed fish com-munities and stream habitat at 58sites in 29 streams, of which 15 weredeemed suitable for changing bea-ver management for the purposes ofthe study. For control sites, we willbe making use of many DNR troutstream trend sites, supplementingFisheries Management trout surveyswith habitat surveys and data log-gers to measure water temperatureand flow. This year we will be scout-ing additional sites to ensure region-al representation of different qualitytrout streams.

We are collecting data on multi-ple characteristics of streams, in-cluding fish community comp-osition; trout abundance, size struc-ture, growth and movement; physi-cal stream habitat; and watertemperature and flow. We will alsodocument the presence of beaverand measure characteristics of the

dams they build. Beaver colonization has begun

on some streams. Beaver controlwill stop on some additional studystreams this year and some nextyear. This will be a multi-year study,and the length of the study may de-pend on how quickly beaver do theirpart in streams we are allowingthem to recolonize. Some monitor-ing will also likely continue to docu-ment longer-term effects in somestudy streams.

We will share more informationas the study progresses. If you haveany questions, you can contact me [email protected] orDr. Nathan Roberts at [email protected].

Matt Mitro is the DNR’s coldwaterfisheries research scientist based inMadison and working on trout andstreams statewide.

MEASURING A BEAVER DAM ON A DRIFTLESS AREA STREAM

DNR studying beaver influences on streams, trout

By Tom Lager

TU CARES (Trout Unlimit-ed Central Area Restoration Ef-fort for Sustainability), whileinfluenced by current COVID-19 constraints, progressed both“in-field and at-home-bound”activities.

A Waushara County HighwayC road-crossing culvert was re-placed on an unnamed Class 1trout stream and tributary to theWest Branch of the White River.This event was inspired by theTU CARES-funded culvert re-placement project at the LakeDrive crossing just downstream.The Highway C culvert is nowproperly sized for stream flowand sediment transport, whichalso enhances free migration ofbrook and brown trout.

The Lake Drive culvert isscheduled to be replaced laterthis year to enhance trout pas-sage and water flow through theroad crossing.

Materials for this project werefunded by a $25,000 CommunityFoundation of the Fox Valleygrant obtained by TU CARES.The Wautoma highway depart-ment did a wonderful job withthe replacement and workedwith the DNR’s Brad Betthauserfor permitting.

The Younglove Project planto revitalize a 40-year-old sectionof the West Branch of the White

River was completed by ShawnSullivan and Steve Devitt (DNRWild Rose Trout Habitat Man-agement Team). The main goalsare to 1) improve and increasehabitat for trout spawning, juve-nile trout nurseries and adulttrout, 2) bank stabilization and3) increase accessibility for fish-ing and other recreational uses.

Scott Bahn prepared and sub-mitted an Embrace-A-StreamGrant request to partially fundthe estimated $160,000 cost.Other TU funding sources arebeing explored with TU CARESchapters including Central Wis-consin, Fox Valley, Frank Horn-berg and Shaw-paca, as well asother TU chapters within Wis-consin and Illinois. Additionalgrants being explored are fromthe DNR River RestorationGrant and Trout and SalmonFoundation. The project isplanned for 2021 – 2022.

TU CARES chapters achie-ved our stretch goal of raising$29,000 to support Limited TermEmployee salaries working onthe Wild Rose Trout HabitatManagement crew. The detailsof chapter volunteer support for2020 planned habitat work arepending DNR COVID-19 guid-ance.

The Groundwater Projectmeasuring stream flows and wa-ter temperatures at 10 headwa-ter trout stream sites continues

in partnership with DNR and Ja-cob Lemon (TU Eastern AnglerScience Coordinator) to fill datagaps in DNR modeling effortsdesigned to describe the interre-lationship of groundwater andsurface cold waters.

This work was supported byDNR and TU grants totaling$10,000 in 2019. Mike San Dret-to and Chris Firkus prepared

and submitted TU CARES inputto the DNR Property MasterPlan for Central Sand Hills Eco-logical Landscape. The input wasfocused on coldwater troutstreams and the associated ripar-ian areas, based to a large degreeon the vision TU CARES has forthis region.

TU CARES’s public outreach in the Central Region

NEW CULVERT ON TRIBUTARY OF THE WEST BRANCH WHITE RIVERHere’s what the Waushara County Highway C culvert looks like after replacement, improving trout passage and water and sediment transport through the road crossing.

To

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ager


By Mike Juran and Curt Rees

“Mat,” Geri said with tears inher eyes, “What have we done? Weare so screwed.”

It’s August, 2004 and Mat Wag-ner and his wife Geri Meyer hadjust purchased a building on MainStreet in downtown Viroqua. Gerirecalls the weather being unbear-ably hot, with highs above 100 de-grees. Mat and Geri had movedacross the country with two smallboys and were preparing to open afly shop and guide service here inthe Driftless Area of southwest Wis-consin.

For two solid weeks before theyopened, Geri and Mat had beenfishing the local spring creeks andhad not caught a single trout. Panicand fear could have overtakenthem, but the community came totheir rescue. This would set a prece-dent of the symbiotic relationshipbetween their business, the Viro-qua area, and the trout angling com-munity.

Let’s move to Wisconsin?Before coming to Viroqua, Mat

and Geri met in Taos, New Mexicowhere Mat guided and managed afly shop and Geri ran a French bis-tro. They met through mutualfriends, fished together, and the restof their relationship is history.

They soon decided to try theirhand at running their own fly shop.With no desire for big city life, theysearched for opportunities wherethe fishing was good and there wasneed of a fly shop. One of Mat’sfriends from Minnesota had fre-quently talked about this area calledthe Driftless. Mat’s own researchkept finding the Midwest springcreeks in the top five places to fishin the U.S. After further investiga-tion, Mat said to Geri, “Let’s moveto Wisconsin.”

As you can imagine, Geri’s re-sponse was classic … and unprint-able, but they looked for the centerof the Driftless region and foundViroqua. Geri thought it soundedFrench, and they began their quest.

Mat’s parents made a trip from

Michigan to Viroqua and found thevery building that now houses theDriftless Angler. Geri and Matmade a trip from Taos for a longweekend and quickly fell in lovewith the area and the friendly peo-ple. The dream of a fly-fishing shopin Viroqua started to take shapeand the relationship with our specialarea began.

They had purchased the build-ing and officially started their busi-ness without ever having wet a linein local water, so not catching atrout in their first two weeks wasterrifying. It would have been un-derstandable for them to just takejobs in the private sector andsquelch the dream but help arrivedin the form of Driftless legends,John Bethke and Bob Blumreich.John, the creator of the pink squir-rel and local guide Bob, a localguide, helped clue them in, and toput aside their Western ways of flyfishing and learn techniques andskills needed for our narrow, tree-laden spring creeks.

Another local heroBefore they had even unpacked

all the boxes of materials, flies, rods,and other fishing gear, another herocame to their aid. Pete Cozad, re-nowned guide in our area, taped asimple note to the shop’s front door.“Hi, I’m Pete Cozad and I’m a fly-fishing guide. I wonder if you wouldconsider hiring me?” Mat joked sar-castically, “Being the experiencedbusiness people we are, we took hisnote, checked one reference (a verypositive one) and hired him,” andPete has been with them since thebeginning. Pete had previously guid-ed for people from the Chicago areaand also had Minneapolis contacts.He helped lend credibility to the flyshop and build their initial business.

Diversity and fly anglingThe Driftless Angler stands out

from most fly shops across the coun-try as Mat and Geri have a very di-versified guide staff. They currentlyemploy five full time guides andfour part-time guides, including

Driftless AnglerKeeping a business alive while keeping a community safe.

Mat and Geri. Besides Geri as a fe-male guide, the rest of the guidescome from a variety of ethnic back-grounds. They all possess skill setsthat meet the expectations of theirclients.

The fly-fishing world has tradi-tionally been more affluent, whiteand male, but the shop is trying tobring more diversity and opportuni-ty to the sport. It makes businesssense to expand the diversity of theclient base, but Mat and Geri alsorecognize that it is also good for thesport and the preservation of thenatural resources on which theirbusiness depends. Clients havecome from Madison, Milwaukee,and Chicago as you can imagine, butthey also include visitors from SouthAfrica, Japan and Great Britain.

For years Geri has focused onproviding more opportunities for fe-male fly anglers. The Driftless An-gler has a line of women’s outdoorclothing and equipment. Geri usedto get a lot of eyerolls when attend-ing vendor seminars when she askedabout more focus on equipment forfemale anglers. Thanks to her per-sistence and more recognition fromgear vendors, the availability of flyfishing equipment for women grew.

Their shop now carries full linesof women’s apparel in a variety ofsizes, unlike many other fly shopswhich may only have a more limitedselection. Their commitment totheir clients and expanding thesport across demographic lines isadmirable and runs counter to anefficient focus on only one part ofthe demographic. As you will see,that is the type of people they are —community centered, not profit cen-tered.

One-fly tournamentThe Driftless Angler supports

the development of the next genera-tions of anglers with their support ofPete Cozad’s Driftless One-FlyTournament. For the past six years,Pete has organized the “One-Fly” toraise thousands of dollars to supportlocal youth angling and outdoor ini-tiatives. This is an all-day event,where each member of a four-per-son team is allowed to have one flyfor the day. If the fly is lost or needsto be retied, that team member isdone, contributing to the officialscore of the team. There are a limit-ed number of teams that can partici-pate, and preference is given to

youth anglers. Any team having acompetitor under the age of 18 is anautomatic entry into the tourney.The rest of the teams are selected atrandom drawing. There is a fun en-ergy among the people this eventbrings together, and it wouldn’thappen without Pete and the sup-port of Driftless Angler.

Fly shop built on relationships

The Driftless Angler is alwaysavailable to help trout fisherman.“It’s a relationship,” emphasizesMat, and they can provide a wealthof information to anglers. If youwalk through their doors, use theirbathroom, make fun of Mat’s hair,and then ask for a top stream desti-nation, it’s possible you will be sentto the East Fork of the Kickapoo orjust down the road to the TUDAREimprovement project on ShitzeCreek. It is a business after all, so ifyou venture into any fly shop, sup-port them. Be kind and polite ofcourse, but also buy some tippet,floatant, or a couple of recommend-ed flies. Information may flow morefreely. If you invest in them, theywill invest in you and help you havethe best possible experience on thestream.

Hire a guide?Hiring a guide is another way to

invest in a fly shop, but I personallythink the angler benefits much morethan the fly shop. I learned to flyfish on Arkansas tailwaters and thetrout don’t seem to care about badcasts. Trying that same approach inthe Driftless was a completely dif-ferent matter. Tangles, lost flies andmonologues of swear words grosslyoutnumbered the trout caught in anouting.

And just like Bethke and Blum-reich helped Mat and Geri figureout trout fishing here, Mat did thesame for me in 2008. I hired Mat fora guide trip during their initial shopyears and he taught me more in fourhours than I would have learned infour years on my own. Yes, wecaught fish that day, but more thanthat, Mat saved me years of frustra-tion with expert advice on how toread pieces of water, where to placea fly, and how to fine tune my Drift-less cast.See DRIFTLESS, page 23DRIFTLESS, from page 13

ALWAYS WORKING ON GETTING MORE WOMEN INTO THE SPORTGeri has focused on providing more opportunities for female fly anglers. The Driftless Angler has a line of women’s outdoor clothing and equipment.

MAT LOVES WHAT HE DOES. CAN’T YOU TELL?Clients have come from Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago, but they also include visitors from South Africa, Japan and Great Britain.


By Rick Larkin

In the late 1970s I discovered apublication entitled “WisconsinTrout Waters — Maps — CompleteList for 58 Counties,” published bythe Clarkson Map Company ofKaukauna, Wisconsin. It cost sixbucks, was atlas-sized, and had mapsof all Wisconsin counties wheretrout streams were present. Eachcounty map had a graphic listing thename of the trout stream, theamount of trout water present, troutspecies present (“x” for stocked, “n”for native), which portions of thestreams support trout, the miles oftrout water, and the portions of thestream which were Class I, II or III.All of this for six bucks? We couldnot believe our good fortune, but,where to start?

We started bylooking at coun-ties where wehad fished be-fore. In DaneCounty, home ofBlack EarthCreek, the booklisted six troutstreams. We al-ready knew four.Vernon Countyhad eight at thattime and LaCrosse hadthree. All in all,not too many, sowe kept on pag-ing through the book.

We struck gold with MarinetteCounty. We were stunned to see thatit had 58 trout streams. The mapand stream information covered twopages and was a mass of blue squig-gles showing all of the streams.

We read on. There were 241.8miles of Class I water! We addedthis up on an old adding machine.Fifty or so had native brookies. Mosthad either native or stocked browns.Two had native rainbows. VernonCounty didn’t list any Class I water.Dane County listed only 10 miles. Itwas too much. We needed to go toMarinette County.

We didn’t just jump in the carand start driving. We really didn'tknow where Marinette County wasexactly, as we all lived in the Mil-waukee area. Nobody had a familycottage up there and nobody had ev-er camped there, or had even driventhrough it. Our journeys northeastusually stopped in Green Bay. Inthose days, Packer tickets were easyto come by and cheap, sometimesfree, in the dark years between Su-per Bowls.

Desperate, I went to the libraryand rummaged around the Wiscon-sin tourist and guide books. I discov-ered the following from a pamphlet:“Marinette County abounds with in-expensive county and townshipcampgrounds, usually in forested lo-cations along Marinette County'snumerous rushing trout streams.”

Bingo! Now we just needed to as-semble the camping gear for a week-end expedition.

Even in those youthful days, theprospect of tent camping separatedthe trout fishing sheep from thetrout fishing goats. The number ofenthusiastic viewers of the Clarksonmap book shrank a great deal whenconfronted by having to camp out.Suddenly things like June weddings,

graduation parties, golf outings, andother excuses reduced the “Corps deTrout” to two guys — myself andJeff (one of my fishing buddies ofthat era and a good camper). Wecommenced planning our attack andassembling gear.

Much of our camping gear con-sisted of stuff given away when ourold Boy Scout Troop 114 disbandeda few years earlier. We had a water-proof two-man canvas pup tent thatI think went into Germany with Pat-ton, aluminum cooking gear, and asimilar vintage rain fly which wascoated with the same smelly water-proofing our tent was coated with. Ametal ice chest, my Coleman lan-tern, a jointly owned Coleman stove,cast-iron frying pan, sleeping bags,air mattresses, a bike pump, and afew army surplus kitchen utensils

completed theequipment list as acampfire dinner offried trout and friedpotatoes danced inour heads.

Fishing gear in-cluded our fly rodsand waders, twospinning rods, atackle box, and aStyrofoam coolerwith about a hun-dred worms. Jeffwas a little unsureabout the fly-fishingpart of the plan as itpertained to dinner.

We were loaded for bear. This pileof stuff would be jammed into Jeff'stiny yellow Toyota wagon.

Where oh where to go? So muchwater! So many streams! We ago-nized. We studied the map book.The North Branch of the Pike Riverhad 29.5 miles of Class I water withnative brook and brown trout. Wewould start there. Next, we decidedto explore the Wausaukee Rivernear Athelstane as one of the Mari-nette County brochures I looked atin the library had a big ad for a tav-ern near Athelstane depicting alarge pizza next to a pitcher of beer.Plus, the Wausaukee also had nativebrooks and browns. Next, we sawthe Pemebonwon River and its vari-ous branches to the north of High-way 8. The book indicated nativebrookies. Plus, we thought the namesounded cool. This constitutedabout fifty miles of trout waterwhich we would fish during thecourse of a two-day weekend.

We left Milwaukee on a Fridaynight after work and headed up I-43to Green Bay. At Green Bay wetook U.S. Highway 41 and thenHighway 141. We were now in un-charted territory. The countryside,now in full dusk, revealed miles ofheavy pine forest. We were “upnorth.”

The little signs indicating countycampgrounds were difficult to seebut after a few missteps we foundone by Dave’s Falls on the Pike Riv-er. We found a site, put up oursmelly tent, pumped up the air mat-tresses and made a small campfire.Under the glow of the lantern, wehad a sandwich and a beer, andpoured over our trout maps and aMarinette County highway map wegot at a gas station. At first light, wewould hit the Pike. We thoughtdownstream from the campsitewould offer bigger water and bigger

fish. We had never camped in pinewoods before and the north woodssmell was intoxicating. Sleep camequickly. Large browns soon dancedin our dreams.

In those days we did not have in-ternet-based stream-flow data, sat-ellite weather, Doppler radar, oranything like that. We just watchedPaul Joseph on Channel 4. If Paulsaid it was OK, it was assumed to beOK. In his defense, Paul’s forecastdid not extend into MarinetteCounty. While skies were clear onthe drive up, we did not know it hadbeen raining during the previousweek.

At first light, we had peanut but-ter toast made on the camp stoveand instant coffee. Granola barsand the French press had not yetbeen invented. We left camp anddrove a short distance to our chosen“spot” on the Pike. We were armedwith fly rods and Muddler Minnows,hoping for big hook-jawed browns.To say the water was a little high wasan understatement. It was a ragingwhitewater torrent. We thought thatbeing swept to our death was not agood idea and jumped back in thecar. We drove a little further up-stream and came to another countypark access. We walked down thetrail to the sound of rushing water.

At the river, a rock formation ofdark granite created a large angular

obstruction in the middle of the riv-er creating a mix of water moving atdifferent velocities over whatlooked like a small waterfall with adistinct swirl at the bottom. TheMarinette County Park Departmentplaced a “DANGER-WHIRL-POOL” sign on a sheet of white-painted plywood, which was alsoadorned with a large hand-paintedskull and crossbones in red, just incase the written warning wasn'tenough. We got the hint and keptmoving upstream.

We eventually came to less men-acing water and began swinging ourMuddler Minnows in the Pike. Itwas mildly stained at this point andeverything looked real fishy. We didthe downstream wet fly swing. Weswung and swung and swung somemore. We moved upstream andswung even more. We changed fliesto some streamers, strippingthrough the current in every way wecould think of. We tried themweighted and un-weighted. Then wetried Woolley Buggers. Jeff wentback to the car for his spinning rodand trusty night crawler rig. No dice.Not even a bump all morning. ThePike soundly defeated us.

It was after noon and time forlunch. After driving around for awhile, we found the pizza joint nearAthelstane, had pizza and licked ourwounds. We adjusted our strategy

RECOLLECTIONS

The Pemebonwon River ExpeditionTwo young anglers embark on a late 1970s camping trip in search of Marinette County’s bountiful trout waters.

We struck gold with Marinette County. We were stunned to see that it had 58 trout

streams. The map and stream information

covered two pages and was a mass of blue

squiggles showing all of the streams.

ALL THIS FOR SIX BUCKS?In the late 1970s the author discovered a publication entitled “Wisconsin Trout Waters- Maps- Complete List for 58 Counties,” published by the Clarkson Map Company of Kaukauna, Wisconsin. It cost six bucks, was atlas-sized, and had maps of all Wisconsin counties where trout streams were present. Each county map had a graphic listing the name of the trout stream, the amount of trout water present, trout species present (“x” for stocked, “n” for native), which portions of the streams support trout, the miles of trout water, and the portions of the stream which were Class I, II or III.


over sausage and mushroom pizzaand Schlitz. We now turned our at-tention to the Pemebonwon. It wasalready past two in the afternoonand the Wausaukee would have towait for another expedition. Afterfinishing lunch, we drove north on141.

The Pemebonwon and itsbranches flow in a mostly easterlydirection towards Pembine. Giventhe condition of the Pike, wethought smaller water upstreammight be best. On 141, we turnedwest on a gravel road with heavywoods and undergrowth on eitherside. We began looking for accesspoints to the Pemebonwon.

The map showed all county andtownship forest land located in amaze of county and poorly markedgravel roads. Based on the troutmap book and the county road map,the stream should have crossed thegravel road we were on at twopoints. We couldn’t find either.Then, we stopped the car and soonheard the unmistakable sound ofrushing water coming from eitherside of us. We walked in one direc-tion and found the Pemebonwon, orwhat we thought was the Pemebon-won, flowing under a large culvert,obscured by tag alders and a jungleof thick undergrowth. We had locat-ed crossing number one. We walkedin the other direction about a coupleof hundred yards and found thesame scenario for crossing numbertwo with the same thick under-growth. Both branches of the streamwere very small at this point. Wecould barely see the water. A lightrain was starting to fall, makingthings even more fun.

Just how in the hell were we go-ing to fish this? Jeff was not much ofa fly fisherman and was fresh fromhis fly-fishing defeat at the hands ofthe Pike. He grabbed a spinning rodand the worm cooler. “I’m sitting onthe road. Probably be a hole by theculvert,” he said. He was probablyright. Still, despite everything — the

Pike River failure, the rain and theneed to catch dinner -- I would flyfish. I badly wanted to catch abrookie on a fly.

I had a selection of Adams, Roy-al Wulffs and some other smalldries. All were known to be brookiefavorites, based on the outdoormagazine articles I had read. I alsohad some small wet flies and thebigger muddlers and streamers weused to try to catch browns in thePike.

This woods had to open up, Ithought, so into the thick wet woodsI plunged. Thank God for deer andtrout fishermen, a narrow path par-alleled the creek. The undergrowthwas still pretty thick, so I kept walk-ing, or more correctly squishing,stumbling and crashing along themuddy creek bottom, which was alsothe home of thousands of mosqui-toes and black flies. I wanted tocatch a native brook trout on a flymore than ever and pushed deeperand deeper in the woods along thecreek.

The woods did open up a littleand I strung my fly rod and tied onan Adams. The creek now flowedthrough a more or less open forestfloor with mature pines and hard-woods creating a dense canopyabove. It was dark, but fairly open,save for the large trees, with no tagalders and only moss and fernsgrowing on the forest floor. The wa-ter was very clear, small, shallowand meandered through the forestfloor showing a white sand bottomand mossy green banks. Little rifflesinterrupted the otherwise clearstretches of still slower flowing wa-ter. It was quiet, save for the gur-gling of the little river. It was easilyone of the most beautiful places Ihad ever seen. It was almost fai-rytale-like and if a couple of gnomesor elves showed up, I wouldn't havebeen shocked.

I checked my back cast distanceand let out some line. My first falsecast caught on a branch and

FEW STREAMS IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN, SO HEAD NORTHThe book listed six trout streams in Dane County, eight in Vernon County and three in LaCrosse County. It listed 58 trout streams in Marinette County.

snapped off my fly. It was muchtighter than I thought. Same resultfor casting attempt number two. MyAdams supply was now down to twoflies, so I tied on a Royal Wulff andlost that, too. During my failed castsI noticed that I had spooked a num-ber of fish that headed downstreamto Jeff, who was probably catchingbrookies on worms like a commer-cial fisherman. I crept on, losingflies as I went.

I rethought my approach and gotdown on my knees. I tried to slowlyand quietly crawl to a more open rif-fle a few yards ahead. I could nowsee a couple of nice brookies lazilyfinning in the pool below the riffle. Itried a short roll cast with my lastWulff. Best cast so far. They ignoredit. They also ignored the next 10casts. Then they ignored the lastAdams. It started to rain a littlemore. I tried a wet fly and swung itthrough the pool. No dice. Multiplecasts in the most beautiful brookie-filled pool in the most magical for-est I had ever seen produced noth-ing. The gnomes and elves musthave been laughing their asses off.

It rained a little harder as late af-ternoon turned into a long earlysummer evening. I kept movingaround this forested paradise tryingthe various pools and riffles withwhat flies I had left. I was skunked.Jeff must have 20 brookies by now, Ithought. “Hope he didn’t keep thatmany,” I grumbled to myself whiletying on a muddler. They didn’t likethe muddler, either, so my skunkingcontinued. I looked at my watch. Ihad been fishing this little stretchfor more than three hours. I said Iwould be out by eight o’clock and Ifigured I had about 15 minutes leftbefore I needed to start walkingback to the car.

In times of desperation, desper-ate men do desperate things. I kneltdown on the mossy forest floor andbegan to dig for worms with my barehands. It was easy digging and soonI had about a half dozen. I found asplit shot in my vest and a stray wetfly. I now entered the dark side as Ifed my worm-dressed weighted wetfly into a little pool and hoped forthe best. I had five minutes until Ineeded to start walking out.

Very soon, a chunky male Brook-ie inhaled my fly/worm combo andwas hauled in with little ceremony.In my hand, the trout was as beauti-ful as the little magic forest streamhe just came from. He was a verydark green, almost black along thetop which accentuated the spots andwormy patterns of the flanks. Hiswhite belly was as white as the sandin the stream. The white- tipped or-ange and red fins were brilliant andintense in color. It was perhaps themost beautiful fish I had ever seen.

He was also for dinner, so in mycreel he went.

The rain intensified as I sloggedback to the car. I emerged from thewoods and found Jeff sitting in thefront seat of the Toyota, drinking abeer and listening to the radio. Itapped on the window. He opened ita crack. “How’d ya do, flyboy?” helaughed. It was not his first beer.“Got one,” I said defensively.“Hah!” he laughed, “Kept a limitand let a bunch go!” he hooted.“Even got out my fly rod and ran awet fly through the culvert and got acouple more!” That really hurt. Still,we had enough for dinner.

It was now raining even harder.“Gonna let me in?” I asked, and hedid so without any further taunting.I was now thoroughly soaked andwe drove back to the campgroundwith the heater on full blast so Icould dry out. Once on the highway,we stopped for gas and I bought twoof those emergency clear plasticponchos for a buck each.

We drove back to our camp siteto make the fabulous fried trout din-ner we talked about during the plan-ning stages of the trip. Cookingdinner was slow going with the raininterfering at every step. We de-ployed George Patton’s leftoverstinky rain fly, which was now reallyshowing its age and keeping out on-ly some of the rain. Every time araindrop hit the lantern or the hotoil a big “PFFFFT” was heard as wecooked the fish and potatoes.Clouds of steam and airborne oilcreated a foggy scene in the lanternlight.

I can remember the rain drippingoff the bill of my baseball hat andthe rain fly. It dripped onto my din-ner plate and I had to pause fromtime to time to drain rainwater fromthe fried trout and potatoes. Still, itwas one hell of a trout dinner.Those brookies tasted so good. Sog-gy fried potatoes are not nearly asappreciated as they should be. Beernever tasted better. Kings don’t eatthis well.

No photos survive of the twoyoung men in clear plastic ponchoseating a late night trout dinner un-der a canvas fly by lantern light inthe June rain. Despite a night of wetsleeping bags, a leaky WWII canvaspup tent, bugs, general physical mis-ery, and generally uncooperativetrout, I always smile when someonementions the Pemebonwon. Some-times, on the rare occasion when Iam eating a fried trout dinner, Ipour a little water on the plate andthen drain it off, just for old time’ssake. I grin a silly grin and peoplethink I’m nuts. I know the Peme-bonwon gnomes and elves think so.If I ever get back there, I will try tocatch one.

THE AUTHOR TRIES TO WADE THE PIKE RIVERThe trout didn’t come easily on this soggy trip to northeastern Wisconsin, but it was a trip they’ll never forget


By Rob Mentzer, Wisconsin Public Radio

For a time, thousands of brooktrout spawned in the Portage Coun-ty creek known as the IsherwoodLateral.

But the trout habitat built thereby Donald “Justin” Isherwood be-came the subject of a bitter disputewith local authorities, and in June2017, just weeks before a scheduledcourt hearing, those authoritiesbrought construction equipmentonto Isherwood’s property todredge the creek and destroy thehabitat.

The court case took years tomake its way through the legal sys-tem. But it’s now official: Isherwoodprevailed. The local drainage dis-trict had no right to destroy histrout habitat.

The last step came in Marchwhen the state Supreme Court de-clined to hear the case, leaving anappellate judgment in Isherwood’sfavor to stand.

Now, Isherwood and his wife,Lynn Isherwood, have applied fornew state permits and have plans tobegin rebuilding the habitat thissummer.

“Let’s just say it was a longhaul,” Lynn said. Having the casebrought to a close, she said, was an“extreme relief.”

It’s been nearly four years sinceJustin filed suit against the PortageCounty Drainage District, and al-most three years since the destruc-tion of the habitat. And the disputeitself goes back many years beforethat.

Justin farms potatoes, corn, peasand other crops on about 1,600acres of land in central Wisconsin.The Isherwood Lateral is a creekthat runs through the land he owns.Even the definition of it as a“creek” was contested by membersof the Drainage District, who calledit a “ditch.” Their position in the

dispute was that the alterations theIsherwoods made to the water run-ning through their property couldcreate problems with the drainagesystem that could affect otherfarms. They never showed actualharm had come from theproject, according to a courtfinding.

The habitat itself was nothingmore than dozens of old Christmastrees staked to the creek bed. Thewoody material acted as cover fortrout, and the stream's gravelbed was a place for them to lay theireggs. It worked. By 2016, thousandsor even tens of thousands of troutwere spawning in the creek.

But by that time, following yearsof tension and fruitless negotia-tions, Justin was locked in a disputewith the drainage district, led byPaul Cieslewicz of nearby Bancroft.Justin filed suit in July 2016 to try tostop the district from tearing outthe habitat.

“His trout habitat is definitelygoing to come out,” Cieslewiczsaid in a July 2017 interview withWPR. “There’s no doubt.”

And it did.The case had a court date set for

June 28, 2017. On June 7 of thatyear, the drainage district brought abackhoe to the Isherwood Lateraland pulled the Christmas trees fromthe river and cut down other treeson both banks, returning the creekto something that looked muchmore like a ditch.

“I’m devastated,” Justin toldWPR then. “It's been nuked...It’s allgone.”

In retrospect, Lynn said, that ag-gressive move by the drainage dis-trict may have helped their case.

“It was devastating at thetime,” Lynn said, “but actually itworked to our advantage because itreally insulted the court.”

The judge in the case would callthe abrupt removal of the habitat a“flagrant and knowing disregard of

CLEARING OUT THE ISHERWOOD LATERALIn June of 2017, just weeks before a court hearing, the Portage County Drainage District dredged the woody debris that Justin Isherwood had placed in the Isherwood Lateral. Although it was mostly old Christmas trees, the woody material provided brook trout cover and the stream’s gravel bed was perfect for spawning. By 2016, thousands of trout were spawning in the creek.

the judicial process” and a “pig-headed move.”

Cieslewicz told WPR in 2018that “the judge calling me a bone-head for taking the obstructionsout, that is very unprofessional ofthe judge. It’s crazy that the judgecan have this much bias and getaway with it.”

In February 2018, the judge or-dered the drainage district topay Justin's legal fees and reimbursehim for the cost of restoring thetrout habitat. Instead, the drainagedistrict appealed the case. They lostthe appeal, and appealed again tothe state Supreme Court.

When the Supreme Court chosenot to take the case this year, it wasover.

In a brief phone interview,

Cieslewicz said he had “nothing tosay” to WPR about the conclusionof the case.

“You blew it out of proportionlast time; you’re not going to do itagain to me,” Cieslewicz said.

Lynn said she and her husbandhave presented their plans to thestate Department of Agriculture,Trade and Consumer Protection forpermitting. They’ve been collectingChristmas trees. With any luck,they’ll be out this summer puttingthe trees in and staking them down.There are still some trout left in thestream, and they’re hoping they canhelp ensure that there are moreeach year.

Thank you to Wisconsin PublicRadio for allowing us to publish thisarticle.

Isherwoods win Supreme Court caseA farmer created trout habitat and authorities tore it out.After years in court, he won the right to rebuild.

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Trout stamp program seeks art entries

By Darrell Toliver, Trout Stamp Coordinator

The Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources is happy to an-nounce that the annual InlandTrout Stamp Design Contest hasbeen reinstated and is now openand accepting entries! The winningart will appear on the 2021 InlandTrout Stamp.

Judging for the top 10 pieces ofartwork for the Inland Trout StampDesign Contest will take place inan open session in September 2020. The top three pieces of submittedartwork (that is, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place entries) may be displayedat external venues. Please be sure that your submitted artwork con-forms to the specifications outlined in the “2021 Wisconsin InlandTrout Stamp Design Contest Rules.” Also, please take note that en-tries should not be protected by any covering such as acetate or cello-phane. You may use an acetate envelope for protection duringmailing, as long as this envelope can be easily removed.

For a copy of the 2021 Inland Trout Stamp Design Contest Repro-duction Rights Agreement and the 2021 Inland Trout Stamp DesignContest Rules, please contact me. Read over the instructions careful-ly. All paperwork can be included with your artwork during mailing,and you may mail entries and paperwork for Inland Trout Stamp de-sign contests in the same package if you wish. Entries must be deliv-ered or postmarked by August 2, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] 651-269-8804. Good luck. We look forward to seeing your entry.

MONSTER, from page 9We had posed so many questions

and answered them all. We hadranked our tactics in order of confi-dence from highest to lowest. Wehad even tossed around the idea ofcontacting the local fisheries biolo-gist to see if he was interested inelectrofishing that section to see ifwe could turn up this fabled fish.

We spent so much time relivingthe event and daydreaming aboutAct II of the saga that we neverwent back for another attempt. I

think we were reluctant to return tothis fish because we were subcon-sciously afraid of the inevitableheartbreak we would suffer whenthe fish never materialized. Wewere so afraid of seeing the fishagain and not catching it that wenever even tried. Or maybe it wasenough just to know a fish of thatcaliber existed. Maybe we never re-turned out of respect for a fish thatlarge and that old. Whatever thereason, that fish remains the great-est fish there (n)ever was.

IS THERE A PRETTIER FISH THAN A BROOKIE?


Wisconsin Great Lakes Stream Restoration Program updateBy Chris Collier, Great Lakes Stream

Restoration Manager

This has not been the spring orsummer any of us were imagining.Despite all that has happened, I’mstill encouraged by all that TU hasbeen able to accomplish nationally,regionally and locally. From encour-aging #ResponsibleRecreation todedicated members and volunteersmaking sure policy and project goalsare not forgotten, you have shownthat coldwater conservation doesn’tstop.

When the pandemic came to ahead in March, I was interviewingpotential summer interns. We werenot sure if we would be able to safe-ly have interns in the field this sea-son, but fortunately some dedicatedstaff members developed protocolsfor working during the pandemic.

We were able to bring on two in-terns, Rachel LaPorte from Wiscon-sin Lutheran College and HannahKieler from the University of Wash-ington (a Wisconsin local home forthe summer). They started their in-ternship the first week of June (I’mactually writing this update arounda campfire in Marinette County af-ter their first day) and will be help-ing us inventory road-streamcrossings to identify fish passagebarriers and help with other sum-mer projects.

Speaking of those other projects,we still have a full workload with theU.S. Forest Service. Eight culvertscreating fish passage barriers arescheduled to be replaced this sum-mer in partnership with theChequamegon-Nicolet National

Forest, reconnecting more than 20miles of trout habitat. We’re alsoworking on a remnant logging damremoval on the North Branch Ocon-to River near Wabeno and I will beexcited to share updates on thatproject in the future.

While our work with the U.S.Forest Service is moving full steamahead, we have felt the negative im-pacts of working during a pandemic.In 2019 we hosted a project tourthat brought together more than 40local road managers and officials tolearn about our road-stream cross-ing projects. We were planning tohost another tour this year in thenorthwest part of the state, but afterpostponing the original tour date,we have decided to cancel the eventto err on the side of caution. Ourplan is to host the tour next year,but keep on the lookout for updatesas we explore new ways to spreadthe word about better stream man-agement.

But it’s you, our dedicated mem-bers and volunteers, who continueto make TU one of the leading voic-es in conservation. Through thesedifficult times you’ve continued tosupport TU and make sure coldwa-ter conservation isn’t overlooked.This is what makes TU such a suc-cessful organization and it makesme proud to work with you on theseimportant efforts. I sincerely ap-plaud your efforts and can’t wait un-til we can gather in a room again toshare stories, victories and projectupdates.

See you on the water (at leastone rod length apart, for now)!

OTTER CREEK BEFORE CULVERT REPLACEMENT IN 2019

OTTER CREEK AFTER CULVERT REPLACEMENT IN 2019

Summer 2020Page 18

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

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Aldo Leopold Chapter

Like in other chapters, the COV-ID-19 pandemic has impacted ouractivities. We cancelled our finalround of Bar Flies, our fly-tyinggatherings at local watering holes,we cancelled our spring camping/fishing weekend and we cancelledour annual fundraising picnic. Addi-tionally, we have moved to virtualboard meetings. We will follow TUguidance to decide when we will re-sume events.

I want to thank Bob Moss for hisyears of service on our board. Bobfound it necessary to resign fromthe board recently, and he will bemissed. He did great work as mem-bership chair, reaching out to newmembers when they joined TU.Best wishes to Bob. Jim Peters hasstepped up to take over the mem-bership chair position. Thank you,Jim.

Due to cancellation of classes forthe remainder of the school year,our Trout In the Classroom pro-gram in Sauk County had to be cur-tailed. Nate Nye and his crew fromthe DNR went to the schools andretrieved the fingerlings, which werethen released into local troutstreams. Hopefully TIC will be backnext year.

Thanks are in order to the hostsof our Bar Flies events. TumbledRocks Brewing, Oooga Brewing andThe Ballroom all made us welcomethis past winter and we appreciatetheir support. We are already plan-ning to expand Bar Flies next year,with more sessions throughout thewinter.

We are in the process of arrang-ing with the DNR for some mowingalong Bear Creek on the Fargeneasements. Nate Nye at the DNR ishelping us with the details, but if allgoes well later this season we shouldsee some mown paths along thestream. This should make access alot easier in the late season and itwill also help keep woody vegeta-tion from gaining any foothold.

Now for the really exciting newsabout Bear Creek. Nate Nye for-

warded us a copy of a recent DNRreport on the Bear Creek water-shed. This report documents an ex-tensive survey of the watersheddone in 2018, but incorporates datafrom 2013-2019. This is a new typeof report for the DNR, focusing onthe entire watershed. At 43 pages, itis lengthy and thorough. We plan topost a downloadable copy on ourwebsite, and the DNR will also havea copy on their website once theycomplete migration to a new web-site. I am really happy to report thatNate is recommending reclassifyingBear Creek upstream of Highway Nfrom Class 2 to Class 1. That wasone of our goals when we startedBCHIP almost 10 years ago and itfeels great to have achieved thatgoal. Here is a summary of the re-port’s recommendations:

Management recommendationsinclude:• Retain current fishing regula-

tions on all trout streams in theBear Creek watershed.

• Maintain current trout classifica-tions for Biser Creek and CroalCreek.

• Maintain current trout classifica-tion for Bear Creek below Coun-ty Highway N.

• Reclassify Marble Creek andMcCarville Creek from Class 2to Class 1.

• Reclassify Bear Creek upstreamof County Highway N from Class2 to Class 1.

• Discontinue brown trout stock-ing in Croal Creek.

• Expand easement and fee titleownership when possible to pro-vide additional habitat manage-me nt a n d p u b l i c a c c e s sopportunities. Expand NRB ac-quisition boundaries during mas-ter planning to facilitate moreacquisition.Many, many people have con-

tributed to our work on Bear Creek,and to see this success is a testamentto those efforts. To all of you, we saythank you.—Mike Barniskis

Antigo Chapter

We hope you all are well andsafe. Boy, what the last five monthshave done. The changes and cancel-lations have hit us all, and our chap-ter is no different. Our annualbanquet in March was delayed andnow is canceled for this year. Wehave returned ticket money to peo-ple who wanted their banquet ticketmoney back. We will start organiz-ing for next spring’s banquet afterChristmas.

We also canceled our an-nual June Kid’s Fishing Day. We didplace about 700 brook and rainbowtrout in Remington Lake in earlyMay, so the kids will have trout tocatch this summer.

The culvert replacement project

involving our chapter and theMoose Lake Association, on Crest-wood Road near Phlox, is complete.The previous culvert was a barrierto water flow and fish movement.

The June work day with area TUchapters and the DNR on the Ever-green River was canceled. Maybewe can reschedule it later.

We have talked to a landownerwith property on the East BranchEau Claire River to help enhanceaccess to the river for fisherman. Wewill keep you all informed on ourprogress.

That’s all for now. We hopethings get better for all of us soon.Go fishing!—Scott Henricks

Central Wisconsin Chapter

Central Wisconsin Trout Unlim-ited has had to make many painfuldecisions since the COVID-19 pan-demic struck. In the interest of thehealth and safety of our membersand guests during the pandemic, wereviewed our programs and decidedagainst holding in-person events,which was typically our busiest timeof the year.

We had to cancel the Don Har-

mon III Fly Fishing School. We lookforward to continuing this impor-tant chapter tradition that has intro-duced so many people to fly fishingfor more than 40 years. We will of-fer the students who signed up lastyear a priority for next year’s class.

We canceled our April, May andJune programs, and we also can-celed our stream habitat days forMay and June. We will evaluate

whether to hold them for the rest ofthe summer as time goes by and weare able to evaluate the risks.

We have also canceled our annu-al banquet for this fall, opting hope-fully for an event in 2021 which willcelebrate the chapter’s 50th anniver-sary.

We held our first virtual boardmeeting in May using the Zoomplatform. It’s a different experience,but at least we were able to get to-gether, check in on each other andattend to chapter affairs. We areplanning on using this forum for theforeseeable future until we go backto live meetings. Thanks to TomMeyer for championing the idea andhosting it for us.

We were able to make a donationof $12,000 to the DNR to supportstream restoration work in 2020.Hopefully, they will be able to gettheir crews in the field this summer.If not, we are sure that the fish willbe fine.

We have encouraged everyone toget out and enjoy Wisconsin’s finefishing. We have heard that manymore people than usual are gettingout and that there are many familieson the streams and they are intro-ducing their children to the sport,which is a great thing for fishing.

We welcomed a generous $1,000donation from the estate of HarlanBeutler. His daughter, Beth Lind,asked that the money be dedicatedto stream improvements on the Me-can River in Waushura County.Harlan was a lifelong fly fishermanwho loved the sport and the Mecan.His family is also selling Mecan Riv-er property to the DNR to ensurethat the resource is preserved withaccess for all. We can’t thank themenough.

We also welcomed two newmembers of the chapter who joinedunder TU’s new program offering aone-year free membership to essen-tial pandemic workers. The programappears to be very successful.

One bright spot has been theCWTU River Keepers. Bob Joz-wowski reports that the WAV beatgoes on:

The Central Wisconsin TU RiverKeepers enters its 20th year of exis-tence. Who would have imaginedthe challenges that we would be fac-ing today. In past years, the dis-solved oxygen kits we collected fromeach monitoring team the previousNovember would have been refur-bished and distributed to each team

at our April board meeting so theywould be ready to start the firstmonitoring session to collect Maydata. Then the COVID-19 lock-down hit us in March and our usualplans began to unravel.

But the key to success in any en-deavor is persistence and maintain-ing a certain degree of flexibility.While our collected DO kits couldbe refurbished with fresh chemicalsto provide a season’s worth of watersampling in the usual time frame,distribution to the team captainsneeded to be delayed until a disin-fecting procedure and social dis-tancing plan could be implemented.In addition, UW—Extension andthe DNR advised that monitoringactivities should be postponed untilfurther notice.

While the month of April cameand went without any of the normalpreparatory work, the first fewweeks in May allowed us time to dis-infect each DO kit and allow pick upor hand delivery of each kit to theteam captains. In CWTU RiverKeepers, 40 percent of our teamsconsist of either single-person orsingle-household members, so socialdistancing guidelines would not re-strict the team from functioning asusual. In the other cases, somethoughtful consideration of travelisolation (i.e. separate cars), and di-vision of on-stream parameter mea-surement can serve the samefunction.

Standard WAV procedures re-quire each team to make six mea-surements once per month at theirassigned stream location. Those pa-rameters are water temperature,transparency, dissolved oxygen,stream flow, macroinvertebrate(aquatic animals) collection andidentification, and habitat assess-ment. If team members can be as-signed one or two of these specifictasks, social distancing guidelinescan still be observed.

Officially, the start of the 2020monitoring season is targeted forJune, but many of our 27 teams con-sisting of 75 volunteers measuring36 stream sites have already beguntheir work. After two months of self-quarantine and cold spring weatherto boot, we are all raring to get outon the streams to monitor.

Oh yeah, fishing is pretty good,too.—Stan Cichowski

CWTU’S RIVERKEEPERS HAVE BEEN KEEPING BUSYFrank Druecke (right) and Bob Jozwowski (left) doing a depth measurement on Bird Creek in Walton’s as part of CWTU’s WAV monitoring duties.

Summer 2020 Page 19

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

Coulee Region Chapter

The pandemic led to the cancel-lation of our last three chaptermeetings and presentations. Sadly,several other events we sponsor orvolunteer are also cancelled: Co-zad’s Driftless 1Fly, Coon ValleyTrout Fest, Tainter Creek StreamDay, a work day with SEWTU atEsofea Park and the Youth OutdoorFest. It is disappointing that theseoutreach events didn’t happen, butwe will prepare to be back withthem all next year. Kristal Welter isalready planning for the return ofchapter meetings and guest present-ers in the fall, or whenever it isdeemed safe to gather in largegroups again.

While our events didn’t happen,our board met monthly over Zoomto take care of organizational busi-ness. We developed our committeestructures to focus our work and al-so elected a new chapter president.Fred Spademan is the new CouleeRegion leader and we are thrilled tohave him at the top of our chapter.Fred has been a board member andconstant volunteer and will do wellin helping coordinate all we do. Ma-ny thanks to Rick Kyte and Cy Postfor serving as co-presidents for thepast year.

In other board business, we de-veloped plans to find youth leadersfor our chapter. We are also lookingto continue our work with other TUchapters, such as the Lee Wulff andGary Borger chapters, to replacefence stiles to allow safe access tostreams and maintain the integrityof landowner fences and relation-ships. We welcome tips on ricketystiles in the Coulee Region so wecan place them on our work list. Ifyou see a bad stile, email Dale Jon-son at [email protected].

We also formalized a process towelcome new CRTU members with

a personal email, phone call, or let-ter from members of our board. Wehave learned a lot from several ofour board members participating inTU’s online community forum andrecommend other chapters do thesame if you have not used this re-source. Get started at tu.communi-ty.org.

This season our chapter is sup-porting more projects than ever be-fore. While Wisconsin DNR’shabitat crew in our area is workingonly on flood-repair projects,TUDARE and county-led projectscontinue. Three are being carriedout by TUDARE’s Paul Krahn andthree more by Vernon County LandConservation Department Techni-cian Matt Albright. So far, theseprojects are budgeted at $418,900.With our partners, including NRCS,Vernon County, Madison FishingExpo, Cabelas/Bass Pro Shops, Or-vis, Coon Valley Trout Fest, two me-morial bequests to CRTU, andFriends of Wisconsin TU and chap-ters, we’ve assembled $394,000 sofar.

Our neighboring TU chaptershave been great backers of theseDriftless projects, and we thank theBlackhawk, Southern Wisconsinand the four Illinois chapters: El-liott Donnelly, Gary Borger, OakBrook and Lee Wulff. We are stillwaiting on a couple of requests andgrants, and hope they will comethrough. Our own chapter contrib-uted $28,300, and we’re grateful toeveryone who has supported ourfundraising. We expect work to be-gin by press time and hope to com-plete projects on Warner, Conway,Citron, Esofea, Norwegian Valleyand Knapp creeks this season. Allprojects will have permanent publicfishing access.—Curt Rees

Fox Valley Chapter

The world, as we know it, willchange as the Covid-19 pandemicfades. Reflecting on the sport offishing, I worry that the majority ofour active members, like me, are ag-ing. Where are our future leaders?What should be done to broadenour membership? It is easy to lookat the barriers and be resigned tothe inevitable. Life is more complexthan when I began fishing in myyouth. I could walk a few blocks to astream with my only deadlines beinglunch, dinner and the work expect-ed of me around the house andyard.

Today fishing is competing withmany attractive activities not avail-able in my day: TV, computer,phone, games etc. Schedules are full

of work and family responsibilities.While much is beyond our control,there are practical things we can do.Most membership time is spent onoutreach and attracting new mem-bers. This will always be importantand needs to be continued, but re-tention of current and new mem-bers will be key.

I remember talking with a newmember at a chapter meeting lastfall. He related his experience com-ing to a chapter meeting 20 yearsearlier. The chapter meeting had aninteresting speaker, but the mem-bers attending hung together in asmall group offering no indicationthat he was welcome to join them.He left that night and did not re-turn. Our chapter has committed to

not let that happen, and we’re doingour best to engage new members aswe see them at our events.

It is easy to become complacentand stop at actions that have beensuccessful. At FVTU’s Cabin FeverDay in January, Tina Murray ofShenanigans Women’s Fly-Fishingtalked about her years of experienc-es and approaches to engagingwomen in fly fishing and helpingthem to be successful, avid anglers.She has identified a set of experi-ences and has distilled that insightinto actions we can take to encour-age new anglers and grow our mem-bership. Her talk highlighted manysimple things we can do.

Tina is passionate about improv-ing the experience for new and fu-

ture members and I think herapproach makes a lot of sense. Shechallenges all chapters to improvemember experiences. Our futuredepends on doing better.

Tina Murray’s Challenge: Eachchapter in this state should reviewTina’s list and identify three actionsto improve. For each action, chap-ters should quantify the current sta-tus of the action, implement a planto improve the use of that actionand quantify the change and impact.The next year sustain those actionsand pick three more to improve.—John Barkmeier

FRANK HORNBERG MEMBERS HELP SCOUTS EARN BADGESIn March, members from the UW-Stevens Point Fly Fishing Club, along with the Frank Hornberg Chapter, taught seven girls from the Wisconsin Rapids Scouts BSA Chapter 9118 how to tie a zebra midge and a woolly bugger. Here, Heidi Oberstadt shares her technique.

Frank Hornberg Chapter

In March, members from theUW—Stevens Point Fly FishingClub, along with the Frank Horn-berg Chapter, taught seven girlsfrom the Wisconsin Rapids ScoutsBSA Chapter 9118 how to tie a ze-bra midge and a woolly bugger. Thiswas a requirement to earn their fly-fishing merit badge. Special thanksto Craig at Fall Line Outfitters inStevens Point for hosting the event.

When we can get back togethersafely, we want to work on the To-morrow River above Lake Meyers

Road. Several downed trees are ob-structing the flow of the river.Check our website or Facebook forupcoming details.

Please get out and support ourlocal fly shop, Fall Line Outfitters,in Stevens Point. The economy hashad a tough time the last couplemonths and we need a fly shop inour community. Let Craig know wecare.—Doug Erdman

Green Bay Chapter

With the Covid-19 pandemic dis-rupting our typical lives, Green BayTrout Unlimited was no exception.First we cancelled our April Annu-al/Guest Speaker meeting. Our pre-senter was scheduled to be RetiredDNR Biologist Dave Vetrano. Davewas to speak about the Driftless Ar-ea. This is also the meeting wherewe elect board of director membersfor open seats, but we’ll have to putit off until later. Our meeting seasonlasts from September through Apriland our chapter by-laws require sixmeeting per year. This gives us some

time to prepare for our next meet-ing season and whether we do it in-person or online. We subsequentlyfound out that the Brown CountyConservation Alliance Awards,where we were to be honored asConservation Group of the Year,was cancelled as well.

We had to cancel our annualJune chapter picnic. Currently ourwork project season looks like itmay be affected as well. We partnerwith the DNR and U.S. Forest Ser-vice for at least four habitat im-provement efforts through the

Summer 2020Page 20

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

summer. Our work project chairPaul Kruse said the DNR is using“Badger Bounce Back Guidelines.”The Antigo DNR has informed usthey have not been allowed to dofield work yet and are looking for-ward to working with us next year.

Our Veterans’ Service Programhas been put on hold. Tight LinesFly Shop, where we hold our meet-ings, currently has a three-personmaximum admittance. Further-more, we want to make sure ourveterans are safe.

Myself and GBTU educationchair Dave Ostanek have discussedthe likelihood of canceling this sum-mers’ youth events, including ourpopular Annual Kids’ Fishing Day.

This pandemic has many of uswondering how our Annual Febru-ary Conservation Banquet may beaffected. It is our premier fundrais-er and our chapter depends on reve-nue raised to effectively carry outour mission. Several months backwe created an Alternative Fundrais-ing Committee. Over the next fewmonths, we will reconvene to ad-dress this situation.

For more GBTU Chapter infor-mation, please visit our website atgreenbaytu.org or check our socialmedia on Twitter, Instagram andFacebook.

Stay safe, everyone.—Adrian Meseberg

Harry & Laura Nohr Chapter

Due to the pandemic, the Harryand Laura Nohr Chapter held ourboard elections via email. All othermeetings have been postponed orcancelled.

In early May the FennimoreTrout In the Clarroom brown troutfingerlings were released into Bo-rah Creek just north of Lancaster.The event was filmed live for theFennimore Middle School Face-book page.

Regarding stream work, ourcontractor started moving equip-ment to the Dieter site in earlyMay, with plans to move to theStanek site after finishing workthere.

The Dieter project is now com-plete. There was some bank shap-ing and rip-rapping to be done, aswell as installing the remaining in-stream structures. The final shap-ing, seeding and mulching is com-pleted, as well.

We did a tremendous amount ofbrushing and invasive tree removalon this property, as well as the ad-joining state land, the SnowbottomNatural Area.

This helped improve access forfishing on both properties. Thestream length was seeded withgrasses, per Natural ResourcesConservation Service specs. The

landowner and the Department ofNatural Resources State NaturalAreas manager are working togeth-er to maintain both sites in grassesand forbs.

The Stanek property project isabout 65 percent complete. Most ofthe shaping and riprapping hasbeen done and several weirs havebeen installed.

The remaining instream struc-tures, shaping, seeding and mulch-ing will be completed as soon asweather allows. We put a temporarycover crop on the disturbed ground,which is coming along nicely.

This project also incorporatedthree wetland scrapes, which al-ready have frogs, geese and ducksutilizing them.

The Zadrazil property project,our largest ever, is slated to be doneover the course of two years. Locat-ed immediately downstream of theStanek site just off County HighwayQ, it includes the final 700 feet ofSix Mile Branch before it flows intothe Blue River and approximately7,500 feet (1.4 miles) of the BlueRiver. We hope to start after theStanek property is done. There is atremendous amount of soil thatneeds to be removed from this site.—Brian Larson

HARRY AND LAURA NOHR CHAPTER RELEASES TIC FINGERLINGSKurt Meyer releases the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter’s Trout In the Classroom brown trout fingerlings from the Fennimore Middle School into Borah Creek, just north of Lancaster. The event was filmed live for the Fennimore Middle School Facebook page.

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Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter

Like with other chapters aroundthe country, Kiap-TU-Wish activi-ties have been greatly curtailed byCOVID-19. Luckily for us, late lastyear our chapter overhauled ourcommunication tools. Under theguidance of member Chad Borenz,we upgraded our website at www.ki-aptuwish.org We can now post doc-uments, such as reports on ourmonitoring efforts and an archive ofour award-winning newsletter (RIP-RAP) going back to 1987. We alsochanged our official chapter emailaddress to [email protected].

In a move that has proven fortu-itous, the chapter also subscribed toZoom, which was used to hold ourlast scheduled chapter meeting inMay with a presentation by NateAnderson and Kasey Yalally fromthe DNR on habitat projects andeasement acquisitions. We also haveconducted two board meetings, con-tradicting that adage that you can-not teach an old dog new tricks.

We had two members step downfrom the board this spring, MariaManion and Perry Palin. We thankboth for their service to the chapter.Luckily we were able to fill theseseats with Dustin Wing and ScotStewart. Welcome to both.

Over the past six years, under theguidance of Maria Manion, ournewsletter RIPRAP has developedinto a quality publication — artful,informative and fun to read. Alongwith her publishing team, Maria hasprovided our membership with amuch-anticipated monthly splash ofgood news. Maria is stepping downas editor, and chapter member EdConstantini will take over the reinsof RIPRAP. He hopes to carry onwith the excellence Maria has estab-lished.

Ed reported that the 2020-2021editorial season for the Kiap-TU-Wish newsletter RIPRAP will con-tinue to span the months of Septem-ber through May and will includefive editions starting in September,and continuing in November, Janu-ary, March and May.

This schedule change will allowcontributors an extended windowfor article submissions prior to eachedition and will help defray expens-es associated with the printing ofthe newsletter.

RIPRAP provides Kiap-TU-

Wish members with valuable infor-mation on chapter and local events,updates from chapter memberscharged with carrying out stream-related activities, plus informativearticles and human-interest stories.

During the 2020-2021 season wehope to engage additional contribu-tors, expand on the expertise ofchapter members, and offer morenon-proprietary board information.Questions or proposed articles andother subject matter can be for-warded to Ed at [email protected]

Our chapter’s monitoring effortshave continued, even during thepandemic.

The Willow River is one of sever-al local rivers and streams that wemonitor for water temperature andother variables. In April of 2016,temperature loggers were installedat three locations. One is located atthe USGS water flow monitoringsite roughly ¼ mile downstreamfrom Little Falls Dam. The othertwo are located roughly ¼ mile up-stream from the Trout Brook Roadbridge. One is in the main branchand one is in the Race.

The 2018/2019 data retrievedfrom the logger in the Race showeda minimum water temperature, inJanuary 2018, of 32.04 degrees F,which is about as close to freezing asyou can get. The maximum watertemperature, in July 2019, was 76degrees.

From what we’ve learned, thislarge temperature variance doesn’tbode well for trout populations. Thewater is too cold in the winter andtoo warm in the summer. An impor-tant thing to note is that this datawas collected after the Little FallsDam was removed.

In 2014 it was determined thatthe Little Falls Dam needed to bereplaced. By the fall of 2015, thedrawdown of Little Falls Lake wascomplete, and the dam was re-moved. This allowed the river toflow freely until early 2020 when anew dam was constructed, and Lit-tle Falls Lake began to fill in. As oftoday, the lake is nearly 100 percentfull.

As our monitoring continues, itwill be interesting to see if the dam,and the impoundment behind it,will affect the water temperatures

NEW KIAP BOARD MEMBERS GETTING THEIR FEET WETNew Kiap TU Wish Board members Dustin Wing (left) and Scot Stewart collect temperature data on the Trimbelle River at the chapter’s County Highway W project site.

Summer 2020 Page 21

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

going forward. The Kiap-TU-Wish monitoring

team has a busy schedule during theApril-October 2020 period. Chaptermembers have deployed 30 temper-ature loggers in five local rivers, toevaluate the impacts of stormwaterrunoff, hydropower facilities and cli-mate change, and to assess the abili-ty of our stream restoration projectsto improve temperature regimes.

Of the 30 loggers, 21 are de-ployed year-round. Numerous watersamples are being collected and an-alyzed on several streams, to betterunderstand watershed impacts onwater quality, as well as the ability ofrestored river reaches to improvewater quality.

To complement stream tempera-ture and water chemistry data, twoweather stations are being operated,providing data on air temperature,relative humidity, dew point andprecipitation. Kiap-TU-Wish alsocontinues to provide financial andvolunteer monitoring support forUSGS operation and maintenanceof the Kinnickinnic River flow gag-ing station. See the data at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv?site_no=05342000

National Trout Unlimited is plac-ing a high priority on Angler Sci-ence and the benefits it provides forangler education and coldwater re-source management: “Anglers gath-ering scientific information aboutthe fish and the places they love.”Stream water quality monitoring isone of the key Angler Science initia-tives.

Trout Unlimited’s national sci-ence team is currently partneringwith MobileH2O, LLC to developand implement a customized mobileapplication (WiseH2O mApp) thatcan be used by anglers to monitorwater quality and habitat conditionsin Driftless Area trout streams.

In 2019, Kiap-TU-Wish anglerssuccessfully completed a pilot proj-ect using the WiseH2O mApp(mApp). The 2019 mApp project re-port is available on the MobileH2Owebsite along with an interactivemap that enables easy viewing of the2019 mApp observations at: https://www.mobileh2o.com/anglerscience.A short video about the mApp canbe found at: https://www.mobileh2o.com/mh2oapp.

WiseH2O mApp monitoring in2020 has been delayed by a combi-nation of COVID-19 and difficultiesencountered with development ofthe iPhone version of the mApp.Nonetheless, we are hoping that Ki-ap-TU-Wish anglers will still have anopportunity to monitor PierceCounty trout streams and rivers for

a portion of 2020. In addition, abroader Driftless Area roll-out ofthe mApp is anticipated this sum-mer. Stay tuned for more details.

Trout in the Classroom endedabruptly this year with the schoolsclosing due the COVID-19 out-break. Bugs in the Classroom, usu-ally done at the end of April, had tobe cancelled as well, including theRocky Branch Elementary Eco Day.At least all the classes got to experi-ence the egg hatching, fry feedingand fish tank monitoring for tem-perature and ammonia levels.

In six classes, the teachers re-leased their fry in the Willow River,while recording the event to sharewith their students digitally. Twoclasses trained the custodians tolook after the fry in their absence inhopes that they can release the fishwhen they return in the fall. This issomething that has not been at-tempted before and we are curiousto see how big the fry get by Sep-tember.

Prior to the full effects of COV-ID-19 we held 17 brushing days overthe course of the off season startingback in November, wrapping upwith a final workday on March 27 totake advantage of some late seasonsnow. With close to 100 bluebirdnesting boxes in place at various res-toration sites, a call was put out atthe end of March seeking volunteersto close up the nest boxes as theywere out and about hitting their fa-vorite waters for some early seasonfishing.

Things have been slow since thenwith our DNR partners on work-from-home orders since the out-break of the Corona virus. We re-main hopeful that things will returnto normal so that restoration workmay be resumed on Plum and Gil-bert creeks, providing some seedingand mulching opportunities for vol-unteers.

The status of the ever-popularlate July/early August stream sur-veys, when chapter volunteers assistthe DNR with their stream shock-ing, also remains up in the air due toCOVID 19. Chapter Habitat Coor-dinator Randy Arnold encouragesmembers to make the best of the sit-uation and conduct their own steamsurveys using hook and line.

As of this writing, Kent Johnsonand Gary Horvath are putting the fi-nal touches on a TU National Em-brace-A-Stream Grant for a moni-toring project that will assess theecological benefits of KinnickinnicRiver dam removal and river resto-ration.—Gary Horvath

LAKESHORE’S HERB TWISS WORKS ON LA BUDDE CREEK IN FEBRUARY

Lakeshore Chapter

There hasn’t been much going onin our neck of the woods. Withoutbeing able to meet, it’s been hard tostay busy with our 2020 plans. Ourstreams and rivers were hit veryhard this spring, and due to that lotsof repairs are needed. Luckily, someof our members have been goingout on their own to brush areas thatneed attention. Thank you to HerbTwiss and Larry Doebert for orga-nizing those workdays.

We were looking to start work-days again in June. With some re-strictions being made, we think wecan do this very safely. On a sadnote, we lost a very dear friend andmember Dave Lechelt back inMarch. Dave was a huge asset to our

chapter. He was always the first oneto engage new members and wel-come them. He would always have agreat story and was always there tolend a hand. A memorial bench wasmade in Dave’s honor and will beplaced on one of our local streams.R.I.P, Dave. You will be missed.

Hopefully things will begin pick-ing up soon. With the first half ofthe year being very hard on every-one, I hope things will get back ontrack sooner than later and we canhave a better second half. I hope it’snot just wishful thinking.

Lakeshore wishes everyone to behealthy and happy through thesetrying times.—Myk Hranicka

Marinette County Chapter

The Marinette County Chapterwill hold our annual fundraisingbanquet Monday, August 3 at Em-bers 1871 in Peshtigo. Anyone inter-ested in making a donation, helpingor attending the banquet shouldcontact Dale Lange at 715-582-1135. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with

the chicken and tips dinner beingserved at 7 p.m. Tickets are just $35.There will be a live auction, silentauction and raffles. Money raised atthe banquet will be used to coverthe cost of this summer’s work proj-ects in northeastern Wisconsin.—Dale Lange

Northwoods Chapter

On April 23 the science teachersfrom James Williams Middle Schoolin Rhinelander and Terry Cum-mings released this year’s hatchfrom Trout In the Classroom intoGudegast Creek northeast ofRhinelander. Gudegast Creek is pri-marily a Class 2 stream with someClass 1 water, and it is on record forreceiving domestic strain brooktrout. Jeff Mosher and Zach Woiakfrom the DNR facilitated procure-ment of our stocking license, gettingeggs from the St. Croix Falls hatch-ery, and identifying the release loca-

tion. The teachers and students didan excellent job, and 36 healthybrookies were released. Unfortu-nately the students could not partic-ipate in the release.

Our chapter joined the Wolf Riv-er Chapter in opposing the BadgerMinerals proposed sulfide mine inthe Town of Schoepke in OneidaCounty. Our opposition was pre-sented via a resolution from thechapter to the Oneida CountyBoard.—Terry Cummings

Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter

I hope everyone is healthy andsafe. The past few months havebeen rough for all of us. I sadlyshare the bad news that formerSEWTU President Ed Christie re-cently passed away. Ed was presi-dent of the chapter in the late 1970’sand early 1980’s. As president hewas responsible for guiding our ear-ly work at Rosenow Creek and Para-

dise Springs. Ed engaged ourchapter with national figures, andhe was active in teaching youth tocast and fish. My thoughts andprayers go out to the Christie familyin their time of loss.

We have been unable to holdchapter meetings and now find our-selves transitioning into our summermonths where we normally do not

Myk

Hra

nik

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LAKESHORE’S DAVE LECHELT PASSES AWAYFrom left to right, Dave Lechelt, Nathanel Rateliff, Herb Twiss, Jaidyn Hranicka on an Onion River workday last year. Dave passed away in March. A memorial bench was made in Dave’s honor and will be placed on a local stream.

Summer 2020Page 22

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

hold meetings. In light of the factthat we cannot hold meetings, ourSpring Raffle drawing will not hap-pen until we can meet in person. Assoon as we can hold a meeting wewill. Safety and occupancy limits onmeeting locations are what will dic-tate when we can meet. The boardand officers have high hopes thatwe can do it this fall, and perhapssooner, if possible.

The most recent informationavailable out of the Zablocki Medi-cal Center is that entrance to the fa-cility is still restricted for safety ofthe patients, and staff. We standready to step up and help when theVeterans Administration gives usthe word.

The committee chairs, boardmembers and officers have been incontact with our partners in thecommunity. The July casting clinicis currently on hold. We are lookingto August with hopes that Milwau-kee County will begin permittingevents by then. Our workdays arecurrently on hold, and we are com-

municating with our partners at theDNR to determine when thoseevents can continue. The most re-cent word from the DNR is thatthey are not permitting volunteerworkdays at this time, and thatDNR employees are restricted inthe size of groups they can meet infor discussions. Some good news isthat this pandemic will not have anegative effect on our sponsorshipsof Bluff Creek and Tichigan Creek,as the DNR is extending our spon-sorship contracts by one year to off-set these unfortunate times.

The board and officers are notsitting idle, as we are looking atwhere we can target chapter re-sources to prevent 2020 from beinga lost year for conservation. We willget through this, things will returnto normal and our love of fishingwill continue. Fishing is a great ac-tivity while socially distancing,please get out and enjoy any num-ber of the 13,000 miles of troutstreams Wisconsin has to offer.—John Rennpford

Wild Rivers Chapter

As you can imagine, the WildRivers Chapter has been noticeablyquiet since this virus raised its uglyhead. We are just starting to thinkabout trying either a virtual meet-ing, or maybe just the board in apark or along a river that we cankeep our distance from each other.I also keep thinking about our post-poned Fishing Expo and hopingthat it could possibly be held thisfall. But more than likely like wemay just have to cancel it.

I received a call from long timeWild Rivers Chapter member PhilWallace, who was a board memberfor a few years back around 2010 orso. Phil lives just outside of Spoonerand used to attend most of ourmeetings. If I remember correctly,he rarely missed a meeting exceptmaybe in the winter when he andhis wife travelled to Arizona. Phil iskind of unable to fish much any-more, so he called to let me knowthat he would like to donate hisfishing gear to Wild Rivers. DickBerge traveled down to Spooner re-cently to pick up Phil’s donation.

Many years ago, Dick and Idrove down to fish with Phil on theClam River, Phil’s favorite homeriver. Phil and I talked about thatfishing trip and he apologized aboutsending Dick and I on one sectionof the Clam while Phil went to an-other section by himself. As itturned out, Dick and I caught fish,but Phil, fishing by himself, caughtmany nice fish. We had a goodlaugh.

And about the same time, DavidWahl, another longtime memberwho lives in Florida, called andwanted to let me know that he senta nice donation to the chapter. Itwas a pleasure talking to both Philand David and the chapter appreci-ates their generous donations thatwe will use to protect our coldwaterresources.

The chapter received a requestfrom Susan Nelson from the North-ern Great Lakes Visitor Center. Su-san asked if a few of us could spenda few evenings fishing on one of theponds at the Visitor Center. Thepond is the focal point for the KidsFishing Day. Wild Rivers has volun-teered at this event for at least 20years. Susan wanted us to do a smallsurvey to find out just what kind andnumbers of fish are currently in thepond. Melis Arvik, Kevin Brewsterand I spent one evening catchingsmall perch and bluegills, and thenMelis and Kevin fished on anotherevening.

The pond appears to have a lotof young stock and a few of the old-er ones in the 3- to 6-inch range,which is enough for spawning. It’sgood to know that the fish lookhealthy in general and are feisty andhungry. Our U.S. Forest Service fishbiologist, Sue Reinecke, will setfyke nets in September to samplethe smaller fish. This, along withour “survey,” will help us make bet-ter management decisions for ourevents and general wildlife viewing.—Bill Heart

Wisconsin Clear Waters

We are sad to announce thepassing of Al Noll of Menomonie.A long-time member and contribu-tor to the Wisconsin Clear WatersChapter, he passed from complica-tions of Alzheimer’s Disease onMay 12. Al served as a board mem-ber and president and was a reliableparticipant in stream projects andother activities until his disease pre-vented it. He was 68.

He is survived by his wife, Paula,four daughters (Amy, Megan, Jodi,and Rachel) and their families. Wesend them our deepest sympathy fortheir loss.

In memory of Al Noll, WisconsinClear Waters has established the AlNoll Gilbert Creek Memorial Fund.

The fund’s main objective is to con-tinue with restoration projects onGilbert Creek and to encourage fel-low fishermen to respect and main-tain Gilbert Creek’s healthyenvironment for current and futureanglers.

Our next task is to evaluate whatthe future holds for the chapter, un-der this pandemic environment. Wewere fortunate that past ChapterPresident Bob Swanson establisheda rainy day fund. These dollars wereset aside for a “what-if” situation,and the ensuing chapter presidentsmaintain the same practice. Well,that rainy day has become a mon-soon, and because of the foresightof the previous chapter presidents,

the Wisconsin Clear Waters Chapterwill weather this economic storm.

As a past board member and thecurrent president, I have jokinglystated that “I am going to drag theboard into the 20th Century.” Un-fortunately, we are in the 21st Cen-tury. However, the new elephant inthe room, “The Pandemic,” hasforced us to create and redefine howWisconsin Clear Waters will operatecurrently and in the future.

When the pandemic hit, we ad-opted the guidelines set forth by lo-cal health agencies. The next stepwas to keep in touch with our mem-bers without direct contact, andhere is where technology has be-come a vital partner during this pan-demic.

Wisconsin Clear Waters addedZoom Pro with the optional Webi-nar Plugin. Our first Zoom launch,we created a Zoom Board Meeting.The next step is organizing the Oc-tober chapter meeting utilizingZoom and the webinar feature. Weare scheduling guest speakers,which gives us a broad range of pre-senters, because we no longer havetravel limitations. The theme forthese presentations will coincidewith Trout Unlimited guidelines ofmaintaining cold, clean water, and abit of fishing. If you miss the meet-ing, we will record the session and

add a link to our website.But how do we continue to en-

gage our members electronically?With the help of Zoom and the we-binar feature, we are hosting a mas-ter fly-tying class beginning inJanuary, and we are seeking instruc-tors. We have the advantage of awide range of instructors becausetravel or the weather is not a factor,and we plan to have a new instructoreach week for six weeks. We will re-cord the class, and you will have anopportunity to view the presenta-tions on our website.

We created winter activities, butwe still have four to five months be-fore the fall and winter season arehere. Never fear, because boardmember and secretary Tom Satherlaunched a video interview seriescalled “Two Tips, A Tie, & A Tune.”You can find Tom’s interviews onthe Clear Waters Facebook page orour website at www.wcwtu.com.

We are all experiencing a diffi-cult period of uncertainty and anxi-ety about what is best for you andyour family. Still, we will all getthrough this by being cautiously op-timistic.—Jim Erickson

WISCONSIN CLEAR WATERS MOURNS LOSS OF AL NOLLA long-time member and contributor to the Wisconsin Clear Waters Chapter, Al Noll passed from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on May 12.

TOM SATHER LAUNCHES VIDEO SERIESWisconsin Clear Waters board member and secretary Tom Sather launched a video interview series called “Two Tips, A Tie, & A Tune.” You can find Tom’s interviews on the Clear Waters Facebook page or the chapter website at www.wcwtu.com.

Summer 2020 Page 23

Chapter News

Wisconsin Trout

Wisconsin River Valley Chapter

I hope everyone is doing okay.The beautiful greens of summer arefinally here, along with birdsong andwildflowers. We hope you are get-ting out to enjoy Mother Nature’sversion of “live streaming.”

Congratulations go to Myk Hra-nicka, whose name was randomlydrawn from those who submittedwhat they were working on as proj-ects during the Safer-at-Home peri-od. He created a beautiful pathwayto his greenhouse, and he won a flybox for his entry. Thanks to all who

submitted pictures of their projects.The current pandemic precau-

tions have forced the cancellation ofall events planned for this summer.We will start planning presentationsfor our chapter as safety permits.Keep checking our website andFacebook page as we all wait thisthing out. Stay safe, but get out andenjoy some summertime. Thosewhite flakes will be flying before weknow it.—Linda Lehman

Wolf River Chapter

According to Tim Waters, the2020 spring fishing was crazy good.His trout log shows that he caught95 trout in the Wolf River, with 80percent browns, 20 percent brooktrout and no rainbows. Gray drakesturned the trouts’ attention startingon May 23. Tim uses Cougar Teaseand Zh2o streamers, bead-headedWooly Nymphs and Cap’s Hairwingdry flies. He and Bill Livingstoncredit the great fishing on the WolfRiver, the largest freestone river inthe Midwest, with no brood-stockedtrout, to the slot size adopted aboutfour years ago and, of course, Moth-er Nature.

Work continues on restoring

brook trout habitat on Nine MileCreek. First, blown-down trees fromthe July 2019 storms had to becleared from the “roads” to get backin there, as it’s a very remote loca-tion. Social distancing rules were ad-hered to for the very small group ofchapter members, even during pho-to opportunities. More organizedbeaver dam removal work days onthe Nine Mile Creek are upcomingin July and August. Check out ourFacebook page for more informa-tion or contact Andy Killoren [email protected] to sign up.

The Metallic Sulfide Mining Ex-ploration Project Site, referred to asthe Schoepke Site, has been very ac-

WOLF RIVER MEMBERS CLEARING TRAIL TO NINE MILE CREEKBill Livingston Brian Biermier and John Rose maintain social distancing while clearing blown-down trees off a trail to Nine Mile Creek

tive, first with clear-cutting all thetrees in May and then with the actu-al drilling beginning on June 1.Some folks from the White Lake ar-ea have been up there to see whathas been happening. The trees withprayer ribbons were all cut down.The activity and protests have beenfollowed by local news channels. Ialso heard about some successfulbrook trout fishing on Stockley

Creek. Most of Schoepke Site landis enrolled in the Managed ForestLaw program, which increases hunt-ing and fishing opportunities in ex-change for reduced property taxesfor property owners. Please keep atrout log with dates, locations, andfish caught or not. Documentationis valuable.—Laurie Zen Netzow

His Bethke influence introducedme to my first pink squirrel. I imme-diately improved my fly-fishing skillsand had a core set of tips that Icould put to use and practice on myown.

Angling community assetThe Driftless Angler has a repu-

tation of benevolence for givingback to the trout fishing community.They are key contributors for Cou-lee Region Chapter events, the Co-zad Driftless One-Fly Tournamentand many other local activities. Ma-ny other trout organizations acrossthe Midwest have benefited fromtheir presentations and donations tobanquets and stream days.

Pandemic impactsAs with other small businesses,

the pandemic has drastically affect-ed their daily operations and busi-ness model. They followed state andfederal guidelines and immediatelystopped all guided trips. They shift-ed to drive-up and mail shopping,and then quickly downscaled to justmail orders.

In the first weeks of the shelter-in-place order, Mat continued topost daily fishing reports on theshop’s web page. Mat noticed thatthe pandemic resulted in many peo-ple suddenly having lots of free timeto fish Driftless Area streams. Whilefishing is an appropriate way to ex-ercise and avoid crowds of peopleduring the shelter order, travelinghours from home to fish seemed tocounter to the message of stoppingthe spread of the virus.

So contrary to a business focusedsolely on profit, Mat and Geri sus-pended the daily fishing report andwrote a very poignant article askingpeople to protect our streams andour local community by stayinghome, or at the very least stay local.This of course led to some pushbackon social media, but they havestayed the course to maintain their

focus on protecting the Driftless Ar-ea community at this time.

As Wisconsin starts to reopen,the Driftless Angler has communi-cated with other fly shops to sharebest practices in serving their clien-tele in this new environment.Guides and clients will now have adifferent experience to keep all par-ties safe. Clients will need to arriveat the stream in their own vehicleand bring their own food and drink.Until more is known about how thecorona virus spreads, it may meanthat anti-bacterial wipes are neededwhen rods are exchanged.

The Driftless Angler, as of June8, is now open again, but your flyshop experience will change to a“new normal” for now. Staff will as-sist and pick flies for you. There arelimits on the number of anglers inthe store at one time.

Although not a legal require-ment, do your part and wear a maskto protect the staff. The same buffor bandana that keeps gnats out ofyour nose on the stream can also beused to reduce any possible germsyou might expel when in the fly shopor other place of business. Keep arespective distance of other anglersin the shop or on the stream.

We will surviveTogether, just like the last 14

years, we can support each otherand care for our little gem we callthe Driftless and the people wecherish at the Driftless Angler. Likeother small businesses, especiallymany in the Viroqua area depen-dent on tourism, coming back aftera nearly three-month standstill is achallenge. Strong established ties tothe community and its anglers hasequipped them to weather this eco-nomic storm. By protecting thecommunity and fishery resource, theDriftless Angler has demonstrated apeople-before-profit attitude. Weapplaud their efforts as we all try tofind our way to a “new normal” inthese strange and unfamiliar times.

Remember TU as Part of Your Legacy

Have you considered making Trout Unlimited part of your legacy? For loyal TU members, making a bequest to TU in your will or trust is a wonderful way to continue supporting clean water and healthy trout populations. Help assure that TU is able to continue its good work now and into the future.

Should you decide that TU is worthy of a legacy bequest, be sure to specify in your will or trust if the bequest is intended to benefit National TU, the State Council or your local chapter.

Thank you for considering Trout Unlimited in your estate planning.


On a typical day of fishing insouthwest Wisconsin, I fish threeor four streams, sometimes more.Do I really need to disinfect mygear after fishing each one?

The simple answer is yes. It isWisconsin state law that you in-spect and remove all mud, plantmaterial, and water from yourequipment prior to leaving a wa-terbody.

We should continue the tradi-tion of good sportsmanship thatanglers are known for by protect-ing fisheries and the habitats thatwe frequent. New Zealand mud-snails have now been found in sev-en streams in Wisconsin and arenotorious for being transported onthe waders and boots of anglersfrom one stream to another.

Other invasives that detractfrom the fishing experience, suchas wild parsnip, spread betweenpopular fishing spots via seeds onwading boots.

How can I possibly remove allof the dirt from my waders andboots when hopping from streamto stream?

One simple way anglers canlimit the spread of invasive species

between streams is to carry a stiffsynthetic scrub brush in your vehi-cle or pack. Before moving to an-other stream, take a minute tobrush off your boots and waders,including the grooves, laces andtongue.

These actions cannot guaran-tee that you won’t transmit inva-sives to a new stream, butminimizing risk is key. If you wishto more thoroughly clean yourgear, use a pump sprayer filledwith clean tap water to rinse yourwaders and boots AFTER you’vegiven them a good scrubbing witha brush.

I have a trip planned out westthis summer. Many of the rivers Iplan to fish are infested with AIS.What should I do to preventspreading them further?

While fishing out of state, ifpossible, plan to visit uninfestedrivers first. Ask guides or shopswhich rivers are infested with inva-sive species; they will know.

After fishing an infested river,there is a high risk that you willspread invasive species on yourgear! High-risk anglers should fol-low one of the three decontamina-

tion recommendations on the rightside of the “Go with the Flow”chart: soak gear in a mild bleachsolution for ten minutes, freezegear, or allow gear to dry com-pletely for a minimum of five daysafter brushing off mud and debris.

Before leaving and upon re-turning to Wisconsin, it is impera-tive that you follow those samesteps. Or, do as many others do:keep a pair of waders and boots forstrictly fishing in Wisconsin andanother pair for out-of-state fish-ing, which is the safest bet, butshouldn’t preclude cleaning yourgear.

I refuse to give up my felt-soledwading boots. Felt is not the onlyculprit, and if I fall in a river, myfishing days are done. What stepscan I take to minimize the risk ofmy spreading AIS on my felt-soledboots?

The most important thing to re-member is that felt takes a longtime to dry and is difficult to clean,and often, disinfection solutiondoes not fully penetrate the felt tokill invasives. This is why rubber isthe better option when it comes topreventing the spread of invasives.

However, if you must use felt,you should use a pressure sprayer(like small herbicide applicators)and a stiff-bristled scrub brush toclean the felt the best you canwhen moving between Wisconsinstreams. Again, if traveling be-tween states, having two pairs ofboots is recommended: one for usewithin Wisconsin, and another pairfor use elsewhere.

What should I do if I see some-thing suspicious in Wisconsin wa-ters that I think might beinvasive?

The best thing you can do istake a picture of the suspiciousplant, anima, or algae and email itto River Alliance of Wisconsin([email protected]) or yourlocal DNR fisheries biologist foridentification. DNR biologist andinvasive species reporting informa-tion can be found at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/re-port.html

For more information contactthe River Alliance of Wisconsin at608-257-2424 or visit www.wiscon-sinrivers.org.

Clean angling Q and A

Council adopts mining resolutionResolution in Opposition to Metallic Sulfide Mining in and around the Wolf River AreaWHEREAS, the mission of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited (WITU) is to conserve, protect and restore the coldwater resources of our state, and to support both our national organization and our local chapters in their pursuit of that mission; and,WHEREAS, there are known metallic sulfide mineral deposits in and around the Wolf River area, and a foreign owned company has recently gained a license to drill exploration holes in the headwaters of the Wolf River, with the intent to locate an open pit metallic sulfide mine at that location. The Wolf River being one of the largest watersheds in northern Wisconsin, whichpasses through Forest, Oneida, Langlade, Menominee, Shawano, Outagamie, Waupaca, and Winnebago counties before emptying into Lake Winnebago, and ultimately Lake Michigan and;WHEREAS, the Wolf River provides a unique habitat for species of special concern such as trout and other freshwater fish, which would be negatively impacted by discharges into the water and;WHEREAS, the Wolf River and its surrounding areas support a robust outdoor recreation economy and a thriving tourism industry and;WHEREAS, the potential impacts of the mine include long-term leaching of acid-producing wastes into the groundwater and the river which would harm sport-fishing and essential sources of drinking water and;WHEREAS, the hazardous wastes generated by the mine would degrade water quality andpresent risks to human health and the environment in Wisconsin, and knowing the fact thatsulfide mines are the largest source of taxpayer liability under the EPA’s Superfund cleanupprogram and;NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the State Council of Wisconsin Trout Unlimitedstrongly opposes metallic sulfide mining and urges the Wisconsin DNR, the Wisconsin StateLegislature and Governor to deny a mining permit for any metallic sulfide mine in the WolfRiver Watershed.

Dated this 12th day of May, 2020Wisconsin Trout Unlimited, Inc.By: Mike Kuhr, its Council Chair

If you are a TU member and have invest-ments with Thrivent Lutheran Financial, youmay have the ability to make charitable dona-tions to groups of your choosing through Thri-vent Financial’s Thrivent Choice program.

The Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimitedis now a listed entity within the Thrivent

Choice program.If you are a Thrivent member and have the

ability to make Thrivent Choice donations, wewould be honored if you’d consider includingthe Wisconsin Council of TU within your char-itable planning, and making a donation to ourcause.

Donate to Wisconsin TU via Thrivent Lutheran Financial


Henry Anderson Madison, WIJason and Kimberly Anderson Mukwonago, WIRandy Balko Wisconsin Rapids, WI Edwin Barnes Middleton, WICharles Barnhill Madison, WIJeffrey Bartynski Eau Claire, WIJim Bayorgeon Appleton, WIChuck Bayuk Waunakee, WIKathleen and Paul Beckett Madison, WIJolene Berg Chippewa Falls, WIMark Berggren Madison, WIBlaine Bierdermann Fitchburg, WIJohn Bleimehl Verona, WIAllen Bluhm Laona, WIRichard Boda Boyceville, WIStephen Born Madison, WIAllon Bostwick Port Washington, WITom Branagan Appleton, WIStuart Brandes Monona, WIJerry Bristol Ellsworth, WIEd Brockner Beaver Dam, WIJohn Burns Fond Du Lac, WICasey Calkins Brookfield, WIEd Chiera Beloit, WIRick Christopherson Norwalk, WIAndrew Cook Sister Bay, WIDana Corbett Madison, WITerry Cummings Rhinelander, WIBruce Davidson Marinette, WIJames Davis Waunakee, WIWalter Dowty Big Bend, WIHerb Drake Gaylord, MIRichard Dupiessie Eau Claire, WIDan Ecklund Onalaska, WIDave Ehrenberg Manawa, WIRichard Ela Madison, WIDouglas Erdmann Wisconsin Rapids, WI Kathy Ewen Neenah, WIJohn Ewen Neenah, WIPaul Feldhake Port Washington, WIJoel Fisher Birnamwood, WIWilliam Flader M.D. Madison, WITim Fraley Madison, WIDavid Frasch Chippewa Falls, WIRonald French Madison, WIJason Freund LaCrosse, WIDavid Fritz Montfort, WID. James Fruit Jr. Hartland, WIRichard Galling Hartland, WIDaniel Geddes Appleton, WIRalph Geiger Superior, WIGiorgio Gimelli Madison, WIBrian Graff Eau Claire, WISteve Gress Black River Falls, WIJohn Gribb Mount Horeb, WIGordon Grieshaber Mineral Point, WIDean Hagness Custer, WIPaul Hallingstad Sun Prairie, WIJohn Hammond Appleton, WIPatrick Handrick Mount Horeb, WIShawn Hartnett Hudson, WIHenry Haugley Sun Prairie, WIAshton Hawk Madison, WIStephen Hawk Madison, WIBill Heart Ashland, WIMark Heifner Appleton, WIWally Heil DePere, WIRobery Hellyer Boulder Junction, WIJerome Herro Kimberly, WIDavid Hildreth Pleasant Prairie, WICharles Hodulik Madison, WIRobert Howell Hartford, WIJeff Jackson Oconto Falls, WICharles James Milwaukee, WIThomas Janssen Appleton, WIMatthew Jones Oskkosh, WIThomas Kammerman Suring, WIGary Karnes Wisconsin Rapids, WI Daniel and Sheree Kehoe Madison, WI

James Kellner Saukville, WIJohn Kenealy III Waukesha, WIDaniel King Middleton, WILane Kistler Milwaukee, WIRalph Klassy North Fond Du Lac, WIGerald Kobus Milwaukee, WIMichael Koltz Eagle, WIMark Kraft Madison, WIRoger Kragstad Masrhfield, WIKevin Kramer Plymouth, WICliff Kremmer Sparta, WIPeter Kurtz O.D. Menominee, MIRichard Kyte LaCrosse, WIJohn Lindberg Wautoma, WIRichard Lindroth Madison, WIThomas Lukas Manitowoc, WIThomas and Larissa Lyon Janesville, WIDoug MacFarland Dousman, WIPaul Mack New Richmond, WIBrian Madsen Ellsworth, WIAnna Magnin Marshfield, WIDonald Malchow Tomah, WIRichard Mandelin Montreal, WIJim and Billie March LaCrosse, WIBruce Markert Slinger, WIPaul and Nichelle Martin Baraboo, WIBob Martini Rhinelander, WIKim McCarthy Green Bay, WIAustin Mc Guan Green Bay, WIDavid Menke Bristol, WIPeter Meronek Stevens Point, WITom Mertens Green Bay, WIChristopher Meyer Middleton, WIFred Mikolajewski Franklin, WIRobert Moser Milwaukee, WIThomas Mrazek Fond Du Lac, WIGene Mueller monona, WIJohn Murphy East Troy, WIDuane Mussack Shawano, WIDick Nelson Glendale, WIKeith Nelson Waunakee, WIMicheal Niemczyk Oshkosh, WIHerb Oechler Wauwatosa, WIDavid Olk Racine, WIJames Olson Oconomowoc, WICheryland Winston Ostrow Viroqua, WIDonald Persons Janesville, WIRandall Rake Helena, MTRonald Rellatz Merton, WIBob Retko Cedarburg, WIBob Rice Iron River, WIGloria Roark New Berlin, WIJames Roden Eau Claire, WIWilliam Rogers Superior, WIDavid Rohde Waukesha, WIFrank Roznik Maribel, WIGordon Rudd McHenry, ILJack Saltes Mount Horeb, WI

Mike San Dretto Neenah, WIAllan Sanders Neshkoro, WISarah Sanford Robbinsdale, MNTom Schmidt St. Paul, MNJeff Schmoeger Lake Mills, WIJames School Kaukauna, WIDaniel Schultz Appleton, WIRobert Selk Madison, WIFrederick Seybold Madison, WIJohn Shillinglaw Madison, WIGeorge Shinners Antigo, WIBrent Sittlow Hudson, WIJohn Skaar Gleason, WIDr. and Mrs. John Snyder Milwaukee, WIMichael Staggs Poynette, WIMicheal Stapleton Pardeeville, WIScot and Jo Stewart Somerset, WIGary Stoychoff Green Bay, WIJuergen Stuebs Wautoma, WIAlan Szymialis Waupaca, WIRick Szymialis Waupaca, WIBob Tabbert Lafayette, LADonald Thompson Cumberland, WIJohn Townsell Jr. West Salem, WISteven Ugoretz Verona, WIChuck Valliere Waunakee, WIDennis Vanden Bloomen Eau Claire, WIEric Van Vught Milwaukee, WICarol Vendt Oconto, WIGreg Vodak Stoughton, WIDave Vogt Presque Isle, WIKen Voight Chippewa Falls, WIMike Wagner Sturgeon Bay, WIDuke Welter - in memory of Al Noll Viroqua, WIDuke Welter - in memory of Dan Wisniewski Viroqua, WIPaul Williams Madison, WIDonald Williams Fort Atkinson, WIDan Wisniewski Middleton, WIRobert Woniak Stevens point, WIRoland and Nancy Woodruff Oshkosh, WINorbert Wozniak Stevens Point, WIBenjamin Wurl-Koth Madison, WIFred Young Roscoe, ILSusan Zuege, in memory of Thomas Zuege Eagle River, WI

BUSINESSESGreat Lakes Eco. Monitoring LLC Firchburg, WIHALFPINT NATURALS Madison, WIState Bank of Cross Plains Cross Plains, WI

CHAPTERSMarinette County Marinette, WIAldo Leopold Watertown, WIAntigo Antigo, WISoutheastern Wisconsin Brookfield, WIKiap-TU-Wish Hudson, WI

Name

Address

City, State Zip Phone #

MAIL TO:Kim McCarthy736 Meadowbrook Court

Yes, I want to join the “Friends” of Wisconsin TU.

Green Bay WI 54313

Enclosed is my check, payable to Wisconsin Trout Unlimited.

Providing habitat improvement grants since 1991.

$2,000 to Coulee Chapter for War-ner Creek project in 2019

$1,000 to Wild Rivers for habitat crew in 2019

$2,000 to the Lakeshore Chapter for Nichols Creek in Sheboygan County in 2019

$2,000 to Harry & Laura Nohr Chapter for Six Mile Branch, 2019

$2,000 to the Antigo Chapter for hab-itat crews in 2019

$1,000 to Marinette and $2,000 to Wolf River for NE Region work in 2017$2,000 to Wisconsin River Val-

ley for Prairie River Project in Lincoln County in 2015

Here are ourFriends of Wisconsin TU

2020 has been another very active year for the Friends of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited habitat improvement program.This year eight different chapters have received grants from the program: Antigo, Blackhawk, Coulee Region, Fox Valley, Green Bay, Harry and Laura Nohr, Southern Wisconsin and Lakeshore.

Each of the requesting chapters received $2,000 grants.Much good habitat work will take place as a result of this year’s grants. Thank you to all of our donors who make the grants possible.

Please support Friends of Wisconsin TU in 2020

$2,000 to the Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter for the Upper Kinni in 2014 $2,000 to CWTU for habitat crew in

2019


By Tracy Hames and Erin O’Brien, Wisconsin Wetlands Association

A few years ago, on a warm andsunny July day, I paid a visit to BullGus Creek, a class 1 trout water inthe Penokee Hills of Iron County.During my hike that day, I chancedupon an area where the creeksnaked through a fairly large sedgemeadow wetland complex. I ap-proached its sinuous channel think-ing I could catch a nice photo of thewetlands by standing in the creek.One step into the channel, however,brought me up to my neck in cold,cold water. Luckily, I’m an old duckhunter, skilled at keeping my gunout of the water. So the camerastayed dry.

Now this experience didn’t makeme mad. It got me excited.

The trout habitat at this locationon Bull Gus creek is about as goodas it can be. The channel is narrowand deep, helping maintain spawn-ing gravels. Grasses and sedges sta-bilize undercut banks. The water iscold, with groundwater levels at ornear the surface. And it windsthrough a broad, well-connectedfloodplain with the bonus of abun-dant wetlands from terrace to ter-race.

It’s a striking contrast to manystreams I’ve seen across Wisconsinwhere the water may still run coldbut the physical condition of thechannel is highly degraded. Erodedbanks, incised channels disconnect-ed from adjacent floodplains, andonce narrow streams that now runshallow and wide, are but a few ex-amples. Elsewhere, water tempera-ture and supply may be compro-mised.

All of these degraded conditionsaffect trout habitat, and all are tiedto changes to watershed hydrology— in other words, how and whenwater moves through a watershed.Restoring wetlands in the upperreaches of our watersheds and re-connecting streams to their flood-plains offers an effective, butunderutilized, approach to restoringthe health of Wisconsin’s coldwaterfisheries.

So let’s start by reviewing twovery basic needs of trout and howhealthy upper watershed wetlandsand healthy floodplains help meetthese needs.

Trout need cold waterWe all know that we can’t have

trout if we don’t have cold water.Because Wisconsin summers are sowarm, trout-bearing, coldwaterstreams rely on upwelling ground-water. That groundwater supply alsohelps buffer the effects of warmedsurface runoff entering streams.Most groundwater originates fromsources above the ground, especiallysnowmelt and spring rains.

Upper watershed wetlands cap-ture this melting snow and springrainwater, slow it down and allow itto infiltrate into the ground. Theground, acting like a refrigerator,keeps the precipitation cold as itmakes its underground journey to-ward the stream. Though the snow-melt may have entered the groundin March, it will likely not reach thestream until the heat of the summerwhen the trout need this cold base-flow more than ever. Loss of wet-land storage, whether throughdrainage or development, disruptsthis infiltration and subsequentsummer baseflow.

Trout need healthy channel form and habitat structure

In many Wisconsin trout waters,healthy habitat conditions are char-acterized by deep and narrow chan-nels underlain with gravels,undercut banks stabilized by fi-brous-rooted grasses and sedges,and woody debris and other featuressupporting aquatic invertebratesand adding to structural diversity.Complex watershed-scale interac-tions between water, geology, geo-morphology and vegetation influ-ence channel form and structure.

Wetlands affect channel form intwo important ways, both related tothe energy of flows.

When upper watershed wetlandscapture and slow the flow of runoff,the energy of the runoff is reduced.But when upper watershed wetlandstorage is removed, water movesswiftly across the land, in the formof unnaturally large, short duration(flashy) runoff events. These high-energy, flashy events cause largeamounts of erosion.

To accommodate these flashyflows, the channel must change itsshape. Channels generally change

their shape in two ways. One way isby digging themselves deeper intothe ground. This is called incision,and is very common in trout streamsacross Wisconsin. Another way is bymaking themselves wider and shal-lower. This condition is more com-mon in trout streams in the CentralSands region. As channels changetheir shape to accommodate flashyrunoff events, they become increas-ingly disconnected from their flood-plains.

When a stream becomes discon-nected with its floodplain, the ener-gy associated with the runoff stays inthe channel. This increases bankerosion and downstream sedimenta-tion, causing further disconnectionof the channel from its floodplain.With each runoff event, conditionsget worse, tributary channels be-come gullies, floodplain disconnec-tion increases, spawning gravelsbecome buried in sediment, summerbaseflow is reduced, bank habitat islost, and the stability and complexityof the channel suffers.

Back to Bull Gus CreekRemember the high-quality site

where I went in up to my neck?Walk up from that site and you’llfind wetlands covering nearly 50percent of the upper watershed, ef-fectively capturing runoff and re-ducing the energy of the 200-250inches of snow that falls there eachwinter. The large sedge meadowfloodplain where I took a dip fur-ther reduces the energy of the waterflowing from above. The combinedenergy reduction helps keep thechannel stable, deep and narrow,which is great habitat for trout. It’san amazing place, and one of my fa-vorite landscapes in Wisconsin.

Connecting hydrologic restoration to habitat recovery and resilience

I’ve spent much of my careerprotecting, restoring and managinglarge acreages of habitat in coldwa-ter salmon- and trout-bearing water-sheds. Over the decades I’ve learnedmuch by watching, living with andmanaging the properties I’ve re-stored. Many of you also have long-term knowledge of the waterwaysyou help protect, restore, manageand fish.

Now we’ve all worked on projects

where the objective is to fix some-thing that’s messed up at a givensite. And we’ve all worked on proj-ects where for one reason or anoth-er what we tried didn’t stick. At leastI know I have.

One of the most important thingsI’ve learned from these experiencesis that the more degraded the hy-drology is upstream from a site I’mworking, the harder it is to achieveself-sustaining restoration goals on-site. So, after decades of careful at-tention, when I approach arestoration effort today, I always askthe same three questions:• How did water historically move

through this watershed?• What’s changed over the years to

alter that movement and how dothose changes affect this site?

• What can we do to restore somesemblance of historical watermovement in a modern context?

The main point is that keepingyour favorite fishing spot healthymay require work upstream. Insome places, re-establishing wetlandstorage and infiltration and recon-necting streams to historic flood-plains might give you the biggestbang for your restoration buck inthe long run. This is especially im-portant given the increasingly in-tense precipitation events we areexperiencing in Wisconsin.

Because a hydrology-based, wa-tershed approach to habitat restora-tion also helps reduce flooding andrunoff and conserves soil, integrat-ing these practices can further in-crease public investment andcommunity engagement in your res-toration work. Restoring watershedhydrology with these co-benefits inmind is the root of an exciting newcollaboration between WWA andTrout Unlimited staff in NorthernWisconsin (see sidebar). We’ll havemuch more to report on this collab-oration soon, so stay tuned.

Wisconsin Wetlands Association isa statewide, non-profit, non-partisan,science-based organization dedicatedto helping communities and decisionmakers understand how wetlands canbe solutions to the water issues theyface. Please visit our website for moreinformation about wetlands, water-sheds, hydrologic restoration, andhow you can support our work.

Why trout need wetlands

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BULL GUS WETLAND AFTER FLOODINGAn upper watershed wetland in the Bull Gus watershed in July 2016, a couple of days after a historic event dropped more than 11 inches of rain throughout the region. This rain event caused more than $35 million in public infrastructure damage. Thanks to the thousands of wetlands like this capturing runoff, there was minimal damage in the Bull Gus watershed.

NECK DEEP AND NARROW: PERFECT TROUT HABITATBull Gus Creek minutes after I stepped into the channel and sunk up to my neck. This narrow channel and sedge meadow floodplain help this creek maintain its Class 1 trout status.


WWA and TU team up on watershed restoration

Wisconsin Wetlands Asso-ciation, Wisconsin Trout Un-limited, Ashland County andmany others have teamed upin the flood-prone MarengoRiver watershed of NorthernWisconsin to develop and im-plement a pilot watershed ap-p roach to hydro log icrestoration.

Together, we’ll be exploringopportunities to strategicallyimprove upper watershed wet-land storage and floodplainconnection in order to sustain-ably improve fish habitat andpassage, reduce flooding andprotect vulnerable infrastruc-ture.

The watershed approachbeing developed with this part-nership is drawing much atten-tion and support, with fundingcoming from sources focusedon habitat, healthy forests,hazard mit igation, cl imatechange and more.

Even the Wisconsin Legisla-ture recognized its value, pro-viding $150,000 toward theplanning and construction ofdemonstrat ion projects toshow how upper watershedand floodplain wetland resto-ration can help address watermanagement issues in light ofincreasingly strong stormevents.

This legislation, 2019 Act157, passed with unanimousbipartisan support before be-ing signed by the governor.Both WWA and WITU lobbiedin support of this bill.

For more information onthis partnership, please con-tact WWA’s Kyle Magyera [email protected] or TU’s Chris Collierat [email protected].


Jeff

Hast

ings

By Jeff Hastings,TUDARE Project Manager

Despite most county conserva-tion field offices restricted to limit-ed staff at any one time in theiroffice, it looks like conservation willnot be limited by the coronavirusdisease. In the fall of 2018TUDARE was awarded one of thelargest conservation awards in TroutUnlimited’s history — a Phase II$9.2 million-dollar Regional Con-servation Partnership Program(RCPP) award. I wrote the proposalwith strong support from TU chap-ters that do work in the Driftless Ar-ea, as well as other partners wantingto contribute towards the matchingrequirements of the award.

The first successful RCPP, PhaseI, covered just Minnesota and Wis-consin, Phase II was written to coverthe entire Driftless Area. BecauseWisconsin field offices and chapterswere so successful in obligating Wis-consin’s $1.4 million share of PhaseI, Phase II was written so that Wis-consin will be receiving even a larg-er share --$3.9 million. TheEnvironmental Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP) funding, like thefirst phase, will go through the localNatural Resources ConservationService (NRCS) field offices to agri-cultural producers.

The dollars will target coldwaterstream conservation type practicesin the Driftless Area, with prioritygiven to streams with angler access.TUDARE developed a screeningprocess with NRCS so that for aproject to even qualify it must con-tain habitat for trout or nongamespecies and cannot simply be a bankstabilization project. In 2019 nearly50 landowners signed contracts with

NRCS for almost 16 miles of work,utilizing about a third of Wisconsin’sallocation of the award.

Trout Unlimited Chapters, DNRfish habitat crews and county con-servation field offices are workingwith private landowners where thereis public access to cover most of thecost of the restoration projects. Agproducers sign up for RCPP andthen reassign the EQIP paymentover to the organization, with theunderstanding that the producers’share of the access area will be paidfor. Producers get projects at nocost, and the organization receivesapproximately 75 percent of the costof the project through EQIP.

We have been doing projects likethis for more than 20 years in theDriftless Area, but have had to com-pete against other funded EQIPconservation practices such as wa-terways, dams and barnyards. Withthese targeted RCPP dollars we areonly competing against other streamrestoration projects, with the bestprojects being ones with public ac-cess and habitat.

Even if your Trout Unlimitedchapter does not do projects in theDriftless Area I would be glad tovisit with you on how you can useEQIP dollars targeted for yourcounty to help fund stream restora-tion projects. EQIP dollars can beused to clear brush, plant a buffer,remove log jams, install fish habitatand more.

We are grateful to WITU and thechapters that have donated toTUDARE. Even large awards suchas this $9.2 million one do not coveradministrative costs to run our pro-grams.

You can contact Jeff at [email protected]

TUDARE offering pollinator seed

We have again purchased about $5,000 worth of pollinatorseed, all forbs, which are available for any coldwater DriftlessArea stream project scheduled for this summer.

At a rate of 3 ounces per acre and an ounce of commonmilkweed, it should give you an additional 5 to 10 seeds persquare foot (typical seeding mix is around 40 seeds persquare foot).

Although it will not replace your already planned seeding, itwill enhance any riparian mixture. We have worked with Prai-rie Moon Nursery to identify a hardy pollinator seed mix tocompete with other seed mixtures in the riparian zone.

Let me know what stream you are working on, how manyacres you plan to seed and when you will need it. We’ll eithermail you the seed or find a way to get it to you.

The enhancement mixture includes Purple Giant Hyssop,Great Indian Plantain, Rose Milkweed, Tall Bellflower, SweetJoe Pye Weed, Great Blue Lobelia, Glade Mallow, Wild Gold-en Glow, Golden Alexanders and Common Milkweed.

Contact Jeff Hastings at [email protected]

Record year scheduled for stream restoration

A RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECT ON PINE CREEK IN MINNESOTA

Documents

Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited News and Views from