News and Views from Wisconsin Trout Unlimited. Good news on Stewardship funding, NRB status

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1 News and Views from Unlimited July 2015 Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited 2515 Bigler Circle Verona, WI wicouncil.tu.org NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 1 MADISON, WI STATE BUDGET UPDATE Good news on Stewardship funding, NRB status TU member action still needed to stop DNR scientist cuts. By Henry Koltz, TU National Trustee This spring has been exceptionally busy for Unlimited s Legislative Committee. As our members know, taking care of Wisconsin s streams and the recreation they provide isn t just good from a conservation standpoint, it also has a profound impact on Wisconsin s economy. Specifically, Wisconsin s water resources and the anglers they attract are an absolutely huge economic engine for our state. According to a 2013 report released by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), Wisconsin ranked ninth among all states, with more than $1.4 billion in fishing-related expenditures. We also ranked as the third most popular destination for non-resident fishing, with more than 335,000 visitors spending more than $445 million each year. The ASA report also found that angling supports more than 21,000 Wisconsin jobs, and results in more than $665 million in salaries and wages. For Wisconsin and its citizens and government, the ASA report say angling results in more than $148 million in local and state tax revenue. Combining these remarkable numbers, we realize that recreational angling in Wisconsin results in a staggering $2.2 billion annual economic impact. What we do as TU members, and what we do as chapters and as a council, doesn t just help our streams and trout. It helps local businesses. It helps people who want to be employed. And, it helps our government generate tax revenue. This spring, the bulk of WITU s legislative effort has been devoted to three items in the ongoing budget bill. As to these efforts, WITU and its chapters launched significant and phone-call campaigns, and have sent representatives to meet with members of the Committee on Joint Finance, and with other legislators as well. These efforts have been successful in part, with two out of three WITU objectives coming to fruition, but with one item that has not yet been addressed. Science-based management The single WITU issue which remains unaddressed in the proposed budget bill is the elimination of science positions within the Wisconsin Please see BUDGET, page 13 WITU YOUTH CAMP JULY By the smiles on the faces of the students and volunteers, WITU s first Youth Fishing Camp was a smashing success last July. Volunteers are still sought for this year s camp July at the Pine Lake Bible Camp near Wild Rose. To volunteer or to make donations of fishing equipment, waders and boots, fly tying tools and supplies and more, contact Bob Haase at flytier@milwpc.com or or Linn Beck at chlbeck@att.net or Beyond the budget, a waiting game on legislation By Mike Stapleton, WITU Legislative Committee At the time the last issue of appeared in your mailboxes, we had just seen a flurry of legislative activity. One comprehensive groundwater bill was introduced, while the drafting of a second such bill was under way. A bill on high-capacity wells was released in draft form. A bill to prohibit the sale of products containing plastic microbeads had been introduced and quickly received rare bipartisan support in both houses of the legislature. A bill not reported on previously, impacting aid payments to local governments for lands purchased by the DNR, was also introduced during this same period. The Legislature, however, has turned its attention to other matters, mostly the budget bill, and these other issues have stalled with little or no change in status since last reported. The current status of legislative items of interest to us, outside of the budget bill, is as follows: SB 72, a comprehensive groundwater management proposal being referred to as the Groundwater Sustainability Act, was introduced by Sen. Mark Miller, (D-Monona) in March, though it has not yet received a public hearing before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy. A second groundwater bill, currently in the drafting stage, is expected from Sen. Robert Cowles, (R-Green Bay). Also expected to be a comprehensive measure, introduction of the Cowles proposal had been expected by this time to allow for action on it prior to the budget bill taking center stage, but the latest word on it is that it may be delayed until fall. A bill draft, LRB-1466/1, released in the spring by Sen. Richard Gudex, (R-Fond du Lac), that would allow the owner of any existing, approved high-capacity well to repair, replace, reconstruct and transfer ownership of the well without additional approval, has not yet been introduced. Sen. Gudex's staff has indicated that they are currently focusing on the bill being drafted by Sen. Cowles. AB 71, a bill not previously reported on, was introduced in March by Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), and would impact aid payments to local governments, called payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) made by the DNR for lands it purchases. The bill also would require the approval of the local unit of government prior to land purchases by the DNR under the Stewardship program. The PILT payments would discontinue for lands purchased after June 30, It is possible that without the availability of the PILT payments it could become difficult to get local government approval for proposed land purchases. The provisions of AB 71 would have no impact on stream bank easements because the required local government approval would apply to land purchases, not easements, and because lands under easement remain in private ownership and are not removed from the tax roll, so no PILT money is paid. This bill was referred to the Assembly Committee on Mining and Development and has seen no action since its introduction. AB/SB 15, the microbead bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary Czaja (R-Irma) and Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) appeared to be on its way to becoming law, having been passed by the Senate and also recommended for passage by the Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry. In April, however, before the Assembly Rules Committee, AB 15 was tabled and remains there to this day. It may be fall before this measure is taken up again, though the strong bipartisan support it has received to this point indicates it still has a good chance of being enacted. Although the budget will continue to hold center stage a while longer, the time will come when some or all of the legislation mentioned above will draw some attention of its own and start moving again. WITU will need to be prepared to respond appropriately, and we hope to provide you with the information you will need to respond at the chapter and individual level. The fight to protect cold water never ends; please do what you can to stay informed on these and other related issues and to advocate for our precious water resources.

2 Page 2 July 2015 Polk St. Croix KIAP-TU-WISH Burnett WI CLEAR WATERS Pierce Wisconsin TU Chapters, Presidents, and Websites Pepin Douglas Washburn Barron Dunn COULEE REGION Buffalo HARRY & LAURA NOHR Bayfield Sawyer Chippewa Eau Claire Trempealeau Rusk La Crosse Crawford Ashland Jackson Vernon Grant Taylor Clark Monroe Price Richland Iron Vilas Forest Florence Marinette Lincoln ANTIGO GREEN BAY Langlade WOLF RIVER WISCONSIN Menominee RIVER VALLEY Oconto Marathon OCONTO Shawano RIVER Door SHAW-PACA Kewaunee Wood Waupaca Portage Outagamie Brown FRANK HORNBERG FOX VALLEY Waushara Winnebago Manitowoc Calumet LAKESHORE Adams CENTRAL Juneau Marquette WISCONSIN Iowa Lafayette WILD RIVERS Sauk Oneida ALDO LEOPOLD Green Columbia Dane Rock Green Lake SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BLACKHAWK NORTHWOODS Fond du Lac Dodge Jefferson Walworth Visit WITU online at: wicouncil.tu.org Washington Waukesha Sheboygan Racine Kenosha Ozaukee Milwaukee MARINETTE SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN Aldo Leopold (#375): Scott Allen, E4835 N Stoney Ridge Road, Reedsburg, WI 53959; (608) ; jscottallen12@gmail.com; aldoleopold.tu.org Antigo (#313): Scott Henricks, 213 Mary St., Antigo, WI (715) ; henricks51@frontier.com Blackhawk (#390): Gordon Long; 4850 Cardamon Ln., Rockford, IL (815) ; gordyl10@yahoo.com; Central Wisconsin (#117): Michael San Dretto; 467 Hawhorne St., Neenah, WI (920) ; msandretto@aol.com; Coulee Region (#278): Curt Rees; W5190 Birchwood Lane, La- Crosse, WI 54601; curtrees@gmail.com Fox Valley (#193): Tom Lager, 1700 Spring Hill Ct., Neenah, WI (920) ; tomkarinlager@new.rr.com; Frank Hornberg (#624): Matt Salchert, 1800 Minnesota Ave., Stevens Point, WI (715) ; MattSalchert@Yahoo.com; Green Bay (#083): Adrian Meseberg, 315 South Michigan Street, DePere, WI (920) ; president@greenbaytu.com; Harry & Laura Nohr (#257): Tim Fraley, 2 Pagham Court, Madison, WI 53719; hm:(608) ; c:(608) ; grizzly8589@gmail.com; Kiap-TU-Wish (#168): Tom Schnadt, 2174 Commonwealth Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108; ; thschnad@hotmail.com; Lakeshore (#423): Gordy Martin, N7601 Royal and Ancient Dr., Elkhart Lake, WI 53020; squaretail@aol.com; Marinette (#422): Doug Erdmann, 2418 Woodview Lane, Marinette, WI (715) ; derdmann2@new.rr.com; marinettecounty.new.tu.org Northwoods (#256): Laura MacFarland, 3116 Tremolo Trl., Rhinelander, WI (715) ; lauramacfarland@gmail.com Oconto River (#385): Tom Klatt; 1677 Forest Glen Drive Green Bay, WI (920) ; tktklatt@gmail.com; ocontorivertu.com Shaw-Paca (#381): Nate Sipple, 931 E. Fifth St., Shawano, WI 54166; (715) ; shawpacatu@gmail.com; Wisconsin- TU.org/ShawPaca; Southeastern Wisconsin (#078): Boyd Roessler; 212 S. James Street, Waukesha, WI 53186; boydroessler@sbcglobal.net; ; SEWTU.org; facebook.com/southeastwisconsintroutunlimited Southern Wisconsin (#061): Matt Krueger; (608) mattjoman@gmail.com; Wild Rivers (#415): Bob Rice Kaukamo Road, Iron River, WI 54847; (715) ; bobrice723@gmail.com Wisconsin Clear Waters (#255): Bob Swanson, PO Box 822, Eau Claire, WI (715) ; svee123@yahoo.com Wisconsin River Valley (#395): Patrick Esselman, pesselman@charter.net; Wolf River (#050): Tim Waters, 409 Second St., Menasha, WI 54952; (920) ; MuddyWaters@new.rr.com; WolfriverTU.org State Council Leadership State Chair: Linn Beck, 160 W. 19th Ave., Oshkosh, WI (920) (H); chlbeck@att.net Vice Chair: Mike Kuhr, 6103 Queensway, Monona, WI 53716; (414) ; mikek.trout@yahoo.com Secretary: Tom Lager, 1700 Spring Hill Ct., Neenah, WI 54956; (920) Treasurer: Gary Stoychoff, th Ave., Green Bay, WI garystoychoff@att.net Past State Chair: Henry Koltz, 2300 N. Mayfair Rd., Ste. 1175, Milwaukee, WI (414) (H); hek@sdelaw.com Vice Chair, Central Region: Bob Haase, W7949 Treptow Ln., Eldorado, WI (920) (H); flytier@milwpc.com Vice Chair, Northeast Region: Paul Kruse, 500 Saint Jude St., Green Bay, WI (920) (H); kruser2@new.rr.com Vice Chair, Southern Region: Jim Wierzba, 2817 Country Club Drive, Mequon, WI (262) ; hoke4me@aol.com Vice Chair, Western Region: Gary Horvath, 623 W. Pine St., River Falls, WI (715) ; magshorvath@comcast.net Awards: Todd Hanson, 4514 Elgar Ln., Madison, WI (608) (W); twhanson@sbcglobal.net Education: Bob Haase (see above) Communications: Chris Long, 5460 Reeve Road, Mazomanie, WI ; chris.long@att.net Friends of WITU and Watershed Access Fund: Doug Brown, R4800 Timber Ln., Ringle, WI (715) ; Decbrown@yahoo.com Legal Counsel: Winston Ostrow, 233 N. Broadway #120, De Pere, WI (W); waostrow@gklaw.com Legislative Chair: Henry Koltz, National Trustee: hek@sdelaw.com; Membership: Linn Beck and Mike Kuhr (see above) National Leadership Council Representative: Kim McCarthy, 736 Meadowbrook Ct., Green Bay, WI (920) (H); KMCCARTHY2@new.rr.com Water Resources: Bob Obma, West Shore Drive, Mountain, WI (715) (H) bobobma@hotmail.com Website: Chris Long, 5460 Reeve Road, Mazomanie, WI ; chris.long@att.net Women s Initiatives: Heidi Oberstadt, 456 Wadleigh St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; ; heidi.oberstadt@gmail.com Are you getting s from TU? If you are currently not receiving news and event-related messages from your chapter, the state council and TU National, then you are truly missing out on what s happening at all three levels. TU National manages the mailing list for the council and chapters, so update your address by going to log in, then go to Preferences. You can also call Some chapter and council leaders may also be able to make the changes. WISCONSIN TROUT Vol. 27, No. 3 July 2015 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. Deadlines 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, Editor 2515 Bigler Circle Verona, WI (608) toddfranklinwistrout@gmail.com State Council Officers Executive Committee includes officers and vice chairs Linn Beck, Chair Tom Lager, Secretary Mike Kuhr, Vice Chair Gary Stoychoff, Treasurer

3 July 2015 Page 3 Chairman s Column Heading in the right direction WITU is thriving, thanks to the hard work of all of our members. By Linn Beck, Council Chair As I look back at the past couple of months, it gives me a really good feeling to see the path that WITU is headed. With all the hard work from everyone, things seem to be falling in place as we get ready to develop and put into place a strategic plan for the State Council. I would like to touch base on a few things that are coming into play for the State council. First off, the new Unlimited license plate is available for purchase. The cost is an extra $25, but WITU gets the full $25 back from the state. We are hoping to get enough of a return from the sales of the license plate to be able to use the funding in our mission of protecting, restoring, reconnecting and sustaining Wisconsin's coldwater resources, plus youth education, veterans activities and more. What a great way to help fund TU and its mission. With the help of all the chapters in the development of our strategic plan, we hope to keep improving upon what the Council can accomplish, especially helping chapters reach their highest potential. Results from a recent survey of chapter leaders will help us determine goals and obstacles as we put together this strategic plan. We look forward to strengthening WITU and bringing everyone together as One TU. The last thing I would like to do is say Thank You. We have dealt with a lot of important issues in a very short time period. I just wanted BECK AND A BIGHORN BROWN Wisconsin State Council Chair Linn Beck enjoys some well-earned vacation time on the Bighorn River in Montana. to let you all know that we appreciate the time and effort you have taken to contact all of your representatives on the various issues. WITU cannot exist without all of you putting forth a serious effort, from giving donations to advocating for what we believe, to helping with our youth programs, being or becoming a chapter leader or volunteering at work days. Your efforts are helping us to thrive and grow. TU, Girl Scouts team up for Stream Girls event Heidi Oberstadt Trout Unlimited and the Girl Scouts of America teamed up for a successful second annual Stream Girls event June at Jordan Park, along the Plover River, according to organizer Heidi Oberstadt. TU volunteers taught the girls everything from water flow, streamside vegetation, fish habitat and water quality to fly tying and casting. TU national staff and volunteers designed and provided specialized handbooks to the scouts, outlining their activities for the program. Entomology is always a hit. The program is about 75 percent science and 25 percent angling, and it includes an at-home checklist to share with their families to evaluate their impact on watersheds. Junior Girl Scouts came on Friday, and Brownies joined in on Saturday morning. The older girls took the younger girls on a stream walk and shared what they had learned about the stream the day before. Then they braved the rain for a little fishing on Jordan Pond. TU volunteers came from all over Wisconsin to share their passion and knowledge about water, and I'm incredibly thankful for the kindness and generosity of everyone who contributed, Oberstadt said. Heidi Oberstadt Heidi Oberstadt

4 Page 4 July 2015 Hunt left legacy of research, fishing and friendships ON HIS BELOVED BRULE RIVER Bob Hunt rigs up to fish the Brule River, on which he did his master s thesis. By Duke Welter, TUDARE Communications Director If you ve been a regular reader of, it s likely you ve heard mention of Robert Hunt and his key role in Wisconsin s trout management and the science behind it. Though he died in April, 2013, Bob s influence continues to play a role in the state and the nation. Lecture series started Last May, Bob was remembered in the first Robert M. Hunt Memorial Lecture sponsored by the Central Wisconsin Chapter of TU, and delivered by former Chapter President John Gremmer. The chapter hopes to make such retrospective talks an annual feature, in honor of Bob and his role in the chapter and the state. Gremmer, with help from Hunt s wife, Phyllis, family members and friends, presented an impressive review of Bob Hunt s life and his contributions to trout resources, with a thoughtful and respectful personal history. Every Wisconsin trout enthusiast needs to know about and appreciate those who have made significant contributions to our resources, because they got us here and will help us protect those resources as time goes on. A quick biography A Madison native born in 1935 and raised in McFarland, Bob earned his bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Wisconsin, sandwiched around several years of Army service. He did his thesis on the Brule River trout fishery and married his wife Phyllis in They were married more than 53 years. After a honeymoon on the Brule River, they eventually had three children: Lori, Cyndy and David. Bob started work with the Wisconsin Conservation Department in 1959 and retired from the DNR in During his career he published almost 50 scientific papers, presented at dozens of professional fisheries conferences, and led a team of DNR coldwater scientists working statewide out of a nowclosed research station in Wautoma. Talking with him during the nearly 20 years I knew him, it seemed there were few Wisconsin trout streams he hadn t studied, fished or worked on. Beset with a number of medical conditions, including aftereffects of Lyme s Disease, Bob passed away in the fall of Fishing an early passion Fishing was an early passion, and Bob had the gift of being able to combine his vocation and his avocation. He was a deadly trout angler because he knew trout habits, needs and behavior, and because his fly rod was as well-aimed as a neurosurgeon s scalpel when it came to getting a fly in front of them. He would probably have told you he wasn t a picture-perfect caster, but when it came to bow-and-arrow casting a fly into a small opening in the brush to an unsuspecting trout, he was masterful. He could roll cast all day, and his fly landed consistently like a feather on the water. Bob also held deeply his Christian religious beliefs, and helped organize an annual anglers retreat centered on religion and nature. He was a long-time Gideon, and worked and gave money to get bibles into every hotel room in the nation. But he did not preach. He just appreciated the places we fish and the outdoors every minute he was out there. Occasionally he d launch into a poem, maybe something from The Compleat Angler or just doggerel, appreciative of our common sport. Fly-tying was a craft but not an art form for Bob. He liked to tweak the old standards and make them better in some way. For example, he omitted the hackle from the wellknown Hornberg Special, which some say imitates a large central Wisconsin caddis, and turned it into a minnow imitation. He dubbed it the Huntberg. It s been said there are other Hunt patterns out there, but Central Wisconsin TU s fly-tiers and anglers are notoriously protective of them, if they exist. He was a first-rate teacher without seeming to be doing it. Early TU leader From the beginning of Trout Unlimited s Wisconsin State Council, Bob understood just how to put our volunteers to work to do things the DNR couldn t do. He was present at the first meeting of the Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited, and served for years as a key scientific advisor to TU as well as an active member of Central Wisconsin chapter. Whenever a new threat to Wisconsin streams emerged, Bob advised the council on its possible implications. He was a master at inviting TU, at the local, state or national level, to get involved in key issues. When DNR was stymied or, in his opinion, off the mark, he turned to mobilize TU to get things done. He helped propose the first inland trout stamp, and fought to restrict its revenues to habitat work. Unlike some states whose trout stamps simply fund their trout hatcheries, Wisconsin invests in trout habitat, and Bob Hunt was a key reason for that emphasis. He encouraged Wisconsin TU to support research by other DNR scientists on projects focused on trout. Without that support, we would not likely have seen publication of a 20- year study in NE Wisconsin on the impacts of beavers on trout populations. When Nestle Company s Perrier subsidiary sought to bottle and sell the springs of the much-loved Mecan River in central Wisconsin, Bob was the person who advised TU leaders on the science underlying groundwater withdrawals and their effect on stream baseflows. Active even in retirement In retirement, he helped organize a habitat maintenance crew to keep project sites brushed out. He didn t limit himself to Wisconsin trout, either: from its inception he taught at the Pennsylvania TU Kids Flyfishing school, one of a blue-ribbon group that included friends like George Harvey, the long-time Penn State Trout Fishing Professor who taught thousands of students to fish. Buried somewhere in my basement is a three-ring binder full of research articles and clipped-out pieces from various fishing-related periodicals. It goes back to the early 1980s, when I joined TU and involved myself in better understanding trout and how to catch them. I read about, and fished for brook trout in Lawrence Creek near Westfield, where he did seminal research on the natural history of those trout, followed by pioneering habitat work. He reported on the reliance of those brook trout on scuds and other invertebrates, and studied the response of trout populations to improved habitat. However, it wasn t until almost 20 years later when I met Bob, worked with him on various issues through the state council, and eventually fished with him four or five times. I probably learned more from him about trout resources and management than I have from any other person. The thing that I m proudest of is that we were able to get trout management to the point of being based on science. Robert Hunt A first-rate teacher That s an important point in understanding Bob Hunt: Whatever else he was, he was a first-rate teacher without seeming to be doing it. You always learned more about fishing when you fished with him. His 20 tips for Fishing Success should be a part of every Wisconsin trout angler s arsenal. One appreciative and long-time angling companion, Ed Culhane, was the outdoor writer for the Appleton Post-Crescent for many years before he became a public information officer for the DNR. Culhane wrote, in successfully nominating Hunt for the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 2012, please honor him not only as a groundbreaking stream researcher and the author of Trout Stream Therapy, but as a teacher whose gentle wisdom quiet, deep and essential is like the cool, life-giving groundwater he has spent a lifetime defending. On a steadily rainy day in 2005, the first time I fished with Bob, I was nervous about spending time on the water with this legend. Fishing a little Vernon County stream that was cloudy with runoff, wearing an old Army knee-length rubberized raincoat, he would manipulate a beadhead soft hackle and catch trout after trout with ease. He wouldn t use a strike indicator, believing that it threw off the accuracy of his casts. He simply watched the end of his fly line on the water. Bob would suggest how I might fish a hole first, and I d catch two or three trout. He d take over, and catch another six or eight, most larger than any of mine. Soon I d put another fly up into a tree, or lose it in a snag. Like a bird-hunter who would never criticize another hunter s misbehaving dog, he was quiet for the most part. But after I lost about dozen flies, he chuckled quietly and said, Well, it is a good thing you tie your own flies. Then he bow-and-arrowed a fly into a footwide aperture in the trees and caught a nice brown that had probably never seen a fly before. He played it to his hand, dislodged the hook and deftly released it. Culhane had a similar experience, as a new outdoor reporter. Invited to fish by Hunt, he showed up with a brand-spanking-new $50 Filson fishing hat. Hunt looked at that hat and quietly said, Well, if you can t be a fisherman you can always look like one. Culhane found the comment humorously ironic, considering Hunt for years stored his fly rod in a cardboard tube in his trunk. He just wasn t impressed by expensive material goods. Enjoyed eating trout Don t think he released all his trout, though: Bob liked to eat fish and kept fish regularly. He would often catch a few and clean them, noting stomach contents for further fishing, and put them in a plastic bread bag to deliver to the widow on whose land we fished. And his shore lunches on the Brule River were masterful examples of that culinary art, Gremmer noted in his speech. Gremmer recalled a day of fishing with Bob, where he caught three or four times as many trout as I, but who was counting? I asked him if he wanted to spend some time in an interview setting, so he could offer some of the lessons of his experience to readers. Although he wasn t quite ready to do that, he said he d think about it and see what he could offer. Please see HUNT on page 22

5 July 2015 Page 5 Bob Hunt s Huntburg and other favorite flies AN ORIGINAL HUNTBURG Bob Haase found this fly in his fly box, and suspects it was tied by Bob Hunt himself. By Bob Haase, WITU Education Chair I believe the fly in the picture above is one that Bob tied. I recall that he had given me a couple of them, and I found this one in a box with his name on it. He did not always tie the flies the same, and if you fished with Bob or saw his flies over time, you saw minor changes in the way he tied the patterns. I think we all do that, and I am probably as guilty as anyone. When you tie it, feel free to change the tying method slightly if you desire, but the following steps will provide a reasonably close example of how Bob tied it. Step 1 - Start your thread and take it to the bend of the hook. Tie in a tail using wood duck fibers about the length of the hook shaft. Bring the thread forward and tie in gold tinsel and wrap it to the bend of the hook and back, or tie it in at the tail and wrap it forward. MATERIALS LIST Bob Hunt s Huntburg Hook: Tiemco 5212 or equivalent; sizes Thread: brown 140 denier Body: gold tinsel Tail: wood duck fibers Underwing: yellow calftail Wing: one wood duck flank feather Step 2 - Tie in a small amount of yellow calf tail as shown as an underwing. I also saw Bob use yellow bucktail. Step 3 - Take one large wood duck flank feather and fold it between your thumb and forefinger and stroke the feather back to form a tent wing. Tie it in as shown to form the wing. I think sometimes Bob used two wood duck feathers, as the one he tied had a little more bulk to the wing. Build up the head with thread and whip finish. Some other flies that Bob liked to fish with included the Muskrat Nymph and a variation of my Emu Bugger. They are simple to tie without detailed tying instructions. Muskrat Nymph Bob had variations of this pattern, but always used muskrat fur for dubbing. He would cut if off the skin and blend it between his fingers. You can also use a coffee grinder. After dubbing the fly, pick the dubbing out then tie some wood duck fibers as shown. I think Bob s wood duck was less sparse than I show here. I know he also tied this without a bead, but I do not know if he wrapped the body with lead. Bob Hunt Hopper Bob used this hopper for trout and panfish. He tied it for us in the CWTU Master s Tying Class. He wrapped the shank of the hook with red thread and tied in a small, short clump of red hackle fibers at the bend of the hook. He then tied in a brown hackle. He cut the foam to a point at the tail and tied it in segments as shown. As he was tying the foam body in segments he would wrap the hackle as shown. He would tie off the hackle and whip finish under the foam by the eye of the hook. He would also trim some of the hackle off on the top. Pink Emu Bugger My sister gave me some emu feathers and I designed a fly called an Emu Bugger. I have changed and improved it over time, and it is my go-to fly when nothing is working. I gave one of these and some of the necessary tying materials to Bob. He modified it and added a pink collar. He told me I shouldn t tell anyone about it because it caught fish everywhere. The fly shown here is one he actually tied, and was one of his first versions of this fly. Bob had some friends in Colorado with a private pond for fishing rainbow trout. They couldn t catch any fish in it one year and thought that oxygen depletion or otters may have killed all the fish. They told their friends that they had a friend from Wisconsin coming down and if he couldn t catch any fish in the pond then there probably weren t any left. Bob put on his version of the Pink Emu Bugger and caught seven or eight fish, one right after the other, on this fly. His friends were excited that there were still fish in the pond. When Bob returned from the trip he told me how it saved his fishing reputation, and he reminded me not to tell anyone about the fly. I feel privileged to have known Bob Hunt, to fish with him, and to have him as a friend. I was the last person to fish with Bob when we went bluegill fishing in Montello. He told me about how he and his dad went bluegill fishing together, and that is how he learned to fly fish. He was one of the most accurate casters I have ever fished with, and many fish regretted his casting and presentation skills. I did not spend a lot of time with Bob, but the time we shared was special and I will never forget it. SUPPORT WISCONSIN TU! GET YOUR LICENSE PLATES NOW! FLY SHOP MIKE S SERVICE AT LANGLADE JUNCTION OF HWY. 55 AND 64 AUTO REPAIR Fly Shop & Sporting Goods MICHAEL & ALICE KLIMOSKI Owners Need a special pattern? Ask Mike! Custom Tied Flies (715) STATE ROAD 55 WHITE LAKE, WISCONSIN Map Guide to Improved Trout Waters of Wisconsin Map Guide to Improved Trout Waters of Wisconsin 5% for You, 5% for TU Discount Offer Name Address EXPANDED SECOND EDITION Exact locations of Trout Stamp, Trout Unlimited, county, and other habitat projects Full-color maps show public lands and easements Todd Hanson Tommy Trout says: Don t buy this book. None of my friends Buy the book with this coupon and get a 5% discount off the $34.50 cover price. Plus well donate another 5% to WITUs Friends fund. City State Zip hang out in these improved sites. Nope. Nothin to see here. Fuhgeddaboudit. Listen to Tommy Trout, or follow the lead of thousands of badger trout fishers. Our brand new 2nd expanded edition has: more readable maps with wider trout stream lines and bigger labels throughout dozens of new streams included and nearly 200 new project sites across the state maps are grouped by county...see which other streams are nearby without going back and forth to the index thicker red easement border lines Enclose your check for $36.93 ($31 book, $4 S&H, and $1.93 WI sales tax) payable to: Where Am I Publications 4514 Elgar Ln. Madison, WI Credit card orders: call

6 Page 6 July 2015 Menomonee River project a multi-partner success SEWTU was involved in major project to remove impassable concrete channel. IMPASSABLE CONCRETE-LINED MENOMONEE RIVER CHANNEL With no resting places, fish passage was nearly impossible. By Henry Koltz, TU National Trustee Wisconsin has two Menomonee Rivers which, although they sound the same, are spelled differently and are very different rivers. Milwaukee Brewers fans are likely familiar with the Menomonee River, as it essentially runs through Miller Park, framing the parking areas where so many have tailgated before games. An urban river Miller Park is just one small part of the Menomonee River s journey, however. At roughly 33 miles in length, the river has a watershed that covers about 140 square miles. That watershed includes parts of Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties, and is home to more than 350,000 people. As one might guess based upon the counties in which it is located, the Menomonee River is undoubtedly an urban river. Its banks are lined with homes, factories, railroads, streets and some of the Milwaukee area s largest employers. In fact, the Menomonee River runs directly through Miller Valley, home of the Miller brewery. There is, in short, no confusing the Milwaukee area s urban Menomonee River with the rural Menominee River of northeastern Wisconsin. One thing that both rivers have in common, however, is that they experience migratory fish runs out of Lake Michigan. As many know, since at least the 1960 s various state and federal agencies have stocked several salmon species, steelhead and brown trout in Lake Michigan. Native lake trout are also stocked. This stocking is the result of multi-agency coordination, and incorporates significant feedback from multiple user groups including commercial fishing companies, sport fishing groups, charter captains and groups, and others, including TU. These sport fish run up the Menomonee River. The river also hosts bass, northern pike, sturgeon, walleye, carp and various suckers and minnow species, many of which move up and down the river. Impassable channel Until recently, however, most species attempts to head upstream ended just north of Miller Park. At that point, the Menomonee River was transformed from a stream into a concrete-lined channel. In very real terms, the river ran through a three-sided concrete trough. The concrete channel was hundreds of yards long, shallow, and contained absolutely no current breaks or resting points for fish. The concrete had been placed during the 1950 s, and was installed to help contain the stream and ensure its permanent position. Those who study rivers, called fluvial geomorphologists, refer to the concrete-lined section as a laminar flow velocity barrier. In short, although the section wasn t a dam, it acted as one with respect to fish movement. Quite simply, fish don t work like people. When they exert themselves and expend energy, it takes fish much longer to return to normal. As such, they require resting points, and places to recharge. The problem with the lower Menomonee was that it had no such resting places. Fish were forced to simply attempt to charge ahead over a barren, featureless concrete bottom with no change in topography, no change in current force, little to no change in gradient, and no boulders, rocks, or other obstructions to create current breaks and resting spots. More often than not, fish simply failed to pass. Could it be fixed? In 2009 the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited was approached by several community members, fisherman and local press members and asked if there was anything that could be done to increase fish passage through the Miller Valley section of the Menomonee River. Given that any urban restoration project has an ever-present and immediate price enhancer, and given local politics, land ownership issues, and the numerous agencies that would be required to accomplish anything significant, the request was a tall order. But taking on tall orders is something TU volunteers excel at. As such, TU organized a meeting and walkthrough with members of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (US- FWS), the United States Forest Service (USFS), Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Carroll University, Wisconsin Lutheran College and others. During the walkthrough, at the highest end of the concrete slough, the group witnessed a single steelhead that had almost made it through the channel wallowing at the edge of the river. That steelhead flopped, turned over, and was swept downstream. It is funny the way that at some times the right thing happens at exactly the right time. I was there. I believe that witnessing that steelhead fail in its quest, so close to completing its tough journey upstream, changed the tenor of our walkthrough, and energized the group. MMSD makes it a priority From that point forward, MMSD made the project a priority, and applied for numerous grants. Along with significant assistance from the DNR and federal agencies involved, a plan was struck, a professional design created, and significant work commenced. That work ended up costing more than $4 million, most of which came from MMSD itself, along with federal and other grants, including a $1.1 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant, a $200,000 National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Grant, $10,000 of in-kind pre- and post-construction monitoring from SEWRPC, and $5,200 of in-kind monitoring from Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and more than $6,000 of inkind habitat restoration labor, monitoring and fishing education outreach from SEWTU. SEWTU does its part Notably SEWTU worked over the last five years, leading Menomonee River cleanup locations as part of Milwaukee Riverkeeper s annual Milwaukee Rivers Cleanup Day, held each year on Earth Day. The project s work commenced last year, and entailed contractors actually diverting the entire Menomonee River above the work site into two sets of very large pipes, sending it back into the river channel below. In the work area, the stream s concrete channel was removed, and natural appearing rock rip rap and step structures/pools were created to mitigate straightline current areas and to create resting areas for fish passage. The project was designed to allow the northern pike, notoriously weak swimmers, to pass. If pike can pass through the work area, then all other species of concern, from bass to salmon to steelhead to sturgeon, should be able to pass as well. Successful completion Work was completed in the fall of Already, the project appears to have been successful. This past fall I first received a call from SEWTU member Peter Pritzlaff, who said he and another SEWTU member, Larry Wirth, had been driving along the Menomonee River in Menomonee Falls, in Waukesha County, and had approached a bicyclist stopped by the river. That bicyclist asked Peter and Larry if they knew what the big thing splashing about the in the river was. Sure enough, it was a steelhead that had passed upstream through the project area. I later received other similar reports from other members and from several non-member friends who live in Menomonee Falls. This is great news, because the Menomonee River runs through multiple urban parks and public recreational areas in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and Butler before it reaches Menomonee Falls. In each of these parks there now exists an increased fishery right in the heart of the urban Milwaukee metropolitan area. It s a result that everyone should be proud of. My involvement in this project started when I was approached by SEWTU Board of Directors Member John Knitter. He and Bob Rippenhoff, formerly of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, came to my office and informed me that this is a project SEWTU really ought to get involved with. John was a man of great conviction, and I was sold. As the project progressed, and it became apparent that MMSD was going to make the project happen, John called me often, and our conversations typically ended with Pinch me. I can t believe this is real. Regrettably, we lost John last year on the eve of the project breaking ground. I m sad that he never got to see the project that he pushed forward, and that he never got to hear the stories I ve heard of awestruck cyclists staring at steelhead in Menomonee Falls. I am glad that John got involved, however, and every bit of me believes that he is well aware what has come to pass, and that he watches over fish moving upstream as a result of his efforts. CONCRETE CHANNEL REMOVED The concrete was removed and replaced with rip rap and other structure, allowing for many species of fish access to all the river s 33 stream miles.

7 July 2015 Page 7 TU volunteers teach 800 kids to tie flies Attendance jumps at second Midwest Outdoor Heritage Expo. FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER Aldo Leopold Chapter member Jared Sagal teaches a youngster how to tie his first fly at the Midwest Outdoor Heritage Expo in Poynette. Jared, who is an active chapter member, was a student at a similar outdoor EXPO held in Beaver Dam for several years. By Bob Haase, WITU Education Chair There was a 37 percent increase in attendance this year at the second Midwest Outdoor Heritage Expo at the MacKenzie Center near Poynette. A total of 2,380 students and chaperones attended the event, and TU volunteers helped more than 800 of them tie a fly. Fly tying continues to be a very popular activity for the kids because it is hands on and they get to take home a fly that they tied themselves. Many say they will fish with the new fly. That many children coming through our tent to tie a fly in just two days requires a lot of volunteer tyers. We cancelled the fly casting again this year because we could not Bob Haase come up with enough volunteers. There was a steady flow of children both days and it took all the volunteers we had just to accommodate the fly tying. We have found that if the children have to wait too long in line at any event they usually move on to another event where they don t have to wait. Special thanks go out to the TU members who volunteered their time to help at this year s event. They include: Jerry Smet, Rand VanderSchaff, Tom Connelly, John Tucker, Ira Giese, Bill Millonig, Dave LaPine, Mike SanDretto and Bob Haase from the Central Wisconsin Chapter; Jerry Gorman, Alek Nagy, Jared Sagal and Mike Stapleton from the Aldo Leopold Chapter; Linda Lehman from the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter, and Scot Stewart from the Southern Chapter. Without their help, we could not have done this. Recognition should also be given to Mark LaBarbera for volunteering to get this event started last year, and for providing the leadership to make this happen. When the Outdoor Expo in Beaver Dam was cancelled a couple years ago, it looked like that would be the end of this kind of event, until Mark stepped up and put together a tremendous event. Besides the fly tying, kids can learn how to identify and properly hold a fish, identify trees, plants, birds and other wild life, shoot bows, BB guns, and visit the booths of many of the other clubs and organizations that were in attendance. They also got a chance to see and identify aquatic insects, frogs and turtles from a pond and identify different kinds of animal tracks. More than 30 conservation groups participated in this event. I think there may be other things we could do such as having a display of what we do for stream restoration work and water monitoring. It is an opportunity to show our involvement in clean water and environmental issues. We could also bring back the fly casting and maybe show them how to tie fishing knots. This is a tremendous opportunity and we could do more if we had enough volunteers. Mark your calendars now and make plans to attend next year s Midwest Outdoor Heritage Expo at the MacKenzie Center near Poynette on May 18-19, Scott W. Grady Rodmaker Split Bamboo Rods New, repairs, restoration, appraisals Rodmaking Tools and Advice Call or Scott for details at 920/ or oossg@vbe.com PRESENT THIS AD INTO THE MADISON OR MILWAUKEE LOCATION Trout Ad_revised_PrinterOL.indd 1 6/16/15 10:59 AM

8 Page 8 New regional alignment and regional VP duties The State Council has developed new regional alignments and also set goals and responsibilities for our regional vice presidents. Several chapters were moved to other regions. Here are the new regional assignments: Northeast Region chapters: Green Bay, Oconto River, Marinette, Antigo, Wolf River, Wisconsin River Valley, Northwoods, Wild Rivers. Chair Paul Kruse. This region would be responsible for LTE hiring for the Peshtigo and Antigo DNR offices, as well as positions requested by the U.S. Forest Service. This region would also divide revenues from film nights or similar activities with the Central Region. The major advantage here is that a mix of different sized chapters would more likely reach higher funding levels. Central Region chapters: Fox Valley, Central Wisconsin, Shaw-Paca, Frank Hornberg. Chair Bob Haase. This alignment would include the area in which Shawn Sullivan s Wild Rose Habitat Crew primarily operates, so it would be understood that this new Central Region would assume the hiring costs of funding at least two LTE positions for Shawn s crew. The new DNR Trout Coordinator position will also be operating primarily in the areas served by this proposed region, so funding requests from the Trout Coordinator would also flow to this new Central Region. In addition, it would be understood that any future revenues from sources like additional film nights would be divided between the Central and Northeast Regions. Southern Region chapters: Lakeshore, Southeastern Wisconsin, Southern Wisconsin, Blackhawk, Aldo Leopold. Chair Jim Wiersba. The major change here is the addition of Aldo Leopold to the Southern Region (by ALTU s request). By Linn Beck, Council Chair Western Region chapters: Harry and Laura Nohr, Coulee Region, Kiap-TU-Wish, Wisconsin Clear Waters. Chair Gary Horvath. The major change here is the transfer of Wild Rivers to the Northeast Region, with Wild Rivers approval, meaning that the Western Region no longer spans from the UP to Illinois. Driftless Area chapters are now grouped. Regional VP roles We also established specific responsibilities and goals for regional vice presidents, such as: Providing quarterly reports to the state council. Working with chapters on grant requests to the council. Collecting DNR and other agency requests for funding. Identifying and establishing chapter representatives to perform issue advocacy. Work with the Wisconsin River Alliance to establish chapter advocacy. Follow up with any State Council information/directives. Develop better communication between chapters. Encourage cross funding and cofunding on projects. Help develop and encourage the premise of One TU. Give chapters and regions the means to operate more efficiently. Develop better communication between chapters within their regions, ultimately within the state. With the implementation of these new guidelines, the ultimate goal is to have not only the chapters working together to make their regions stronger but in the end help Unlimited become even stronger with all the chapters working together for the One TU concept. NOTE: Contact information for regional chairs is available on page 2. Regional meeting features array of topics At this year s Upper Midwest Regional meeting, TU members from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska came together in late March to learn, teach and share through a variety of interesting and educational workshops. The meeting had a host of National TU staff in attendance. Among the attendees were President and CEO Chris Wood, VP of Volunteer Operations Beverly Smith, Director of Volunteer Operations Jeff Yates, Membership Engagement Manager of Volunteer Operations Kyle Smith and seven other staff members. The weekend started off with a presentation by President and CEO Chris Wood, who discussed the strategic plan that National TU had put together. The top five points of focus were Youth Education, Wild Steelhead, Southwestern U.S. native trout, Citizens Science, and Climate Change. The rest of the weekend featured 11 breakout workshops on topics including Climate Change, Membership Growth & Engagement, Fundraising, Angler Science, Effective Chapter Communications and Chapter Level Advocacy. Sunday started off with a Q & A forum with staffers from TU National and other state councils fielding questions about various chapter and council issues. One thing that was brought up by the National staff was the fact that you don t need to be a chapter leader to attend these meetings. Jeff Yates made a point to let us all know that the meetings are open to all TU members and all TU members are encouraged to attend. The day ended with a wrap-up session during lunch. We discussed whether to hold a Midwest Regional Meeting every year, or perhaps alternate it every other year with the popular stream restoration workshops that have been held in Westby in the past decade. There wasn t a definite agreement on what should transpire, but we will keep you posted in future issues of Wisconsin Trout. By Mike Kuhr, Council Vice Chair July 2015 Membership Committee Update Zip codes At the Midwest Regional Meeting this spring, several chapters raised the issue of zip codes being assigned to the wrong chapter. We had the folks at TU National put together a map showing zip codes and chapter affiliation, and there are about 18 zip codes that seem geographically out of place. The Council will be working with local chapter leaders to clear this up. Members who would be affected will be given the option to stay with their current chapter or move with their zip code to a new chapter. Any member may request permanent assignment to a specific chapter by calling or ing your name, address, member number and requested chapter name and chapter number to trout@tu.org. Join us and contribute to our Facebook pages Our Facebook page reached 300 likes in June! Help us get to 500 by the end of summer by going to and hit the Like button. You can also submit your fly of the week ideas and Throw Back Thursday pictures to Jason Freund at jfreund@carrollu.edu. You can submit your Gratuitous Fish Pictures to Mike Kuhr at mikek.trout@yahoo.com. Chapter leaders are encouraged to join our Wisconsin State Council Group Page on Facebook. This resource is a place to communicate with fellow leaders about issues and upcoming local and regional events. Put your skills to use on our Membership Committee We re always looking for new Membership Committee Members. If you would like to help build stronger TU chapters across our state, let me know. me at mikek.trout@yahoo.com Progress continues on WITU Strategic Plan By Linn Beck, Council Chair The WITU Executive Committee has been working hard on the topic items for the strategic plan. Since the plan is totally based on making Unlimited the best it can be, we have decided to include all the chapters in the process. We recently sent out an invitation to chapter presidents and leaders to partake in an online survey. Survey questions are about chapter demographics, WITU visions, mission and values. There also is a question about the different services provided by the state council. We ask the chapter leaders to rank these services as they pertain to By Matt Krueger, Southern Wisconsin Chapter President At the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Annual Spring County Conservation Meeting this year, Wisconsin TU members introduced and spoke on behalf of a citizen resolution that, if it clears necessary administrative hurdles, will ultimately better protect trout in our state. The resolution called 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, due to the efforts of dedicated Wisconsin TU members. Wisconsin TU chapters were actively involved with providing input on the proposed new regulations before they were presented for a vote at the Conservation Congress. In engaging with DNR Fisheries staff on this issue, Southern Wisconsin TU identified a gap in the DNR s trout management toolbox. DNR has the statutory authority, via NR 20.35, to set their chapters, and how much influence these have on chapter operations. This survey is a very integral part of our decision-making process for the strategic plan. Hopefully this feedback will help us make sure the strategic plan topic items we have selected will be applicable to all of our chapters. If you are a chapter president or leader and have received this survey, please take the time to respond, as this is your chance to make a contribution to the new strategic plan. If you have responded, thank you. This survey will be very important for WITU to take the right steps in putting together a strategic plan that will be amicable for all. WITU submits resolution to better protect trout alternate size and bag limits for all warmwater fish species. This provision allows fish managers to react quickly in the event of catastrophic impacts on specific populations of bass, walleye, pike, and so on, and to temporarily change harvest size and bag limits. For some reason, trout species (brook, brown, and rainbow) do not enjoy the same protection under NR A resolution was drafted and circulated to Wisconsin TU chapters across the state for introduction, and passage, at the Conservation Congress hearings. In order for the resolution to become part of administrative code governing fish managers authority, it must first pass approval at the Trout Committee of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. If passed out of the Trout Committee, it thengoes to the DNR s Coldwater Fisheries Committee for review, and if passed there, it may appear on the Spring 2017 Conservation Congress Spring Hearings ballot, hopefully becoming law. WITU will continue to track this proposal, and we will post updates in.

9 July 2015 Page 9 TU members participate in successful Lobby Day Heidi Oberstadt WITU Secretary Tom Lager and Vice Chair Mike Kuhr enjoy the capital architecture between meetings with their legislators. By Mike Kuhr, Council Vice Chair Much has been made about the effects the current state budget proposal could have on the future of natural resources in Wisconsin. WI- TU took positions on three specific budget proposals: freezing the Stewardship Program, eliminating science positions at the DNR, and turning the Natural Resources Board into an advisory body. These, along with proposed cuts to county conservation departments, were the focus of the 2015 Conservation Lobby Day in April. Conservationists gathered from around the state at Monona Terrace in Madison. The annual event by the League of Conservation Voters began with a briefing of the issues and a discussion of talking points, followed by a working lunch where groups planned how to hold a meeting with their legislators. Then the citizen lobbyists headed to the Capitol to share conservation stories with their elected officials. Since Lobby Day the budget committee restored partial funding of stewardship program and reversed the NRB decision. These victories would not have been possible without the effort put forth by our members and those in the conservation community. Thank you to all who made a phone call, sent an , or spent time with your legislators telling your conservation stories. TOUGH WORK, BUT THEY RE STILL SMILING Teachers during the school year, Dallas and Tyler are some of the hard-working limited term employees that spend their summers doing habitat work on Wisconsin s northern and northeastern trout streams, thanks to the support of several Wisconsin TU chapters. Several chapters received grants from the Friends of Wisconsin TU to support these habitat crews. Chapters fund northeast, central habitat work By Lee Meyers, GBTU Vice President Northeast and central Wisconsin trout streams will be receiving some extra help again this summer thanks to the combined efforts of 10 Wisconsin TU chapters, including Antigo, Green Bay, Fox River Valley, Central, Marinette, Northwoods, Oconto River, Shaw-Paca, Wisconsin River Valley and Wolf River. Paul Kruse chaired a meeting last December between these chapters and local agency staff to discuss habitat projects and funding sources for The total $51,000 contribution will be used to hire seven summer employees who will work alongside permanent DNR staff to accomplish even more trout habitat work than past years. Most of these funds were raised by TU volunteers at chapter banquets and other special fundraising events where thousands of people donate toward this worthy cause. Also supplementing this effort are three $2,000 grants to the local chapters from the State Council s Friends of Wisconsin TU grant program. The ambitious goal for 2015 is to improve 40 miles of trout streams. Most of this work will be done where the stream bank riparian area is in public ownership. In 2015, these crews will be stationed in the Antigo, Wild Rose, Peshtigo, Laona and Shawano areas. In the north we do more brushing and brush bundles, and woody structure placement for trout cover. We don t do as much installation of bank covers. We have found that brook trout respond well to narrower, deeper stream channel with select instream wood placement for cover. Reflections in a River The river is the same: Singing its way Between forested banks, tugging at heartstrings as forcefully as at legs; only I have changed become less willing to take any of this for granted. From the book A Poet s Gift To Anglers, by Dan Holland. For copies contact Dan at dholland@coredcs.com Elevate your fly fishing to a new level. The Original BlueSky Furled Leader. Sizes for all fish & fishing conditions. BlueSky - the leader in furled leaders. TM FurledLeaders.com BlueSky@netnet.net Ph/Fax Yurek Rd., Pulaski WI USA

10 Page 10 July 2015 Don t overlook caddisflies Caddisflies don t get the glory that mayflies do, but trout don t hesitate to eat them. DECEIVED BY AN ARTIFICIAL CADDISFLY A CDC and elk-hair caddisfly pattern hooked firmly in the corner of a spring creek brown trout's mouth. By Jason Fruend Caddis (order Trichoptera) are among the most important of aquatic insects in Wisconsin streams, but are often overlooked in deference to the more classic mayfly hatches. There are more than 12,500 species of caddisflies and only about 2,500 mayfly species. This might explain why we often know the Latin names of mayfly species but not those of caddis species. Consistent food source In many streams, caddis provide a much more consistent and dependable prey source than do mayflies. From a study in Minnesota, caddis provided brown trout with the most energy for the first three years of their lives. At this point, brown trout become cannibals, which calls for another article some day. For the fly angler, maybe the most interesting thing about caddis is their great diversity of life histories. Caddisflies are holometabolistic, which means that they have distinct embryo, larva, pupa and imago (or adult) stages. Like beetles or butterflies, caddis only mate as flying adults and unlike mayflies, there is no sub-imago (non-reproductive adult) phase. As larva, they have one of five different life history types: free-living, saddle-case, purse-case, tube-case makers or a net-spinning type that builds retreats. Caddis larva use a silk, very similar to that of silkworms, to create their cases or retreats. Anglers may be most familiar with two of the case-building types. This includes the tube-case makers, which are common in many streams with cases made of rock, sand or vegetation. The other is the saddle-case makers, which are often glued to rocks that we pick up in stream riffles. Tube-case makers are rather easily identified by the shape and materials that the cases are constructed from. In many streams, these cases are made of small rocks but this does not deter trout from eating the larva, case and all. Some trout have even been observed picking the cases off of rocks, an imitation for which I ve not yet figured out. Saddle-case makers are available to trout as they move from one case to build a larger one as they grow. As larva, they are the least important larva type. The third type of cased caddis, purse-case caddis, make up many of what many anglers refer to as microcaddis which as their name suggest, are often hook sizes #20 and smaller. For the fly angler, free-living caddis might be the most important type of larva, as they are more likely to be dislodged by current and be available to trout in the drift. Net-spinning larva are also often available in the drift as they can get dislodged by current as they move from their retreats to eat food captured by their nets. Larva simple to tie Caddis larva are among the simplest of patterns to tie. Non-cased larva are often imitated by simple dubbed bodies that are often weighted either with a heavy underbody such as in Czech-style nymphs or with a bead. These flies are often tied on curved hooks but I think this is more due to convention than biology. Cased-caddis are often imitated by clipped feather patterns, but some anglers go to the trouble of rolling a thread bodied fly covered in superglue in river sand to create a very accurate case. Both of these patterns generally have a worm imitation with legs sticking out of the case like the naturals that they are imitating. Larval imitations should be fished deep, and generally on a dead drift. However, if I m fishing a freeliving or a net-spinning imitation, I will try give it small twitches to imitate the swimming action of the larva as they are trying to get back to the bottom of the stream. Vulnerable pupa stage While caddis generally do not spend a lot of time as pupa, this is a highly vulnerable stage that is often imitated by anglers. As pupa, many of the case-making caddis will begin pupation in their cases and then rise through the water column as they complete their metamorphosis into imagos or adult caddisflies. As they move from the stream bottom or submerged vegetation, pupa are highly vulnerable to predators. Additionally, since this emergence is often synchronized, emerging pupa draw the attention of trout. Many of the splashy, porpoising rises that anglers mistake for fish eating adult caddis are actually trout chasing and eating pupa as they ascend to the surface. If rises contain the dorsal fin of the trout, it s a sure sign that fish are actually feeding just below the water s surface. Pupa patterns are often much more elaborate than larval imitations as tiers are trying to imitate wing buds, legs, antennae, and often the pupal shuck. However, soft hackle patterns make wonderful caddis pupa imitations. Anglers should remember that pupa are generally active swimmers as they Jason Fruend move from the stream bottom to the surface so don t be afraid to impart some movement in your flies as this is often key to accurately imitating their behavior. Adult stage As adults, caddisflies live from a couple of hours to a few days and like mayflies, as adults they do not feed and the life stage s one function is to reproduce. Adult caddis are commonly imitated by fly anglers with dry fly patterns as they either emerge into adult from pupa and may ride on the water s surface before taking flight. Additionally, adult caddis return to the stream to lay eggs either on the surface or by diving under the water to lay eggs. There are a huge variety of adult caddis fly patterns but I ll group them into three categories; those that imitate typical adults such as an elk hair caddis, those that incorporate pupal shucks such as Matthew s X-caddis, and egg-laying caddis. Typical adult patterns can be used to either imitate recently emerged adults as they flutter from the stream or egg-laying adults. While I will sometimes fish a heavily-hackled dry fly, more commonly I fish patterns with a CDC or dubbed body with a deer hair wing that is sufficient to float the fly on all but the heaviest of riffles. Patterns that incorporate pupal shucks are meant to represent a caddisfly that has not yet fully emerged or one that is stuck in its shuck. As these patterns represent vulnerable individuals, the imitations are often taken with confidence by trout. Caddis that lay their eggs on the surface are best imitated by flies that can be skittered along the surface as these females are often moving quickly as they deposit their eggs. Patterns may incorporate a bit of bright green, yellow, or red to imitate the egg sacks at the rear of the adult females. Egg-laying caddis that dive under that water to lay their eggs are often overlooked by anglers but this behavior makes them especially vulnerable to predation. Anglers are well served to carry a few soft hackles or wet fly patterns that feature a CDC, Zelon, and/or duck flank feather wing. Fish these patterns by imparting some movement to imitate the behavior of the diving female caddisfly. Next time, I ll discuss a number of important caddisfly hatches in Wisconsin. Jason Fruend earned a bachelors degree in biology from UW-Platteville, worked as a research technician at UW-Madison, then moved to West Virginia where he got his M.S. and Ph. D. in fisheries ecology and management. He served as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Oklahoma State University and is currently an assistant professor of environmental science at Carroll University in Waukesha. He s served on the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter s board for the past nine years and is currently the secretary. He s not an entomologist but he knows plenty about bugs. Oh, and he likes to fish...a lot. A TYPICAL SPRING CREEK SAMPLE A typical spring creek sample, with lots of amphipods and caddis larvae. SUPPORT WISCONSIN TU! GET YOUR LICENSE PLATES NOW! Jason Fruend

11 July 2015 Page 11 Show us your license plates! Unlimited license plates are now available. Each plate sold results in an annual $25 contribution to Unlimited. Not only will they make any vehicle look better, but they help increase the visibility of Unlimited and provide a constant, passive revenue source to support our mission. Unlimited does great things. It helps improve and protect coldwater resources. It helps sustain the incredible economy and jobs that surround our streams. It works with kids to get them outdoors, and it works with those who most deserve our help: disabled U.S. military veterans. Buying a license plates means that you support these things, and it means that you stand for putting your name on something larger than yourself, that will outlive us all. Buying a plate means that you re part of a legacy that is special in Wisconsin, and means that you re proud of the work we do. We hope every Wisconsin TU member puts a plate on each of their vehicles. This is our best chance to raise significant funds to help our work across the state, our work in Madison, and our work helping those who need it. You can purchase your plates by following the instructions found at Support WITU. Purchase trout stamp prints Wisconsin TU has trout stamps and prints for sale. WITU chapters can purchase prints for a reduced price of $50 for their fundraising efforts. Individuals can buy prints for $125, plus shipping and handling. Print purchasers will also get a commemorative trout stamp at no charge. Contact Tim Waters at MuddyWaters@new.rr.com. Making bodkins, mud, sinkants By Henry Kanemoto Make a bodkin for fishing and fly tying Here is a simple project that will make your fly fishing and fly tying a little easier. It s a miniature needle that is carried on a zinger that you can use to untangle those pesky leader knots and to clean out hook eyes. They can also be used as a bodkin when tying flies. Buy a package of DenTek dental flossing brushes and a package of small sewing needles about the same diameter as the wire of the dental brushes. To make a fly-tying bodkin, just pull out the brush from the handle and replace it with the needle. The cap will protect the needle. If you want to attach it to your vest, you will also need a drill, a length of Dacron fly line backing, and a bobbin threader. Drill a hole at the base of the needle handle. The DenTek brand already has a dimple in the spot you should drill. Then cut a length of Dacron backing. I use 30-pound backing because it is thicker and makes a bigger knot. This is important in a later step. Use a piece of stiff monofilament, a bobbin threader, or a dental threader to thread the Dacron line through the base of the handle. Then use the same threader to pull the Dacron line through the top of the cap. The DenTek brand has a preformed hole in the top of the cap. If you buy a brand that does not, you will need to drill a hole. Flip the bodkin around so that you can estimate the amount of line needed to insert the needle end of the bodkin into the cap. Tie a big enough knot in the line so that it can't go back through the hole in the cap. Even with 30-pound Dacron, I had to tie three knots for the Den- Tek cap. Place the Dacron loop on a vest zinger and you have a knot picker and eye cleaner with a protective cover. Homemade mud and sinkants There are two types of products made to condition leaders and flies so they are more effective: mud degreasers and liquid sinkants. New leaders that are fresh from the package have both a shiny and a water repellant coating left over from the manufacturing process. In most circumstances we can simply use the leaders as is, but when fishing for picky fish, the reflection from a shiny leader can spook fish. Dulling the leader and using a sinkant to quickly sink the fly is a common practice in still water fly fishing in England. Some fly fishers will use the some mud from the river and rub down their leader to condition the leader. This is effective, but usually not as effective as using a product such as Orvis Mud, which is specifically made for this purpose. Liquid sinkants such as Gherkes Xink are used to speed the sinking of flies and leaders or tippets. They do this by lowering the surface tension of water that normally allows our leaders and flies to float on the top. Chemically, they are knows as surfactants for surface active agents. They are also known as wetting agents because they allow a liquid to quickly mix with other liquids or coat solids. This wetting of the fly and leader with a sinkant gets the fly and leader down into the fishing zone faster. This means more time in the strike zone, which translates to a longer and more effective drift. Although you can use the commercial products, they are highpriced formulations of common materials that you may already have at home. They are easy to make and they work quite well. Semi-solid products such as Orvis Mud are made from Fuller's Earth (a type of fine bentonite clay) mixed with a surfactant and an antidrying agent. You can buy real Fuller s Earth but a cheap substitute would be non-clumping kitty litter or the common oil-absorbent clay from an auto supply shop. The surfactant is unscented dish detergent and the anti-drying agent is glycerin. Glycerin can be obtained in a pharmacy. It is sold as an anti-constipation agent, but when added to the homemade mud, it keeps the mud from drying out and caking. Grind and crush the clumps in the kitty litter or clay, or sift it to get only the finest particles. Mix it with the liquid detergent and a few drops of the glycerin to get the consistency of a thick paste. Then store it in a 35 mm film canister or similar container and keep in your fly vest. Rub it on new leaders to remove the sheen and the water repellant coating before using the leader. Homemade wetting agents Homemade liquid wetting agents for flies and leaders are even easier. There is no need to ever buy liquid sinkants such as Xink. For photo finishers, Kodak Photo Flo is a good substitute. For the rest of us, propylene glycol is readily available. It is the main ingredient in the antifreeze that is used to winterize home plumbing systems. Put some in a small bottle and rub it into your nymphs and streamers as a wetting agent. It will keep those pesky marabou fibers from clumping on your wooly buggers. They will instantly wet and the plumes will look like they should, from the very first cast. Henry is life member of TU and a founding member of the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He has been fishing all his life, and fly fishing and fly tying since 1979.

12 Page 12 July 2015 It begins with earthworms By Tom (the Bug Guy ) Lager, State Council Secretary Perhaps you recall August evenings after a warm rain, when robins present their evening call and long, slanting sunrays light up pastures and brighten the aspen groves. It s also time to grab a spade and head for the garden to dig earthworms. It happened as kids when we coaxed dad into fishing bullheads off the Silver Creek bridge. If we hurried, we could be first to fish the hole next to the up-stream bridge pilings. The worms were always easy to find in the rich, dark loam of the garden. The right size vegetable can had to be used, one large enough for our hand to reach down inside to pull-out a handful of soil and worms, without getting scraped on the burr left from the can opener. For kids, the poles were sometimes home-made or a Zebco-combo, but always with a red-and-white bobber, sinkers on a stout line just above a hook. And we always had a fish pail. We would crane our necks looking over the hillcrest as we drove down the steep narrow gravel road, just to see if we were going to be first to the bridge. Several worms were needed to create the right look, with enough mass to make it worthwhile for bullheads and enough length to wiggle to get their attention. When the sun sank behind the aspen and balsam ridge, the water became darker and moved silently with a force that seemed to gather our gear and pull it down deep to where the fish lived. We did not need to understand what went on down there. We just lived in the experience. Time and mosquitoes did not matter, especially when fishing was good. Muffled voices carried easily on the cool, damp air, with kids excitedly catching, adults instructing. Occasionally the glow of a lit cigarette or flash of a light marked the many fishing stations along the bank. Eventually, one by one, car trunks closed and their lights temporarily blinded us as they turned onto the gravel and up the hill. Then there was only us and silence. With Dad we did not need to talk much. We stayed late, fished long and went to bed tired, and somehow the fish got cleaned. As we grew older things changed, the terms we used were refined. Earthworms became garden hackle to some and were avoided or were synthesized into a fly pattern and given a fancy descriptor like San Juan Worm, for use when nothing else worked. The pole became a graphite rod or even bamboo and we have indicators now, not bobbers. No one would think of a fish pail today, we use digital imaging of trout and do not have to clean anything before bed. Change is not bad and understanding our roots is a good thing. Earthworms by the handful have a unique feel and a tangible connection into the earth. Three common types are encountered, including the red worms most similar to the San Juan Worm, which lives under forest litter on the surface of soils and are easily washed into streams by rain events. The garden soil variety lives in the upper strata of soils within reach of a spade (pictured are those from my flower garden), consuming the organic component of the soil. Nightcrawlers are deep dwellers up to depths of 60 feet, in burrows that remain open. They emerge at night to gather organic materials into their subterranean burrows for consumption. All belong to the Phylum Annelida, the segmented worms. They range in size from several inches to a foot and more; colors are typically reddish, pink, gray and a dull white coloration. They have a light-colored band around the body in their forward half called a clitellum, an organ that produces a cocoon during the reproductive process. Reproduction is prolific and numbers can double within several months, and the fact they are hermaphroditic (containing both sexual organs) is an advantage for their life cycle. Most of our earthworms are European in origin, making them invasive species. Unfortunately in northern forests they are having detrimental effects resulting from over consuming forest litter and organic content of soils. Glaciers eliminated earthworms from our region until European settlement reintroduced them and ever since they have continued migrating northward. The northern invasion front now is in Canada. Within the last year a new Asian variety was found in one of Madison s arboretums. So it is, with memories and gratitude we see earthworms, young girls and boys, Zebco poles, bobbers and fish pails. Maybe next time when a picked rock or rolled log reveals an earthworm, I will fish it. Once in a while, being a kid is a really good thing. Tom Lager Highlights of May Council meeting By Tom Lager, State Council Secretary Representatives from 14 Wisconsin TU chapters attended the May 16 State Council Meeting held at Viroqua s Gunderson Hospital. Please consider attending the next meeting. All members are always invited. The next meeting is Saturday, October 17, 2015 in Eau Claire. Finance and Operations The Council continues to be financially sound, with funding covering expected budget obligations and future expenses. The operational actions of the council approved the following: sign on to the Great Waters Coalition; $2,500 for The League of Conservation Voters; Western Regional VP position to be filled by Gary Horvath; $5,000 donation to River Alliance; Wisconsin Embrace-A-Stream Grants funds were completely disbursed; and $3,000 funding support to TUDARE. National Leadership Council Kim McCarthy replaced Bill Heart as our NLC representative, and will serve on the Education and Access committees. The Chapter Effectiveness Index will be updated over the next few years and will include veteran events and women s initiatives. Membership Committee Mike Kuhr and Linn Beck created a leadership training presentation for chapter leaders. This is in PowerPoint format and lasts 2-3 hours, depending on length of discussions. Contact Mike or Linn to get the process started. The ongoing problem of mistaken assignment of members to the wrong chapter based on zip codes is being resolved by National. The method of resolution will be sent to chapters explaining how to specify chapter selection when zip codes do not align with desired chapter during the registration process and means to make future changes. License Plates License Plates are available now for an extra $25 per plate, which goes to WITU. Personalized plates are an additional $15. Communications Committee Chris Long said the committee is focused on council strategic planning with the first step being a leadership survey of what chapters want and value from the State Council. Chapter leadership recently received the on-line survey. Chapters are encouraged to conduct their own strategic planning, since in future it will be a requirement from National TU. River Alliance of Wisconsin Allison Werner reported that the Alliance provides benefits to TU such as strategic planning and annual planning facilitation and advocacy training. It also supports local advocacy groups and conducts analysis of legislative bills in a very timely and action-oriented manner designed to focus conservation group efforts. The current budget bill seeks to eliminate a state statute that provides grants to the River Alliance, amounting to about 8 percent of their funding, or about $69,000. Therefore River Alliance is asking for temporary help to address this shortfall and will be working with larger stake holders for long-term solutions Banquet Report Kim completed his term as banquet coordinator and Mike Kuhr has accepted the position. Current committee members are continuing in their roles. A volunteer is needed to organize and manage ticket sales as Mike takes the lead role. The next banquet is February 6, Future efforts need to focus on increasing attendance. The 2015 banquet raised a total of $19,000, about a third each from tickets, auction and bucket raffles. Upcoming events The long-popular TUDARE Stream Restoration Workshop will return to Westby in It will include topics such as project planning and beaver removal projects. The WITU Youth Fishing Camp will be July Registration will be opened to multiple sponsorships from chapters, including out-of-state chapters to fill out the 16 maximum number of students from 12 to 16 years of age. Housing is available for adults and all adults need to register for national background checks. The fall Council meeting will be held in Eau Claire on Saturday, October 17. All members are encouraged to attend. Watch your s or the next issue of Wisconsin Trout for more details.

13 July 2015 Page 13 Small streams, wetlands get CWA protection By Henry Koltz, TU National Trustee The primary federal law which governs water pollution is the Clean Water Act. The CWA was initially passed in 1972, and is intended to protect our nation s waters by preventing point and nonpoint water pollution. Under the CWA, all waters with a significant nexus to navigable waters are afforded protection. Recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have called into question, however, whether the CWA applies to intermittent/ephemeral headwater streams, and isolated wetlands. In 2006, for instance, the court held in Rapanos v. United States that the act applied to only relatively permanent, standing or flowing bodies of water, and to only continuously present, fixed bodies of water, as opposed to ordinarily dry channels through which water occasionally or intermittently flows. 547 U.S. 715, 732 (2006). Likewise, other decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court called into question whether the CWA applied to isolated wetlands, such as in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 531 U.S. 159 (2001). Such language is incredibly problematic when it comes to the protection of trout streams. Nearly 60 percent of all trout stream miles in the United States are classified as small streams. In Wisconsin, 47 percent of all streams within native trout historical range are classified as intermittent and/or ephemeral. Approximately 62 percent of Wisconsin s stream miles are classified as headwaters. In our Driftless Area, 60 percent of streams are intermittent or ephemeral, while 63 percent are headwaters. On May 27, 2015, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized a new clean water rule, known as the Waters of the U.S. rule (or WOTUS). The WOTUS rule clarifies application of the Clean Water Act and of major importance to TU it establishes that the CWA applies to ephemeral/intermittent streams, and isolated wetlands, following several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that caused confusion regarding the act s application. From a commerce standpoint, the WOTUS rule is intended to make application of the Clean Water Act more precisely defined, and to provide predictability, in order to make permitting less expensive, easier and more expedient. The rule was created after more than 400 meetings with stakeholders across the nation, and after having reviewed more than one million written comments. The WOTUS rule is based on best science, and upon reports summarizing more than 1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific studies. Those studies showed that small streams and wetlands are inextricably connected and greatly influence downstream water bodies. TU National was a significant proponent of the rule, and our State Council and many of our chapters signed on in support of the rule. WITU is pleased that the Clean Water Act, under the WOTUS rule, will once again apply to waters which are incredibly important to our mission. BUDGET, Continued from page 1 Department of Natural Resources. For years, Trout Unlimited in general, and WITU in particular, have been strong advocates and followers of science-based management. Our stream and stream corridor work is based on sound science. We perform our work in manners which have been vetted to provide benefits to streams, fish populations and non-game stream and stream corridor inhabitants. Where we perform our work is in part dictated by a scientific understanding of where our work will have the largest impact to protect native and wild trout and non-game species. One of WITU s primary key partners in developing the body of research and scientific principals which guide our work are DNR scientists. In just this past fiscal year, for example, DNR scientists performed scientific study of the following areas: The long-term viability of brook trout and brown trout populations in Wisconsin s streams, in order to guide science-based management decisions. Understanding the impact of stream flows and temperatures upon trout populations, and how land, groundwater levels, and ambient temperatures may impact fisheries. Understanding and tracking gill lice, a parasite impacting Wisconsin trout populations. Understanding the impact of stream restoration work upon trout populations, to guide future stream work projects Understanding future trends for Wisconsin s coldwater streams and predicting changes, to guide and focus restoration and management work where most needed. These types of studies are not political, and they are not performed for a political party. Rather, they are studies which help the DNR, and groups like WITU in particular, understand our streams, our trout populations, how they are changing, and how our management and work initiatives need to change in order to maintain the incredible opportunities and economic impact that our streams provide. Such studies allow the DNR to understand emerging threats to our recreational opportunities, such as parasites like gill lice or the VHS virus. They also allow the DNR to identify changes in our streams, such as warming water temperatures, and how they will impact our waters and their ability to support trout populations and recreational angling. This research has a direct and irrefutable result, which is protecting and improving the incredible water resources that our state has developed for decades, and to ensure that the economy they support continues. Moreover, independent research is fiscally wise. WITU understands the need to have wellregulated finances. By studying and identifying threats to our resources, how best to work on streams and where to work, informed decisions may be made regarding such issues. Having a well-developed body of research informs how, where and in what manner our government and non-profit resources and funds should be allocated. Accordingly, scientific study makes sure that the state spends its dollars in the best manner possible, and behaves in a fiscally responsible manner. Eliminating science creates the possibility that dollars may be spent on efforts which achieve less-than-optimal results. To date, the budget bill continues to contain provisions which eliminate science positions. WITU urges its members to contact their legislators, and to tell them that eliminating science positions in the DNR is a bad idea, and will remove Wisconsin from its position as one of the nation s leaders in science-based management. Tell legislators that science leads to results which lead to jobs, spending, tourism and an influx of money into local economies and the state s tax revenue coffers. In short, science in the DNR is good for Wisconsin, and good for its economy. Streambank access easements do not involve a fee-simple purchase of land by the DNR. Streambank access easements do not remove property from tax rolls. The Natural Resources Board One of the two reversals which has occurred to date in the budget bill is the elimination of a provision which would have rendered the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board to an advisory status, eliminating its rule-making authority. The NRB is a seven-person group which sets policy for the DNR, and which exercises legal authority. Aside from anglers, the NRB also deals with user groups ranging from hunters to bird watchers to ATV riders to hikers to kayakers to equestrian riders, and all groups in between. The NRB ensures that all user groups holding a stake in Wisconsin s outdoor resources have a voice in such resources, and how they are managed. Each user group associated with a various outdoor activity has its own economic impact, and the NRB plays an important role in ensuring that Wisconsin s outdoor resources are managed in a way which benefits all users. The NRB gives users a direct voice in the management process, and is a legacy unique to Wisconsin. WITU sees wisdom in continuing the NRB, and allowing it to retain its rule-making authority. WITU is happy to see that the Committee on Joint Finance has removed those provisions from the budget bill that would have rendered the NRB advisory, and believes that it is in the best interest of Wisconsin s coldwater resources. We urge our members to contact their legislators and tell them to continue to maintain the power of the NRB. Restoration of Stewardship Funding The second of two reversals which has occurred to date in the budget bill is the restoration of stewardship funding. Previously, the budget bill had proposed placing a moratorium on stewardship funding until debt levels had reached a target ratio level, which most believed would result in a freeze on stewardship spending until roughly Based on an accumulation of our Chapters Annual Financial Reports for 2014, WITU and its chapters provided more than $1.1 million in contributions to stream restoration work, youth education and fishing events, and veterans activities. These contributions came in the form of cash, in-kind donations and volunteer labor hours. WITU s contributions depend in large part upon the DNR acquiring stream access easements. Specifically, once the DNR acquires an easement, in many instances WITU follows behind, performing hundreds of thousands of dollars of stream restoration work using nonstate funds, in-kind contributions and volunteer labor. WITU s work helps leverage DNR funds, helps ensure that Wisconsin remains a premier destination trout fishery, and helps to ensure that the economic benefits associated with angling continue. Streambank access easements do not involve a fee-simple purchase of land by the DNR. Streambank access easements do not remove property from tax rolls. Governor Scott Walker s February, 2015, proposed Executive Budget establishes a goal that the DNR Acquire 33 miles of stream bank easements in 2015, 2016, and With the proposed stewardship spending moratorium, these goals would not have been achieved. It is undeniable that access to streams is the key ingredient in trout angling s ability to generate economic benefits. Wisconsin has incredible trout streams, and anglers both from within and outside our state flock to our waters to fish. Continuing to acquire easements, which do not involve a fee title purchase of land, and do not remove lands from local tax rolls, will help ensure that the economic engine supported by trout angling continues to run. The Committee on Joint Finance removed the moratorium provision, and stewardship funding is now slated to be restored. WITU is exceptionally happy about this result, as it firmly believes that restoring stewardship funding is a solid investment in Wisconsin s resources, with an exceptionally positive return-on-investment in terms of real world dollars, jobs and tax revenue. Say thanks During the past year, Wisconsin TU has been in contact with legislators about the foregoing advocacy issues on numerous occasions. To date, those contacts have helped result in the two budget bill reversals discussed above. Just as when we want legislators to listen to our concerns, it is important that we tell them thank you when they do. WITU thanks those legislators who helped restore the power of the NRB, and restore stewardship funding. We ask our members to likewise contact their legislators, thank them for their service to Wisconsin, and thank them for their efforts in support of our issues. And just as we should say thank you to our legislators, WITU says thank you to all of its members who have spoken up, and done what they can to help achieve our legislative goals.

14 Page 14 July 2015 Chapter News Todd Frankljn TENKARA LESSON; STEVE HILL MEMORIAL BENCHES PLACED Above, Mike Lutes of Badger Tenkara gave a demonstration at the Aldo Leopold Chapter fundraising picnic June 9. At right, Clint Byrnes puts a secret note inside the geocache compartment/ memorial plaque on a Steve Hill memorial bench. Hill was a chapter leader and ran WITU s Friends of Wisconsin TU grant program. The Aldo Leopold Chapter had a successful fundraising picnic in Lodi June 9. Raffle prizes and silent auction items brought in a record amount of money at this annual event. The chapter is in the planning stages of implementing a Trout In the Classroom program at Pineview Elementary School in Reedsburg. We received funding for two fifthgrade classrooms through an Alliant Energy Community Grant and matching grant from the Reedsburg School District. After a successful April work day, brush removal is complete at Manley Creek, a pristine brook trout stream in Sauk County. Additional habitat work at Manley is in the planning stages. In May the chapter placed four Leopold benches honoring late board member Steve Hill at streamside parking areas at Rowan and Spring Creeks in Columbia County. Each Leopold bench has a geocache compartment behind a memorial plaque. We also placed two wader cleaning stations provided by The River Alliance of Wisconsin. Aldo Leopold Chapter Antigo Chapter Funding is secured and work is planned for the final 3,000 feet of stream bank restoration on Bear Creek in Sauk County. There is some soft wet ground which is preventing heavy equipment from operating in the area, but as the ground dries later this summer, work will begin. The Aldo Leopold and Southeastern chapters joined forces June 20 for a brush-removal work day at Tainter Creek in Vernon County. Members cut and cleared willow along a previously beaver-damchoked section of the stream at the intersection of Tainter Road East and Tainter Hollow West. This portion of Tainter is fishable again with a healthy brook and brown trout population. After the work was completed, everyone enjoyed a brat barbecue provided by SEWTU. We would like to welcome to the board of directors three new members, Sally Gawle of Beaver Dam, Chad Volkmann of Poynette and Jim Peters of Lodi. All are avid fly fishers and dedicated TU volunteers. Scott Allen local folks who just stopped by to help, at the Paul Hayes property on the West Fork. We removed two complete beaver dams and three partially created ones. The crafty beavers had chosen earlier DNR-installed rock weirs as foundations for their dam efforts, so it took quite an effort to dismantle them. We left the weirs in place, but cut back some of the streamside willows, which were to be chemically treated at a later date. In May, 19 chapter members gathered at the former nursery on Read's Creek for another day of beaver dam removal and streamside willow brushing. We rented a chipper to chew up the willow cuttings. Unfortunately the beavers were still around and the large dams couldn't be totally removed, so there will need to be more work done at this site later on this year. Two days later six chapter members Dave Patrick, John Lusk, Don Studt, Paul Hayes, Paul Krahns, and Steve Bentz joined up with the Project Green Teen group from Shabazz High School in Scott Allen Tina Murray Hope you are having a nice start to summer. As I wrote this Antigo Chapter report we were setting up for our annual Kid s Fishing Day on June 6. We set up the tent and fishing tank on Friday and filled it with water. Each kid could get two fish and a prize. Our local DNR staff ran a casting contest. We provided hamburgers, hot dogs and soda for all. This year we applied to the Remington Foundation for a grant to help fund the event and they awarded us $3,300. We placed leftover fish in Remington Lake for the kids to catch this summer. Blackhawk Chapter We provided $6,137 to the DNR for brushing crew work this summer, and a chain saw sharpener for the Antigo DNR crew. Our chapter is looking at some work days at two different spots on the East Branch Eau Claire River. We will rake out streamside spring areas to help cold water flow into the river. We were invited by the Wolf River Chapter to help on a work day on Spring Creek in August. I will also speak to Dave, our fish manager, about taking more rocks off a rock dam on the Mayking Flowage. Scott Henricks BLACKHAWK CHAPTER REMOVES DAM, HELPS PROJECT GREEN TEEN Slaving away on a West Fork beaver dam removal are, from left, Chapter Secretary Dave Hinde, conservation intern Liz Daines and two new Blackhawk Chapter members, Conner and Dale Peters. The May 2015 West Fork Project Green Teen workday, with the elderly Blackhawk Chapter s advisors in the middle foreground, the working teens surrounding them, and the 14 completed LUNKERS looming in back. With a too-long-lingering winter behind us, the Blackhawk Chapter has once again sprung into action. Highlights include another successful Spring Banquet in April, and three stream workdays in April and May. With more than 190 in attendance at the banquet, we had a surprise visitor: Duke Welter came out of hibernation and showed up in Janesville for the event. He had some kind words to say to the audience about Blackhawk s long record in support of stream restoration, and we appreciated that he joined us. On April 11 the chapter was joined by some members of two Illinois chapters, along with a couple of Bill Lazor

15 July 2015 Page 15 Chapter News Madison for their annual West Fork workday. With guidance and equipment from the chapter, the PGT teens built 14 LUNKER structures, which will be placed in the stream at a later time. Monthly chapter meetings have been eclectic during the past three months. Our own Ron Machajewski presented a program to us in March entitled Finding your own Fly-fishing Places with Quicksand and Rattlesnakes, and Trout fishing in Dane & Green counties. In April a local state representative presented his views about the proposed cutbacks in the DNR s budget, and in May we held our annual cookout gathering along the banks of Turtle Creek, where Dave Barron provided fly-casting instruction. It was a blustery and chilly late afternoon, and Dave aptly emphasized casting into and with the wind, along with coping with cross-winds. The chapter selected Tom Lyons, the son of one of our members, to receive a stipend of $250 for participating in the 2015 TU Youth Fishing Camp. Dave Hinde the chapters involved in this workday contributed to the purchase of this equipment for the Central Wisconsin-based DNR Trout Stream Restoration team. When we hit upon a program idea that people like, we run with it. Our April program was part of our A river runs through it series, and this year was about Chaffee Creek. Scott and Carolyn Grady organized the program, which included a 20- foot-long, enlarged printout of the entire length of Chaffee Creek, with access points. The DNR s Shawn Sullivan talked about the history, geomorphology and restoration of the creek. Respected area fishers talked about favorite flies and techniques to fish it. Our May program was the start of a new annual series, The Robert L. Hunt Memorial Lecture Series. The turnout was truly gratifying. Bob Hunt, the Wisconsin DNR fisheries research biologist who invented and studied the restoration methods we use today, was a member of the Central Wisconsin Chapter. Bob passed away in 2013 and as a chapter we thought long and hard about a fitting memorial to this great man. We decided to start an annual lecture series dedicated to the science of trout habitat. We couldn't think of a better way to Coulee Region Chapter honor Bob, who researched, tested and published about the restoration techniques he developed. This first program, presented by John Gremmer, was about the life and accomplishments of Bob Hunt. Bob s wife Phyllis and his son David were present. Special guests included Duke Welter and Bill Heart. It s another successful year for the Central Wisconsin Chapter Annual Fly Fishing School, now in its 38th year. Twenty men and women learned to fly fish on the weekend of May The school is held on the Tomorrow/Waupaca River at the Riverside Bible Camp in Amherst. Thank you, Fly Fishing School team: Russ Bouck, Sue Bouck, Dale Matheson, Jerry Strom, Jim Murphy, Rich Mlodzic and Dick Kraus, under the leadership of school director Dan Harmon III. Thank you also to all the volunteer guides. We continue to get very positive reviews from students who come from around the state. They particularly like the one-on-one half-day fishing on Sunday with a volunteer guide. If you know someone looking for a weekend fly fishing school at modest cost without a lot of travel, tell them to check our website at in months to come for updates on next year s school. Mike San Dretto CWTU RECEIVES DONATION, HOLDS FIRST HUNT LECTURE Top photo, Central Wisconsin Chapter President Mike San Dretto (left) receives a $4,000 check for stream restoration from Elliott Donnelley Chapter President Jeff Goad. Bottom photo, Phyllis Hunt (center) with David Hunt (left) and John Gremmer at the First Annual Robert L. Hunt Memorial Lecture May 19. Bob Haase On May 15 CRTU members Jared Matz, Anthony Larson and Lou Olivitt volunteered their time to help with a youth outdoor event on Spring Coulee Creek. Students from Summit Elementary in La Crosse spent the day learning about a variety of outdoor activities on the Ofte Farm near Coon Valley. Jared, Anthony and Lou demonstrated the basics of trout fishing and also helped the kids get to know all the creatures that live in a coldwater stream. Curt Rees is now the Coulee Region chapter president. He previously served as the chapter secretary and helped coordinate the annual CRTU banquet. Many thanks to Jim Cox for his years of service as the previous CRTU president. The next chapter event is the kids fishing derby at the Coon Creek Trout Fest July 25. Coon Creek will be stocked with trout that morning to make sure all the youth attendees enjoy their time on the water. The kids fishing event goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., but the fun continues at Trout Fest throughout the day and past sundown. Find more details at Curt Rees Central Wisconsin Chapter Bob Haase Our May workday had a special surprise this year. We had good participation from chapter members, along with the helping hands of other chapters such as Elliot Donnelley (Chicago) and Fox Valley. And, of course, we enjoyed the camaraderie and catching up with friends. The special surprise? The Elliot Donnelley Chapter presented us with a $4,000 contribution to support our streamwork efforts. Thank you, Elliot Donnelley Chapter. The money will be put to good use on Central Wisconsin trout streams. The day s work was ongoing restoration of the White River, which had widened and become sanddominated in areas. In some oxbows, braids had formed. Brush bundling is the most common work done on this project, but the brush isn t from alongside the river. This is Central Wisconsin, which is Christmas-tree-growing country, and the DNR is always on the lookout for unused Christmas trees, harvested but never sold. They make perfect dense brush bundles. If you have too much sand why not use it? The Wisconsin DNR Piranha Dredge is the tool used to move sand from steam bed to cover the bundled Christmas trees. All of COULEE CHAPTER MEMBERS HELP WITH YOUTH EVENT Jared Matz gives a fly fishing demonstration on Spring Coulee Creek for students from LaCrosse's Summit Elementary School. Fox Valley TU has started the spring/summer activity schedule for Our April membership meeting Fox Valley Chapter was a first-time event for our chapter. The decision had been made earlier in the year to plan a chapter meeting that would focus on the

16 Page 16 July 2015 Chapter News Jim Jenkin Jim Jenkin ALL SMILES Although there were a lot of happy anglers at Fox Valley TU s 37th Annual Fishing Day for People with Disabilities, Ben Niemuth (left) was perhaps the happiest of all with this trout. Above, Del Schwaller, founder of the event, helps with some more smiling and happy anglers. Driftless Area in southwest Wisconsin. Don Clouthier, who fishes the area frequently, arranged for camping sites and motel accommodations for the chapter members who signed up for the weekend trip. Eight members ventured to the Driftless for the weekend of April The fishing, camaraderie, and learning/ teaching experiences will lead to a second annual trip in Please check our website for more about the weekend. The chapter was represented at Appleton Alliance Church and their annual Wild Game Feed. Our first Habitat Day was what has become the traditional opener for the year. On April 18 we met with Elward Engle at the Davies Creek site. That site was one of the very first stream improvement projects that our chapter was involved with many years ago. We spent the morning brushing out a 15-foot wide swath on one side of the stream for approximately 1,500 feet. The noon lunch cook, Jim Hlaban, provided a great meal to finish the day. The Davies Creek brushing project continued on May 19 when a group of young men from the Rawhide Boys Ranch assisted on removing an additional 900 feet of brush. The Rawhide crew also worked with a number of chapter members on June 23 to continue with the brush removal and to remove any obstructions that are in the stream. On May 4 chapter member Joe Bach, who has been working with Chilton public school teachers Brad Bowman, Terry Bartel and Greg Stromer, attended the meeting of the Chilton Area Community Foundation with the three teachers. The group received funding from the foundation to implement the a Trout in the Classroom program in the Chilton middle and high school. They will do some preliminary work this summer and then start the program in the schools at the start of the school year. Congratulations to everyone who worked on funding this project. On May 16 our chapter was involved with two events. Our main event was the 37th Annual Fishing Day for People with Disabilities. The event was held again at the Main Creek Farm Pond on the Killoren Family property north of Shiocton. There were 17 people fishing and a total of 48 people in attendance. Everyone caught fish, enjoyed great weather and the noon meal, and all had a chance to share stories of past fishing days. The chapter s other event May 16 was a Habitat Day, which united Central Wisconsin TU with Fox Valley TU on the White River. The main emphasis of the day was to place bank structures in various locations in the river. Another Habitat Day, a joint effort with CWTU on Chaffee Creek, was held June 20. There was actually a third event that day: the state council meeting, which Chapter President Tom Lager attended. Several members spent about four hours tying flies with youngsters in Jefferson Park as part of the Heckrodt Nature Preserve s Kids Fishing Day program on Saturday, June 6. On June a number of our chapter members helped with the Stream Girls program, a joint venture with the Girl Scouts that introduces young ladies to fishing, streams, and the environment. Some of our members will also be helping out at the Wisconsin Trout Unlimited Youth Camp July FVTU would like to acknowledge the recent passing of longtime member Dr. Richard (Dick) Ward. Dick was a member of a fly tying group that called themselves The Happy Hookers. Dick and his wife Marty were also supporters of the chapter's Handicapped and Disabilities Fishing Day. We have been busy, but we must remember that our efforts at the local level are to continue to protect The Hornberg Chapter s annual fly fishing school was May 16. Ken Pierce did a masterful job of organizing the event this year, going so far as volunteering his property on the banks of the Tomorrow River in Nelsonville as the location for the school. The weather could not have been better. Student attendance was excellent. Matt Salchert, Abe Downs and Heidi Oberstadt did the publicity for the school. Paul and Loretta Peck provided a memorable hot lunch for the students and instructors. Richard Wolding made his nearby field available for casting practice. Wyatt Bohm, Abe Downs, Brenda Gingles, Gary Glennon, Stu Grimstad, Jim Henke, Jim Larson, Heidi Oberstadt, Matt Salchert and Jan Tully were also on hand to help with setting up, cleaning up, instruction on casting, reading the stream, identification of insects and fly tying. We are very pleased with the overall success of our fly fishing school this year, and we look forward to equal success in years to Frank Hornberg Chapter our natural resources and preserve our important green spaces and the life in it. Continue to follow the state budget process and contact your local legislator to make sure that your voice is heard concerning Wisconsin's wildlife, waterways and the total environment. It is that time of year that we all look forward to enjoying time on the streams, rivers, ponds and lakes of Wisconsin. Please check our website at Rich Erickson come. The month of June saw us working with two other groups to promote and protect our water resources. First, Heidi Oberstadt worked with the Girl Scouts of America to organize a Stream Girls event June at Jordan Park in Portage County. Several members of the Hornberg chapter helped instruct the Scouts on environmental values and fishing skills, among other things. Our chapter s June work day was a joint venture with the Friends of the Tomorrow/Waupaca River. On June 27 we held a river clean-up on the Tomorrow River, upstream and downstream from Amherst. This has become an annual tradition for us, and our chapter provides grills for a hot lunch, canoes, chainsaws, muscle power and social interaction. Hornberg members will be participating in the River Keepers program again this year, under the leadership of Ken Pierce. Our monitoring spot is on the Tomorrow River, just downstream from the bridge in Nelsonville.

17 July 2015 Page 17 Chapter News this one a BBQ and to hold it near a stream educational trail we had set up many years ago. We had about 25 folks join the party. The food and company was great! We have also set up a new website, using WordPress. It s greenbaytu.org. Content management has become much easier. I encourage everybody to check it out. Moving forward we have several work projects, kids fishing day, funding the Antigo DNR habitat improvement crew and the new Northeast Wisconsin trout coordinator, lining up fishing trips and much, much more. Thank you to everybody in the state for your efforts in protecting our coldwater resources! Until next time. Adrian Meseberg John Vollrath FRANK HORNBERG CHAPTER S SUCCESSFUL FLY FISHING SCHOOL Above, instructor Jan Tully watches as student Sue Swamer practices her grass cast at the Frank Hornberg Fly Fishing School on May 16. Below, Matt Salchert shows Rita Eisenhauer (left) and James Peck (right) how to tie a knot at the event. Lee Meyers We are pleased to report that The Frank Hornberg Chapter-Trout Unlimited Fund, administered by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, has reached its initial goal of $10,000. This means we can begin receiving income on our investment. When we created the fund we pledged to use income from Green Bay Chapter the fund to support stream-work improvement, workshops, scholarships, joint projects with the Department of Natural Resources, speaker presentations and other activities that promote the preservation of coldwater fisheries in Central Wisconsin. John Vollrath John Volrath GBTU HELPS STOCK HALLER S CREEK, PAINTS BRIDGE ON TRAIL Above, a grandfather and granddaughter releasing keeper-sized brown trout on Haller s Creek, a put-and-take fishery. Below, Mike Renish and Jack Koivisto repaint the covered bridge on GBTU s education trail. On April 30 GBTU and the DNR teamed up for a fish-stocking effort on Haller s Creek. Together we placed about 500 keeper-sized brown trout in this put-and-take fishery. Our chapter has an educational trail running alongside the stream, and presenting the opportunity to catch fish here only helps our efforts. Just recently we placed a new sign on a covered bridge joining two ponds on the creek. On May 7 we held our 2015 Annual Meeting. We had a lot to cover, including a by-law amendment vote, several open leadership positions and the start of a new initiative. With the by-law vote, our chapter overwhelmingly passed language that would effectively increase the potential number or members on our board from nine to eleven. We held elections, with the following results: State Council Representative, Paul Kruse; Brown County Conservation Alliance, Bruce Deuchert, Janet Smith, Staush Gruszynski; Non-Officer Board of Directors, Staush Gruszynski, Paul Kruse, Matt Norem; Officers, John Deuchert (Secretary), Jeff House (Treasurer), Lee Meyers (Vice-President), Adrian Meseberg (President) Finally we are implementing Project Healing Waters. Paul Kruse has graciously stepped up as the lead in this exciting endeavor. Typically we devote four summer Saturdays per year to improving the coldwater resource that has given us so much. With that being said, on May 12 we kicked off our summer work project season by repainting a covered bridge on Haller s Creek. Many moons ago our chapter established the trout trail on this Brown County creek. For more information on our work project schedule for 2015, please visit our website at greenbaytu.org. After the success of our Conservation Banquet in February, we had some dollars to use toward the TU mission. We recently donated $9,000 to the Peshtigo DNR for trout stream habitat improvement. Our friends from the Oconto and Marinette chapters joined in on this amazing regional effort. On June 4 we held our annual chapter picnic. In a change from previous years, we decided to make Harry & Laura Nohr Chapter We are planning several work days this spring to build a stile on the Blue River and some cribs for Six Mile Branch. Chuck Steudel helped out with an Earth Day celebration at Iowa- Grant Middle School. He spoke with the students about trout and their habitat, and offered fshing pointers. It coincided with the planting of our rain garden on the school grounds. We held our elections April 9. Tim Fraley is our new president. All other officers remained the same. At our members meeting our summer interns presented a program and we found out the results of their stream studies. It was a very good presentation. Our annual banquet, on the Friday before the regular fishing season, was at the Dodger Bowl in Dodgeville. We had 49 attendees. Financials are not in yet. Our education committee lined up two $600 grants for local schools. We have now donated more than $10,000 to such projects. Jamie Link of Highland School District received a grant to expand their outdoor environmental studies, and to include fishing. In addition to water quality testing, plant identification, Lee Meyers

18 Page 18 July 2015 Chapter News NOHR CHAPTER HOLDS SUCCESSFUL BANQUET The Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter had nearly 50 people attend their annual fundraising banquet, which was held just before the regular season fishing opener at the Dodger Bowl in Dodgeville. this grant will allow them to identify fish in several habitats, including Big Spring Creek. All students at the middle school level will participate. Jeff Crase of Belmont Community Schools received a grant to be used for transportation costs for a field trip that will extend their local studies of surface and ground waters. The award will cover partial cost for all eighth-grade students to travel to Trees for Tomorrow to learn about resource management of plants, animals, water and soils, observe different habitats, sample stream water quality as well as identify aquatic organisms. They learn GPS, walk on bogs, and take a night hike! Back home in Belmont, Jeff's classes apply these experiences to their on-going rain garden care and stream studies. This coming year we will be working on about 4,500 feet of Six Mile Branch, about 3,000 feet of Pompey Pillar Creek and about 2,000 feet of the Blue River. Total cost of these projects is about $185,000. Two of these were holdovers while we were obtaining fishing easements. Brian Larson BE FREE! Fifth graders from Brian Burbach s class in North Hudson transfer classroomraised brown trout into the Willow River. Greg Olson is the TIC liaison and coordinator for Kiap-TU-Wish. The Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter has been busy with habitat restoration work, advocacy pertaining to damrelated issues on two local streams, and outreach to Pierce County and St. Croix County students and residents. Kiap-TU-Wish wrapped up the winter brushing effort on a stretch of the Kinnickinnic River in preparation for the next phase of work to be completed in conjunction with the DNR habitat crew. Located on the upper Kinni, the 1,700-foot project site (called the Red Cabin site, in spite of that cabin's removal years ago) has been cleared by an extraordinary volunteer effort. Randy Arnold, Kiap s habitat volunteer coordinator, has collected data from Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter every work date and has reported that 70 volunteers from a number of organizations have racked up an impressive 1,100 hours to date. Volunteers, not counting River Falls students from Meyer Middle School who took stream measurements prior to the start of brushing work, have come from Kiap-TU-Wish, Fairmont Santrol, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Minnesota s TC- TU and many local residents unaffiliated with any organization. In support of other habitat improvements, the board approved $2,000 for this summer s DNR stream mowing program and $2,000 for an engineering evaluation in Polk County to access the cost of removing and replacing the perched Greg Olson culvert on Parker creek in Alden Township. Kiap-TU-Wish remains engaged with the City of River Falls on their hydropower facility relicensing effort. The chapter is strongly encouraging the formation of a technical advisory group to review targeted studies needed to inform decision makers and the broader community on the dam removal-versus-facility - relicensing decision. The chapter has recommended engineering firms capable of characterizing the sediment present in terms of volume and contamination levels. This data is needed regardless of which way the community and city decide to go. The chapter is also in discussions with a grassroots citizens group, Friends of the Kinni, on finding a way to ensure a dam removal feasibility study can be completed prior to future decisions on removal or relicensing. On the Willow River, Kiap-TU- Wish is monitoring the status of the inspection and repairs on the Little Falls Dam in Willow River State Park. The current issues with the dam include: inadequate spillway capacity; poor condition of the dam gates; seepage along multiple arch buttress sections indicating a poor dam foundation; seepage at the powerhouse and gate two, indicating structural movement and poor dam foundation; and the difficulty of inspecting, at full pool, the oldest section of the dam, which is experiencing uncontrolled seepage that indicates a possible foundation problem and potential failure point. To inspect the dam, a draw-down was started on June 1 and the lake formed behind the dam may be drained for as long as a few years. A decision must be made to repair, replace or remove the dam. Stay tuned. The chapter s fundraising banquet was April 23 at Romy s Holiday Inn at Kelly Lake. Banquet Chair Dan Sumnicht reported that approximately 265 members and friends attended the event. Raffles and prizes, coupled with dinner and a few surprises, made for a fun time for everyone. Dan indicated that the banquet would net around $9,500. The chapter has awarded 10 camp certificates to youngsters from the area. The camps are offered by UW -Stevens Point and TU. Various camps for ages 7-18 are offered. Most are for day camps but several are week-long. One participant will attend the Wisconsin TU Youth Fishing Camp. The chapter asks only that the participants report back at a monthly meeting. On May 21 chapter members set Northwoods Chapter Oconto River Chapter Kiap-TU-Wish recently teamed up with Fairmont Santrol for the City of Ellsworth s eighth-grade field trip. On May 18 the students toured Fairmont Santrol s facility in Maiden Rock, learned about stream restoration, and got wet checking out the insect life in Pine Creek. In a celebratory event that marked the end of the school year and Kiap-TU-Wish s first-ever involvement with Trout In the Classroom (TIC), Brian Burbach s fifthgrade students from North Hudson Elementary successfully raised more than 100 brown trout fry from eggs and released them in the Willow River at Willow River State Park. The kids wanted to have a good habitat for their classmates and discovered a spot on the river with cool water temps, oxygenated riffles, root wads, and plenty of caddis, caddis larvae, and mayfly nymphs. The majority of kids cited the release as their favorite aspect of the TIC project, while others mentioned the egg hatching, water chemistry monitoring, and feeding. Brian Burbach intends to continue the TIC program next year, and plans to expand it to other schools in the Hudson system with Kiap-TU-Wish s help. The chapter will be hosting a fly fishing clinic in conjunction with the Old Martell Schoolhouse Association. The schoolhouse is a landmark along the Rush River, and the clinic will be part of a larger event that will be held to raise support for this historical building. The chapter hopes to strengthen community relationships and partnering opportunities in this part of Pierce County. Thanks to Mike Alwin, Greg Olson, Tom Henderson, Tom Schnadt and Gary Horvath for their contributions to this chapter report. Maria Manion The Northwoods Chapter will be partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and DNR to host three workdays on Alvin Creek this month: Saturday, July 18; Monday, July 20; and Tuesday, July 21. All workdays will take place from 8 a.m. to noon and lunch will be provided. We will meet at the intersection of Highway 70 and Highway 55 at 8 a.m. Our 2015 Conservation Banquet will be Saturday, September 12 at the Blue Heron Restaurant at the Wild Eagle Lodge in Eagle River. For tickets or more information, contact me at lauramacfarland@gmail.com. On the heels of our spring elections, I would like to recognize a few of the dedicated volunteers who make this organization run. Special thanks to Hannah Hanson, Carole Linn and Joshua Kunzman for their years of service on our board and welcome to our three newest board members: Jay Joppa, Mike Koltz and Mick Mlinar. To learn more about our workdays and other upcoming events, follow us at facebook.com/northwoodstu. Laura MacFarland up the casting contest and fish pond at Victory Olympics. More than 200 participants enjoyed a carnival-type event on a beautiful spring day. The smiles on the faces of the students said it all. Plans are being made to participate in DNR and USFS work days planned in our area. Members will work with Green Bay and Wolf River chapters, placing brush bundles, rocks and logs to improve habitat. Dates and work locations will be published in the chapter newsletter. Our chapter meetings are held monthly, excluding May and November, on the first Wednesday. Meetings are held at the Lone Oak Gun club just North of Gillett starting at 7 p.m. Tom Klatt

19 July 2015 Page 19 Shaw-Paca Chapter members have spent a lot of time on the water already this summer. Members have reported trips from Montana to Canada to Florida to the Driftless Area. Although the fun-factor has been high, the success reported has been spotty. Heavy rains over the past few weeks across northeast Wisconsin has made fishing some of the trout streams very difficult. It s also brought out of hiding our favorite bird, the northwoods mosquito. No events are scheduled in the short term, but the chapter has Shaw-Paca Chapter some fall activities planned. Several great presenters are slated to appear and give talks on topics ranging from steelhead to musky to saltwater. There will also be several themed tying nights, which are open to anyone. Themes will range from a predator night, when we'll be tying our favorite pike and muskie flies, to a bluegill evening. Keep an eye on the Shaw-Paca Facebook page and our website for more info. Things will be updated as the summer rolls on. Nate Sipple Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Chapter News This is an exciting opportunity for me because it is the first chapter report I have written for the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter since becoming president at our April chapter meeting. I want thank outgoing president Jim Wierzba and the rest of the SEWTU Board of Directors and board members for assisting with my transition into this role. Our chapter has a strong legacy of outreach, habitat improvement, and education because of the visionary leadership and dedication of past presidents and board members. I hope to continue this important work during my term. Also at the April chapter meeting, the following SEWTU Board of Directors were elected: Jason Freund, secretary; Stan Strelka, vice president and Ivan Nohavica, treasurer. At our May chapter meeting, several members shared travelogues of recent fishing trips. Attendees were able to learn about fishing opportunities in Colorado, Utah, Montana and New Zealand, as well as how to access internet sources to find fishing locations in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. In addition to tactics and locations, the presentations featured beautiful scenery, lessons in regional history and geography, and, of course, some great fish stories. On April 11 and 28 SEWTU members volunteered at the Kids Fishing Clinic at Sandy Knoll County Park in West Bend. Our members worked at morning and afternoon sessions and led stations where children learned about fishing equipment, how to cast, and tried out some fishing tactics. Education Committee Chair Rick Frye helped organize this wonderful outreach opportunity. The Orvis Fly Fishing 101 classes continued at the Orvis shop in Bayshore Mall. These classes take place on Saturday mornings in April, May and June. SEWTU volunteers introduce attendees to fly tying at the shop, and casting techniques on top of a parking ramp. This can be quite challenging with the gusts of wind off of Lake Michigan. This is a great partnership between our chapter and Orvis, which Jim Weirzba and Orvis Eric Helm have built. SEWTU members continued their outreach fly tying opportunities. May 5 and 19 were the last two Oak Creek Community Center fly tying sessions for this season. Thanks to Greg Schick for organizing this. In addition, George Batcha continues to lead Monday evening fly-tying sessions, and Al Dalphonso has been leading Thursday morning sessions as part of our chapter's Project Healing Waters program. These sessions are held at the Milwaukee VA Hospital. George has also been organizing and leading fishing outings with the veterans this spring and has several more planned for the summer. Our first workday of 2015 was April 18, and was a cooperative effort with the Milwaukee Riverkeeper organization. The event occurred at the Menominee River near Miller Park and continued our efforts in recent years to improve this accessible river corridor for lake-run salmon, steelhead and trout. On May 19 our chapter assisted the Lakeshore Chapter with a workday on the Onion River. The volunteers repaired structures and cleared brush. After the hard work was done, the Lakeshore Chapter treated our members to pizza. We worked with the Aldo Leopold Chapter June 20 at Tainter Creek in Vernon County. This workday was part of our chapter s annual fishing outing in the Driftless region. After the work day and the traditional brat fry, we camped at the West Fork Sports Club and spent some time fishing. In July, we will have a workday at Rosenow Creek, near Oconomowoc. This small stream is in our home region and we did some work there several years ago. It will be nice to return there and continue our improvements. Rick Frye has organized four workshops to be held at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. These sessions will be July 8, 11, 15 and 22. Chuck Beeler, Jim Folda and Jay Zawerschnik will also be representing our chapter at Cabela s Trailblazer Day in Richfield on June 13. These members will have a table set up with activities for attendees. This continues the strong partnership that Chuck has built with Cabela s. Our summer casting clinic will be held in July at Greenfield Park. This is an annual event and is always very popular. In other exciting news, one of our members, Logan Ambrookian, has been invited to attend TU National s Teen Summit this summer in North Carolina. This is an impressive accomplishment and SEWTU is happy to sponsor Logan. We are looking forward to hearing about Logan s experience at the summit. Now that summer is here, we will be taking a break from our monthly chapter meetings. We'll be busy at workdays, and fishing and vacationing with family and friends. Our monthly meetings will resume in September. Boyd Roessler SWTU HOSTS WORK DAYS AND CASTING CLINIC Above, a few members of the SWTU Stream Team pause for a picture after a morning of stream restoration work. Stream Team tackled brush and invasive species along the Sugar River, Pleasant Valley Creek and at the Wolf Run Trail on Black Earth Creek. About 75 volunteers contributed 375 hours of lopping, sawing, hauling and sweating toward our coldwater resource. Below, Andy Morton shares stream tactics at the SWTU Fly Casting Clinic, which was held near Salmo Pond, along the banks of Black Earth Creek. Southern Wisconsin Chapter A busy spring eases SWTU into a well-earned bit of a summer break. Mother Nature smiled on our workdays, offering good weather for all of them as our Stream Team tackled brush and invasive species along the Sugar River, Pleasant Valley Creek and at the Wolf Run Trail on Black Earth Creek. We offer our deep appreciation to the 75 volunteers who contributed 375 hours of lopping, sawing, hauling and sweating toward our coldwater resource. Our fall workday season begins in October and all are welcome to join us for friendship, fishing stories and a chance to make a difference. Our leadership team saw one change this spring, as Craig Amacker finished his third consecutive term on our board, the maximum allowed. Craig s experience, insights and passion for the resource have been a tremendous service to our chapter and its members. We are happy to have Tom Parker, a very active volunteer, as a new addition to the board. We had a great turnout of ready volunteers and eager learners at our April 18 Fly Casting Clinic. Held once again at Salmo Pond along Black Earth Creek, novice fly fishers learned about gear, casting, bugs and reading the water. SWTU has also advocated on a number of important state, county and local matters. This includes a detailed response to the trout questions posed by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, promoting county funding for stream easements, and encouraging the Village of Cross Plains to restore Water Quality Corridor protections for Black Earth Creek. We also participated as a supporting partner for the grand opening of the Wolf Run Trail along Black Earth Creek in Mazomanie. The June 6 event was attended by more than 100 people. When you visit this beautiful area, look for interpretive signage along the stream. This includes one that is specific to the ecology of trout streams, and is located about 100 yards upstream of the Highway 14 bridge in Black Earth. Please stop by for more news about our chapter and to check out our calendar of events. You can also find us on Facebook. Drew Kasel Jim Beecher

20 Page 20 July 2015 Chapter News WILD RIVER CHAPTER MEMBERS PLANT TREES Wild River TU volunteers plant trees with the Bad River Watershed Association, Friends of the White River and DNR. Wild Rivers Chapter before we got there. Our May chapter meeting was held at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley. We had a brief chapter meeting first, and then did some annual planning for our chapter program schedule, possible habitat projects and strategies for new member recruitment for the year. It was great to see some new faces at the planning session, and it was awesome to hear some of the great ideas generated for what we want our chapter to be involved in all year. Thanks to Jason Stewart, who is coordinating the ongoing communication about programs for the chapter, and also taking on some of the communication about member recruiting events. The ideas generated at this planning meeting will serve as a great springboard for how we engage in conserving, protecting and restoring coldwater fisheries and their watersheds in northwestern Wisconsin, and how we will have a lot of fun doing it. On June 6 we had the Kids Fishing Day event at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. Wild Rivers TU is a sponsor of the event, and this year the hats given to volunteers had Wild Rivers TU embroidered on them. We've been working with this event for as long as I can remember, and it is a lot of fun for everyone who volunteers. Bob Rice It s a sunny day in Oulu today, after lots of rain and wind. My yard full of dandelions has honey bees bringing on the first big nectar flow of the year. It is always nice to see this event in the annual arrival of spring and early summer. I also really enjoy how the aquatic insects start rising with much greater frequency for the next month or so. Mid May through June is definitely the sweet spot for dry fly fishing in the upper Midwest. Sunday, Reba and I drove through a really prolific caddis hatch as we got stopped up by the construction site at the Highway 2 bridge over the Brule River. Having to stop at the bridge made us take note of the hatch, so we didn't mind the short delay at all. Our annual chapter expo returned to Ashland this spring after a couple of years of combining efforts with the Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Hayward. While the chapter still sent Dick Berge, Don Sutliff and Jim Emerson to the Hayward event on March 28th, this year s chapter expo was held at the Northland College Gymnasium for the first time. That was a great venue for the event. It offered plenty of space for our many partner organizations and agencies, who had tables or booths set up to share what they are doing in the community, for all our silent and live auction items to be on bold display throughout the event, and for casting demonstrations and lessons in the middle of the room. It was a warm and sunny day on Chequamegon Bay. In fact, it was uncharacteristically summer-like for April 11. In spite of weather that beckoned outdoor enthusiasts to actually be outdoors for the day, the expo was well attended and resulted in more than $5,800 of income for the chapter to help us with this year s operating costs for habitat projects and chapter outings. Thanks and great appreciation are extended to Northland College and the staff that helped us make sure the space was proper for the event, to Duke Welter and David Saetre for being auctioneers during the live auction portion of the program, to Wendy Williamson for leading casting classes at the expo, to Jodie and Dick Prine and Dan Bloomquist for cooking and serving all the food, to Bill Heart, for doing so much of the planning and coordinating of the event, and to Rolland and Joyce Kiel, Bob Traczyk, Jim Emerson, Dick Berge, Chuck Campbell, Peter Freiburger, Kelly McKnight, Frank Pratt and James Enigl for making sure things went smoothly during the event. Thanks, also, to everyone who donated great items for the silent and live auctions. The event was successful largely because of the great things that were available to entice people to bid. This was our second most successful expo, in spite of attendance being lower than several past events. Wild Rivers Chapter has been enjoying a few great opportunities to get outside and do some work in different locations. The chapter had a tree-planting day on a tributary of the White River that was recently purchased by the DNR. The tributary is spring fed, and runs clear as gin from its origins to its confluence with the White River. Approximately 1,000 trees of a mixed variety of species were planted, and protective fencing was placed around those that are vulnerable to deer browse. Chapter members Bill Heart and Cindy Utites, Scott Toshner (also a DNR project leader), Jim Emerson, Pete Freiburger, Joel Austin, Dick Berge, Roger Gustafson, Rolland and Joyce Kiel, Chuck Campbell, Marion True, Steve Baumgartner, Mike Fiorio, Dan Bloomquist, Metro Maznio and Tom Dart joined members of the DNR staff, Bad River Watershed Association staff and members of the Friends of the White River to complete the planting. We also had our spring highway cleanup on the section of County Road H heading in each direction from the Delta Diner. Seven of us met for a fantastic lunch at the diner, and then worked in teams to gather trash. I haven t taken an official poll, but I believe that Busch Light is still the beer of choice for litterers up here. While I admit to definite beer snobbery, I m glad to see that people who enjoy beer that actually tastes good aren t throwing their empties out of their vehicles. Rolland and Joyce Kiel, Peter Freiburger, Chuck Campbell, Jim Emerson, Bob Rice, and Roger Gustafson participated in the cleanup. We were spared any encounters with promised thunder storms, and didn t have so much trash to pick up that we were able to work off the weight we gained at lunch. But, we were diligent in our efforts, and left the road much cleaner than it was CLEARWATERS SUPPORTS YOUTH EVENTS, HOLDS DRIFTLESS OUTING Chapter members and staff of Lakeshore Elementary School participated in providing a fishing class at Carson Park on June 4 and 5. About 450 students attended, including this happy angler. In May they held their annual Coulee Camp Out at Sidie Hollow Park in Vernon County. Clear Waters TU has a lot of education activities going on this spring. Various levels of training were provided to a range of audiences. This report will highlight a sampling of the training activities conducted to prepare for a season of trout fishing. It will also discuss a cooperative effort to prepare for the renovation of a section of trout stream. Lastly, we will look at the chapter s camping/fishing trip to the Driftless Area. Wisconsin Clear Waters The UW-River Falls and UW- Stout American s Fisheries Club student organization joined forces at the Knapp Pond to celebrate Earth Day. These students were provided the opportunity to study trout and stream characteristics. The highlight of the session was when the pond erupted in a hatch of mayflies in the middle of a lecture on stream biology. The students gained experience in fly casting and trout catching.

21 July 2015 Page 21 Chapter News Thirty two students from Eau Claire Memorial High School took part in a field trip to Elk Creek. Presenters included DNR trout specialists and chapter members. Activities included in-stream exercises to measure flow, identify stream invertebrates and vegetation. Students were required to wader up and get a close look at the stream features and creatures. Senior citizens were not forgotten in this educational effort. On June 2 they were provided training in fly tying at UW-Eau Claire s Senior Days. We manned an informational booth describing local stream restoration projects and educational activities at the Kinnickinnic Watershed Film Fest. UW-Stout fishing class held two class sessions at Gilbert Creek with chapter volunteers assisting them in casting, fly selection and other flyfishing-related activities. Chapter members and staff of Lakeshore Elementary School participated in providing a fishing class at Carson Park on June 4 and 5. About 450 students attended. The Wisconsin DNR held the Free Fishing Weekend for Youth on June 6 at the Knapp Pond. Our chapter, in cooperation with the Knapp Lions Club, sponsored and conducted the event. Training in spin and fly fishing were provided. Rods and reels were provided for the youth to try to catch a trout or bluegill from the depths of the Knapp Pond. Between 20 and 30 kids, along with their parents, attended and assisted. Lots of bluegills were caught to keep the kids interested and a few trout were caught to spice up the day. The Trout Day Celebration was held at Trout Creek near Alma and was sponsored by the Waumandee Rod & Gun, Fountain City Rod & Gun, Alma Rod & Gun and Trout Unlimited. Activities included a fish survey by DNR personnel, assisted fishing and prizes for the kids. The kids also were able to feed trout that are held in a spring pond on the property. On Gilbert Creek, the chapter coordinated an effort to assist the DNR to prepare a Box Elder infested woods for restoration as a trout stream. Assisting in this effort was our neighbor TU chapter, Kiap-TU- Wish, and employees of Fairmont- Santrol. More than 150 hours of labor were provided by the group. The outcome will be 4,000 feet of clear, cold and trout-infested water. Work was completed on the four consecutive Saturdays of April. Chain saws were used as well as hand tools and gloves to cut down the undesirable trees and brush. The crews also piled the logs and brush for later burning or burying. This work included cutting down the trees in this corridor to allow heavy equipment more efficient access to the ground that would be excavated to make a more desirable flow and tolerate flooding without damaging the restored creek. Plans for the project call for beginning excavation in July. The work is an extension of an initial larger project. This initial restoration work, over the past two decades, has completed an initial stretch of private easement and a large section of DNR property. This new section will be approximately one quarter mile downstream from the last completed restoration. This addition of restored streams will be the first part of the Gilbert Creek project south of Highway 29. The next property downstream from the current project is already under easement for restoration and angling access. The exciting possibility of adding the next two properties is also under negotiation, which would allow four connected properties to be restored and joined. In May we held our annual Coulee Camp Out at Sidie Hollow Park in Vernon County. This venue comes complete with its own trout stream and fishing pond. The fishing proved to be somewhat sporadic, depending on where you were and when you were fishing. The highlight of the trip was a joint breakfast of bacon and pancakes and the limit of brook trout caught by one member. Work is scheduled to begin on Gilbert Creek in Dunn County in July. Additional projects are slated for Sand Creek in Dunn County and Duncan Creek in Chippewa County. The chapter also funded the mowing of 1,800 feet of stream bank to provide angler access on Gilbert Creek in Dunn County. WCWTU is in the third year of funding wild trout transfers on local streams. March 31 has been chosen as the date for the 2016 Banquet. Further details will be provided later. Al Noll, Bob Swanson Wisconsin River Valley Chapter We at the Wolf River chapter started our year off with our brat stand in Langlade on Memorial Day weekend. Thank you to all those who helped out, specially Mike and Alice of Mike s Service in downtown Langlade for once again letting us set up at the station. Future brat stand dates are July 3-4 and July Stop down to the corner of Hwy 64 and Hwy 55 in Langlade for a brat, and try my home-made sauerkraut. You will not regret it. On May 13 we began our water monitoring by planting thermistors on the Hunting River, Lily River, East Branch Lily River, Nine Mile Creek, Evergreen River and two on Wolf River Chapter at the Mackenzie Environmental Center to once again tie flies with kids and even a few chaperones. June 6 brought gorgeous weather for Kiwanis Kid s Day in Wisconsin Rapids. Linda Lehman was once again teaching the kids how to tie flies. Our chapter and council can t thank Linda enough for all the hard work and effort she puts in at these events. In June we had our annual final meeting and recap of the banquet, as well as some general planning for the summer and thoughts for next year, when we formally reconvene in September. We were also fortunate to have the state chair and vice chair present to give an update on state council business. Thanks to Linn Beck and Mike Kuhr for taking time out of their busy schedule to join us. Also, I would like to thank Rev. John Meachen for hosting the outing at his cabin. Unfortunately, it also sits adjacent to the Prairie River and the attendants were forced to fish after the meeting, regardless of the less-than-ideal weather. Henry Kanemoto headed to Stevens Point in June to volunteer at the Stream Girls event, involving the Girl Scouts and TU. On another educational note, we continued our funding of subscriptions of Trout Magazine and Wisconsin Trout to the libraries in our chapter s area. The libraries have been very thankful in receiving the gift subscriptions. We have provided financial support for acquiring rocks and boulders for a nearly one-mile DNR rehab project on the Prairie River during the next two summers. This past winter all of the material was delivered to staging areas at the project site. Join us Saturday, September 12 for a work day on the Prairie River. We will be located at the bridge crossing on Highway H, just south of Parrish. We will be brushing along the river and cleaning up the town road where access is granted. We wish all of you a safe and happy summer. Enjoy the fishing season. Doug Brown the Wolf River itself. Board member Travis Stuck organized a Meet & Greet June 7-8. Fun was had by all. The crew from Discover Wisconsin was there, and did some filming. Great job, Travis! We will be doing stream work on the Hunting River with the DNR brushing crew on July 18. On August 15 we will be working with the Green Bay chapter on Nine Mile Creek. Please visit our web site at WolfRiverTU.org for updates on all of our projects. Tim Waters Our 32nd annual banquet last April at The Hanger Lounge/VFW in downtown Wausau was well attended, with 75 people. Although attendance was down a little from past years, everyone enjoyed it and the many prizes, bucket raffles and live auction items. Funds generated will support stream projects and educational programs. Henry Kanemoto, Bob Pils and Linda Lehman volunteered to show their fly-tying skills to the kids attending the Taylor County Outdoor Youth Expo in Medford last May. They started teaching tying at 9 a.m. and after lunch showed the kids how to cast. It would have been nice if it was a little warmer, and a little drier, but they had a good group of curious kids that made the day fun. Linda Lehman also headed down to Poynette in May for the Midwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo For summer fishing trips close to home and far from home, we ve got your gear. Largest fly selection in S.W. Wisconsin. Yeti coolers are here just in time for the hot summer!

22 Page 22 July 2015 HUNT, continued from page 4 Science-based management What he did say then, though, was a walk through the history that got us into the modern era of trout management here: The thing that I m proudest of, he said, is that we were able to get trout management to the point of being based on science. We worked hard on it here and others did over in Michigan, and we led the way. Eventually we got our department to move away from relying on a trout fishery made up of hatchery-produced fish. So much of it was put-and-take then: stock em just before season, catch em and in two weeks the trout season was over. We studied these streams, and we worked on the habitat, and all the time we were measuring the impact on the fishery. That work I did on Lawrence Creek back in the 60s and 70s, those studies, well, there s still been no better work done. And it s been so well-accepted by scientists and fisheries people in other states. It hasn t ever been improved upon. Habitat, not hatcheries When Mike Staggs became the DNR s Fisheries Bureau director some years ago, he said Bob gave him one key bit of advice: First, manage for wild trout. Habitat, more than hatcheries, should be the DNR s chief investment in trout management. A 1999 TU study cited Wisconsin DNR s trout management program, notably its emphasis on habitat over hatcheries, as a model for the nation. Bob offered a few of his studies to TU members over the years, with home-made slides showing his research results, neatly hand-printed and of high quality. Protect groundwater, secure public access, increase DNR funding. That day in 2009, I d asked Bob if he had suggestions for where Wisconsin TU should be pushing trout management efforts in Wisconsin. A few weeks later, a neatly printed hand-written note came from Bob. He didn t want to offer off-the-cuff observations, but to send his considered comments written just the way he wanted them: Here are three things for you to consider. First, protecting and restoring groundwater. Without healthy groundwater discharge to our trout streams and spring ponds, they would cease to exist. I rank this preservation of groundwater as by far the most important long term issue applying to trout waters management. Second, purchase for public use all the land possible by any means possible, especially via public-private partnerships. Get it while it can be done. And third, for the foreseeable future, lack of money for DNR programs prevents doing more stream restoration and protection (spring ponds too), but keep pushing for more money for this. We know how to protect and restore healthy habitat. The problem is lack of money to do it. Related to that need is hiring more LTEs to increase the amount of work our good DNR fisheries managers can accomplish. In Wisconsin, TU has helped lead the way in supporting DNR LTEs to do habitat work, and in increasing trout stamp funds for habitat work. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program benefits purchases of land or easements for the public, and TU members fought to maintain it in the most recent state budget deliberations. Groundwater now at risk We all need to focus more on Hunt s first priority: protecting our groundwater resources. Right now, many sacred cow industries are using it with such zeal that our lakes, rivers, wetlands and underground supplies are all at risk. Too many straws are being driven into our aquifers, and the first place the waters are drying up is in Hunt s home territory: the sand counties of Central Wisconsin. Sadly, those dry river beds are just the precursor, if we do not push policy makers to strengthen protections. In the long run, too, protecting our groundwater is a way to buffer our streams and lakes against the impacts of climate change. You have probably read articles in TROUT magazine by the late Bob Behnke, a professor at Colorado State University who was probably the best-known trout researcher in the country, if not the world. He and Bob Hunt were long-time friends, and Behnke came to an important trout research workshop in LaCrosse in his later years at his friend s invitation. Bob Hunt not only fished many Wisconsin trout streams, but also western streams. At the LaCrosse workshop, Behnke told me when he and Hunt fished in Colorado or Wyoming, You d cross this little tiny stream in the middle of nowhere, and Bob would not only know it, he d start telling you about the species in it and the habitat. He knew them all. At the same time Hunt and Behnke were among the brain trust for the quadrennial Wild Trout Symposium in Yellowstone starting almost 50 years ago. Contributions from both men blossom throughout the proceedings of that symposium, and Hunt s work is cited in many major articles done over the years there. He received the highest honor from that Symposium, the A. Starker Leopold Award, in Bob Hunt was honored by most every major fisheries organization for his contribution to the knowledge of the field, such as induction in 1999 into the American Fisheries Society s Hall of Excellence for his body of work, which included 46 scientific papers. His book Trout Stream Therapy is used around the world by those who look for effective means to fix unhealthy trout stream habitat. When I ponder Bob Hunt s role in our efforts to protect our river resources, I can t help but wonder how fortunate our state was to have him in our midst, doing valuable work that advanced the science of trout. He enriched us all with his gifts to us of his joy in knowing these fish and their places, his quiet piety, his willingness to share what he knew. One has to wonder when, or if, a person of his stature will come our way again. And while I still can put a dozen flies into the trees in an outing, I am a far better and more informed angler for having spent time on the water with him. Thanks for Phyllis Hunt, John Gremmer, and numerous others for contributing information for this article. Summer 2015 update By Doug Brown The 2015 fundraising campaign is half over and the financial support has been terrific! Contributions to this year s fundraising campaign have reached nearly $8,300, thanks to donations from 79 individuals and three of our chapters. Thank you so much for your support! With the recent political climate and uncertainty over the state s Stewardship program, which is used to purchase critical lands and easements for fishing access and habitat work, the Watershed Access Fund is as important as ever. The program ensures that we do not lose an opportunity to secure an available permanent easement. All contributions will be used solely for Wisconsin easement acquisitions. The current grant request limit is $5,000. Because two chapters may each request a grant for a single acquisition, and each chapter would have to match 50 percent of the grant, the fund could provide as much as $15,000 for a single purchase or easement. Chapter matches can be in the form of volunteer hours. Please consider a generous contribution to the 2015 Watershed Access Fund. The need for access is critical for anglers to continue their passion for trout fishing. Access is also critical for Trout Unlimited to continue its successful stream improvement work. Dan Grauer Jeanne Grodevant Roger Gustafson Hugh Gwin John Halbrehder Stephen Hawk Ashton Hawk John Hawk Bill Heart Jan & Mark Heifner Cline Hickok Charles Hodulik Andrew Holverson Mary & Doug Hudzinski Daniel Jansen Andrew & Victoria Jicha William Jordan Chris Kerbaugh David Kinnamon Paul Mack Brian Madsen Maria Manion Kim McCarthy Tom Mertens Gary Meuller Cris Meyer Mark Mille Eric Nelson Micheal Niemczyk Herb Oechler Winston Ostrow Jay Pare Here is my contribution of $100 or more to the Watershed Access Fund (Make your check payable to Unlimited ) MAIL TO: Wausau WI Tomahawk WI Iron River WI Hudson WI Sparta WI Madison WI Madison WI New Holstein WI Ashland WI Appleton WI Hudson WI Madison WI Wauwatosa WI Sun Prairie WI DeForest WI Green Bay WI Appleton WI La Crosse WI Bayside WI New Richmond WI Ellsworth WI Minneapolis MN Green Bay WI Oneida WI Monona WI Middleton WI Milwaukee WI Chili WI Oshkosh WI Wauwatosa WI De Pere WI Mazomanie WI TU Watershed Access Fund Attn: Doug Brown R4800 Timber Ln. Ringle, WI Dennis Presser Randall Rake Carl Rasmussen Steve Robertson Michael San Dretto Paul Schleif Jeff Schmoeger Daniel Schultz David Seligman Chuck Sethness John Shillinglaw Jeffrey Smith Michael Spittler Charles Steudel Wayne Stockman Ann Tisdale Robert Towns Tim Van Volkinburg Marten & Karen Voss Dick Wachowski John Wahlers Donald Welhouse Paul Wiemerslage Steve Wilke Dr. Donald Williams Dan Wisniewski Kiap TU Wish TU WI ClearWaters TU Shaw-Paca TU Marinette Co. TU Wild Rivers TU Madison WI De Pere WI Neenah WI Verona WI Neenah WI West Bend WI Cottage Grove WI Appleton WI Ripon WI Land O Lakes WI Madison WI Madison WI Minneapolis MN Mineral Point WI Spring Valley WI Milwaukee WI King WI Whitefish Bay WI Eau Claire WI Eau Claire WI Berlin WI KaukaunaWI HudsonWI MarinetteWI Fort AtkinsonWI MiddletonWI 2015 Contributors Jason Anderson Mukwonago WI Tim & Anne Connor Dale Bakke Plover WI Thomas Crabb Edwin Barnes Middleton WI Terry Cummings Carlton & Diana Beduhn Oshkosh WI Richard Duplessie Blaine Biedermann Fitchburg WI Robert Feldman Barton & Colleen Blum Waupaca WI James Flesch Stephen Born Madison WI Dan Geddes D. Scott & Linda Bruce Iron River WI Chuck Geiger Will Burlington Madison WI Terry Geurkink Linda Buzzar DeForest WI Donald Grade Fitchburg WI Monona WI Rhinelander WI Eau Claire WI Mayville WI Fox Point WI Appleton WI Baileys Harbor WI Belleville WI Mosinee WI Name Address City, State, Zip Phone

23 July 2015 Page 23 Driftless Rambler With Duke Welter TUDARE Communications Director Early summer turns the fringes of daylight into magical times here in the Driftless. Our dusks and dawns have become not only the prime times to pursue trout, but also to appreciate the growing and waning sunlight, the wealth of birdsong and the plethora of wildlife out and about. Author Michael Checchio called dawn nature s rush hour, a description I come back to every morning during turkey, deer and trico season. One old friend of mine was no longer really into the challenges of duck season, but he went out autumn mornings well before dawn just because he loved so much to watch the marsh come alive. Just a few mornings ago I was lucky to appreciate the sunrise in the Bad Axe River Valley with a pair of new friends, Andy Avgoulas of Milwaukee and Samir Mistry from the Twin Cities. The pinks of the eastern sky over the verdant ridges made the sunrise a watercolorist s dream canvas. Sandhill cranes were already out, and birds sang and flitted everywhere. Andy and Samir, both pharmacists, were the lucky winners of a hosted fishing outing I donated last winter to the Wisconsin State Council. Both know their way around the outdoors, but Samir hadn t flyfished much before. With his own natural skills and a little coaching, his casting improved markedly and he caught his first trout on a fly. Andy has been on a lot of water, but not around here. They both went at it with alacrity. We enjoyed the Bad Axe from sunrise for several hours, as the mist wafted around us and finally dissipated with the sunshine that flooded the valley. We may have been first, but we didn t stay alone long: a trail of important TU personages wandered in as we walked out, and the roadside had five Wisconsin cars with the new TU license plates. After a stop at the best Amish bakery in the neighborhood (Highway Y eight miles west of Viroqua), we headed to the Viroqua Farmers Market, then home for a nap. What a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Evenings have been magical as well, with a mix of insects on the water and fish actively rising. I regularly keep a trout or two for the pan, and their stomach contents tell me what I should be tying for tomorrow evening. For every sulfur dun, there was another emerging nymph. I m giving up on my wet pattern and tying duns and nymphs. But there was also a June Bug in there. Interestingly, an acquaintance if mine caught a 20-inch-plus trout and found that it was crammed with June Bugs. I think we need to find a good June Bug pattern. Projects abound Across the Driftless Area, good projects are under way with TU chapters and their partners. Weiser Creek in the Kickapoo Reserve near LaFarge is under way, and DNR equipment operators will have a half-mile of water done soon. TU chapters will be holding work days, so watch your chapter newsletters or the TUDARE Facebook page for when-and-where information. Some chapters, like Southern Wisconsin and WI Clear Waters, are doing stream maintenance days as they develop new full-on projects for coming years. Others keep cruising along, like Blackhawk, Harry & Laura Nohr and Kiap-TU-Wish. With a bit of organizing, chapters can partner up and sponsor work days, like the June 20 work day on Tainter Creek near Readstown organized by the Aldo Leopold and Southeastern Wisconsin TU chapters. These folks drive as many as three hours to camp at the West Fork Sports Club in Avalanche, have a good work outing, get some fishing done, and appreciate a campfire. What better weekend could one imagine at this time of year? There are other sites where landowners, DNR and county conservation staff have identified needs for willow and other brush cutting and stile and sign installation, so chapters looking for a work prospect should check in with me for possibilities for their next Driftless outing. Chicago TU Chapters are chipping in with time and funds to help these Wisconsin projects move forward, both in the Driftless and in Central Wisconsin. County campgrounds Campgrounds around here are busy with anglers coming in for long weekends at county parks and other sites. Private campsites like the West Fork Sports club, Gas-Light Bar/Campground near Ellsworth and smaller ones tucked in along many a small stream have their loyalists. But also consider the county parks in the area, which are littleknown gems for weekend car campers. These are usually on some stream, with good facilities and not a lot of partying, in a lovely setting. Among my favorites, found over years of rambling the region, have been Esofea and Sidie Hollow County Parks in Vernon County, Nugget Lake in Pierce County, and White Mound in Sauk County. By the way, all are surrounded by excellent trout water. Remembering special people Those of you who know me well understand my affinity for special places and for people who have worked to keep them special. In Wisconsin TU, we have many who have done remarkable things for our waters, and we do well to honor them. On the way home from Winneconne late last month, where I had enjoyed the excellent first annual Robert M. Hunt Memorial Lecture by former Central Wisconsin TU president John Gremmer (see separate article this issue), I drove past the Mecan River on Highway 21 between Wautoma and Coloma. By the river sits a Leopold Bench with a plaque honoring Nash Williams, who loved the Mecan and was a pioneering leader of Wisconsin TU. I remembered all that had been done by CWTU, Wisconsin TU and others to stop the Perrier/Nestle Company from bottling the springs of the Mecan back in , and appreciated what we can do, as individuals and a group, to stop disastrous resource exploitation proposals. That s inspiring to me, as it was when the Penokee Mine proposal came out and Bill Heart of Wild Rivers TU and his allies took it on. They won. The mine got a weakened set of environmental protection rules, but still couldn t make a go of it. Apt recognition would be a Leopold Bench in the Penokee Hills in Ashland County with a plaque on it dedicated to Bill Heart. Not a memorial plaque, fortunately. Fall Project Tour Looking forward, the TUDARE Fall Project Tour has been set for Tuesday, October 13, 2015, and the Driftless Symposium for February 2-3, Stay tuned for more. Listen to the water Visiting with a Vernon County landowner and long-time conservationist last week, we got to take a tour on his Kubota around his section of stream and some of the neighboring land suitable for project attention. He asked his fiveyear-old great-grandson, Logan, if he wanted to take a ride, and Logan jumped into the back end like a grasshopper. When we crossed the stream, great grandpa stopped the machine and we just sat in the current. Rapt, Logan looked down into the water with a quiet smile. Logan just loves to listen to the running water, said great grandpa. Upcoming book review Recently I finished a remarkable detective story, centered in the Driftless Area and written by a geologist who s studied the area for more than 40 years, examining the stupendous changes in the unglaciated area wrought by early generations who didn t recognize the impacts of the way they used their lands. The human and social impacts of these changes are still in evidence in the tiny clusters of buildings, or foundations, on a valley floor where every other structure has been moved or buried in sediment. Not far from here, a railroad embankment originally 10 feet high disappeared in the 1930s, buried under 10 feet of sediment. I hope to share a piece on this remarkable book, and another, in the fall issue of. Rambler photo opp In the tradition of the fishing car, you may see this 1952 Rambler Country Club on a road wandering along one of our streams. Doesn t it just call out for a WITU License plate adorning it? Many thanks to Soldier Grove s Jim Dworschack, owner of the Nash Nook near Soldiers Grove. He s a long-time aficionado and restorer of Nash and Rambler autos. As you may recall, the president of the Nash-Kelvinator Motor Company from 1937 until his death in 1954, George Mason, was one of the original supporters of the concept of Trout Unlimited.

24 Page 24 Friends of Wisconsin TU Summer 2015 Update July 2015 By Doug Brown, Friends of Wisconsin TU Chair We re about a third of the way through the 2015 Friends of Wisconsin TU fundraising campaign, and have already received an amazing $13,000! A huge Thank You to those who have contributed to this year s campaign, including 122 from individuals and companies and six from our chapters. We re excited about the habitat work these donations will help pay for. Grant requests continue to come in. The last grant awarded was to the Harry and Laura Nohr chapter. They have ambitious stream improvement plans, including work on the Blue River, Six Mile Branch and Pompey Pillar Creek. The Central Wisconsin Chapter is also involved in financially supporting the DNR brushing crews over the last three years. Their recognition was unintentionally omitted in the donation letter sent out in April. All of the work on these streams is possible in part by all of the generous donations that come into the Friends of Wisconsin TU program. Thanks to your contributions, this program will continue supporting our chapters efforts to improve our coldwater resources. Hope you have a great 2015 trout fishing season. Tight Lines. FRIENDS GRANTS SUPPORT HABITAT CREWS Chapter funds, along with Friends grants, support LTESs like Ben Thome and Colton Zdroik. Providing habitat improvement grants since The latest projects are... $2,000 to Wild Rivers for White River in Ashland County in 2015 $2,000 to Wisconsin River Valley for Prairie River Project in Lincoln County in 2015 $2,000 to the Northwoods Chapter for habitat crews in 2015 $2,000 to Marinette and $1,500 to Wolf River for NE Region work in 2015 $2,000 to the Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter for the Upper Kinni in 2014 $2,000 to Green Bay Chapter for a habitat crew 2015 $2,000 to Wis. Clearwaters Chapter for Waumandee Creek in 2015 $2,000 to Harry & Laura Nohr Chapter for Pompey Pillar, 2015 $2,000 to Aldo Leopold and $2,000 to Southeast for Bear Cr., Sauk Co., 2015 Here are our Friends of Wisconsin TU Edwin Barnes MiddletonWI Charles Barnhill MadisonWI Jim Bayorgeon AppletonWI Sen. Janet Bewley Mason WI Blaine Biederman Madison WI John and Susan Bleimehl VeronaWI Stephen Born MadisonWI Allon Bostwik Port Washington WI Casey Calkins BrookfieldWI Cason & Associates LLC BerlinWI Lynn Christiansen MiddletonWI Rick Christopherson NorwalkWI Russell Ciscon PhillipsWI Andrew Cook II Sister BayWI Terry Cummings RhinelanderWI Bruce Davidson WauwatosaWI Leonard Debee Menomonie WI Richard Duplessie Eau Claire WI Ed Eggers Genoa IL Harley Erbs Rhinelander WI John Ewen NeenahWI Jim Flesch Fox Point, WI D. James Fruit, Jr. HartlandWI Scott Geboy Fox Point WI Dan Geddes Appleton WI John Gribb Mount Horeb WI Gordon Grieshaber Mineral Point WI Dean Hagness CusterWI Jon Hanson Madison WI Henry Haugley Sun Prairie WI Ashton Hawk ColumbusOH Stephen Hawk MadisonWI William Heart AshlandWI Brian Hegge RhinelanderWI Walter Heil Jr De PereWI Bob Hellyer Boulder JunctionWI Walter Hellyer Fish CreekWI Holtz Lime, Gravel & Excavating Loganville WI Phyliss Hunt WaupacaWI Jeff Jackson Oconto FallsWI Thomas Janssen AppletonWI Paul Jones Wausau WI Charles Jorgenson Oconomowoc WI Frank Kearney III Neenah WI Daniel and Sheree Kehoe Madison WI Lane Kistler MilwaukeeWI Barb and Joe Kruse LaCrosse WI Rick Lindroth Madison WI Tim Logeman Wausau WI Tom Lukas Manitowoc WI Douglas MacFarland DousmanWI Anna Magnin MarshfieldWI Jim & Billie March LaCrosseWI Kathleen and Robert Martini Rhinelander WI Dan McGuire Madison WI John McMullen TomahWI John Murphy East Troy WI Bob Obma Mountain WI Herb Oechler Wauwatosa WI Cheryl and Winston Ostrow De PereWI Richard Pfiffner AmherstWI Randall Rake Helena MT Ron Rellatz MertonWI Bob Retko Cedarburg WI Glenn Ringwall New Berlin WI Dan Rorabeck HudsonWI Jeff and Mary Schmoeger Cottage GroveWI James Schommer Lodi WI James School KaukaunaWI Delmar Schwaller Winneconne WI Jim & Marie Seder, Milw.Valve Co. New BerlinWI Robert Selk MadisonWI John Shillinglaw MadisonWI Brent Sittlow HudsonWI Arthur Sonneland, M.D. DePere WI Michael Staggs PoynetteWI Michael Stapleton Pardeeville WI Gary Stoychoff Green BayWI Michael Stupich WatertownWI Rick Szymialis Waupaca WI Robert Tabbert Lac du FlambeauWI Charles Velie James Milwaukee WI GregVodak StoughtonWI Ken Voight Sugar Grove IL Doug Wadsworth MadisonWI Don Wagner GillettWI Stephen Wilke MarinetteWI Donald M. Williams Fort AtkinsonWI MAIL TO: Name Friends of Wisconsin TU % Doug Brown R4800 Timber Lane Ringle, WI Address Dan Wisniewski Nancy and Roland Woodruff Robert Wyman Frederic Young Dean Ziemendorf TROUT UNLIMITED CHAPTERS Aldo Leopold Antigo Coulee Kiap-TU-Wish Lakeshore Marinette Co. Wisconsin Clearwaters IN MEMORIAM Yes, I want to join the Friends of Wisconsin TU. Enclosed is my check, payable to Unlimited. City, State Zip Phone # MiddletonWI OshkoshWI Beaver Dam WI RoscoeIL Elcho WI In memory of John Higley by the Wisconsin Clearwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited In memory of William R. Kruse by Paul Kruse of Green Bay In memory of Roger Moon by Betsy Wilson of Madison In memory of Roger Moon by Peggy Yessa of Madison