On April 14 in every county in Wisconsin the unique Conservation Congress spring hearings will be held. A disgruntled "retired" fisheries manager has been waging a personal war against the enlightened Wisconsin inland trout coldwater fisheries regulations. He has found a like minded group group of the kill more small trout contingent and managed to put to vote the regulations protecting five miles of the prime rearing habitat for native trout in Central Wisconsin's Prairie River. All Wisconsin citizens are eligible to vote by showing up at the hearings held in every county. The citizens of the surrounding states of Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois, which are generally referred to as Greater Wisconsin, are also eligible to vote on this advisory question. Vote yes on question 36.
April 14th. 7:00pm
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congress/spring%20hearings/2008/locations.html
County Location
Adams Adams County Courthouse, Board Room, 402 Main St., Friendship
Ashland Ashland Senior High School, Auditorium, 1900 Beaser Avenue, Ashland
Barron Old Courthouse Building Lower Level, 330 E. LaSalle Ave., Barron
Bayfield Bayfield County Old Courthouse, Second Floor, 117 E. 5th, Washburn
Brown Franklin Middle School, Auditorium, 1234 W. Mason, Green Bay
Buffalo Alma High School, Gymnasium, S1618 Hwy. 35, Alma
Burnett Siren Government Center, Room 165, 7410 County Road K, Siren
Calumet Calumet County Courthouse, B025, 206 Court St., Chilton
Chippewa Chippewa Falls Middle School, 750 Tropicana Blvd., Chippewa Falls
Clark Greenwood High School, West Gymnasium, 306 W. Central Ave., Greenwood
Columbia Columbia County Courthouse, Community Room, 400 DeWitt St., Portage
Crawford Crawford County Courthouse, Court Room, 220 N. Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien
Dane Dane County Alliant Energy Center, Exhibition Hall, 1919 Alliant Energy Way, Madison
Dodge Horicon City Hall, 404 E. Lake St., Horicon
Door Sturgeon Bay High School, Auditorium, 1230 Michigan Ave., Sturgeon Bay
Douglas Springs High School, 8993 E. Baldwin Avenue, Solon Springs
Dunn Dunn County Fish and Game Club, 1900 Pioneer Ave., Menomonie
Eau Claire South Middle School, Auditorium, 2115 Mitscher Ave., Eau Claire
Florence Florence Natural Resources Center, Highway 70/101, Florence
Fond du Lac Theisen Middle School, 525 E Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac
Forest Crandon High School, Auditorium, 9750 USH 8 W, Crandon
Grant Grant Co. Youth & Ag Building, 916 E. Elm St., Lancaster
Green Monroe Middle School, 1510 13th St., Monroe
Green Lake Green Lake High School, Small Gym, 612 Mill St., Green Lake
Iowa Dodgeville High School, Gymnasium, 912 West Chapel St., Dodgeville
Iron Mercer Community Center, 2648 W. Margaret St., Mercer
Jackson Black River Falls Middle School, LGI, 1202 Pierce St., Black River Falls
Jefferson Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Activity Center, 503 N. Jackson Ave., Jefferson
Juneau Olson Middle School, Auditorium, 508 Grayside Avenue, Mauston
Kenosha Bristol Grade School, Gymnasium, 20121 83rd St., Bristol
Kewaunee Kewaunee High School, Auditorium, 911 2nd St., Kewaunee
La Crosse Onalaska High School, Field House, 700 Hilltop Place, Onalaska
Lafayette Darlington High School, 11838 Center Hill Road, Darlington
Langlade Antigo High School, Volm Theater,1900 10th Avenue, Antigo
Lincoln Tomahawk Elementary School, 1048 East Kings Road, Tomahawk
Manitowoc UW Manitowoc, Theater, 705 Viebahn St., Manitowoc
Marathon D.C. Everest Middle School, 9302 Schofield Avenue, Schofield
Marinette Crivitz High School, Auditorium, 400 South Ave, Crivitz
Marquette Montello High School, Community Room, 222 Forest Lane, Montello
Menominee Menominee County Courthouse, Basement, Courthouse Lane, Keshena
Milwaukee Greenfield High School, 4800 South 60th St., Greenfield
Monroe Sparta High School, Auditorium, 506 N. Black River St., Sparta
Oconto Suring High School, Cafeteria, 411 E. Algoma St., Suring
Oneida James Williams Middle School, 915 Acacia, Rhinelander
Outagamie Riverview Middle School, Auditorium, 101 Oak St., Kaukauna
Ozaukee Webster Middle School, Commons, W75 N624 Wauwatosa Road, Cedarburg
Pepin Pepin County Government Center, County Board Room, 740 7th Ave. W., Durand
Pierce Ellsworth Senior High School, Auditorium, 323 Hillcrest, Ellsworth
Polk Unity High School, Gymnasium, 1908 150th St./Hwy. 46, Balsam Lake
Portage Ben Franklin Middle School, Auditorium, 2000 Polk St., Stevens Point
Price Price County Courthouse, County Board Room, 126 Cherry St., Phillips
Racine Union Grove High School, Gymnasium, 3433 S. Colony Ave., Union Grove
Richland Richland County Courthouse, 181 West Seminary, Richland Center
Rock Janesville Moose Lodge, 2701 Rockport Ave., Janesville
Rusk Ladysmith High School, Auditorium, 1700 E. Edgewood Ave., Ladysmith
Sauk UW Baraboo, R.G. Brown Theater, 1006 Connie Road, Baraboo
Sawyer Winter High School, Auditorium, 6585 West Grove St., Winter
Shawano Shawano Middle School, LGI Room, 1050 S. Union St., Shawano
Sheboygan Sheboygan Falls High School, 220 Amherst Avenue, Sheboygan Falls
St. Croix Wis. Indianhead Technical College, Cashman Conf. Room, 1019 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond
Taylor Taylor Co. Fairgrounds, Multipurpose Building, State Hwy. 13 and Hwy. 64 Intersection, Medford
Trempealeau Whitehall City Center, Gymnasium, 36245 Park St., Whitehall
Vernon Viroqua High School, 100 Blackhawk Drive, Viroqua
Vilas Plum Lake Community Center, Golf Course Road, Sayner
Walworth Delavan/Darien High School, Auditorium, 150 Cummings, Delavan
Washburn Wis. Ag Research Station, W6646 Hwy. 70, Spooner
Washington Washington County Fair Park, Exhibit Hall, 3000 Hwy. PV, West Bend
Waukesha Waukesha Co. Tech. College (WCTC), Richard T. Anderson Bldg., 800 Main St., Pewaukee
Waupaca Waupaca High School, Auditorium, E2325 King Road, Waupaca
Waushara Waushara County Court House, 2nd Floor Old Courtroom, 209 S. St. Marie, Wautoma
Winnebago Webster Stanley Auditorium, 915 Hazel St., Oshkosh
Wood Pittsville High School, Auditorium, 5459 Elementary Ave., Pittsville
If your definition of disgruntled is person who is passionate about trout fishing, a person who is largely responsible for the great trout fishing found in the driftless area, and person who is concerned about a dramatic decline in the number of people who are actively trout fishing...then you right on. I personally know him and have talked with him at great length about what he has seen over the "decades" that he has been "directly" involved in bettering the trout fishery as a "fisheries biologist". I have walked beside him on fishing easements he has helped secure. I've gotten my feet wet in waters he has managed that were once void of fish and now have thousands of fish per mile. I have caught and released dozens of beautiful, WILD trout while fishing with him...yet not seen another trout fisherman for the whole day. He is deeply concerned about the declining number of fisherman. He is even more concerned about the fact that fewer and fewer children take up trout fishing. He understands that fewer trout fisherman=fewer trout stamps=less money for trout fishing projects. He understands that if you lose your source of funding...it won't be long before the fishery will be negatively impacted. And please, before you go throwing stones, one might want to get to know the man first.
ReplyDeleteNice post. Next time, put your name on it.
ReplyDeleteA disgruntled person is one that marches around Wisconsin advocating for eliminating special regulations, and campaigns against quality regulations, in the name of "the kids" who don't fish anymore. The argument about regulations turning kids off of fishing is absurd, and wrong, and has no basis in any research anywhere. NONE ! This section of this stream, one five mile stretch out of forty miles of trout stream, immediately surrounded by hundreds more, would have benefited the entire watershed by being maintained as a quality fishery.
The regulations were demonstrating growth in larger fish, that are more productive in natural reproduction. Those regulations are now gone despite this vote being over whelming in support of maintaining the quality water regulations.
All of your comments about what a great guy he is are meaningless blather. He should go back to school and learn biology and modern trout management techniques. Better yet, move to Iowa.
I appologize for not having my name on my last post...I've taken care of that now.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to stoop to the level of name calling, or saying that your comments are meaningless blather. I'd rather have an open conversation about the issues at hand.
If you are saying that his stance has no basis in science, or research, I suggest you read "Last Kid in the Woods" by Richard Low.
He has also been personally involved in studies to count the number of trout fishermen on opening day. From 1970 when the study area had just under 1000 trout fishermen on opening day...to the last study in 2007 that showed a whopping 12 fishermen casting a line on opening day.
I have a degree in Biology, and the person in question has a degree Fisheries Biology. What is your background?
There are plenty of other instances where the same methodology has been uesd to better wild animal populations that are being proposed here. The whitetailed deer being first and formost on the list. There were times of low numbers of deer. A management plan of buck only harvest was instituted and the wild population increased greatly....to the point of over population. Now, earn-a-buck, and bonus tags are issued to try to help reduce the population to a healthier level that the habitat can handle. There is no difference between that and allowing a few more trout to be harvested..or loosening up some regulations that may lead to more fishermen dropping a line in the water.
We also have to remember that kids are the future of our outdoors activities. Proposing that we do more to help get more kids involved in trout fishing is not an evil thing. The more trout stamps sold, the more money there is for trout fisheries projects. One sure way to have trout fishing decline is to make it so that few stamps are sold. Conservation is a money driven proposition. Our rights to hunt and fish are in large respect driven by the dollars we as sportsmen spend, and the unified front we have when anti-hunter/fishermen try to restrict our rights.
I will remind you again. He is personally responsible for much of the great trout fishing in Southwestern Wisconsin. He fully understands mondern trout management, and he only cares about the future of trout fishing in the state.
Jon -
ReplyDeleteSorry but you are wrong. ( frankly I never realized you posted again to this now year old thread - but that is beside the pointt).
1) Please research the logical fallacy "post hoc ergo prompter hoc", which is what you are committing. Basically you are comparing unrelated arguments and drawing a conclusion where none exists, in essence "There is no difference between that and allowing a few more trout to be harvested..or loosening up some regulations that may lead to more fishermen dropping a line in the water". Deer and trout management being compared as based on the same criteria ? This argument is meaningless and if you had a degree in biology you would know that.
2) Your argument that you know him and he is great guy adds no meaning or validity to what he says. (see logical fallact - ad hominem ) "I will remind you again. He is personally responsible for much of the great trout fishing in Southwestern Wisconsin. He fully understands mondern (sic) trout management, and he only cares about the future of trout fishing in the state." I have read the editorials he has sent to the local papers. My favorite ids the one sent to "To the people of Grant County" where he berates them for not accepting his primitive and regressive ideas of wild fish management. There are those that will say he is not resposible for the great strides in fish management in Wiscsonsin, that it has happened in spite of his misguided, and now, officially disregarded views.