By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s June, 2022 Newsletter edition.
The last few of weeks have kept me and your WWA pretty busy:
The EXPO is less than 90 days away, so the EXPO leadership team is finalizing details for another great EXPO. We will need volunteers to help put it on, and this year, volunteers will receive not only free entry (and time to enjoy the EXPO), they will received really neat, co-branded Vortex button down shirts (valued at more than $65). If you’d like to help, better let Todd Schaller or Jeff Hintz know of your interest . These shirts will go FAST!- And the EXPO will be offering a special Father’s Day Deal – buy two and get a trial OnX subscription. We need leaders to help us build the EXPO in the coming years; a group of fun, focused and interesting leaders from other duck organizations (as well as WWA) are hoping to build our bench strength. It’s fun, not too much work (meetings once a month) and impactful.
- We held some very successful events from golf outings and raffles to shoots and banquets already this spring; the funds raised will help us expand our mission, benefiting waterfowlers in all corners of the state, such as in the following initiative on public land wetland restorations.
- Public Lands wetland restoration: Peter Ziegler and I met with the DNR’s Wildlife Management Team to discuss how WWA might be able to help the DNR do a better job managing / restoring its public wetlands. This initiative, if successfully negotiated, will included joint funding of a NEW ecologist position focused on this public (i.e. huntable) wetland work. The devil is in the details, but this is a super growth opportunity that will allow WWA to bring its energy and expertise to the challenges the DNR is facing on its properties. If successful in a limited area, then it opens the door to other similar opportunities around the state. Stay tuned.
- We continue to negotiate with the DNR to finalize our R3 (recruit, retain, re-activate) grant to expand the world of waterfowling to non-traditional audiences (think women or persons of color). We’ll be working through the Waterfowl Hunters EXPO to attract and provide seminars to these students, as well as the mentors / instructors we hope to pair up with them. Want to get involved as a mentor? Or do you know a young adult (18-45 years of age… ok, not-so-young) who might be a good candidate? Now’s a good time to raise your hand, get in on the ground floor, and receive the perks that come along with the opportunity. WWA Education Chair Todd Schaller is leading this charge.
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One of the images in WWA’s 2023 calendar – on sale SOON!
2023 Conservation Calendar: I just looked at the proof for next year’s calendar. Wow – it’s a great one! Not only some of our best ever prizes, twelve current day Wisconsin decoy carvers have provided a decoy (or two) for use as the main pictures in this calendar. But you don’t have to be a carver to appreciate the beauty of the work, especially as photo’d by Chase Baker of Grit – a creative marketing company – who volunteered to do this amazing work. Here’s a preview of coming attractions – a couple of black ducks by Gary Schoenberger – beautiful stuff (BTW, that’s my grandfather’s Richards side-by-side in the background).
- Chase also did the Waterfowl Hunter EXPO’s logo for us last year – a talented and generous guy! AND, as a bonus to next year’s calendar effort, these unique decoys will be available for individual purchase. Stay tuned for more information. Calendars go on sale in August.
- Speaking of decoys and the EXPO, don’t forget we are including the Wisconsin Decoy Carving Contest and Exhibition in this year’s EXPO. These decoy works-of-art from all over the country will be a phenomenal attraction for EXPO attendees.
Newsletter preview – I continue to marvel at the range and talent of the contributors to this monthly missive. Several jumped out at me this month:
- WWA has made a point of trying to find positive, collaborative solutions to thorny conservation issues – like the sandhill crane hunt. This month, we open our doors to an article from the International Crane Foundation. Not on the sandhill crane hunt per se, but on the SHC’s companion species, the Whooping Crane. Protecting the fragile whooper population is one of the issues we need to address to be able to implement any sandhill crane hunt.
- DNR has resolved last year’s confusion with the open water season implementation as it relates to hunting Long Tail Point and other areas in Green Bay – check it out.
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WWA Life Sponsor Dale Arenz, photo courtesy Paul A. Smith
Did you know Dale Arenz, or know of him? Dale is a WWA Hall of Famer based on his leadership of WWA in the early decades. Well, if you didn’t already know him, you’ve lost the opportunity to meet him in person as he’s recently passed, but maybe you can get a sense of him through our tribute article.
- Delta Waterfowl is telling us we’re going to see more birds in the sky this fall (now if they’d only decoy for me!).
- And those black terns just keep coming back (a good thing, right?!). This time in the form of a story by Outdoor writer Paul Smith. Great inter-generational environmental stuff!
- Wan to create a waterfowling legacy? WWA treasurer Russ Olson is making it easy for you – check out our new program that allows you to leave a legacy that is important to you. And to WWA!
- And more: raffles, upcoming events, membership initiatives, and more. Make sure to click through because there may be some pleasant surprises waiting for you.