By Bruce Ross, Executive Director [email]bross@wisducks.org[/email]
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s July, 2024 Newsletter edition.
There was an interesting phenomenon last month, when I titled this article “Don’t read this article, unless…”. It had one of the highest open rates ever. It frankly was a bit unintended that it would be picked up as the title of the overall newsletter – which also received one of the highest open rates ever. Maybe it’s a sign of the times – don‘t tell me what to do! If you were one of those contrarians, thank you. I hope you learned something helpful that keeps you coming back.
Your WWA is quite busy as the summer begins. Here are a few current initiatives:
- Sandhill Crane Legislative Study. We have successfully encouraged the legislature to undertake a hard look at the state’s sandhill crane issues through what’s termed a “Legislative Council Study”. This is a huge – and bi-partisan – step forward in getting past superficial talking points to deal with the real issues of a rapidly growing crane population. Learn more here.
- Wannabe golfers (and shooters) everywhere, UNITE! If you can swing a club, and occasionally hit the right ball, you can win guns, coolers, meat packages, optics, YETI gear and more at the upcoming Fox Valley outing help us out by bringing your buddies too! Fun shoots coming up, too! Check them all out here.
- Habitat, Habitat and more Habitat. Restoration projects throughout the state are in full swing on both public and private lands – we’ll be providing details throughout the process.
- Wild Rice Season Cometh. We are beginning to gear up an expanded wild rice restoration program. Check out B.J. Grassmann’s article on how you can play a role in re-establishing this culturally significant and waterfowl-important food source!
- Out with the old…. We just began the process to begin to update and upgrade our confused and antiquated website. This will take a couple of months, but the result will be a focused website that can be more easily navigated to find your particular interest.
- 2025-2030 Waterfowl zones? We want your perspective of what the next five years of Wisconsin migratory bird zones look like. Expect to see a survey next week, and make sure you provide input. WWA has an outsized voice in the process because of your multitude of voices.
- Mo’ Raffles? More than any time in recent memory – check them out.
- Help, I need somebody. August 24th’s Waterfowl Hunters EXPO is tracking to be one of the biggest ever with more to see and do. We’re always looking for volunteers, from trash pick-up to organizing roles. Bring your whole family, including your four-legged members. Special deal for WWA members!
- More Big, More Better. Expect to see WWA’s hot off the presses 2025 calendar raffle soon. We doubled the prize value ($88,000 in prizes) with more great guns than ever before, while improving your odds by over 11%. This may be Wisconsin’s best and most affordable raffle that allows you to win a prize everyday in 2025. Stay tuned to get this great deal that will also help WWA afford to continue its work.
- Looming DNR Budget Trouble. I met with DNR leadership two weeks ago to better understand the structural budget deficit the DNR faces, which would impact wildlife and fisheries management the most. I alluded to this last month. There will be more of this ahead as solutions are proposed.
- What port, Captain? The Board is placing finishing touches on the WWA strategy that take us into the next decade. We’ll outline that in next month’s newsletter, while highlighting opportunities for you to play a role in our growth plan.
Besides this WWA news, you’ll also be able to read about the results of the DNR’s spring bird and pond counts, which falls into the category of “It’s okay”.