By Bruce Ross, Executive Director [email]bross@wisducks.org[/email]
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s May, 2024 eNewsletter.
Back in 1983, a waterfowler got so angry with a seemingly arbitrary decision about a local waterfowling area managed by the DNR, that he said “enough’s enough!” And then started WWA. WWA was incorporated in early 1984, and then recognized by the Internal revenue Service as a 501(c)3 non-profit in December of that year.
Jerry Solsrud was that angry duckhunter. That year he got friends and like-minded waterfowlers together to start WWA. The focus then was on being the voice of waterfowlers across the state. But that advocacy role was soon joined by habitat restoration, and then by education efforts. Those three missions remain WWA’s core missions.
And now, in our 40th year, WWA can boast hundreds of Madison policies and laws influenced on behalf of waterfowlers; over 420 projects and 7,000 acres of restorations (actually, we don’t have a great count from the early days, but this is the minimum); and hundreds of waterfowlers indoctrinated into the community of waterfowlers. What a great legacy for Jerry to look back on!
I was pleased to hand Jerry a small recognition of his early efforts with WWA – a 40th anniversary decoy and plaque – at what is historically called “The Founder’s Banquet” last month in Waukesha. Member #1 – Rob Kieckhefer – received a similar plaque and made some remarks about Jerry and those early years of WWA.
Rob’s remarks are included verbatim below. It’s interesting to me how some of the same issues back then also exist today that WWA must continue to address.
“Jerry, Jerry, Jerry
We have been friends for over 40 years.
I have let Jerry talk me into all kinds of things and he will say the same thing about me. We knew each other from work. Jerry sold material handling equipment and Price Erecting installed it for a variety of clients. I introduced Jerry to my clients and he introduced his clients to me.
We found ourselves in a goose blind near Horicon one day and Jerry wanted to discuss the DNR and how they seldom got anything right the first time. He said that “we’ should do something about that and represent the hunter to the DNR. We were the DNR’s customer and they should listen to us. I had my own thoughts about bureaucrats and big government.
I thought he was crazy but he suggested that he ask Jay Reed [one of Wisconsin’s earliest and most prolific outdoor new writers] at the Milwaukee Journal.
About 2 weeks later, I read the Jay Reed article and it was all about Jerry Solsrud’s letter concerning a hunters’ advisory group and that Jerry had a great idea and so Jay asked Jerry to start the club. Now you understand why we both blamed Jay Reed for the WWA.
I found Jerry in another goose blind near Horicon and he told me that I had talked him into writing the letter to Reed so the least I could do was help him get the Wisconsin Waterfowlers Association going [editors’s note: the name was later changed to the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association –without the “ers”]. The rest is history. I was his first member and I hope he recognized me as if not his biggest supporter, one of his biggest advocates.
Members poured in. Ideas came from every duck hunter across Wisconsin. Jerry had some marketing savvy and he had some guys like Jim Weix who could sell anything.
Everyone brought a talent and a passion to the organization and Jerry sorted them out and appointed them in charge of the regulations committee, the habitat committed, Special projects committee that included wood duck box building, the DNR liaison Committee and fund raising and banquet committee.
Everyone had an idea and what I saw was Jerry’s masterful way of letting everyone go with their passion and feel good about their contribution to duck hunting and the outdoors.
You guys know most of the story from there because the Waukesha committee was the first banquet committee and the home of the wood duck box building program hosted at Waukesha Tech. Many of you are here in the audience tonight. Some are gone but are remembered tonight.
We had some good, bad and difficult executive directors. These were the guys how got a small salary for keeping the wheel on the wagon and the holes out of the boat.
I am most proud or a couple projects that I was involved in:
The Conservation Reserve program came up and the US Fish and Wildlife came to us and asked us to recruit farmers to work with us restoring wetlands. No farmer wanted to talk to a guy from the government. Remember what Ronald Regan said: the 4 scariest words from your local government official was “We’re here to help.” WWA orchestrated one of the most successful recruiting programs in the country and restored over 3000 wetlands an planted thousands more of acres in upland nesting cover.
We received an award from the USF Wildlife service of our efforts, Eldon McLaury receiver the Silver Eagle Award for his efforts and the executive committee went to Washington to receive the Chevron Time Mirror conservation award.
We got pretty good at restoring wetlands and Jeff Nania took us to a new level with volunteer labor and contractor donated equipment. Huge projects were completed but my favorite was the Mequon Nature Preserve. I got Jeff to tour the project with the Major of Mequon Chirstine Nuremberg and at the end of a 2-hour tour of thousands of acres in southwestern Mequon, Jeff stuck out his hand to Christine, shook it and said “We’ll do it. We’ll get it all restored.” Christine was surprised and scared and said she wasn’t sure what Jeff meant, and shouldn’t there be more discussions, and maybe a contract? Jeff said “we already shook hands on it. Consider it done.”
Christine said I don’t have any money to do the restoration so you can’t do it. Jeff said: We’ll do it for free with conservation grants and volunteers so who won’t pay a thing.” Christine got a big big smile on her face and said: “Well if that’s the case, I guess we have a contract.”
My last special program was the Dove Hunters association and getting a Dove Season for Wisconsin. The WWA backed the idea of getting a dove season because it was about hunting and holding true to our roots about protecting our rights to hunt and fish in Wisconsin. We had members go to the Spring Hearings and hand out posters in every bait and gun store in the state. It was a grassroots effort that paid off for all the hunters in the state.
We all have a lot to be proud of and we all have Jerry Solsrud to thank for getting it going”