By Bruce Ross, Executive Director
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s August, 2020 Newsletter edition.
Bruce Ross presenting Logan Sincoular with half the proceeds ($255) for winning the flurry shoot at the Abrams Shoot July 18th. Logan and father Todd (not shown) shot a perfect round of 20, first time in shoot history!
Events are happening… we hope! In the past three weeks, WWA has begun hosting events again – good news for those wanting some fun activities, as well as helping to keep the lights on at your WWA. Two sporting clay events and a golf outing brought record numbers of participants to enjoy the good weather and the fun games we had set up around the courses. I guess people just wanted to get out in the good weather – and it didn’t hurt that it was for a good cause.
Over the next two months, WWA is jamming a year’s worth of events into the calendar – we hope! Events postponed from the spring, including some of our biggest fundraisers of the year, as well as those historically held during this season, will give members a chance to have some fun camaraderie. This back-to-back-to-back-to-back event calendar will challenge volunteers and especially event staff, but also hopefully re-fill our coffers.
Thanks to the volunteers who have adjusted their local events for safety and timing – this extraordinary effort may be critical to WWA’s continued impact – and maybe even our existence!
But even so, the COVID cloud looms ominously on the horizon. The Governor’s mask requirement may put a damper on event attendance, and the virus itself simply won’t cooperate! Our fingers are crossed.
Lapsed memberships can be renewed on line. The postponement or cancellation of our spring/early summer events means memberships that normally get re-charged at these events haven’t happened, creating even more financial distress for your WWA. You can help by going online and re-upping your membership. Better yet, become a sustaining member on a monthly payment plan for as low as $10/month. If even a few of you did this, it could make a huge difference in the work we can do on your behalf.
Regardless of our financial concerns, we’re continuing our efforts on behalf of WIWaterfowlers in all of our missions: Hunter Advocacy, Wetland Restorations and Hunter Education.
Mike Alaimo points out one of the nesting platforms at Rome Pond. Photo copyrighted and courtesy Paul Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Birds continue to fly despite COVID. I hope some of you caught the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Mike Alaimo’s black tern nesting project . Unfortunately, it’s only available to MJS subscribers right now, but it’s a great article, and has great photos (some of which we can share with you, here) of the young terns that hatched on Mike’s floating nest platforms and are now fletched and flying. This article has spurred a lot of interest around the state to replicate Mike’s success for these endangered birds, and we are thinking a “how-to” guide may be needed.
This nesting program sprung from our Adopt-a-Wildlife Area program – another of Mike’s initiatives. And that program to assist at public hunting areas continues strongly during the pandemic: Ron and Anne Churchill, Chris Scheder and many others cleaned up access and parking lots at Paradise Valley, Beaver Dam, and Reagon Lake and other locations. Purple loosestrife beetle have, well, been loosed. And buckthorn and other invasives have been removed. This kind of work is more needed than ever as DNR crews just aren’t permitted to assemble and do the work themselves. See all of the photos, here.
Politics as normal? Like these last days of summer, WWA Policy work is heating up, as the state government begins to form their budget for the next couple of years and as legislators ramp up into the election season. This impacts WWA advocacy work in several areas, including the duck stamp fee increase that 84% of you support as well as Knowles-Nelson Stewardship reauthorization efforts.
Participant’s in WWA’s 2019 Learn to Hunt
Education efforts hanging in the balance. We hope that COVID restriction won’t impact the largest number of hunter training events we’ve had planned in years. The most recent planned addition to the suite of Learn to Hunts (at least three should take place this year) is a Hunter Safety Education “Internet” Field Day in Northern Wisconsin. This field day has been organized by new WWA volunteer – but seasoned Hunter Safety Educator – Bob Workinger at the Pittsfield trap club in Pulaski. Thanks, Bob! Limited availability – if you have somebody in mind to attend, they better register soon with Bob. Experienced volunteers will be needed to maximize throughput of the NEXGEN Wisconsin hunter.
And next year’s Waterfowl Hunters EXPO planning continues as we begin to narrow down the location. Stay tuned for a survey of your interests in the next few weeks
Got ideas? Give me a shout at bruceross@wi.rr.com.