Knowles Nelson Program in Jeopardy?

By Beckie Gaskill November 20, 2024- This week I was fortunate enough to attend the Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference (UMISC) virtually. The topic of one of the sessions I attended was pathways by which invasive species find their way from place to place. Part of the focus, of course, was pets that were let loose, but the other part was commercial pathways by which invasives can spread.

  The first presenter was Department of Natural Resources (DNR) warden Robert Stroess. He spoke about how Wisconsin attempts to keep illegal invasive species from coming into the state through trade routes, and the challenges with doing that.

   Of course, as with AIS on our own lakes, it starts with education. Unfortunately, Stroess said, even after educating suppliers and in-state vendors such as pet stores about Wisconsin Administrative Code NR-40 listed species, over 80% of those businesses who were later checked again were still selling those same invasives. 

  Stroess said traditionally, the only AIS work wardens did have to do with things like weeds on trailers or getting boaters to empty their live wells of water. But most states are not dealing with these organisms in trade, until recently, Wisconsin was the same, he said.

In 2019, some may remember, a red swamp crayfish was reported in a pet shop. Also, a specialty grocery store was found to be selling three species of carp – big head, silver and grass carp. This is likely just the tip of the iceberg where AIS, and also Terrestrial Invasive Species (TIS), is concerned in trade routes.

  While there was great outreach from the AIS education program to different industries about what they could and could not bring into the state, it was doing little in most cases.

“For those businesses that didn’t care,” he said. “It was just noise in the background.” With no connection between AIS outreach and education and the enforcement arm of the department, it was difficult, if not impossible, to know who had already received education on these issues and simply did not care to change their practices. Bait shops, specialty grocers, pet shops and even gardening suppliers, which can spread both TIS and AIS, can be part of the problem.

  Even within enforcement itself, individuals were tackling single incidents, such as that red swamp crayfish, and treating them as such. However, that one incident was indicative of a much larger problem. And that was a problem Stroess said was not being delt with effectively at that time.

  With that, a dedicated AIS enforcement staff was created. This is a consortium of different entities dedicated to those trade routes, including distributors. Even if a distributor had a disclaimer on their website that they would not ship certain species to Wisconsin, for instance, shipments were still being made.

  In the years since those findings, there have been 35,000 individual specimens in trade that they know about that have come to Wisconsin. Estimating high, Stroess felt they might know about 10% of those species that are coming in through various trade industries.

“Nobody knows about it until you turn over those rocks,” he said. “That’s when the landslide starts.”

  Third party markets make finding these sellers even more difficult. Pet shops, bait dealers and specialty grocery stores can all be places of interest, Stroess said. Coordinating between pieces of the department, rather than working in with a silo-mentality, is also key. AIS staff and law enforcement and others can document the places where they have done outreach. Then businesses could be held accountable for repeating this behavior.

Stroess said he would look for vendors and contact them to see if he could purchase AIS that was not allowed in the state.

  “If they don’t sell it to them, great,” he said. However, if they did sell things to him that were not allowed, he could then build a case against that business. In many cases, it is an interstate cooperation that brings about federal charges against suppliers and sellers.

The Lacy Act of 1981, which was amended again in 2008, regulates “the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or any Indian tribal law, or foreign law.”

  LA Crawfish, Stroess said, was a big offender in the state. Most crayfish boils have been done with red swam crayfish from LA Crawfish. They can escape, or some of them may simply be released. After cracking down on LA Crawfish, they were eventually charged with 15 federal crimes and were ultimately convicted of 10. He assured those at the conference that Wisconsin was dedicating staff and time to this issue, and urged other states, provinces and countries to do the same.

  Education and outreach can also be aimed at pet owners. Often, when pets get bigger than people expected them to, or kids are “bored” with a specialty pet, they get released into lakes, rivers, wetlands, or wherever a pet owner thinks they will get along well. It goes without saying that they are wrong – 100% of the time.

All of these avenues have the potential to change ecosystems in our lakes, rivers and wetlands.

  All of these avenues have the potential to change ecosystems in our lakes, rivers and wetlands. As local lake lovers, we may not feel we have the power to change interstate, and sometimes international, trade routes. But we can use education and outreach to stop the “demand” side of this “supply and demand” cycle.

  Educating our friends and neighbors and helping them learn that there are plants and animals they can still purchase online in many places that are harmful to our environment and potentially our lake ecosystems, can be one of those ways to bring about change. For the most part, people want to do the right thing. Often, however, they are not sure what that is. Outreach regarding the release of exotic pets can help keep AIS such as red swamp crayfish from our lakes and rivers. We can even talk with local pet shops and/or specialty grocery stores if we see a problem invasive in their establishment. While invasive species in commercial trade seems like a huge problem, and it is, that does not mean that we are powerless at the local level to help others understand the problems with invasive species of all kinds, and to help keep them out of the lakes and rivers we love.

 Beckie Gaskill is a freelance outdoor and environmental writer as well as a content creator. She runs her own podcast as part of her media company FlaG (Fish Like a Girl) Media. She is a Master Naturalist and sits on the board of several different conservation organizations. She has also started her own digital magazine, The Wisconsin Conservationist. More information regarding that magazine can be found on her website:  The Wisconsin Conservationist Magazine – All the news that is important to you (wordpress.com)  

By Beckie Gaskill September 20, 2024- Recently, Oneida County Conservation Congress chair Ed Choinski approached the county land and water committee to discuss a reimbursement for Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) delegates from the county to attend the annual meeting of the Congress. This reimbursement, he said, had been ongoing for at least 40 years, but had stopped abruptly this year. There was some confusion regarding from where this expense reimbursement came out of the county, but, he said, the funding did come from the county somewhere. Both the department and the committee stated they understood the importance of the Conservation Congress and would look into how to get the reimbursement reinstated if possible. 

    But just what is the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and what does it do? The WCC is “the only statutory body in the state where citizens elect delegates to advise the Natural Resources Board (NRB) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on how to responsibly manage Wisconsin’s natural resources for present and future generations,” according to the DNR website. In recent years, many have become aware of the WCC spring hearings. These hearings are held in April every year and they give the public the opportunity to weigh in on proposed rule changes that have to do with a variety of different areas of the state’s natural resources. 

  This year there were questions regarding possible enhanced wake regulations, which drew a large number of lake lovers and healthy water supporters. The Congress is made up of volunteer citizens from each county who represent the interests of those in their home county, bringing those thoughts, opinions and ideas to the full Congress. The Congress, then, brings their recommendations to the Natural Resources Board on these matters. 

  The whole process of the spring hearings is unique to Wisconsin. It allows all of the stakeholders in the state weigh in on natural resources matters that are important to them. Much of the spring hearings content is directed at anglers, hunters and trappers, those people who pay license fees that allow the state to manage our natural resources for us all. 

  At the spring hearings, delegates to the Conservation Congress are elected by those in attendance in person in each county. While the spring hearings questionnaire can be filled out online, a measure that began during the pandemic, delegates, by statute, can only be elected by people attending the spring hearings in person. This not only gives the public a chance to weigh in on natural resources issues, but also to elect the people they believe will best represent the interests of citizens of the county. 

  Because all WCC delegates are strictly volunteers, they shoulder all of their own expenses of doing this important work, attending meetings, talking to NRB members and various other activities associated with their WCC work. As Choinski said, for the last 40 years, Oneida County has reimbursed WCC delegates from the county for their annual meeting expenses. That total amount per year comes to approximately $2,500. Other counties also reimburse their WCC delegates for their annual meeting expenses. 

  When Choinski approached the land and water committee earlier this year, county conservationist Michele Sadauskas said she fully understood the importance of the WCC and what the delegates did for the people of the county, but her department budget simply could not fund the reimbursement. The committee then voted to include those funds into the 2025 budget. Should that budget be approved by the full county board, delegates would once again be reimbursed for their expenses for that meeting, alleviating that financial burden from them. This will be an important move to keep the county’s delegates on the Conservation Congress and fighting for the wishes of citizens in the area of natural resources.

Beckie Gaskill is a freelance outdoor and environmental writer as well as a content creator. She runs her own podcast as part of her media company FlaG (Fish Like a Girl) Media. She is a Master Naturalist and sits on the board of several different conservation organizations. She has also started her own digital magazine, The Wisconsin Conservationist. More information regarding that magazine can be found on her website:  The Wisconsin Conservationist Magazine – All the news that is important to you (wordpress.com)  

OCCWA Position

We at OCCWA support the funding of our local Conservation Congress delegates. This uniquely Wisconsin process where local residents can weigh in on environmental issues is part of the very fiber of our Northwood's lifestyle of Water, Woods, Wildlife, and Way of Life. 

   In 2024, 678 Oneida County Residents participated in the Conservation Congress with another 2749 online inputs from respondents that indicated they recreate in the county. To put these numbers into perspective, of all the counties in Wisconsin, only Dane County with a much higher population produced slightly higher participation numbers than Oneida County. No surprise to us at OCCWA.

 See 2024 Statewide County results here  2024_StatewideResultsByCounty.pdf (wisconsin.gov) 

By Tom Wiensch July 30, 2024-

Photo credit Len Hyke

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF WISCONSIN AND THE GREAT LAKES REGION: The changing landscape and species of the Northwoods

  Global warming and the climate change that it causes have been topics of serious discussion in America and around the world for over 20 years. In Wisconsin and other parts of the Upper Great Lakes Region, climate change seems to be reducing the range and abundance of a number of species of animals and reducing the clarity of lakes. Examples of affected species include walleye, brook trout, loons, flying squirrels, and snowshoe hares in Wisconsin and moose in neighboring Michigan and Minnesota. It also appears that, if climate change continues, the composition of our forests will change.

  The remainder of this article will discuss the effects of climate change on these species and the habitat in which they live.

WALLEYE

Walleyes are one of the most popular fish among Wisconsinites. Sadly, a 2018 study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Species has demonstrated that walleye numbers in Wisconsin waters are declining. i

There may be multiple factors affecting the number of walleyes in Wisconsin waters. For instance, a 2018 study published by the National Academy of Sciences showed that walleye were being overharvested.ii Importantly though, that study showed that the reason for overharvest was that bag limits were set based on walleye abundance, without properly considering walleye productivity.

 Another study published in February 2024 in the Journal of Limnology and Oceanography Letters has shown that changing ice-out dates are affecting the ability of young walleye to survive.iii It used to be that ice left Wisconsin lakes at approximately the same time each year. Now, as air temperatures have increased, the ice-out dates are highly variable, often happening much earlier than they used to.Walleye are one of the most popular fish among Wisconsinites. Sadly, a 2018 study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Species has demonstrated that walleye numbers in Wisconsin waters are declining. 

  The study has shown that walleye used to spawn shortly after ice-out, which meant that when the eggs hatched and young walleye began feeding, zooplankton were present as an abundant food source. Although walleye have begun spawning slightly earlier than they used to, they still spawn later than the new ice out times, often meaning that many young walleye starve to death due to the lack of zooplankton to eat.

BROOK TROUT

Although perhaps not as popular among anglers as walleye, brook trout are the only stream trout native to Wisconsin. Many anglers consider brook trout to be among the most beautiful of fish.

Non-native brown trout from Europe and rainbow trout from the West Coast have been stocked in some Wisconsin streams and in some streams these trout, especially browns, have established breeding populations. A number of streams, especially in the driftless area of Wisconsin, contain large numbers of brown trout and in many cases, few if any brook trout.

Brook trout require colder water than do brown and rainbow trout. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has found that the number of brook trout in Wisconsin has been declining, especially since 2006.iv The DNR has also found that higher summer temperatures have benefited brown trout at the expense of brook trout.v So far, most of the impact on brook trout has occurred in Southern Wisconsin.

The Upper Wolf River, Wisconsin’s largest trout river offers an example of what warming temperatures do to trout. Until its character was changed by early logging, the Wolf was a brook trout stream.vi While it still contains some brook trout, the Upper Wolf now contains brown trout, many of which are stocked and many smallmouth bass.vii Increased warming is likely to further reduce the ability of the Wolf to support trout.

LOONS

Loons are one of the most beloved bird species in Northern Wisconsin and across the northern lakes of the United States. Their numbers have been substantially declining in recent years. A study has shown that the loon population in Wisconsin has decreased by 22% over the 27 years leading up to 2020.viii

The study found that loon chick body mass, and the number of loon chicks had fallen dramatically, such that the number of immature (not yet breeding) loons had declined by 46% in 27 years.

A study published in the journal “Ecology” has shown that loon populations in Northern Wisconsin are declining due to a decrease in water clarity caused by an increase in heavy summer rains, which in turn have been caused by climate change.ix The heavier summer rains cause more material to wash into lakes, making the water murkier. Loons are sight-predators, and decreased water quality makes it more difficult for them to catch fish for themselves and their young. This has led to underweight, unhealthy loon chicks, many of which die before reaching adulthood.

FLYING SQUIRRELS

There are two distinct species of flying squirrels in Wisconsin – Northern Flying Squirrels and Southern Flying Squirrels.

A 2020 study by the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Minnesota – Duluth has shown that the northern end of the range of southern flying squirrels is moving north by as much as 12 miles per year.x Meanwhile, the northern flying squirrels are being driven north, and are now listed as a “species of concern” by the states of Wisconsin and Michigan.xi

SNOWSHOE HARES

Snowshoe hares are also known as “northern varying hares.” These relatively large hares reside in Northern Wisconsin and other northern states. The Pauli Lab of the University of Wisconsin – Madison reports that the southern end of the range of the snowshoe hare in Wisconsin has receded north by over 18 miles since 1980 and that this range reduction has been caused by a lack of snow cover.xii Snowshoe hares are brown colored in the summer, and white in the winter. As the snow season decreases, they are increasingly left with

white coats at a time when they need to be brown to be camouflaged to avoid excess predation. This has led to a reduction in numbers in the southern part of their range.

MOOSE

Moose are present in Minnesota and Upper Michigan and are occasionally seen in Wisconsin. The reintroduction of 59 moose to the Upper Peninsula in the 1980’s spurred hope that the species might become plentiful in the U.P. again. Some hoped that moose would migrate south and redevelop a permanent herd in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, the moose population in Michigan seems to have topped out in the range of 400-500 animals, with the population not having increased from 2019 to 2023.xiii It is not entirely clear why the Michigan moose population has plateaued and why not enough moose have migrated to Wisconsin to establish a stable population here. The situation involving moose in Minnesota, however, may be instructive regarding the moose in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The moose of Minnesota have been in serious decline, and that decline has been studied. Between 2006 and 2017, the moose population of Minnesota declined by 58%.xiv There are two distinct populations of moose in Minnesota, one in the northeast and one in the northwest. The population in the Northwest has declined from a one-time 4000 animals to 100 animals by the year 2000.xv Although there are multiple reasons for the decline of moose in Minnesota, one of the causes is an over-abundance of ticks, caused by warmer winters and longer summers.xvi Colder weather used to kill ticks. Warmer temperatures mean that many more survive the winter to become parasites on moose and other animals. A study in the State of New Hampshire found that 70% of moose calves there were dying, with most deaths being caused by ticks.xvii

PLANT POPULATIONS

The contiguous 48 United States is divided into 12 plant hardiness zones. The United States Department of Agriculture develops maps showing the zones.

These temperature-based maps allow gardeners and others to determine what plants they will be able to grow.

The 1990 pant hardiness map, based on data from 1974-1986, placed Rhinelander Wisconsin in hardiness zone 3.xviii In 2012, Rhinelander Wisconsin was in hardiness zone 4a, with average coldest winter temperatures of between -30 and -25 degrees Fahrenheit. By 2023, Rhinelander became part of hardiness zone 4b, with average coldest winter temperatures between -25and -20 Fahrenheit.xix

If this trend continues, the make-up of the plant communities of Northern Wisconsin will likely change. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a bulletin titled “What Climate Change Means for Wisconsin.”xx That bulletin indicates:

“Changing the climate is likely to shift the ranges of plants and

animals. For example, rising temperatures could change the

composition of Wisconsin’s forests. As the climate warms, the

populations of paper birch, quaking aspen, balsam fir, and black

spruce may decline in the North Woods, while oak, hickory, and

pine trees may become more numerous.”

Anticipating the disappearance of its northern boreal forests within 50 years, the State of Minnesota has been planting tree species that previously thrived 150 miles south of where they are now being planted.xxi

SUMMARY

Wisconsin was once home to moose, caribou, and lynx. Those animals were extirpated from our state long ago. Extirpated animals can be reintroduced, but only if the habitat is amenable to their existence. If the warming trend continues, will it ever be possible to reintroduce caribou, moose, or lynx to our state? The answer is quite likely “no.”

Worse, if temperatures keep increasing at the current rate, will we even be able to maintain populations of the plants and animals that now occupy Northern Wisconsin?

What will Northern Wisconsin look like in 50 or 100 years? Will there still be black spruce swamps or stands of birch and aspen? Or will we have forests similar to those that currently exist in Southern Wisconsin?

Will our streams still contain the beautiful brook trout? Or will they have been replaced by non-native brown trout or bass? And in the streams not amenable to brown trout spawning, will trout populations have to be maintained through the expensive stocking of inferior hatchery-raised trout?

Will we have lakes with abundant self-sustaining walleye populations where we can hear the cries of loons in the evening? Or will there be silence as the sun sets on lakes devoid of wild walleye? Will the walleye population even be able to be sustained by the use of expensive fish hatcheries?

Will there still be occasional moose sittings in Wisconsin? Will we still see northern flying squirrels? Will we still have snowshoe hares, or will the Northwoods be strictly cottontail rabbit country?

Hopefully it is not inevitable that Wisconsin’s north will change so that our forests will become unrecognizable, our lakes will become murky, and the iconic fish and other animals of the North will be only a fading memory. Time will tell.

i https://blog.limnology.wisc.edu/2018/04/12/study-confirms-walleye-populations-are-in-decline/ 

ii https://limnology.wisc.edu/news-events/newsletters/study-says-hidden-overharvest-from-fishing-plays-a-role-in-wisconsin-walleye-declines/#:~:text=Embke%20was%20the%20lead%20author,currently%20use%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20says. 

iii https://news.wisc.edu/walleye-struggle-with-changes-to-timing-of-spring-thaw/ 

iv https://www.wpr.org/animals/study-climate-change-boosting-some-wisconsin-trout-hurting-others#:~:text=Warmer%20summers%20hurt%20brook%20trout,for%20both%20species%20of%20trout. 

 vi https://wi101.wisc.edu/wolf-river/ 

vii https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Lands/FisheriesAreas/2740upperwolfriver.html 

viii https://tomahawkleader.com/2024/05/09/northwoods-loon-population-in-decline/ ix https://abcnews.go.com/General/climate-change-threatens-loon-population-new-study-shows/story?id=109092273 

x https://nrri.umn.edu/news/flying-squirrels 

xi https://www.lccmr.mn.gov/projects/2023/approved_work_plans/2023-090_approved_workplan.pdf 

xii https://pauli.russell.wisc.edu/climate-change-and-snowshoe-hares/ 

xiii https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/06/19/michigan-moose-population-down-dnr-does-not-recommend-hunting/70335766007/ 

xiv https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/new-research-u-m-sheds-light-decline-minnesotas-moose-population#:~:text=Minnesota's%20moose%20population-,New%20research%20from%20the%20U%20of%20M%20sheds%20light,decline%20of%20Minnesota's%20moose%20population&text=Minnesota%20saw%20a%2058%25%20decline,state%20between%202006%20and%202017. 

xv https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2023/08/whats-behind-minnesotas-moose-population-decline  

xviii https://www.motherjones.com/food/2012/01/long-overdue-plant-hardiness-map-hothouse/ 

xix https://apps.npr.org/plant-hardiness-garden-map/ 

xx https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-wi.pdf 

xxi https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesotas-northwoods-on-the-brink-heres-whats-being-done-about-it/

By Tom Wiensch June 6, 2024- I grew up in Southern Wisconsin and never heard a loon call until I was a teenager. I remember swimming in the pea green waters of Lake Monona in Madison in the 1970’s. There are historical accounts of loons having nested on Southern Wisconsin Lakes. By the 1970’s though, there were certainly no loons spending the summer on the degraded waters of Lake Monona.

  I’ll always remember hearing a loon for the first time on a summer vacation in Northern Minnesota. What animal is more of an icon of the Northwoods than the loon? Black bears? Whitetail deer? Maybe or maybe not. Loons have captured the hearts of Northwoods residents and visitors for a very long time. Their images decorate everything from paintings to sweatshirts.

  Now, loon numbers are declining in Northern Wisconsin. A recent study has shown that decreasing water clarity caused by climate change is making it harder for loons to thrive. (“Climate Change-Associated Declines in Water Clarity Impair Feeding by Common Loons” Walter H. Piper, Max R. Glines & Kevin C. Rose, Journal of the Ecology Society of America, March 31, 2024; https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.4291

)

 The study used satellite imagery to calculate water quality on 127 lakes in Oneida, Vilas, and Lincoln Counties from 1995 to 2021, examined weather conditions, and looked at the body mass of loons.

 The conclusion of the study was that climate change is causing decreasing lake clarity which, in turn, is making it more difficult for loons, to find food. The result is that loons can’t put on the weight necessary to survive. The authors of the study stressed that decreased water clarity in July is especially tough on loon chicks, as they are too young to fly to clearer lakes to get food. Mother loons may leave to find food, but in the face of feeding difficulties likely aren’t able to find enough to feed their chicks.

  In addition to working to combat climate change generally, there are a number of other things that we can do to help maintain the clear, clean lakes that have

been so loved in Northern Wisconsin, and to help loons thrive. Here are some ideas:

 1. Maintain Natural Shorelines

 Lakeside landowners can work to prevent runoff and soil erosion. This can be done by not clearcutting lake lots, by minimizing the creation of impervious surfaces, and by maintaining natural vegetation along lake shores. Healthy, natural vegetation slows runoff and helps prevent bank erosion and deposition of soil into lakes. Viewing corridors should be made in accordance with zoning regulations, and natural vegetation should be allowed to thrive on lake properties. This will preserve loons and will also maintain the natural beauty of shorelines.

2. Limit Wakes

Boaters can be careful to limit their wakes in near-shore areas, including areas near islands. Wisconsin law generally prohibits boaters from operating boats at speeds above “slow-no-wake” within 100 feet of any shoreline. The law also generally prohibits operators of personal watercraft from operating at speeds above “slow-no-wake” within 200 feet of shorelines. Creating wakes too close to shorelines has the potential to cause shoreline erosion and can also cause loon eggs to float out of nests. Wake boats pose a unique risk, as they are designed to create large waves/wakes. Consider whether and where to use these boats and operate them with extreme caution. In addition to causing shoreline erosion, studies and modeling have shown that wake boats have the capacity to churn up lake bottoms in at least 15’ and likely in 33’ of water. Obviously, this decreases water clarity. A number of Wisconsin towns have passed ordinances regulating wake boats, and the Wisconsin Legislature may pass a state law regulating them in the near future. Always follow the law and remember that there is nothing wrong with exercising even more caution than the law requires.

3. Avoid Nesting Areas

 Respect prohibitions on landing on islands during loon nesting season, and generally avoid going on islands or other loon nesting areas from ice-out through the month of July. Nesting

time is an especially sensitive time for loons, and human presence can impair successful breeding.

4. Carefully Choose and Properly Discard Fishing Tackle

  Loons have been found to have been poisoned by ingesting sinkers and lead jigs. Tin sinkers are now readily available. Non-lead jigs are not so easy to find, but hopefully that will change. Please consider non-lead options. Also, please dispose of old fishing line properly. I was recently teaching a great-nephew to fish on a lake in another state. We didn’t catch anything out of the murky lake water, but I did find and pick up several balls of snarled fish line that had been left on the ground. Loons and other birds and animals can become hopelessly entangled in discarded line. Please dispose of used tackle properly.

The clean lakes of Northern Wisconsin, and the beautiful loons that grace the waters are not something to be taken for granted. Many lakes in many parts of the country carry a heavy load of sediments and nutrients that are unappealing and can’t support loons. The lakes of the Northwoods are really something special. With some reasonable action, we can work to maintain the lakes, and the loons for generations to come.

OCCWA Note: (See photo) Loon Rescue Loon rescue | Facebook is a phenomenal group headed by Kevin and Linda Grentzer. They in concert with Marge Gibson's Raptor Education Group INC. Raptor Education Group, Inc.  do a fantastic and unheralded job of rescuing loons as well as other Northwoods birds. Give their sites a gander!

From Loon Rescue Facebook page- " Loon rescue is about saving the world one loon at a time. We do many loon rescues ourselves, and we can also recommend techniques to guide you through a loon rescue. Call 715-966-5415 or 715-453-4916"  

  By Kathleen Cooper February 13, 2024-Have you ever seen the “Hunger Games” movies? They depict the US taken over by exploitative forces that divide the country into twelve “sacrifice zones”, or districts. Each district has a specialty, such as agriculture, manufacturing, lumber harvesting, mining, etc. This dystopian future for America is not as fictional and far-fetched as you may think, if the American Stewards of Liberty, Tom Tiffany, and Mary Felzkoski have their way. 

  The American Stewards of Liberty are a Texas-based group that is against land and water conservation, and advocates for natural resource exploitation. They promote mineral mining, increased grazing, timber cutting, for-profit commercial and industrial development, and oil and gas drilling on Federal lands. They spin their message as being about freedom and personal choice, about confronting the “radical environmental movement,” when their true motives are about extracting natural resources. Their goals are extremely unpopular, since 80% of voters nationwide support land conservation.

  Our own Tom Tiffany was one of the keynote speakers at the American Stewards for Liberty’s 30x30 summit in September 2023. Tiffany is also bringing the America Stewards for Liberty’s agenda to Wisconsin and attempting to stall or halt the Federal funding for the purchase of the conservation easements in the Pelican River Forest. They did not succeed…this time. Tiffany has also suggested that local governments work with Margaret Byfield, the executive director of the American Stewards for Liberty, while updating their Comprehensive Land Use Plans, on which the Oneida County Planning and Development Committee is now working.

  Preserving our environment is extremely popular with the people of Oneida County. We realize how fortunate we are to live in a place where there is clean air, forestland, clear lakes, rivers, and streams. The proposed Lynne mine was defeated in 2018 by 64% of the voters. The county board knows what the people of Oneida want, they just choose to ignore our wishes, and are considering changing the Comprehensive Land Use Plan from using our public lands for recreation and forestry to using it for development of extractive industries (mining) and other industrial development.

  Please don’t let this Texas group have a say about land use in northern Wisconsin. Contact your county board supervisor, by phone or email, and tell him/her that you want clean air, clean water, and forests to be left alone in Oneida County, and open to the public. Your children and grandchildren will thank you. 

For more coverage on this issue- 

See our January posts by Joe Hovel and Kathleen Cooper.

Also, listen to 30-minute Radio interview on Pelican River Forest with Charlie Carlin of Gathering Waters covering the whole process including the recent controversy.  [AUDIO] Pelican River Forest Conservation Efforts Run Into Political Hurdle | WHBY 

Also see Texas Observer coverage Conservatives Against Conservation (texasobserver.org) 

 By Tom Wiensch April 25, 2024- This spring the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that a new aquatic invasive species (AIS) has been found in Wisconsin.  The microscopic parasite Myxobolus cerebralis was confirmed to be present in Elton Creek in Langlade County.  Elton Creek is a Class I trout stream that feeds the Evergreen River, which in turn feeds the Wolf River.  

  The DNR reports that the parasite has been found both in Elton Creek proper, and in a private fish hatchery on that stream.  It is unclear what the source of the parasite was. The DNR reports that it may be spread by people depositing live or dead fish in streams, or moving tubifex worms, mud, aquatic plants, or even water from one waterbody to another. 

  Myxobolus cerebralis is infamous for having caused whirling disease in many rivers and streams in the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere. Whirling disease causes spinal and other deformities in young trout, causing them to swim in an abnormal “whirling” pattern.  The disease has a fatality rate of up to 90%.  Whirling disease has lowered populations of rainbow trout in some Rocky Mountain streams by 90%.  The Wisconsin DNR reports that rainbow trout and brook trout are thought to be the trout species most susceptible to whirling disease. 

  Wisconsin has native brook trout and lake trout, and self-sustaining populations of non-native brown and rainbow trout.  Brown trout are native only to Eurasia, and rainbow trout are native only to Pacific Ocean tributaries.  

 While not being native, brown and rainbow trout have created popular fisheries in Wisconsin, in some cases in streams that are no longer suitable for native brook trout.  Popular brown trout streams exist in much of Wisconsin, particularly in the Driftless Area, Central Sands Region, and the Northwoods.  Self-sustaining populations of stream-resident rainbow trout occur in only a handful of streams in Wisconsin.  Wild steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) though, occur in many tributaries to Lake Superior. Native brook trout are the most common trout species in the Northwoods, and they also occur in many other areas of the State, including the Driftless Area and the Central Sands Region. 

  Whirling disease was first reported in non-native rainbow trout in Germany in 1893. The disease seems to be less damaging to brown trout, likely because they evolved with the parasite. The parasite made its way to America by at least 1956 when it was found in Pennsylvania.  It has since spread to a number of other states.   

  At first whirling disease was believed to only be a problem in fish hatcheries. Then, in the 1990’s, it began decimating rainbow trout populations in such famous western trout rivers as Montana’s Madison and Colorado’s Gunnison.  The Wisconsin DNR reports that, for some reason, some states that have the parasite have not experienced whirling disease and the fish population declines that come with it.  

 It is unclear what effect this new invasive species will have in Wisconsin.  Will it decimate our native brook trout or our nativized rainbows and steelhead?  If we aren’t careful, time may tell. 

 Anglers and other river users are encouraged to avoid spreading the disease by wearing rubber rather than felt soled boots, and by thoroughly cleaning boots, waders, and boats etc. after leaving a river or stream to avoid moving mud, tubifex worms, or plant material to other waterbodies.  Of course, neither live nor dead fish, nor water should be moved from one water body to another. 

 In addition to helping to prevent the spread of whirling disease, the cleaning of equipment can help prevent the spread of other stream-inhabiting invasive species, such as New Zealand mud Snails, which have been found in Black Earth Creek in Dane County as well as Superior’s Duluth-Superior Harbor and the Waukegan Harbor of Lake Michigan in Illinois.  Cleaning equipment can also help avoid the spread of Didymosphenia geminate, commonly known as “Didymo” or “Rock Snot.”  Didymo has been found in Lake Superior for decades, and in 2021 was found in seven Minnesota tributaries of Lake Superior.  Like whirling disease, these invasives could have devastating effects on Wisconsin’s streams and rivers and their fish populations. 

 Of course, anglers and others using lakes should be equally cautious in order to avoid transporting AIS from one body of water to another. In addition to the whirling disease parasite, New Zealand mud snails, and didymo, many other invasive species have been spread to Wisconsin’s waters.   

 Other invasive aquatic plants and animals in Wisconsin include Eurasian water milfoil, zebra mussels, quagga mussels, rusty crayfish, red swamp crayfish, four species of carp, and many more.   

 The waters of Wisconsin belong to all of us.  Many of us have seen the damage done to beautiful lakes that are now infested with enormous mats of Eurasian water milfoil.  Please do the best you can to avoid transporting the whirling disease parasite and other AIS to any of our waters.  In the case of the whirling disease parasite, once it is in a body of water it may be there forever, as there is currently no way to remove it. 

  For more information on Invasive Species please visit the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department website - https://www.oclw.org/  The staff of that Department work very hard in the fight to stop Aquatic Invasive Species. 

By Beckie Gaskill April 23, 2024- April means a great deal of things. It brings Tax Day. It is the start of spring. It brings some of the migratory birds back. It means Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, most of all!

  I attend probably an obnoxious number of conferences each year: The Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference (UMISC), International Invasive Species and Climate      Change Conference (IISCCC), The North American Invasive Species Management Association Conference (NAISMA), the PFAS Summit, and the Wisconsin Wetland Science Conference were all on my list this year. But honestly, Lakes and Rivers Conference always winds up to be my favorite. The content of the conference itself is always a draw. But getting to spend a few days with like-minded people means more than anything.

 One of the biggest things I stress to everyone who will listen is that user groups have more in common than our differences. Yes, one of my biggest concerns is the environment and all of the things that fall under that umbrella. But at the same time, I am a hunter and angler. So, for me, I understand that the non-take community and the take community, also known as the “hook and bullet crowd,” have a lot more in common than most people in either group understand. Heck, people within each of those groups, but in different user groups, tend to focus more on their differences than their similarities. Hikers and bikers do not always get along. ATVers and snowmobile communities do not always get along. In the fishing community, “walleye guys” choose not to see eye to eye with “bass guys” and vice versa.

 This conference added another layer to these user groups. Honestly, it was one about which I had not thought a great deal – the producer-led watershed people.

 “You like food, don’t you?” is an easy way out and, honestly, argumentative, bringing no solutions. It could be easy to say, certainly. We charge our farmers with feeding us all, even if we are angry at those of them who may not be the most environmentally minded.

  I spent Friday’s lunch at the Lakes and Rivers Convention with a farmer. I will leave her name out, but she spoke quite a bit about the considerations and adaptations she and her husband had made at their farm, following her father-in-law's original visions for the farm.

 “You’d never even know there was a creek on our farm,” she told me and the rest of the lake lovers at the table. Her story gave me pause. As a lake lover myself, but also understanding that farmers are tasked with feeding us all somehow, I have been torn in some respects. What this person brought to light for me was the fact that there are many farmers who do think about the environment, and about water, the same way many of us do.

 One of the things I have always believed, when talking with various groups, is that there is “no one” who doesn’t want clean water, or clean air, or habitat for wildlife. And I still believe that it is true today. The difference now is that I can add producers to that group. When I say “no one,” I mean no group as a whole. When we look at a super-hot topic such as wake boats, many may believe that thought erroneous. In some cases that is true, but in other cases it is simply a lack of education.

 My point in all of this is that we all have so much more in common than we have differences. We are all living not only on the same planet, but in the same state. We all enjoy the natural resources of the state, and we all not only love, but need, our water most specifically. I would urge anyone reading to take a minute or two to reach out to someone in a different user group – perhaps someone you meet on the trail or at the lake, maybe the person behind you at the sports shop. See what it might be that you have in common. You might be surprised how small of a world in which we all live.

 Beckie Gaskill is a freelance outdoor and environmental writer as well as a content creator. She runs her own podcast as part of her media company FlaG (Fish Like a Girl) Media. She is a Master Naturalist and sits on the board of several different conservation organizations. She has also started her own digital magazine, The Wisconsin Conservationist. More information regarding that magazine can be found on her website:  The Wisconsin Conservationist Magazine – All the news that is important to you (wordpress.com)  

By Tommy Burrell November 8, 2023- "The Oneida County Planning and Development Committee is revising the County’s Comprehensive Plan.  The existing 2013 Plan includes a Public Participation Goal: “[to] inform, consult and involve the public and the communities served during each phase of the planning process.”  

At the committee’s October 18th, meeting, I offered a brief “public comment.”  In light of the public participation goal, I suggested that the Chapter 2 (“Natural Resources”) discussion of metallic mining would be the perfect place to include the Lynne Mine Referendum — as an indication of public opinion. 

  See November 2018 Referendum coverage  Local Groups (Once Again) Stand Up to Mining Threats - River Alliance of WI (wisconsinrivers.org)
 Scott Holewinski, chairmen of the committee and of the Board of Supervisors, did not think that would be appropriate because future supervisors might think that they were bound by it.  Mike Timmons, Supervisor, responded that the referendum could be included with sufficient detail.  
 Sam Wessel, Senior Planner at the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, later commented that the Lynne referendum information could be inserted in Chapter Two.  
 Each chapter of the Plan ends with “Goals, Objectives, and Policies.”  Under the existing Plan, Ch 2 (2013), the first Goal is to improve and enhance natural features such as shorelands.  The first Policy is to “Conserve and enhance shoreland areas by minimizing impacts from land-disturbing activities.”  Holewinski said, “Strike that.”  It was not clear whether he meant the policy, the goal or both.  He and Mike Roach, Supervisor, agreed that the existing wording could cause a loss of property owner control and value.
 Goal 2 of the existing plan is to “Conserve and enhance large tract woodlands and County Forests.”  The committee agreed to strike or modify this goal.  As written, they feel that it could be used in the future to stop development.  Holewinski stated that county forests are already protected.  He believes that the reason to have Managed Forest Lands is to save the land for future development.  Holewinski opined that the committee needed time to consider all the goals and discuss them further at a later meeting.   He commented, “These goals sound like they came out of a magazine.”  

  Oneida County 2013 Comprehensive Plan link- Microsoft Word - OC Element 1April 2013 (oneida.wi.us)
 As you can see, our County Board Supervisors are revamping the Comprehensive Plan to ensure and facilitate future development.  The existing plan states that the County public participation goal includes informing, consulting and involving us.  However, you feel about these issues, now is the time to let our supervisors and the public know your views.

OCCWA Helpful Reference*

Refer to Wikipedia Comprehensive Plan definition to better understand it's importance.

  "Comprehensive planning is an ordered process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The end product is called a comprehensive plan, also known as a general plan, or master plan. This resulting document expresses and regulates public policies on transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing. Comprehensive plans typically encompass large geographical areas, a broad range of topics, and cover a long-term time horizon. The term comprehensive plan is most often used by urban planners in the United States.

Each city and county adopts and updates their plan to guide the growth and land development of their community, for both the current period and the long term. This "serious document" is then the foundation for establishing goals, purposes, zoning and activities allowed on each land parcel to provide compatibility and continuity to the entire region as well as each individual neighborhood. It has been one of the most important instruments in city and regional planning since the early twentieth century."