Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Two 2024 Wisconsin sport shows announced

Wausau, Wis. — Wausau and Marinette will be the sites of two 2024 sports shows serving central and northern Wisconsin and northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The Central Wisconsin Sports Show will run Feb. 9-11 at the Convention & Expo Center in Rothschild and will include many fishing and hunting exhibitors, as well as boats, pontoons and power sport machines. The seminar lineup includes presentations by fishing and hunting experts. Boat safety, fly fishing, and concealed carry classes will be offered. Youth activities include casting, archery, gun safety, and turkey calling.

The Fishing-Boating-Outdoor Show will run March 1-3 at the Marinette Rec Center. This show will include fishing, hunting, and camping exhibitors, as well as boats, pontoons, power sport machines, and campers. The show includes fishing and hunting seminars, as well as a concealed carry class and a fly-fishing class. This show has a youth activity area with hands-on instruction in casting, fly fishing, archery, and gun safety. There also will be a student wildlife art display.

Hours for both shows are: Friday, 3-8 p.m.: Saturday, 9 a.m. to
6 p.m.: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult are $8; kids under 12 are free. Parking is free. See www.fishingboatingoutdoor.com.

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New Lake Superior Fishery Resources Added to The DNR Website

Bayfield, Wis. — The DNR’s Lake Superior Fisheries Management Team has added new online resources to the agency’s Lake Superior web page to help improve communication and outreach with anglers, commercial fishermen, and the public.

To maintain a sustainable lake trout harvest in the Apostle Islands region (WI-2) , a total allowable catch is set for all fisheries (sport, commercial, and tribal) using a form of population model called a statistical catch-at-age (SCAA) model that is updated with recent data and used to set lake trout quotas every three years. The DNR’s new lake trout model and total allowable catch web page now provide more details of lake trout stock status and history, statistical catch-at-age model development, and total allowable catch-setting process.

“The team also created the new Lake Superior Fisheries Outreach web page where we catalog recordings or reports from recent outreach events, public meetings and other special projects. We plan to regularly update this page with outreach materials. There is also a recording of a presentation from our recent public meeting about population status of lake trout, cisco and lake whitefish, along with proposed quota updates for upcoming fishing seasons,” said Dray Carl, DNR Lake Superior fisheries biologist.

Contact him at dray.carl@wisconsin.gov or (715) 331-9036.

Nominations Open for Three DNR Safety Instructor Awards

Madison — The DNR is accepting nominations for the 2023 Hunter Education Instructor of the Year, Hunter Education Group of the Year, and Archery Education Instructor of the Year awards.

Hunter and archery education instructors and hunter education groups that have advanced hunter safety on a voluntary basis through extraordinary service are eligible to be nominated.

“Hunter and archery education instructors are often pillars of their community who continue to advance the sport of hunting through providing quality safety training to the next generation of hunters,” said DNR Hunter Education Administrative Warden Michael Weber. “These awards … recognize the great work that our instructors and groups do.”

The volunteer service can come in many forms, including recruiting new instructors, recruiting new students or hunters, the volume of courses taught or involvement in other activities. To make a nomination, download the form from the DNR’s volunteer web page and email to dnrlesafety@wisconsin.gov by Feb. 15, 2024.

DNR OK’s More ATV Trails for NH-AL State Forest and Willow Flowage Scenic Area

Madison — The DNR has approved master plan variances at two state properties to create more ATV/UTV trails in the Northern Highland–American Legion (NH-AL) State Forest and the Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area. A master plan variance is a change in the use or management of an area that is consistent with the area’s land management classification and objectives.

The NH-AL variance approves about 7 miles of ATV/UTV trail in four segments. Spread across three counties near the towns of Woodruff, Minocqua, and Boulder Junction, the NH-AL provides a variety of recreation on 236,000 acres and 900 lakes.

The variance for the Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area allows another 2.5 miles of ATV/UTV trails in two segments. Most of the mileage is on DNR roads open to highway-legal vehicle use during the summer and snowmobiles during winter. The Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area in western Oneida County is a large, island-studded reservoir with 73 miles of shoreline, 106 islands, and seven boat landings.

Nominations Open for 20th Annual Invasive Species Invader Crusader Awards

Madison — Nominations will be accepted for the 20th annual Wisconsin Invasive Species Council Invader Crusaders Awards through Feb. 18, 2024. “Invader Crusaders” are people who made significant contributions in 2023 to prevent, control or eradicate invasive species. Nomination forms are posted on the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council web page. Email the completed form to invasive.species@wisconsin.gov by Feb. 18, 2024. Nominators and winners will be notified by mid-April. Award recipients will be recognized in June during Invasive Species Action Month.