Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Sandhill State Wildlife Area taking trapping applications through Sept. 15

Babcock, Wis. – The DNR is accepting applications for a special trapping season within the Sandhill State Wildlife Area designed to help the DNR achieve its furbearer management goals on the 9,150-acre property. The deadline to apply for the 2025-26 season is Monday, Sept. 15.

Successful applicants will be required to attend a two-hour workshop at Sandhill State Wildlife Area to review information about season objectives, vehicle use regulations and data collection instructions. Trapping permits will be issued during the workshop.

More information, including the application, is available on the DNR’s Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center webpage.

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Sandhill State Wildlife Area Taking firearm Deer Hunt Applications Through Sept. 22

Babcock, Wis. – The DNR is accepting applications now through Sept. 22 for a firearm deer hunt at Sandhill State Wildlife Area that will be open to licensed hunters.

“This year’s permit levels will be established to maintain the deer population at last year’s post-hunt density while also balancing the adult sex ratio of the herd,” said Darren Ladwig, DNR wildlife biologist at Sandhill.

The two-day hunt will run Nov. 8-9. Hunters will be issued an either-sex permit or an antlerless-only permit valid for the Sandhill State Wildlife Area. Successful applicants must follow special hunting rules and regulations for Sandhill State Wildlife Area.

All deer must be tested for CWD on-site at the in-person registration station.

Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame Board Seeking Board Member Candidates

Stevens Point, Wis. — The Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame (WCHF) Foundation Board is seeking applications for its board of directors for terms starting in January 2026.

The foundation board consists of volunteer directors who govern the affairs of the WCHF Foundation, Inc. Board members support the mission to celebrate and advance Wisconsin’s conservation legacy by sharing the stories and achievements of Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame inductees.

Candidates for the board should be available to meet virtually several times per year, be able to share their expertise as appropriate, support the goals and objectives of the WCHF, assist in organizational needs and initiatives and support the long term sustainability of the organization.

Anyone interested may reach out by email at wchfame@gmail.com.

The foundation board has all operational, policy, business and fiduciary responsibilities for the WCHF Foundation, Inc.

The WCHF Board of Governors met recently to review nominations for the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. The governors went over every nomination and picked five of the most outstanding individuals to submit to the WCHF Board of Directors and voting members for selection of the following year’s inductee(s).

Access Ability Wisconsin Family Adventure Day at Blackhawk Recreation Park Sept. 13

Highland, Wis. — Access Ability Wisconsin (AAW) brings its “Outdoor Access 4 All” (OA4A) Family Adventure Day to Blackhawk Recreation Park in Iowa County Saturday, Sept. 13.

AAW, founded by Monica Spaeni, has helped to open the world of the outdoors to people who face physical challenges.

“We want to introduce our outdoors access model to the community in Iowa County for the first time, and let people know these chairs exist,” Spaeni said.

More than a dozen of the unique all-terrain wheelchairs on tracks will be available for people to try. They may reserve time in advance or try the chairs first-come, first-served.

The day also will offer adaptive kayaks for trial runs.

Back in 2014, AAW began and soon owned its first off-road wheelchair that was rented 20 times. Now, AAW has 34 chairs, along with 28 trailers to haul the chairs to the woods and fields. They hope to someday have at least one of these chairs in every county.

AAW was named the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation’s 2025 Conservation Organization of the Year.

The fee to enter Blackhawk Lake Recreation Area is waived for the  OA4A day.

For more info, go to: www.accessabilitywi.org/11th-anniversary, call AAW at (608) 886-9388, or e-mail aaw@accessabilitywi.org.

— Tim Eisele

Madison to Host 2026 OWAA Conference

Missoula, Mont. — During its conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) announced it selected Madison as the host for its 2026 conference. That event will help kick off the organization’s centennial celebration.

The dates are Aug. 22-24, 2026. The conference will take place at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center while guests will stay at the Embassy Suites Downtown Madison or the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace.

Pre- and post-tours will allow attendees to discover and cover outdoor experiences throughout the state. OWAA’s conference brings together nearly 250 attendees, two thirds of whom are world-class, vetted outdoor media.

Attending media include writers, photographers, bloggers, podcasters, videographers and more, who come together from a broad spectrum of outdoor specialties to learn, connect and discover all outdoor offerings of the local hosts.