Wisconsin Mixed Bag: Natural Resources Board to meet Oct. 22

Madison — The Natural Resources Board (NRB) will meet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Madison. The public may attend or watch the meeting on the DNR’s YouTube channel.

The deadline to register for public appearance requests and to submit written comments is 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15. Remote public testimony via Zoom may be accepted. In-person public appearances also are welcome.

Habitat Work Boosts Iron Co. Brook Trout

Hurley, Wis. — Efforts in Iron County to add or improve brook trout habitat are paying big dividends – and quickly. Brookie numbers spiked on Kaari Creek and Tyler Forks after major culvert replacement and restoration projects. Zach Lawson, Iron County DNR fish biologist, said post-project monitoring shows a 94% increase in juvenile trout at Kaari Creek. Fishermen on Tyler Forks report seeing more juvenile trout than they have in a decade.

“We see a more even distribution of different size and age classes along the entire reach of Kaari Creek, which is fantastic – just what we want to see,” Lawson said.

Lawson says brook trout are a good indicator of quality water resources. Kaari Creek, which serves as a nursery habitat for brook trout, had been diverted from its natural channel into a roadside ditch, causing erosion and flooding issues. Improving it meant replacing nine culverts and an 800-foot stream restoration that cost more than $400,000. Heather Palmquist, of the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department, said DNR trout stamp money paid for most of the work.

MORE COVERAGE FROM WISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS:

What can Wisconsin deer hunters expect in the 2025 season? Here’s a look at each region

To err is human, but avoiding these mistakes will bag you more pheasants

Dean Bortz: A close look at how Wisconsin game wardens make a case

Manitowoc Co. Now has Five CWD Kiosks

Manitowoc, Wis. — The DNR and local businesses and hunting clubs have worked to establish five CWD testing kiosks in Manitowoc County for use this fall. The kiosks are located at BRW Meat Processing in Valders, the new DNR station at Collins, Kiel Fish & Game’s clubhouse, the Manitowoc Gun Club on Clover Road, and Country Visions Co-Op in Mishicot.

The DNR reported the first positive test result for CWD in a wild deer in Manitowoc County on Jan. 14, a buck that was shot south of Valders and within 10 miles of Calumet and Sheboygan counties.

UW-SP to Host ‘Great Conservationists of the Past’ Presentation by Nielsen on Oct. 14

Stevens Point, Wis. — The Wisconsin Center for Wildlife and the Center for Watershed Science and Education will host a fall seminar by Larry Nielsen, Ph.D., “Lessons from the Great Conservationists of the Past,” a free public talk at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 14, in  the Trainer Natural Resources Building, Room 120. Nielsen will share stories of leaders like Rachel Carson, Chico Mendes, Billy Frank, Jr., and Wangari Maathai.

“These seem like stressful times for the environment and sustainability. But fear not,” Nielsen said. “Our world is better today than in the past, and it will be even better in the future if we act with the same persistence as the conservationists who came before us.”

Nielsen retired in 2018 after more than four decades in higher education, where he served as provost and executive vice-chancellor, dean of natural resources and professor of fisheries and wildlife sciences. He is the author of several books, including Nature’s Allies, a collection of conservation biographies.

Great Lakes Commission to Meet in Duluth

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Registration is open for the 2025 Great Lakes Commission annual meeting Oct. 28-30 in Duluth, Minn.

The meeting will feature expert panels on microplastics in the Great Lakes, solving harmful algal bloom mysteries, water sustainability and reuse initiatives and more. A St. Louis estuary field tour on the Duluth River Train and “Ripples of Plastic” movie screening are planned for Oct. 28, followed by the meeting.

Visit here for more info.

Timber Rattler Talks on Tap Oct. 23 in Winona

Winona, Minn. — The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will host speaker Stephen Winter for a free talk on timber rattlesnakes in southwestern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 6-7 p.m. at the Winona County History Center, 160 Johnson Street, in Winona.

Timber rattlers were once relatively abundant in these areas, but are now relatively rare and require conservation measures to ensure continued existence. Winter, a wildlife biologist, will also review a Minnesota timber rattler conservation program. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Winter also will take questions. For more information call (507) 454-7351.