Swearingen Banner 600 pixels wide.jpg (4)

 District Dialogue


Serving the Greater Northwoods

Oneida - Vilas - Florence - Forest

December 22, 2017

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope everyone will be able to find some time to enjoy the company of friends and family over the holidays. It continues to be a tremendous honor to be your State Representative. 2017 has been a fantastic year for our state, and I look forward to working just as hard in 2018 to make Wisconsin the best place to work, live and raise a family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my family in Rhinelander and from my Capitol family in Madison!

Family.jpg

 Jessie, Amy, Rob and Jennie

Christmas.jpg

Rep. Swearingen and Legislative Assistant Sascha Glaeser

Assembly Committee on State Affairs Update

The Committee on State Affairs, which I chair, met this Wednesday for a public hearing in which we received great input from the public, legislators and other public officials. The following four bills were heard:

Assembly Bill 675: Relating to projects included in the Authorized State Building Program, project approvals by the Building Commission, and selection of project architects and engineers. 

Assembly Bill 225 & Senate Bill 307: Relating to placement of cigarettes, nicotine products, or tobacco products by retailers and providing a penalty.

Assembly Bill 548: Relating to claims by and treatment of wrongfully imprisoned persons and making appropriations.

State Affairs.jpg (6)

Rep. Swearingen chairing the Assembly Committee on State Affairs

District Travel

This past week I traveled throughout the district and met with several town officials. It is always great to catch up with our units of local government and make sure that we are all doing our best to address the issues affecting the Northwoods.

Dave Alleman, Jerry Burkett, Rob.jpg

Rep. Swearingen with Vilas County Clerk Dave Alleman (left) and Vilas County Board Member Jerry Burkett (right)

Mark Hartzheim, Rob.jpg

Rep. Swearingen with Minocqua Town Chairman Mark Hartzheim

Snowmobile Trails

Oneida County Snowmobile trails are now open with a few exceptions. All lake trails in Oneida County remain closed. Please click here for more information. For up to date information on the status of snowmobile trails and snow conditions throughout all of Wisconsin, please visit the Travel Wisconsin Snow Report.

 

Snow Report.JPG

DNR Outdoor Report

Published December 21, 2017 by the Central Office

Snow is piling up on properties in northern Wisconsin, but has been melting away in southern counties. The Brule River State Forest is grooming cross-country ski trails after an additional 2-3 inches of snow brought their total to around 10 inches. The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is also packing trails for skiers but still has not been able to set tracks. Trails have also been groomed at Newport, Peninsula and Potawatomi state parks in Door County but most of the southern half of the state has no snow cover. A couple more northern counties have opened or partially opened snowmobile trails but conditions are only fair to poor on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR).

In the north, many smaller lakes have 4 to 6 inches of ice, but some of the larger lakes just froze up completely in the last week and have only 1 to 4 inches of ice. There is a fair amount of snow on the ice which is leading to slush and inconsistent ice underneath. People should be very careful if they venture out to fish. Anglers finding good ice were catching bluegills in shallow green weeds and crappies a little deeper over flats or near cribs. Walleye anglers are catching walleyes on small minnows set under tip ups on the outside edges of weed beds. Pike action on tip ups has been slower than average.

Southern areas that had been forecast to get several inches of snow this week, will likely now only see a dusting. This means easy access for those looking to get out on a hike this coming week. The last firearm deer hunt is just around the corner in the Farmland Zone--the Holiday hunt runs from Dec. 24-Jan. 1 and is an antlerless only hunt. One last reminder for pheasant hunters: the state game farm will be releasing an additional 1,500 birds on five wildlife areas prior to the holidays for some late season hunting.

There are many mammals moving around, with tracks of grey wolves, fisher, coyotes, and even a black bear were seen around Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area.

Rough-legged hawks have been observed recently in the valleys of Crawford and Vernon counties stocking up on rodents before the coming freeze. These large raptors get their name from their furry-looking legs, which are thoroughly covered to the toes with soft feathers. They breed in the Arctic tundra, but winter primarily in the lower 48 states, where they hunt small mammals on open fields.

Eagles are starting to move in to the Prairie du Sac area and can frequently be seen hunting the Wisconsin River. Other migrants have been seen along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee, with scaup, goldeneye, mergansers and even a handful of scoters, long-tailed ducks and harlequin ducks being seen on occasion. The snowy owl count continues to sit at 173 across 57 of Wisconsin's 72 counties as of December 13.

Amnicon Falls will host a New Year Eve candlelight hike with candles leading up to the histoic Horton bride offer views of thee waterfalls.Photo credit: DNR Kevin Feind

Ring in the New Year with a New Year's Eve candlelight hike at Amnicon Falls State Park and then start the New Year off on the right foot by taking part in any of 17 First Day Hikes that will be held at Wisconsin State Park System properties across the state. And get ready for other candlelight events that will begin the first weekend in January with more than 35 events running through early March.

Woodruff DNR Service Center area

Oneida County - Anglers have been on the ice for the last couple weeks. Some early reports are that some folks are catching walleyes of decent size. Ice conditions are still variable up here. It's been cold, in the teens, but the amount of steady snow we've had hasn't been the best for making good ice. People are reporting anywhere from 2-8 inches or so depending on lake (smaller lakes tending to have more); however, anybody going out should still exercise caution. - Hadley Boehm, fisheries biologist, Woodruff

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - Cross-country ski trails were groomed Dec. 19. All trails have been packed with the groomer but track has not been set. McNaughton has no bare spots but a wet area on the Red/Skaters loop just after leaving the trailhead. Escanaba and Madeline trails have all loops packed with the groomer. Raven Trail is packed with no bare spots but still thin under the conifers on the Red loop by "Hemlock hill" and by Hemlock lake. - Tony Martinez, parks and recreation specialist  

 Community Events  


 Please click the following links for upcoming community events!

 

Indoor Winter Farmer’s Market: December 23 & 30, Rhinelander

 

Holiday Music Concert: December 23, Rhinelander

 

Eagle River Winter Farmer’s Market: December 27, Eagle River

 

Snowmobile Safety Class: December 27 & 28, St. Germain

 

Winter Family Play Day: December 28, Manitowish Waters

 

Free Snowshoe Day: December 28, Manitowish Waters

 

Free Snowmobile Certification Class: December 28 & 29, Manitowish Waters

 

Free Christmas Crafts: December 29, Manitowish Waters

 

Rhinelander Area Candlelight Ski: December 29, Rhinelander

 

Fireworks at Midnight at the Pea Patch: December 31, Manitowish Waters