Serving the Northwoods Communities of Rhinelander, Eagle River, Minocqua, Phelps, Three Lakes, Florence and Forest County.

District Dialogue

September 11, 2015

Listening Sessions in the Northwoods

On Monday, September 28, Senator Tiffany and I will be holding listening sessions across the 34th Assembly District.  Each of the listening sessions will last approximately one hour.  Please feel try to attend to voice your opinions, concerns, or questions to Senator Tiffany and I at the locations below.  I am looking forward to meeting with all of you.

9:30-10:30 a.m. – Florence
Florence County Natural Resource Center – Conference Room

5628 Forestry Drive
Florence, WI 54121

1:00-2:00 p.m. – Three Lakes

Town of Three Lakes Board Room
6965 West School Street
Three Lakes, WI

4:00-5:00 p.m. – Town of Arbor Vitae
Arbor Vitae Town Hall – Community Room
10675 Big Arbor Vitae Drive
Woodruff, WI

On Thursday September 3, I was invited to Nicolet College for a meet and greet with the new Nicolet College President Dr. Richard Nelson.  Dr. Nelson guided me on a tour through the culinary and IT business labs as well as the Immersive Tele-presence lab.  Nicolet College was the recipient of federal funding to purchase interactive television equipment.  This innovative lab allows students in rural areas to take digital courses around the Northwoods at Nicolet College, Minocqua, Tomahawk and Northland Pines High School. 

The interactive television equipment in the Immersive Tele-presence labs provides an inclusive environment for digital learning students.  It was quite amazing to see the class in action.  I would like to thank Sandy Kinney and Dr. Nelson for inviting me to Nicolet College to see the great work that is occurring at Wisconsin Technical Colleges. 

Interactive television equipment in the Immersive Tele-presence lab.  Notice that the young lady in the classroom is actually on screen and not sitting in the room with the other students. 

Rep. Swearingen and Dr. Richard Nelson in the culinary lab at Nicolet College. 

In August, Speaker Vos appointed me to serve on the Speaker's Task Force on Youth Workforce Readiness, chaired by Representative Bob Kulp (R - Stratford).  The Speaker’s Task Force will explore new ways to encourage Wisconsin youth to pursue careers in the trades, manufacturing industry and technical fields. Priorities of the task force include:

· Improving collaboration between schools, technical colleges and local employers.
· Better informing parents and students about apprenticeship and internship programs.
· Expanding career-focused counseling to more comprehensively include technical careers.
· Studying creative models in schools throughout the state that are already incorporating technical education and workforce into curriculum
· Examining future industry needs and challenges in Wisconsin
· Reducing barriers for students to participate in a dual enrollment program with high school and technical colleges.
· Exploring additional programming at UW System for CTE certified instructors.
· Remarketing the perception of the manufacturing field from “dark, dirty and dead-end” to family-supporting, challenging and stable careers.
· Leveraging the Labor Market Information System (LMIS) to provide real time data on current and projected workforce pipeline.

Youth Workforce Readiness is an extremely important subject for our children and students across the state.  For the Northwoods in particular, our task force wants to showcase the highly technical and highly skilled manufacturing jobs that are available in our own local communities. The goal is to keep high school students and college graduates in our local communities where these highly technical fields exist.  One way that this has been addressed in the Northwoods are the Heavy Metal Tours that Northcentral Technical College has implemented in local schools.  These tours allow eighth grade students to see the true identity of manufacturing in Wisconsin.  These jobs are no longer the dark, dingy, dirty factory jobs from a century ago, but a highly technical field and well paying career path.

We held our first meeting on Thursday, September 10 in Madison and heard testimony from various Wisconsin technical colleges, unions, public schools, and employers.  Below is the list of invited testimony that spoke during our initial meeting. 
 

Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin Technical College System, Department of Public Instruction, Beloit School District, Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin Inc., The Wisconsin Technology Council, The Foundation of the Wisconsin Automobile and Truck Dealer Association, Building Advantage Wisconsin, Sheet Metal Workers Local #18, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Department of Health Services, and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. 

The Speakers Taskforce on Youth Workforce Readiness will continue to travel around the state to meet with residents, taxpayers, employers, and educators. 

(Green Bay, WI) Applications are now being accepted for the Innovative Educator Grant program sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Wisconsin Public Service. The Innovative Educator Grant, now in its ninth year, is an opportunity for 6-12 grade educators to receive grants up to $1,000 for new projects with an academic focus and goals to improve student achievement in the areas of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). "Last year our foundation contributed more than $300,000 to support educational efforts, and we look forward to continue our long standing tradition of supporting education, particularly in the STEM areas," said Karmen Lemke, Wisconsin Public Service Foundation Director. "We are trying to provide unique educational opportunities to reward innovative programs and projects in the schools."

Examples of the types of projects or programs that may be considered for funding include engineering mentoring programs, robotics programs, props for energy lessons, stream monitoring equipment and environmental projects. The grants may also be used to purchase certain types of equipment or curriculum materials. To be eligible, schools need to be a natural gas or electric customer of Wisconsin Public Service. Since the program's inception, 105 projects received over $97,000 in grants. Funding for the Innovative Educator Grant is through Wisconsin Public Service Foundation, which is supported by shareholders, not utility ratepayers. To view the guidelines, see a list of last year's recipients, or complete an application, log onto www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/innovativeeducator The deadline to apply is October 31, 2015.

http://www.integrysgroup.com/news/view_article.aspx?reckey=02721

Northern Region

Superior DNR Service Center area

Brule River State Forest - Weather during this past holiday weekend was warm and sunny. Campers filled our campgrounds for one last hoorah of summer and the river was teaming with canoers, and fisherman. Flow rates for the Brule River are above average with help from periodic rain showers received this past week. With weather cooling down, fisheries biologists expect lake-run fish to be entering the river for fall spawning. With Labor Day behind us signifying the end of summer, we look forward to the fall activities that flourish in our area, most significantly, hunting season.Canada goose, mourning dove, and teal (blue-winged and green-winged) opened statewide September 1. Bear with the aid of dogs for surrounding areas opened September 9. On September 12, small game and archery deer seasons open statewide. Probably the leading adjustment that will need to be made for many hunters this fall is the requirement for on-line or "E" Registration of all deer and bear harvests. After harvesting your animal and immediately attaching the carcass tag to the animal, there are several ways that you can register your harvest. Phone: Dial 1-844-426-3734 (1-844-GAME-REG) and follow the prompts to provide harvest information. Online: On a computer or mobile device, go to gamereg.wi.gov and enter your harvest information. In person: Visit a designated in-person station that offers a phone or computer to hunters for the purpose of registering your deer or bear. Hunters may locate in-person stations prior to the start of the fall hunting seasons at dnr.wi.gov, keyword "registration stations". This info can be found by visiting dnr.wi.gov, keyword "electronic registration" If hunting isn't your thing, there are a number of other activities that can get you off the road and into the woods this fall. Mushroom hunting is a popular activity in the fall as many varieties are available in the forest. Make sure that you take the time educate yourself on mushroom identification before you go foraging. Campsites on the Brule River State Forest will not be reservable for the remainder of the year. They will once again be available by reservation next Memorial Day weekend. Reservations can be made 11 months in advance by contacting Reserve America at 1-888-947-2757 or visiting reserveamerica.com. - Edwin Koepp, visitor services associate

Spooner DNR Service Center area

Crex Meadows State Wildlife - Highlights this week include many nighthawks and olive-sided flycatchers. Phantom Lake holds a lot of ducks. A few shorebirds are still around including: greater yellowlegs, solitary and spotted sandpipers. Eastern phoebe, eastern wood-pewee, red-eyed vireo, ovenbirds, American goldfinch have been spotted on the property numerous times. - Kristi Pupak, natural resources educator

Park Falls DNR Service Center area

Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Fishing success was pretty good in the Northwoods in the past week with both the weather and the fish cooperating. The warm and humid weather made it nice to be around the water and provided some pleasant angling and boating conditions. The sunny skies also bumped water temperatures up a bit, which increased action for most gamefish species. Musky success showed a nice little surge and most anglers reported some good action from medium-size fish in the 32 to 42-inch size. The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and around the shallower weed beds. Top-water baits, soft-bodied lures and slower moving stick baits were the most productive. Any time of day has produced action and was mostly dependent on local weather conditions. Action for both largemouth and smallmouth bass was also a little more consistent and some very nice fish have been caught and released in the last week. Largemouth have still been settled in to their summer pattern and have been relating to the thick cover. The various forms of soft plastics have been the most productive and have to be fished along the weed edges, near the woody cover, under docks, or along the bog/marsh edges. Smallmouth action continued to be fair on the flowages and larger rivers, and were being found in the deep-water areas of the larger lakes. Soft plastics and finesse baits have been the most productive lures and the fish have been relating to wood and rock that was near the deeper water areas. Walleye action also picked up a notch and a few anglers have been reporting some decent catches. Leeches and crawlers fished along the weed edges and in weed pockets have produced most of the fish, though some have also been found on the deeper gravel and rock bars. Panfish action continues to be fair. Decent crappie have been a little tough to find but some decent catches of bluegill, perch and rock bass have been reported. - Skip Sommerfeldt, senior fisheries biologist, Park Falls

Flambeau River State Forest - The south fork of the Flambeau River is up. Both the north and south forks are doable for paddling but the north fork is on the low side. We are seeing a bit more color on some of the trees. Bracken ferns and spreading dog bane are turning yellow and some of the sumac is turning red. Goldenrod, asters, and yarrow are blooming. Monarchs are gathering for their long migration. Chickadees and warblers are feeding together. Birds grouping up to prepare for their flights south are: Canadian geese, sandhill cranes, black birds and hummingbirds. Many beautiful mushrooms are popping up. ATV trails are in good condition, ATV trail between Hwy 70 north to Co. Rd. EE will begin with renovations. First stage is removing trees adjacent to the trail which will involve heavy equipment. The trail is posted use caution when passing equipment; make sure you make eye contact with operator before passing. Connors Lake Campground closed after Labor Day but Lake of the Pines is open till December 15. - Judy Freeman, visitor services associate

Woodruff DNR Service Center area

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - More intense reds are showing through in some low-lying maples, and as plants start to die back more wildlife will be visible in the woods. Many types of mushrooms are out for the knowledgeable gatherer and the squirrels are busy with pinecones and acorns. Turkeys are becoming more commonplace along the roadsides. Lower humidity days are welcome for the avid hiker and hunter and early morning fog gives a mystical aura to the forest. Many consider this is the best time to camp on the forest. No bugs, less people, warm days, cooler nights; and to top it all off the Northern Lights have been visible the last couple of nights! The Crystal and Clear Lake ranger station hours have changed. Through the end of September they will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Campers arriving after close are able to self-register near the front door of each station. Posted maps will advise campers which sites are open. Weather permitting, dump stations and shower buildings will be kept open until Columbus Day. Firewood is available for purchase whenever the ranger stations are open. Labor Day weekend saw campgrounds busy once again with some campgrounds near capacity, though some of the outlying campgrounds had plenty of sites available. Campground use is much slower now that the holiday weekend has passed. Cunard Lake, Plum Lake, and South Trout Lake Campgrounds, are now closed for the season. Campground operations crews are shifting their focus to fall project work. One of the main projects that they will be working on is cutting hazard trees in all of the campgrounds. - Kimberly Krawczyk, Visitor Services Associate

As summer has slowly winds down, the weather has been perfect to attend a number of community events throughout the 34th Assembly District.  My wife Amy and I attended the Eagle River Craft Show and Rhinelander PotatoFest last week!

Duck Drop of the Davenport Street Bridge in Rhinelander!

French Fry Eating Contest at PotatoFest in Rhinelander

Eagle River Craft Show

New Wisconsin State Blue Books Are Available

The new Wisconsin State Blue Books have been delivered to my office in Madison. The Blue Book includes information about Wisconsin state government, including profiles of the current members of the legislature, district maps, demographics as well as information on both the Executive Branch and State Supreme Court.

My office will be happy to provide you with a copy.  Supplies are limited, please send me an e-mail or call my office to reserve your copy.  My office number is 608-266-7141 or call toll-free at 888-534-0034.  As always, feel free to e-mail my office at Rep.Swearingen@legis.wi.gov.

Please provide your name, home address, and phone number when you request your Blue Book.

Upcoming Community Events

Please click the following links for upcoming community events!

Phelps Scarecrow Fest: September 19, Phelps

Tommy O's Playhouse Presents The Medieval Faire Renaissance Festival: September 10-13, Hazelhurst

39th Annual World Championship Musky Classic: September 11-13, Manitowish Waters

Minocqua Farmers Market: September 11, 18 & 25, Minocqua

Trig's Flea Market: September 11, 17, 18 & 24, Rhinelander

Minocqua Farmers Market: September 11, Minocqua

Friday Farmers and Flea Market: September 11, Presque Isle

Rhinelander Farmers Market: September 12 & 19, Rhinelander

Kevin Worall Musky Classic Fishing Tournament: September 12, Pelican Lake

Phelps Farmer's Market: September 12, Phelps

23rd Annual Colorama Arts & Crafts Fair: September 12, Boulder Junction

Northwoods Trout Unlimited 41st Annual Conservation Banquet: September 12, Eagle River

SepTimber Ride: September 12, Eagle River

Shake a leg blade runners 5 mile Run-walk-bike: September 12, Land O' Lakes

Fire Dept Meat Raffle & Cookout: September 12, Land O' Lakes

Shake a Leg Blade Runners Golf Scramble: September 13, Land O' Lakes

Northern Exposure Golf Scramble: September 13, Phelps

Music in the Park: September 13, Manitowish Waters

Lake Tomahawk Lioness Harvest Fest & Lions Car Show: September 19, Lake Tomahawk

56th Annual Colorama: September 19, Boulder Junction

Manitowish Waters Fire Co. Open House & Harley Raffle Drawing: September 20, Manitowish Waters

Cranberry Bog Tour: September 21, St. Germain

2015 Fishing Hot Spots Hodag Musky Challenge: September 25-27, Rhinelander

Please contact me at Rep.Swearingen@legis.wi.gov if you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE from my E-Updates

Office of Representative Rob Swearingen

Room 123 West

PO Box 8953, Madison WI 53708

Office: 608-266-7141

Toll Free: 888-534-0034