Serving the Northwoods Communities of Rhinelander, Eagle River, Minocqua, Phelps, Florence and Forest County.
District Dialogue
February 19, 2015
Building Commission Votes to Support Projects in the Northwoods
On February 17, the State Building Commission voted on a
number of projects to benefit the Northwoods. The projects involve
pavement repairs at the Trout Lake Headquarters in the Northern Highland
American Legion State Forest, and repairs and upgrades to the Art A.
Oehmcke Fish Hatchery in Woodruff.
I was pleased to support these two projects which will benefit the
residents of the greater Northwoods. The pavement surrounding the Trout
Lake station needs resurfacing due to general degradation; I voted to
support this motion.
In addition, I supported upgrades and repairs for the Art A. Oehmcke
Fish Hatchery, which will produce larger Walleye fingerlings. Funding
for the fish hatchery was approved during the 2013 budget in accordance
with the Governor’s Walleye Initiative. This project will increase
survival rates for Walleye, to promote the Northwoods tourism industry.
The Building Commission also voted in support of 11 additional
projects. The projects spanned from UW-System maintenance and
renovations, construction of a Ranger Station in Medford to renovations
at the Copper Lake School in Lincoln County.
The Building Commission is an eight member body chaired by the
Governor, along with six legislators from both the minority and majority
party, and a citizen member. The groups’ mission is to plan, oversee,
and approve building projects around the state.
Nicolet College Visits Madison
On February 17, a group of students from Nicolet Area Technical College visited the Wisconsin State Capitol for "A Celebration of Student Engagement". Several students presented research on their respective areas of expertise. Nicolet Area Technical College along with many other technical schools, attended the event in the Capitol rotunda.
Technical colleges, like Nicolet, provide students with real-world experience and training for future employment. Keep up the good work, and thank you for visiting!
DNR Report
DNR spring wildlife and fisheries rules hearing questionnaire available online
MADISON - The complete questionnaire for proposed changes
to Wisconsin fish and wildlife rules that will be reviewed at the 2015
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
spring rules
hearings is now available online.
On Monday, April 13, 2015, there will be
72 public hearings [PDF], one in each county where individuals
interested in natural resources management have an opportunity to
provide their input by non-binding vote and testimony on proposed rule
changes and advisory questions relating to fish and wildlife management
in Wisconsin.
The questions cover a broad array of statewide and local
proposed rules changes for state hunting, trapping and fishing rules, as
well as advisory questions from the state Natural Resources Board and
Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
County residents have the option to run for a seat on the Wisconsin
Conservation Congress, or elect other delegates from their county to
represent their county views regarding natural resources on the
Conservation Congress. Also, individuals have the opportunity to bring
forth new conservation issues of a statewide nature to the attention of
the Conservation Congress through the citizen resolution process.
People interested in attending the hearings are encouraged to review the
questionnaire online.
The fisheries questions relate to season, bag limit, and length limit
regulations, including:
· expanding inland trout seasons and reducing the number of special
regulations;
· changing panfish bag limits on 100 lakes to improve panfish average
size; and
· removing or modifying dates and boundaries on 51 fish refuges.
Wildlife questions include:
· expanding the areas where waterfowl hunting;
· increasing the limit on the number of small game animals a person is
allowed to possess;
· establish a 9 a.m. opening time on the first day of the pheasant,
quail, Hungarian partridge, and southern rabbit seasons; and
· modifying the spring wild turkey hunting season opening date, among
other rule changes.
Meeting results, along with written comments on the evening's questions
and DNR recommendations are used to advise the state Natural Resources
Board. Votes are non-binding and are presented to the
Natural Resources Board as
advisory.
The 2015 spring rules hearing questionnaire [PDF] is available by
searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov
for keywords
"Spring Hearings."
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kari Lee-Zimmerman, DNR congress liaison,
608-266-0580 or Bill Cosh, DNR spokesperson, 608-267-2773
Learn to Trap event offered at Horicon Marsh in March
February 12, 2015
Contact(s): Jennifer Wirth, DNR Horicon Marsh program associate,
920-387-7889
MADISON - Horicon Marsh will hold its second annual Learn to Trap course
in March, with classroom and field portions aimed at covering the basics
of trapping and outdoor education.
This comprehensive tutorial offered by the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources and Wisconsin Trapper's Association includes classroom
instruction and a hands-on field and fur preparation experience.
Each session will be held at the Horicon Marsh Visitor & Education
Center, N7725 Highway 28, Horicon, Wis. - the cost of this training is
$12. Application fees include a Trapper's Education Certificate upon
successful completion of a final examination.
The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, and the course will
be limited to 25 applicants.
Dates and times for this three-part training are as follows:
· Monday, March 13 - classroom session, 6-9 p.m.;
· Saturday, March 28 - field session, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and
· Sunday, March 29 - field session, 8 a.m. to noon.
Please direct all registration requests and questions to DNR Horicon
Marsh program associate Jennifer Wirth at 920-387-7889.
For more information regarding Learn to Trap courses and trapping in
Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov and search
keywords
"trapper ed" and "trap"
respectively.
To receive trapping email updates and other information, visit
dnr.wi.gov and click on the email icon
near the bottom of the page for "subscribe
for updates for DNR topics." Follow the prompts and select the
"trapping" option.
DNR historical photos available online
Vaudeville entertainer "Gypsy" Rose Lee holding musky she caught in Pine Lake, Iron County in 1946.
MADISON -- Gypsy Rose Lee holding a musky. General Dwight
D. Eisenhower fishing. Aldo Leopold addressing the Wisconsin
Conservation Congress. Gov. Warren Knowles coyote hunting. Boston Red
Sox baseball star Ted Williams handling a tame deer.
These are among the photos included in "Wisconsin's Historic Natural
Resources Photos," a subset of the University of Wisconsin Digital
Collections that went live on the Internet this month.
The collection is the first 500 of what will eventually be 2,200 black
and white photos from the 1930s to the 1970s, showing Wisconsinites
enjoying and working to protect the state's natural resources. They show
state parks, forests and wildlife areas; anglers, campers, canoeists,
hunters and picnickers; black bears, pheasants, jacksnipe, smelt and
white-tailed deer; the wardens, biologists and foresters who helped
conserve them, and much more.
"These photos are treasures that should be shared with the public," said
DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. "Just like old family photos, for years
they've been stashed in the basement of the State Natural Resources
Building waiting for somebody to put them in an album. This project
makes them a click away to anybody who wants to see them."
The project is a partnership between the UW Digital Collections Center
and the Department of Natural Resources. DNR staff selects photos from
the more than 10,000 historical photos housed in the central office
headquarters, and prepare the metadata associated with each photo. UW
staff and student workers then digitize, format and index the photos
before posting them to the website.
"I especially like the one of Mrs. Taylor showing off her musky,"
laughed Stepp. "She's all decked out in her hat and high heels holding a
50-inch musky she caught. I guess things were a bit more formal in 1934
than they are now."
Aside from their historical value, they show how life and places in
Wisconsin have changed, and in some cases, how they have stayed the
same.
Photos are being digitized in batches of 500 over the next year or so.
The project is scheduled for completion by May 2016. All photos are
public records and available free of charge to copy and redistribute in
any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. They are
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
License. That means if someone uses them, they must credit "Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources" and if they remix, transform or build
upon the material, they may not distribute the modified material.
The images area available on the UW Digital Collections Center
website
at uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/WI/DNRPhotos (exit DNR).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Cosh, DNR spokesperson, 608-267-2773,
William.Cosh@wisconsin.gov.
As we find ourselves in the middle of another brutal Wisconsin winter,
please remember there are simple steps ratepayers can take around the
home to save energy. These include:
· Installing a programmable thermostat to automatically control
temperature settings throughout the day
· Changing furnace filters seasonally for optimum efficiency
· Insulating your cold and hot water pipes at the water heater
· Installing an ENERGY STAR® certified furnace, heat pump or
boiler
· Letting the sun help heat your home; leave shades open during
the day
The Focus on Energy program, Wisconsin utilities’ statewide program for
energy efficiency and renewable energy, can help make changes around the
home this winter and offers other energy saving assistance year round.
For more information about Focus on Energy and for more tips on saving
energy around the home, please call 1-800-762-7077 or visit
http://focusonenergy.com.
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
7th Annual NLEF Candlelight Ski, Snowshoe & Skate: February 20, Manitowish Waters
62nd Annual Ice Fishing Derby: February 21, Three Lakes
Scotch Doubles Pool Tournament: February 21, Three Lakes
Owl Prowl and Night Hike: February 21, Manitowish Waters
7th Annual Frozen Tozen Winter Fest: February 21, Boulder Junction
Sand Lake Pub Ice Fishing Derby: February 21, Phelps
Eagle River Farmers' Market - Winter: February 25, Eagle River
VFW Post 8637: Hamburger Night: February 25, Eagle River
Northwood Childrens Museum: Family Fun Night: February 26, Eagle River
Olson Memorial Library Mid-Winter Book Sale: February 26-28, Eagle River
WinMan Moon-shoe: February 28, Manitowish Waters
Firefighters Ball: February 28, Florence
Keyes Peak Snowmobile Hill Climb and Hill Cross Races: February 28, Florence
Northwoods Share's Community Dinner - Open to Everyone: March 3, Eagle River
After School Children’s Reading Program: March 3, Boulder Junction
Eagle River Farmers' Market - Winter: March 4, Eagle River
Northwoods Children's Museum: Date with Dad: March 5, Eagle River
Nicolet College Theatre Presents: The Best of Second City: March 6, Eagle River
Winterfest 2015: March 7, Florence
Boulder Junction Snowmobile Cabin Fever Party: March 7, Boulder Junction
21st Three Lakes Wildlife Basketball Tournament: March 7, Three Lakes
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