WCSFO 2018 Fall Meeting Notice

Draft proposal to remove the St. Louis River Area of Concern fish tumors and deformities impairment available for public review and comment

Research confirming that white sucker fish in the St. Louis River Area of Concern have a low rate of fish tumors and deformities is leading to a request by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to remove an impairment. 
Fish were sampled in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and research was conducted to determine if fish tumors and deformities were more common in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.  Multiple lines of evidence verified that the tumor incidence rate was not significantly different between the river and Lake Superior.  Further, the St. Louis River AOC tumor rates were lower than other similarly studied AOC and non-AOC sites in the Great Lakes.  The age and gender of the fish were found to be more important factors for fish tumor development.
Because of these findings, the Fish Tumors and Deformities Beneficial Use Impairment is proposed for removal.  The removal recommendation and study are available online for public review and comment from September 21 through October 12, 2018.  
To learn more about the proposal and to provide comments, please see the following documents:

• BUI Removal Recommendation for Fish Tumors and Other Deformities
• Public Comment Form 
• Fact Sheet.

Comments can be submitted to Matt Steiger, Wisconsin DNR AOC Coordinator, at Matthew.Steiger@wisconsin.gov until 5:00 pm October 12, 2018.
Paper copies of the draft document are also available for review in the Superior Public Library at 1530 Tower Ave. Superior, WI and the Duluth Public Library at 520 W. Superior St. Duluth, MN.  Public comment forms are included and formatted for mailing to Matt Steiger, Wisconsin DNR, 1701 N. 4th St, Superior, WI 54880.  Comment sheets may also be scanned and emailed to Steiger.
Written and electronic comments sent or post-marked before 5:00 pm on October 12, 2018, will be considered.  A final removal recommendation will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after public input has been reviewed and considered. 
General questions about the removal proposal may be directed to Matt Steiger at 715-395-6904 or Barb Huberty, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency AOC Coordinator, at 218-302-6630.
The St. Louis River Area of Concern will have seven remaining Beneficial Use Impairments to address before the entire Area of Concern can be delisted.  The St. Louis River Area of Concern is one of forty-three Areas of Concern designated in 1987 as the most highly contaminated areas in the Great Lakes.
This work was included in the St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan and was funded primarily by the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  The primary partners involved in this work included the Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

2019 WCSFO KIDS CLINIC MEETING DATES

EVENT                  DAY                DATE                 LAST YR DATE

Meeting             Thursday          12-06-2018                 12-07-2017

Meeting             Thursday          01-24-2019                 01-25-2018

Clinics               Saturday           02-09-2019                 02-10-2018

Meeting             Thursday          02-21-2019                 02-15-2018

Meeting             Thursday          04-04-2019                 04-05-2018

Clinics               Saturday           04-13-2019                 04-14-2018

Wrap-up meeting to be announced later

All clinic meetings to be held at Greenfield Park at 7:00 PM

Hope Everyone is Enjoying Their Summer!

Hunger Task Force needs our help at the fish cleaning station to filet donated Lake Michigan trout and salmon from generous tournament participants. The fish we process into cleaned filets, gets put into family size portions, put into Ziploc storage bags and onto the refrigerated truck to be delivered on Monday to area families that would not normally get this valuable protein in their diets.

Please share this with fellow club members or if you have someone such as a teenager that needs service hours, or a friend/spouse that wants to help but doesn't clean fish well, they can still help by bringing fish to a cleaner, putting processed filets into storage bags, changing water buckets, putting fish scraps down the incinerator, loading bins onto the refrigerated truck, etc. 

Please sign up via email or text (wildcatcreekfarm@gmail.com or 414-467-6658) for this event as soon as possible if you are able to help the whole 4.5 hourrs or just part of it. "Many hands make light work" and it's great to be outdoors with fellow fisherman for a good cause!

What to bring:

Filet knife (manual or electric) HTF does have some extras on hand

Apron and hand rag (HTF has paper towel but a rag is helpful)

Wear old clothes/shoes you don't mind getting wet or can throw out.

Possible bug lotion for flies

Water is provided for volunteers from HTF, and the concession stand will be open.

The Brew City Fish Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, August 4 (rain date August 5th) at McKinley Marina located at 1750 North Lincoln Memorial Drive Milwauke, WI 53202 

The fish tournament runs 5:30 am - 1:30 pm

(but fish processing volunteers are needed noon - 4:30 pm) boats must be in the breakwater by 1:30 for weighing in which begins at noon.

For more information on the the tournament 

https://www.glsfclub.com/brew-city-tournament/

With Gratitude,

Brenda Rosin-Schaff

Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organization (WCSFO)

 &

Kids Fishing Clinics of Southeastern WI (KFC)

Summer inspectors help boaters prevent the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin's waters

June 26, 2018

By Jennifer A. Smith

As another Wisconsin summer hits its stride, it's a good time for Wisconsin boaters to think about responsible boating practices.  They can enjoy the great outdoors and protect our waters at the same time by taking simple actions to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).

Clean Boats, Clean Waters is a statewide boater education program that Wisconsin Sea Grant implements in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Extension.  With the help of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, Sea Grant educates boaters along the Great Lakes coast.

Trained watercraft inspectors are stationed in four areas of the state, where they teach boaters how to take the preventative steps required by state law to minimize the risk of spreading unwanted “hitchhikers,” such as zebra mussels and quagga mussels, from one body of water to another.

Tim Campbell, Sea Grant’s AIS outreach specialist, works closely with Wisconsin DNR on the program.  As he summed up Wisconsin law, “Basically, you’re not allowed to transport aquatic plants, mud or animals on a public roadway. You also can’t transport lake or river water, so you need to drain out the water before leaving the boat landing.”

While more than 90% of boaters say they are familiar with Wisconsin law and “always” or “usually” take steps to clean their watercraft, that still leaves many boating trips each year that present some risk.

Inspectors talk to boaters (and users of other watercraft, like kayaks and paddleboards) about these requirements and, when needed, help them take the necessary actions, such as removing plants from a hard-to-reach part of a trailer or draining excess water from boat compartments.

“Especially at the beginning of the boating season, people can be rusty in their boating habits,” said Campbell.  “And it’s always good for inspectors to be there to talk to the few people who haven’t yet heard the ‘Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!’ message.”

Clean Boats, Clean Waters inspectors are based out of Appleton, Green Bay, Milwaukee/Port Washington, and the Kenosha/Racine/Milwaukee area.  The aim is not to penalize boaters, but to help them comply with the law and protect our waters so they can be enjoyed for generations to come.

“Many of the boaters thank me for being out and doing my job, which is pretty cool,” said inspector Matthew Cherney, a UW-Madison student majoring in geological engineering and geoscience.  Cherney, who is from Appleton, covers boat launches in and around Milwaukee.

The inspectors are all college students and work through Labor Day or so.  It’s gratifying work, said Nick Holtmeier, a UW-Whitewater student majoring in biology and Spanish, whose area is northeastern Wisconsin. "My favorite part of performing inspections is getting to talk to the public to inform them about a topic for which I have a passion.”

The program has been quite successful in holding the line on the spread of AIS.  Said Campbell, “Clean Boats, Clean Waters has been going on since 2004, and we know that it works to change boater behaviors.  It’s the best program we have to really make an impact on the spread of invasive species.”

Optimum Timing for Dredging in Great Lakes Harbors Takes a More Scientific Turn

“Dredging Windows” Are Topic of Scoping Meeting for Pilot Project"

May 22, 2018

By Marie Zhuikov

It can’t happen just any old time. Removing sediment from or adding it to harbors to help ships pass or for construction projects is regulated by state and federal rules designed to lessen impacts to the plants and animals living in both marine and fresh water.

“We used to call them fish windows,” said Gene Clark, Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal engineer. “But we’ve learned that other species can be affected by the timing of dredging as well – things like mussels, amphibians and wild rice. It’s not just a fish window, it’s an environmental window for dredging.”

These timing windows were first created almost 50 years ago, spurred by the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969. They hardly ever change and are enforced through the permitting process by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state departments of natural resources. The designations of these windows were set by natural resource experts, however specific science-based data to help them was lacking.

According to a white paper on dredging windows in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, a number of new scientific tools are now available to “evaluate the specific impacts of dredging, to more accurately monitor the biological integrity and specific biological functions of different parts of our harbors, and to assess changes due to season variation. In addition, new engineering technologies have resulted in new dredging methods and construction options to reduce the impacts of the dredging process, as well as in-water facilities maintenance and fabrication.”

Bringing dredging windows up to date was one of the most important issues identified by harbor stakeholders when asked where they thought Sea Grant could make a difference, Clark said. At stake is money and time, not to mention the wellbeing of the environment.

“The timing of the dredging windows can be very strict, and they can make projects more costly,” said Clark. “The problem doesn’t just affect our harbor. All dredging projects on the Great Lakes have this issue, too.”

Clark believes that with more information about where critical habitats are in the harbor and when important wildlife activities are going on, such as fish spawning, money can be saved on behalf of taxpayers and the contractors.

Clark has teamed with Dale Bergeron, Minnesota Sea Grant maritime extension educator, and members of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority to work on the issue. They have been working for a year to write a white paper, develop a process for deciding what studies are needed, and provide a template for studies in other ports.

 “Our goal is to facilitate discussions between the regulatory agencies, the U.S. Army Corps and the contractors,” Clark said. They also plan to work with academic researchers to find funding for the studies.

One activity is taking place next week on May 30. A select group of people from the Duluth-Superior area have been invited to participate in a scoping meeting to conduct a “Science-based Review of Environmental Windows for Dredging and In-water Construction in the Duluth/Superior Estuary and Harbor.”

On the agenda is the history of dredging windows, and defining biological issues such as locations of high- and low-productivity areas and the impacts of seasons and climate variability, and discussion of new technologies that are available for dredging and reducing turbidity. The resulting tasks will take the form of a pilot project, for which funding will be sought.

“Perhaps in a couple of seasons, we’ll have enough information so we can actually make a difference in when dredging windows are set, and potentially save the corps some money, save the contractor money and save some angst on behalf of the permitting agencies,” Clark said.

KIDS FISHING CLINIC MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 26, 2018

Brenda Rosin      Schaff called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 PM.   

Everyone present introduced themselves and their club affiliations.

Attendance:  Brenda Rosin Schaff, Ron Gray, Klye Olsen,  Duane Marcell, Brandon Witt, Ryan Flohr, Dave & Karen Schmitt, Steve Spielbauer, Dan & Diane Floryance, Jim Gilles, Jean Tackes, Jill Levy, Rick Frye, Rick Kirkley, Mary Lee Hatland, Don & Judy Kirby, Cliff Schulz, Wayne Avery, Cornell  Stroik, Dave Mueller, Kiven Groff, Barb Stevenson

Brenda opened the meeting by thanking everyone for there attendance. Because Klye Olson of the DNR had to leave to go back to work she had Klye described what his job consists of on a typical day. Kyle gave a detailed description of what his day is like.        

Brenda  then asked Dave Mueller to give us an up-date on the Hunger Task Force Hatchery and his stocking of the ponds. Dave talked about the various fish the hatchery has, their growth rates, talked about the pump problems they have had to over come. Dave also talked about the stocking of the ponds, species stocked, numbers stocked and dates of he stocking.

Brenda addressed the clinics and the weather conditions we had for the clinics. She noted she still has not heard from all the parks with the final numbers. She will send out final numbers when all the clubs get there numbers in. She noted that she and Ron had received e-mails stating that we should have cancelled the clinics due to the weather conditions. As everyone knows it is our policy to run the clinics no matter what the weather conditions are because a larger part of the teaching is conducted in doors. At this point in the meeting an open discussion took place. Points discussed were the logistics of the following. Present fishing regulations for kids only fishing, limitations in time frame and equipment of stocking, park reservations, commitments of volunteers for additional dates, providing the kids a season to fish without adult competition, scheduling around the Easter holiday, life of the stocked trout in the ponds as water warms. During this discussion the subject of illegal adult fishing came up.  After discussion the best thing to due is call the DNR hot line. After all discussion a vote was taken on continuing our policy of not cancelling due to weather conditions.  

Brenda talked briefly about the donations we received and the thank you letters that need to be sent out. She also addressed the schedule for next year. Ron commented that we could start working on next years flyer today by having the members in attendance commit to next years clinic dates which were announced as Feb. 9th and Apr 13^th 2019. Badger Fisherman’s League stated they could not continue with the clinic’s due to a lack of help and the Wisconsin Fishing Club stated they are dropping out of the ice fishing clinics due to poor attendance at their park. Wern Valley indicated they will no longer support the clinics due to a lack of volunteers. Ron said he will then move forward with notifying the clubs not in attendance at this meeting for their commitments to next years clinics so the flyers can be finalized. He will also need to talk with the Waukesha County Parks to see which parks will be available next year. During discussion it was noted that the registration forms used needed some space adjustments for entry information. Brenda said she will  make adjustments for next year.

During discussions Brenda noted that American Legion Post 537 gave the Kids Fishing Clinics a very generous donation. Ideas discussed for using this donation were fish tanks for displaying fish and fishing tackle that could be purchased for kids prizes at the clinics. Discussion also noted that donation barrels could be placed at the clinic sites for donations to the Hunger Task Force who supports the clinics at their many distribution sites.

Brenda introduced  Cornell Stroik treasurer of the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations (WCSFO). Cornell gave a talk about how and why the WCSFO was formed and their interface between the sport fishing clubs and the department of natural resources. He indicated the WCSFO is a 501C3 organization and finances the printing of the kids fishing hand books. He indicated that most of the kids fishing clinic clubs presently belong to the organization. The president of the WCSFO has retired from his position due to health reasons. Cornell has asked that the organization look into training someone for his position. Ron Gray is taking over the position as secretary from Brenda due to her health reasons. This leaves the offices of President and Vice President open and the need for someone to train for treasurer. The WCSFO holds two 2 scheduled meetings a year one in March and October on the third Saturday of the month. The WCSFO has a seat on the DNR fishery advisory board.

Brenda asked if anyone was interested in these positions and would like to run in an election for them. Two members were and a request was made by another if we could hold off on an election so their club members could be notified. Brenda stated we will hold an election meeting on Thursday May 24^th . The location will be the Milwaukee Casting & Sportsmens Club at 18200 W. Cleveland Ave. New Berlin, WI at 7:00 PM. Please note: That you or your club must be a member of the WCSFO to be considered for these positions.

Respectfully:

Ron Gray,  Secretary