Author Archives: kelcyboettcher

2024: Respecting the Waterfowler Perspective

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By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

Waterfowlers bring more to the conservation table than most conservationists.  Our role in funding conservation and undertaking the restoration work like that noted in the Habitat article give us serious conservation credibility.  This is important when we go to Madison to explore or to educate on topics relevant to our waterfowling passion.

With less than 10% of the population as active hunters, the hunter conservation ethic is spread thinly.  And even that percentage has continued to decline in the past 20 years when the state’s Constitutional right to hunt was passed overwhelmingly.

There’s little question that WWA is the strongest voice for all waterfowl hunting issues, partnering with others to leverage our respective strengths whether the topic is hunting rights and regulations, habitat restorations, or funding important to conservation or wildlife.

In 2024:

  • WWA continued its strong role on the DNR’s migratory game bird committee. We may have the most powerful voice in establishing the state waterfowl season structure, primarily based on based on the number of informed survey respondents we have on those topics. And we quickly share with you the information from the committee to keep us duckhunting geeks in the know.
  • Getting a lot of press, and requiring lots of effort, WWA is the leader for a clear-eyed, unbiased review of whether a sandhill crane hunt is appropriate for the state. If one follows the science, respects the data, and obeys the Constitution, there little question a crane hunt is justified.  But some would rather let emotions rule such hunting decisions.
    • Volunteer George Ermert’s volunteer efforts to get past such fickle perspectives has led to a legislative study committee to consider the question. Our own Todd Schaller represents us on this committee of legislators, farmers and interested organizations.
    • After this committee reaches conclusions, any crane hunt proposal still needs to go through the political process and be signed into law by the Governor.
    • The incomplete rhetoric by those opposed to a hunt has created some unreasonably high bars, but WWA will continue to lay out the facts to the committee, legislators, the general public (two statewide editorials this year) to ensure your constitutional right to harvest game is not unduly infringed.
  • We’ve been engaged on public funding challenges in the years ahead, specifically for the DNR’s Fish and Wildlife account, and the Knowles Nelson Stewardship program. Both of these will be dealt with in the next legislative session, but we’re part of coalitions preparing to highlight and advocate where these programs are important to waterfowler interests.
  • Such ad hoc coalitions are important to presenting a unified front on issues of mutual interest, even if that interest is sometimes indirect. For example, we weighed in on the adverse impacts on the Greater Prairie Chicken of a huge solar farm – if bird advocates don’t hang together on such issues, as Ben Franklin said, “we will assuredly hang separately”.

When WWA was formed 40 years ago, it’s initial purpose was to be the voice of state waterfowlers.  The founders can be proud that we remain true to that mission

2024: Education and The Waterfowler’s Arc

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By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

WWA focuses on helping every wannabe or existing duck hunter become the passionate conservationists that will sustain our waterfowling heritage into the future.  This natural progression makes us better waterfowlers and more ethical hunters.  It provides important “conservation credibility” that hunters need as hunting becomes less of the fabric of our communities and anti-hunters challenge the constitutional right to hunt.

  • This newsletter is a part of that effort — there is no better state-based monthly waterfowling newsletter in the country. Prove me wrong.
  • Our work with Vortex to create the Waterfowlers Academy resulted in more learn to hunts than ever before, with 31 novice hunters in six different events across the state.

2024’s For Women By Women Learn to Hunt participants and mentors

  • The Waterfowl Hunters EXPO continues to grow, now moving to two days in 2025 days. About 6100 attendees this year, celebrating “all things waterfowl”.
  • By the way, funds from the EXPO support public land restorations, science important to state waterfowlers, and scholarships to student focused on waterfowl biology and management. WWA granted a $1K of scholarships, and $3K worth of science support this year.
  • Not quite ready-to-be-revealed, we’ve been working on our antiquated website, trying to make it more informative and easier to navigate, while maybe finding some efficiencies on the back end. Look for a launch early in the new year.
  • Our team of Jessica and Ryan Peterson, who developed the middle school science curriculum based on the phenology of the wood and other waterfowl, were recognized as the WI Wildlife Federation’s “Conservation Teachers of the Year.”

    Ryan (L) and Jessica (C) Peterson accepting their “Conservation Teachers of the Year” award from WWF

 

2024: Habitat Work important to Waterfowl… and Waterfowlers

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By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

This was an inflection year for our work to restore wetlands and uplands important to waterfowl

  • WWA Ecologist, Mark Pfost, demonstrating what it really means to survey a marsh in summer

    WWA Ecologists completed our first wetland restoration under our partnership with the DNR – it was a small one (only 18 acres) but represents the first olive out of the jar.

  • We’ve just put two projects under contract totaling ~150 acres and should be engaging an earthmoving contractor within the next two months for WWA’s largest restoration, maybe ever, with thousands of impacted acres planned under a nearly $1M grant from the USFWS. We’ve got more in the project “queue” too, awaiting final designs, permitting or funding allocations.
  • Our private lands program undertook seven projects on more than 80 acres of small wetlands important to nesting waterfowl. We received a $100K North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant for a significant project along the Wisconsin River to help nesting and migration stopover habitat on nearly 110+ acres.  Peter is creating a legacy project together with our friends at Aldo Leopold Foundation.

  • The view from Duck Blind #3 on WWA’s Abrams Property

    WWA’s Abrams property project is moving along smartly after we signed a $19K restoration contract with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – managed by volunteer Jess Nichols. The Green Bay chapter has been building a property to be proud of!

  • We kicked off our effort to monitor/review previously restored uplands and wetlands under our agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  So far 19 wetlands totaling 1,100 acres have been reviewed, and176 upland restorations at over 5,300 acres. Over the winter, our ecologists will be developing plans intended to continue the wildlife effectiveness of these properties.
  • We continued our 10-year partnership with the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) private lands program that has resulted in over $2.4M of restoration work across the state, and 1,900 acres of restoration work important to waterfowl. Our inaugural partner of the year award went to our the USFWS’ Kurt Waterstradt.
  • Our volunteer-led wood duck box program remains the largest in the state, with thousands of wood ducks produced annually. By the way, boxes and kits are back in stock and available for your holiday shopping –they are great gifts that keep on giving. Particular thanks to Bart Tegen and our partners at McNaughton Correctional Facility.
  • Similarly, our volunteer-based adopt a wildlife program continues to make a difference on local state wildlife areas. Want to get involved or start your own with your buddies?

  • WWA Ecologist Pfost harvesting wild rice

    WWA is becoming one the state’s premier NGO’s working to restore wild rice beds. We’ve done it for more than a decade, and we incorporated that expertise into our agreement with the state.  Volunteers collected rice in our second annual rice-a-thon near Minocqua this year, to re-seed in an effort to re-establish historic rice beds.  It was fun, thanks to organizer B.J. Grassmann! Reserve your 2025 spot by reaching out to info@wisducks.org.

These accomplishments are directly related to the passion of our volunteers.  More volunteers = more passion = more impact.  Important roles await your expression of interest–write me at bross@wisducks.org.

 

2024: Pedal to the Metal – WWA’s Growing Impact

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By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

Some of you might know that after high school, I went to the Coast Guard Academy to earn a Marine Science degree.  That combination of an environmental focus and service, chosen as a 17 year-old from the Jacques Cousteau era, shaped my life.

Dr. Sarah Orlofske, center, presents WWA Executive Director Bruce Ross (L) and President Bruce Urben (R) with the Blue-winged Teal Award

First, the importance of public service was driven home through 28 years of military service around the globe. And then, upon “retiring” to Wisconsin, my volunteer work with conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited and the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog helped me see the opportunities that non-profits deliver.

My current work as an Ozaukee County supervisor on the Natural Resources Committee has kept me involved with local conservation efforts, and my role with WWA allows a state-wide perspective.

This 40+ year background provides the context for my observation that 2024 was a pretty big year for WWA.   In every single mission.  I encourage you to read the articles that look back over WWA’s 2024 accomplishments.

But don’t take my word for the growing impact of WWA… Three different organizations went out of their way to recognize WWA’s work in 2024:

  • Cyrus Hunter Baird, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Delta Waterfowl (R) presents Bruce Ross with its 2024 “Partner in Conservation” award this July

    The North American Waterfowl Management Plan committee of the USFWS presented WWA their international Blue-winged Teal Award in August

  • The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation handed us their conservation organization of the year award at their annual meeting in April. They also recognized Jessica and Ryan Peterson as “Teachers of the Year” for their development of WWA’s middle school science curriculum based on the phenology of Wisconsin Waterfowl
  • In July, Delta Waterfowl acknowledged WWA as its 2024 “Partner in Conservation” in Baton Rouge, LA

We need your help to keep the ball rolling!  It’s not false modesty to say that these accomplishments were possible only through the efforts of our volunteer team.  I hope you want to be a part of this crazily effective team—email me at bross@wisducks.org.

Navarino Project: Three-and-One-Half Months On

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By Mark Pfost, Public Lands Ecologist – mpfost@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

You may recall that WWA finished its first public lands wetland restoration project with the DNR on Navarino Wildlife Area in late July. Spring and early summer this year were very wet. I worried that all the rain and subsequent high water levels would delay construction until late summer – if the rains ever quit and our site dried out. Rainfall dominated my conversations with the contractor as we approached the end of July, but he thought conditions would be okay and we agreed to get started.

On the day the contractor arrived on site, the ditch was full and flowing. Not only were we losing water, but constructing a solid ditch plug wasn’t feasible with a ditch full of water. He built a coffer dam west of the plug’s position to hold back water, and then pumped water out of the ditch for a day so that he could construct the plug without working in water.

While that work was going on, I went for a hike. My route paralleled the ditch on its south side, but well outside of the ditch corridor. A belt of trees, mostly buckthorn, and aspen, extended from the ditch bank to twenty yards or so away from it. I walked outside of this belt in restored tall-grass prairie. Even with all the recent rains, there was not standing water in my path — my boots stayed dry. Occasionally I noted a few sedges or a clump of wool grass — all wetland indicator species —  but not a drop of water. Two days later, construction was completed and I sowed about eighty pounds of winter rye over the newly constructed plug and other disturbed areas.

After surveying another DNR site in early November, I detoured to Navarino to see how the restoration was looking. Little rain fell across much of Wisconsin from July to November, water levels in ditches and wetlands I drove past were low. I didn’t know what to expect. The first thing to catch my eye was how little the winter rye had grown. It appeared healthy but stunted — an indication of lack of rain since it was planted?

The second was that water in the ditch above the plug and water in the scrape built to construct the plug were much closer together now than when I last saw the site.

I walked the same path through the prairie again, but this time I was frequently walking in 4-6 inches of water – out nearly forty yards from the ditch. I circled the west end of the ditch, its origination point, and saw a pool wider than the ditch. I circled through a small one-acre patch of trees on the north side of the ditch (while getting bloodied by prickly ash) and observed numerous, scattered spots where water was beginning to pool within the trees.

Before and after, the ditch and the ditch plug—from the same point

The restoration still has room to “grow,” perhaps adding as much as another eighteen inches of depth near the plug. This increased depth, will also spread laterally, saturating soils further into the prairie and further into the forested area.

Water in ditch above plug (left) may soon merge with scrape (right).

Assuming more rains and a melting snowpack next spring, I anticipate visitors will observe more above-surface water, and at greater distances from the ditch, than I saw on my November walk. Increased water levels will eventually kill many trees and shrubs, transforming the site into a more open wetland.

Water expanding into prairie (left). Looking from above the point of origin of ditch; it’s now several times wider than before (right).

All indications point to a successful restoration.

DNR Wardens Add AEDs

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Rural Marathon County Call Puts AED Into Action

An article from WWA’s Words From The Wardens.

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 eNewsletter. 

By DNR Conservation Warden Kyle Ziembo

When I received an automated external defibrillator (AED) for my Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation warden truck, I did not expect to use it, as my service territory in Marathon County is fortunate to have full-time emergency medical response teams.

My warden teammates and the other DNR wardens statewide completed the training to use these life-saving devices when a person’s heart stops. As we all know, a fast response is critical for the person suffering cardiac arrest.

When I found a place to store it in my truck in mid-April, I assumed it would likely become a fixture that might turn into a shelf.

Lt. Lockman

I was wrong. Two weeks later, in early May, I was on patrol at a Marathon County boat landing with my supervisor, Lt. Bryan Lockman. That’s when we heard the radio transmission of a man experiencing suspected cardiac arrest.

We knew we were about 10 minutes from the emergency call location and likely the closest law enforcement unit. We pointed our truck south and immediately headed for the address.

When we arrived, the man’s wife, a trained nurse, was performing CPR to revive him. We got our AED and raced to the man’s side as he was down in the yard. He had no pulse and was not breathing. We attached the AED and followed the instructions on when to apply a shock to the heart and when to continue the CPR.

It was about 20 minutes since the man’s collapse when the emergency medical service team arrived and took over the treatment. A pulse was felt as he drifted into consciousness and was placed in the ambulance.

The story’s purpose is not to cast us as heroes but to detail how all the wardens have AEDs in their trucks, another public service we can perform if an emergency arrives.

Marathon County is a gorgeous county with vibrant urban areas. However, it also has some remote, rural areas where your conservation wardens may be able to help if a person’s life is on the line.

The Wisconsin conservation wardens are all about public service and helping where we can and in the best way possible.

Deputy Chief O’Brien

I’d like to finish my column with a quote from my Deputy Chief Matt O’Brien.

“This statewide AED deployment is about extending the public safety umbrella into some of Wisconsin’s most remote areas, including our forests, lakes, marshes, wilderness areas and recreation trails. By having adequately equipped and trained responders across Wisconsin’s landscape, the warden service is helping to supplement local resources by delivering time-sensitive defibrillation throughout the state’s landscape.

“Wisconsin’s conservation wardens are dedicated to providing safety and emergency assistance to citizens and visitors as they recreate; this AED deployment improves the likelihood of positive outcomes, regardless of where a dangerous cardiac event strikes.”

George F. Shrake – Lake Poygan Decoy Carver

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A Decoy Corner Article

By Bruce Urben, WWA President

All photos courtesy the author

George Shrake Bluebill

There have been quite a few great decoy carvers that nave lived on or near Lake Poygan, which lies in Waushara and Winnebago counties in Wisconsin. Poygan is a waterfowler’s lake, part of the Winnebago chain just north and west of Little Lake Butte des Morts and the City of Oshkosh. Poygan, with its shallow depth and emergent vegetation, is a stopover rest spot for migrating waterfowl. Wild rice and wild celery were historically found in Poygan but have since been all but eliminated. The village of Tustin is one town on the northwest end of Lake Poygan that was home to several great carvers – George Shrake and August Moak.

George F. Shrake was born in 1906 and grew up hunting, fishing and trapping on Lake Poygan. In the 1930’s, George purchased several decoys from August Moak, his neighbor in Tustin. George used these decoys as patterns to make his own hunting rig of decoys. A year later George had assembled a large rig of decoys for his own use on Poygan. He carved mainly bluebill and canvasback; very few other species are known to have been carved by Shrake.

George began using cedar to fashion his bodies, and basswood or pine for his heads. His decoys were all hollowed and he used glass eyes in the heads. As you might guess, George’s decoys closely resembled Gus Moak decoys and have many times been confused with Moak’s work. One identifying feature is the method of attaching the head on Shrake’s decoys. George used a wood dowel extending through the top of the head, while Moak used a double threaded screw from inside the body to connect his heads.

Shrake also took less time in smoothing the bodies on his decoys. All are much rougher than Moak’s and show clear rasp marks. George’s painting was very similar to Moak’s, oil paint with simple realistic patterns and little shading. Many of George’s bluebill decoys have flattened eye pockets rather than eye grooves and his bodies were carved with a noticeable hump back, again much like Moak.

The bottom of the author’s George Shrake Bluebill was originally mistaken for a Gus Moak decoy

Very seldom will you see a signed or labeled decoy by Shrake. Later in George’s career he carved a number of decoys with a balsa body, which was more available after WWII.

George’s total decoy output was quite small, estimated to be less than 100 decoys. As you might expect, collectors highly value Shrake decoys. Identification is the key to differentiating a Shrake from a Moak, which many times comes down to an X-ray to confirm the head attachment.

George passed away in 1986 at the age of 80 while living in Waushara County near his childhood home.

I am honored to have one of George’s early humpback bluebills… and yes, this one was originally misidentified as a Gus Moak!

Rights and Obligations

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By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s November, 2024 Newsletter edition.

Three weeks ago, you got an email from us, asking that you reach out to the bi-partisan legislators sitting on the Sandhill Crane study committee that are considering whether a hunt is appropriate here in Wisconsin.  Over 2,000 of you responded!!!  

An additional 1000 or more emails came in from our partners like Delta Waterfowl, Safari Club International, Back Country Hunters and Anglers, and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. (By the way, this volume of emails would not have been possible without technical support from our friends at Delta Waterfowl.)

Your emails flooded the inboxes of those legislators to let them know that you’re counting on them to follow the science, apply common sense, and uphold the state’s constitutional right to hunt by concluding that a sustainable and ethical sandhill crane hunt is justified.  This number of emails far, far, far surpasses the number of communications these offices routinely receive, on any topic.  Well done – your voice is heard.

Even if you never intend to hunt sandhill cranes, this is a hunting rights issue.

Hunters make up less than 10% of the Wisconsin population – a small minority – but carry a lion’s share of the conservation work and funding that have led to the recovery of migratory species like the crane.

Today’s hunting heritage includes the expectation that hunters “leave it better than they found it.”  And we do.

This obligation of shouldering a significant conservation burden is ours for life because we harvest a public resource. And with that obligation comes another: to protect this hunting heritage for the next generation. With our small numbers, we must continue to earn our conservation credibility every day with those who simply don’t understand today’s hunter conservationists… or our voice will be weakened and eventually stilled.

It is this hunting ethic that allowed Wisconsin’s right to hunt constitutional amendment to pass overwhelmingly in 2003 – over 82% of voters approved it.  While this certainly does not give hunters a free pass to shoot anything in sight, it’s a pretty high threshold for anti-hunters to overcome.  Especially for a game bird like the crane that is hunted in 18 other states, stands at twice its maximum population target, and whose numbers create significant agricultural damage. But that constitutional right doesn’t mean a thing if we are not defending it when it is challenged.

So when an organization trots out a poll (that they sponsored, designed, tabulated, and reported on) that says less than a majority of state residents support a crane hunt, we need to provide a context to those who don’t share our hunting ethic.  That what I hoped to do when I presented to the crane legislative study group last month.

I am personally sick that some non-hunting conservation groups are lined up against us on this crane hunting issue.  I reached out to their leaders several years ago to try to avoid this circular firing squad that only hurts our cooperation on bone fide conservation issues.

Especially since this is NOT a bird conservation issue. Those groups stood by for over a decade while 10,000+ cranes were killed and left to rot in agricultural fields – none stepped forward to help fund a seed treatment that could have saved many of those birds.  And despite these wasted birds and those that are hunted elsewhere, the population continued its historic rebound.

But now, let a sandhill crane hunt even be considered – with an annual harvest that would fall below the level of these depredation kills – and birding groups trip over themselves to protest. While no man can know another’s motivations, it’s not reasonable to believe bird conservation is at the heart of that protest.

I’m proud to be a hunter conservationist and helping to lead a coalition of like-minded organizations such as the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Delta Waterfowl, Safari Club International, and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers on this issue.  It will be a long road, but with your support, WWA will stay with it… respecting the science, following the data, and trusting the federal migratory bird managers who have allowed the crane to make its remarkable comeback.  And defending the constitutional respect your hunting heritage and conservation efforts have earned.

Thanks to you for your support, and special thanks to those who followed through on our invitation to reach out to the legislators.  As a mentor once told me, “if you don’t use your voice, you might as well not have one.”

Of Wetlands and First Hunts

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By Anna Rzchowski, Public Lands Ecologist – arzchowski@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s November, 2024 Newsletter edition.

Anna in her blind on the morning of the hunt

The last Sunday in October, I paddled with my mentors across the silent marsh to set up in a little bay on the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. As the sun rose, the marsh slowly came alive. A pair of eagles chattered in a nearby dead tree. Mallards, wood ducks, pelicans and more flew overhead. Seeing and hearing the marsh wake up that morning was an incredible experience that I can’t wait to repeat. I didn’t grow up in a hunting family and, thanks to a great team of mentors at WWA’s Waterfowlers Academy By Women For Women Learn to Hunt Waterfowl, getting out in the marsh again this fall feels totally doable.

As a wetland enthusiast, it was especially cool to have the opportunity to experience the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge through this hunt. The refuge is situated at the mouth of the Trempealeau River where it meets the Mississippi. A mosaic of sandy prairies, bottomland forests and marshes support astounding numbers of waterfowl and other wildlife. It’s staggering to consider the acres upon acres of wetlands and uplands within its watershed.

Thinking on a watershed level helps to understand what’s happening in the wetland. Are there nutrient inputs upstream? Where is the water coming from and where is it going? These answers will help or hinder restoration efforts and can guide goals for the site.

The sun sets on Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

Not all wetland restorations will be great waterfowl habitat or result in a pristine native wetland. Some protect stream systems from activities in the surrounding uplands by capturing nutrients and improving the health of downstream wetlands. Some will create great hunting spots. Others provide a refuge for rare and imperiled plant and wildlife species.

WWA has a number of wetland restorations in the works with three out for bid this fall. These projects won’t look like the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge when all is said and done. Each project provides different benefits that reach far beyond the property boundaries. Ditch plugs at Meadow Valley Wildlife Area and Necedah National Wildlife Refuge will not only restore wetland acres and more productive waterfowl habitat, but also reduce impacts to downstream roads and infrastructure by increasing water storage capacity in these wetlands. A restoration in Waushara County will create a bit of habitat for wood ducks, support the native plant community, and restore sub-surface water flow from springs on the site, lowering the temperature of the water entering the stream and improving conditions for trout.

Thinking at a watershed level makes wetlands restoration and management feel a little less intimidating. Improving a part of the system improves the whole. By restoring wetland acres within the watershed, we’re improving the health of the many acres of wetlands and waterfowl habitat downstream, too. And that’s encouraging!

Your 2025 Wisconsin Duck Stamp

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The 2025 Wisconsin Duck Stamp

In late August, at the Waterfowl Hunters EXPO, next year’s duck stamp art was selected by a panel of judges.  This contest is run under the auspices of the DNR, and we are fortunate to add the selection to the EXPO’s list of activities..  Artist Jon Rickaby’s  swimming Wood Duck pair was chosen chosen to grace the stamp in 2025.  This is Jon’s third time to win the state duck stamp contest hosted for the past four year’s at the EXPO.    Jon is non-denominational when it comes to stamp art—he’s also won the pheasant stamp (twice!) and inland trout stamp.

The State Waterfowl Stamp program generates millions of dollars for habitat restoration that is important to waterfowl.  WWA received some funding every biennium for the public and private land restorations undertaken by our team of ecologists. Here’s an article we published five years ago that summarizes 35 years of WWA’s duck stamp funding accomplishments.