 | ||
 Fishing in the Neighborhood program reels in new anglers
MADISON – Smiles shared, fish caught, and new licenses bought are testimony to the growing success of a partnership to introduce fishing to Wisconsin’s growing number of Latino and Hmong youngsters, state fisheries officials say. “Our goals are to welcome new people into the community of anglers, to help them establish a relationship with the resource and adopt Wisconsin’s tradition of stewardship,” says Theresa Stabo, Department of Natural Resources aquatic resources education director. “We’re very excited that our Fishing in the Neighborhood program is growing and that partner groups are getting important recognition and funding to expand their local efforts.” Centro Hispano of Dane County, one of the partnering groups, recently received a $30,000 grant from the national Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (exit DNR) for its bilingual fishing club, Club de Pesca. Centro Hispano Executive Director Kent Craig says the organization is very excited about the national grant and the ongoing relationship with DNR and other program partners. “What we’re hoping is to see young people get more opportunity to spend time on water fishing and learning more science,” he says. “In addition to expanding the program, we’re hoping to develop a replicable, culturally competent curriculum for offering fishing clubs in Latino communities.” DNR has long trained volunteer instructors in how to start their own fishing clubs for youngsters and others new to fishing. In recent years, DNR has focused more attention on working with partners to help start fishing clubs within minority communities, as was successfully done at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee and the Boys & Girls Club in Madison. This year, DNR has provided angler education training to college interns and is paying them stipends to work with five different youth organizations that serve low-income people of color. Andrea “Tess” Arenas at the UW-Madison Office of Service Learning and Community Based Research recruited the interns and identified organizations willing to partner with the state and supervise the interns. Interns have been placed at five community centers: Centro Hispano of Dane County, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Urban League of Greater Madison, Hmong Assistance Association in La Crosse, and the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe in Odanah. DNR is providing fishing equipment for the interns to use with the youngsters. The interns recruit members for the clubs, instruct the youngsters in basic fishing techniques, set up fishing trips and bring in guest speakers to talk to the participants about aquatic resources topics. In addition to a stipend, they earn college credit for their work. DNR pays for the costs of the clubs through the Sport Fish Restoration money it receives from the federal government from an excise tax on the sale of fishing equipment. Madison South Rotary Foundation provided additional funding for the Madison groups. It’s welcome seed money, says Centro Hispano’s Craig. “We wouldn’t have a program without the DNR,” he says. “Getting the national RBFF grant shows it was a wise investment.” Stabo says that DNR’s Fishing in the Neighborhood initiative recognizes that Latino and Hmong immigrants represent the fast-growing segments of Wisconsin’s population. “We want club members and their families to see fishing as a good choice for weekend or after-school activities, once summer ends and everyone is back at school.” Club de Pesca shows how the program seeks to make fishing a good choice by tailoring it to a specific culture. “Having a program which is free, based at a known agency and run by bilingual staff makes fishing much more accessible to the Latino community,” says Jannet Arenas, the intern who is leading the Centro Hispano program. Organizations interested in learning more about how to start a fishing club for new anglers, including Latino and Hmong organizations can contact Theresa Stabo at 608-266-2272. Read more here: For more information:
|
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Other News S729
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Other News S728
Hunters called to protect state’s hunting heritage
 |
| Survey: hunter numbers dropping photo courtesy WDNR ©2012 |
That’s hunting in Wisconsin -- steeped in tradition and family values. There are hunting families and camps that have persisted for generations. Others, like ours, can only claim a decade or two of fun stories. If you only talk with hunting friends – in person or electronically – it’s easy to get the feeling there will always be as many hunters as there are today.
A look at statistics gives a different picture, however. The total number of hunters the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported to the federal government has declined from 770,000 in 2000 to about 704,000 in 2010. A recent demographic analysis published in Population and Environment predicts the number of resident male deer hunters will decline by more than 25 percent in the next 18 years. The figures predict an average decline of 1.6 percent per year with the drop off accelerating in the later years.
Moreover, DNR surveys reveal the number of small game hunters has declined by an average 2 percent per year for the past eleven years and attendance at Hunter Education courses has dropped by an average of 2 percent per year since 2000.
The evidence indicates we are at the beginning of a long, steady decline in number of hunters in Wisconsin. With more than 700,000 still hunting in the Badger State, should we respond now? Yes.
Yes, because we still have a lot of hunters. And, hunters are the only ones who will be able to ensure our future by mentoring new hunters. Further, there’s no successful model to follow for recruiting new hunters and hunter numbers are declining around the nation. We need time to learn what works for hunter recruitment in the 21st century.
Read more here:
For more information:
- Keith Warnke - (608) 576-5243
Get specific advice for specific waters online and with one search
 |
| New search feature debuts with updated 2012 fish consumption advice photo courtesy WDNR ©2012 |
“Fish are a part of a healthy diet and fun to catch. Fishing gets us outdoors. We wanted to make it easier for anglers to get the right advice quickly and without having to look at different charts in our booklet,” says Candy Schrank, the Department of Natural Resources toxicologist who coordinates fish consumption advice. “We hope people will use the query tool frequently to check advice for eating fish from their favorite fishing spot.”
The new query tool can be found by going to the DNR website dnr.wi.gov and searching for “Eat Your Catch.” Development of this tool was supported by the Department of Health Services’ Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant. The grant also supported creation of Hmong and Spanish versions of a two-minute video about Wisconsin's fish consumption advice.
Read more here:
For more information:
- Candy Schrank -(608) 267-7614
- Dr. Henry Anderson - (608) 266-1253
Friday, July 6, 2012
Other NewsS727
 | ||
Breeding waterfowl numbers “about average” in an unusual spring
“Overall, wetland numbers this spring were down but in Wisconsin our abundant permanent water contained in 15,000 lakes reduces the impact of dry conditions on the ducks,” said Kent Van Horn, Department of Natural Resources migratory waterfowl biologist. “Some areas have good wetland conditions while other areas are still very dry. But despite those dry conditions across important duck breeding areas in Wisconsin, this spring, the total breeding duck numbers in Wisconsin appear to be near the average of the last 10 years. 2012 should provide fair to good duck production across Wisconsin. Summer rains will be particularly important this year to maintain brood rearing habitat.” Wisconsin’s warm weather in March triggered an early duck migration and breeding activity among mallards and Canada geese. However, in April a return of cold temperatures stalled the breeding activity of blue-winged teal and the migration of other duck species through Wisconsin. As a result, the spring waterfowl survey was initiated earlier than normal on April 23 in order to have the best count of breeding mallards; blue-winged teal that were still in migration through the state were counted. Wisconsin had a dry, mild winter and entered a March where temperatures were 14 to 16 degrees above normal. Winter precipitation was 25 percent below normal which provided fewer temporary and seasonal wetlands when ducks arrived in Wisconsin this spring. However, rain did come in some northern and central state areas and the spring (March- May) rainfall was 15 percent above normal statewide, which filled seasonal wetlands in some regions. Variation from year to year in wetland conditions and breeding ducks is part of the natural cycle in the world of wetland wildlife. Wetlands need dry periods to maintain long-term productivity and ducks are able to adapt to changing wetland conditions among years and across the continent. Conservation dollars and efforts of waterfowl hunters over the decades have protected and managed wetland and upland habitats important to breeding ducks. Protection of these areas even in dry years provides the setting for good duck responses when the rainfall increases during wet years. Read more here: For more information:
| ||
 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)