The Lakeshore Chapter of Trout Unlimited is an all-volunteer organization that was founded in 1983 and serves the cold water fisheries of Kewanee, Calumet, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties. With 180+ members, the LSTU organization has a rich history and is an active leader in the conservation community creating and caring for multi-use resource areas for future generations.
Chapter News:
LSTU held two habitat improvement workdays in August. We had eight people attend on August 6th and ten folks attend on August 13th. Our total volunteer hours for the month was about 80 hours. Great work!! Our focus for the August work days was primarily improvement of about 30 existing bank covers upstream from County E. We replaced cap rocks that had fallen into the river, removed sediment and debris from under the structures and generally prepared the structures for extensive rehabilitation in 2023. We also removed fallen trees from the river, removed the resulting logjams and cleared some of the trails along the stream banks. We are working hard to keep up with the impact that the ash borer damage is having on the river. Free flow of water is a critical factor to the health of any cold water resource. For the past 20+ years LSTU has invested huge amounts of money and manpower into increasing flow rates and improving habitat in the Onion River. We are also in the process of obtaining a permit to perform significant repairs to more than 32 existing bank structures that the elements and time are negatively impacting. These structures are the original work done by LSTU and the DNR in the late 90's that made the Onion the gem it is today. In order for us to maintain the benefits of all of our past work and investment, we must do our best to keep up with both the onslaught of the ash borer and the effects of time on our prior work. We are the only ones who will do this work. We need help of all kinds. If you have questions or would like more information please call me, Al Wortz at 920 889 1503 or email me at alwortz@gmail.com
September 10th: Habitat Improvement Workday: We had a hard working crew of nine folks join us this beautiful Saturday. The focus of our work was removing the many fallen ash trees on Ben Nutt Creek, one of the two tributaries that forms the Onion River. We began our work here last fall doing extensive brushing, bank stabilization and deadfall removal upstream from the confluence. Our permit allows us two more years of work on this stream. Since we have been working elsewhere since last fall, we had to catch up on deadfall removal this day so we can work on bank stabilization in upcoming workdays.
Upcoming Events:
September 20th: Member Meeting - Fall is here and member meetings are back on the calendar. We have a great guest speaker lined up to start the year. He is Dr. Bryan Maitland. Dr. Maitland will present results of his recently completed research on climate change and trout populations in Wisconsin.
Presentation: Climate change, extreme seasonal weather, and trout populations in Wisconsin streams
Description of presentation:Climate change and extreme weather can alter flow regimes that coldwater animals are adapted to, in turn affecting recruitment dynamics and long-term population resilience. However, the relative influence of extreme seasonal weather on trout populations is unknown across broad spatial scales. In this talk, I will present results of analyses that use 25 years of standardized survey data on brook and brown trout populations across Wisconsin to quantify the effects of extreme seasonal air temperature and precipitation on annual recruitment strength (young-of-year summer abundance). I will discuss results in the context of Driftless Area streams and how anticipated warming and increased flood frequency in the region will have the potential to exert strong and differential effects on brook and brown trout populations. Finally, I’ll discuss management actions that can maximize resiliency of populations in response to extreme weather.
Short bio: Dr. Bryan Maitland is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Limnology at UW-Madison. He is a quantitative ecologist who uses theory and statistical tools to understand nature, then applies that knowledge to guide conservation and policy. He has worked to test the effects of climate warming and extreme weather events on stream trout across Wisconsin. In his current role he is researching the structure and dynamics of Lake Michigan aquatic food webs. He has a passion for the outdoors and being near water, and is usually stream-side with a fishing pole or a book.
September 24th: Boy Scout Fish-O-Ree - Volunteers needed! We've been asked to share our knowledge and love of fishing with a bunch of young people who are eager to learn. The Boy Scouts have asked for our help with coaching up to 80 Scouts at their Fish-o-ree on September 24th at Plymouth Springs Trout Farm. The Scouts will be there to earn their fly fishing merit badge. The adult scout leaders will be there to organize the event. Our role and opportunity is to share our knowledge and enthusiasm with the kids.
We will lead five "learning stations" that the Scouts will rotate through on their path to earning the Fly Fishing Merit Badge. Those stations are: Fly fishing equipment, fly casting, fly types and uses, knot tying and catch a fish. The day is from 7:30 to 4:30 with a break for lunch. We have five volunteers signed up but could really use five more given the length of the day.
We will be teaching kids skills but more importantly we will share our love of fishing, have lots of fun and help the kids have a great experience that could last a lifetime. I hope that you can join me on Saturday September 24th for this fun and important event. Call Al @ 920 889 1503 if you can help out.
Upcoming Events:
September 10th: Chapter Work Day - 8:00 AM - Winooski Dr. Lot, 1/2 mi east of Cnty E, Plymouth, WI
September 20th: Chapter Meeting - 7:00 PM at Camp Y-koda 3340 Sunset Rd, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085
September 24th: Boy Scout Fish-O-Ree - 7:30 AM - Plymouth Springs Trout Farm - W6623 Co Rd Z, Plymouth, WI 53073
October 8th: Chapter Workday - 8:00 AM - Winooski Dr. Lot 1/2 mi east of County E, Plymouth, WI
If you have any questions or are interested in joining us please contact Al Wortz at 920 889 1503
We appreciate all of our sponsors with special recognition to Aventuron for their continuing support and Camp Y Koda for the use of their facilities.
January 18th, 2022 Chapter Meeting: Anton Pohl from Aventuron was our special guest. At the meeting, Anton presented our Chapter with an amazing donation of $7396.76 from Carl and Kathryn Martens, owners of Aventuron. Carl and Kathryn made a pledge to donate 10% of all of their sales on "Giving Tuesday" to LSTU. Frankly the total amount is stunning in its generosity and it will have a long term positive impact on our Chapter. The spirit of giving back and improving our community and our environment is exemplary! We are incredibly grateful to Aventuron and encourage you to support their business at every opportunity!
Please remember to patronize Aventuron for all your fly fishing and sporting lifestyle needs! You can find them at www.aventuron.com.
LSTU Officers and Board Members:
Here are the leaders of Lakeshore Trout Unlimited:
President: Al Wortz
Vice President: Miles Thompson
Treasurer: Herb Twiss
Secretary: Jeff Yax
Board Member: Chris Clough
Board Member: Larry Doebert
Board Member: Wendy Lutzke
Past President: Myk Hranicka
If you have any questions or are interested in joining us please contact Al Wortz at 920 889 1503
Monthly MeetingsThe chapter meets every third Tuesday of the month at Camp YKoda in Sheboygan Falls. We encourage anyone in the area who might have interest in joining to stop by and check us out! |
Work DaysThe chapter meets every second Saturday of the month, weather permitting, for stream brushing, river improvements or any other special projects. |
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