Scoping The Great Outdoors By Bob Schuh

By Bob Schuh

Thank you again to everyone associated with the Manitowoc County Lakes Association for the generous $1,000 donation—we truly appreciate your support and enthusiasm for this project. The “Land & Water Connect Us” Mobile Learning Lab is designed as a traveling, hands-on education experience that connects people to the relationship between land, water, and agriculture in Manitowoc County. The trailer will be used at schools, community events, the County Fair, Breakfast on the Farm, and all conservation-focused outreach efforts to engage residents of all ages. In addition to the large-scale educational trailer wrap, the lab will include interactive equipment such as soil health kits, water quality monitoring tools, watershed models, and eventually a virtual reality farm experience that allows participants to see conservation practices in action. Your donation will directly support both the completion of the trailer wrap and the purchase of hands-on field equipment, including waders, nets, and water quality monitoring tools for education and AIS. These resources will allow participants to actively explore local waterways and better understand aquatic ecosystems, habitat, and conservation practices. We’re excited to incorporate these tools into programming and appreciate MCLA’s role in helping make this a more interactive and impactful experience for our community. (Caption for photo by VL Outdoor Media LLC) Manitowoc County Lakes Association held their meeting on Thursday, April 23. From left to right is Jerry Corfman, President of the Manitowoc County Lakes Association presenting a $1,000 check to David Wetenkamp of the Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department for a trailer that will be used to educate the public.

(Caption for photo provided by FOBR) Friends of the Branch River wants to extend thanks to all who braved the chilly and windy Saturday to conquer the bridge crossings! You are all so appreciated in doing this simple act of kindness towards our local environment! Thank you to Eliza for getting cookies for us to enjoy afterwards as well. Al Klingeisen took the garbage to the landfill and Eric Hill, Ridgeview waste management operations manager, weighed it in at 80 pounds. We would like to thank Eric and his family for coming out and helping us with the clean up. Eric also waived the cost to dispose of the garbage collected, which we really appreciate.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) announced the 2026 Spring Hearing questions and results are now available. More than 6,800 people responded to the 2026 Spring Hearing questionnaire either in person April 13 or online April 13-15. The results and questions are now available on the DNR’s Spring Hearing and Public Input Opportunity webpage. “The Conservation Congress is proud to offer this opportunity for the public to share their ideas on how to responsibly manage Wisconsin’s natural resources for present and future generations,” said Rob Bohmann, WCC chair. “This year, we saw a variety of ideas presented as citizen resolutions from members of the public as well as considerable participation and feedback on the advisory questions presented both in-person and online.” “It is wonderful to see the public invested in this important process and it tells us how much they value resource management in Wisconsin,” added Bohmann. The annual Spring Hearing is an opportunity for the public to provide input on a wide array of natural resources-related advisory questions presented by the DNR and the WCC. It also gives Wisconsinites the opportunity to provide input on resolutions that members of the public submitted. Public input received through this process is advisory to Natural Resources Board members, DNR staff and anyone working on these issues. Results from the public input will be considered by the Conservation Congress at their annual convention in May and will be forwarded to the DNR and Natural Resources Board in June.

Mark Your Calendar for Something FUN! Nothing like a good old fashion MEAT RAFFLE, especially when it is for a GREAT CAUSE! The Manitowoc Unit of Fish and Game is holding its Hog Wild Meat Raffle on Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at Tapped on the Lakeshore. This is going to be a fun event and not your typical meat raffle. Learn about the special language of meat raffles, including a new twist called Pig-e-Modium. There will be other drawings and festivities culminated by our special raffle drawing for half a hog. It has also been announced that the Cousin’s Maine Lobster Food Truck will be present at the event, offering a variety of lobster items. This has been highly popular when it comes to our area. All tickets will be available at the event. Mark your calendar and join us. The Future of Our Local Assets Depends on ALL OF US!

Reedsville Sportsman’s Club will start summer league trap on Wednesday, May 20. This is a handicapped league so for more information, call Gerald Fischer at (920) 901-3907.

Westshore Sportsman’s club is offering a $500 scholarship. To be eligible, you must be a member, a child of a member, or a grandchild of a member of the Westshore Sportsman’s Club and has completed your 2nd year of college by June 30. Applications can be obtained by contacting Mike Casebeer at (920) 553-1255 or download from our website at www.westshoresportsmansclub.org. Applications must be returned or postmarked by June 30th. That’s it for this week so have fun in the great outdoors.