Manitowoc County Fish & Game Protective Association held its annual meeting Jan. 30 at City Limits.

Main speaker was Valerie O’Connor of Glacierland from Green Bay, who gave a presentation on phragmites.

Other speakers giving short reports included area state senators and representatives; and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries and wildlife personnel, including investigative warden Bob Stroess, who shared information about the illegal species of marine critters coming into Wisconsin.

Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig also spoke and explained he will be trying to get body cameras in 2025.

A wake boat resolution was supported by a 17-0 margin by the clubs.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Bill Peroutka was given a Life Membership Award; Dean Halverson a Thank You Award for his work within Fish & Game, including the new Fish & Game website; and $50,000 from banquet proceeds was turned over to support county projects in the coming year.

Deer bins were filled again this year, and the group was happy to keep those bones off the landscape to help curb the spread of CWD in the county.

Election of officers for 2025 was held: Dan Dufek will be president, Dan Becker vice president, Roger Vander Logt secretary and Randy Peters treasurer.

Read last week’s column:Public meeting on CWD, Outdoorsmen Expo & more: Your latest Manitowoc outdoors report

Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game’s next meeting is Feb. 12

Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at Lincoln Park Cabin No. 1.

Meetings are now back at Lincoln Park for all monthly meetings until late fall 2025.

Members and the public are welcome at the meetings, which feature a speaker, short business meeting, and lunch and refreshments.

The speaker for this meeting will be Jim Medley from WOMT radio. He will update the group on activities in the community and at Seehafer Broadcasting. Seehafer Digital recently partnered with Manitowoc County Fish & Game on the design and development of its new website, mantyfg.com.

It was noted that members of the Manitowoc Unit will help man a booth at the upcoming Country Visions Outdoorsmen Expo coming up Feb. 8 at the County Expo grounds. The show is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Maribel club’s rummage sale & chicken booyah is Feb. 15

Maribel Sportsman’s Club will hold its 17th annual Sportsmen’s Rummage Sale and chicken booyah from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Feb. 15.

Buy, sell or trade shooting, archery, fishing and hunting gear, and vintage collectibles.

Food, which includes chicken booyah (a traditional Wisconsin soup), will be available from 10 a.m. until it’s gone, whether eating in or carrying out.

Chicken booyah can also be pre-ordered by the gallon by contacting Carl Bonde at 920-973-4151 or emailing [email protected].

More than 50 vendor tables will be featured at the event and admission is free to the public. Anyone with questions or who would like to check on table availability can contact Shawn Seefeldt at 920-323-9412 or [email protected].

Related:Lawmakers reverse DNR rule that banned guns for anglers in Wisconsin

Gun Club’s cosmic shoot moved to Feb. 13

Manitowoc Gun Club’s cosmic shoot, which was scheduled for Feb. 8, has been moved to Feb. 13 because of weather.

The event is by reservation only per time slot, starting around 6 p.m. and going until around 9 p.m. Cost is $30 per person for 50 targets and the Lewis purse. The event is limited to 120 shooters.

For more details, call Greg at 920-323-6764. Manitowoc Gun Club is just south of Manitowoc at 3112 Clover Road.

Glacial Lakes Conservancy seeks water action volunteers

Glacial Lakes Conservancy is seeking water action volunteers.

Volunteers will work the water quality monitoring season, which runs May through October with data collection just one Saturday a month.

Unsure whether this opportunity is for you? GLC posed the following:

• Are you interested in the quality of the waters at Willow Creek Preserve or the Sheboygan River tributary waters?
• Want to see some cool critters in the sediment of WCP’s streams?
• Want to become a citizen scientist?
• Don’t know what a transparency tube is but curious about learning?
• Want to see some incredible chemical reactions?
• Want to help collect data that GLC will use for essential decisions at WCP?
• Are you curious how a tennis ball can be used to determine streamflow?
• Do you want your name mentioned in a Water Quality Report Card for others to see?

If you answered yes to any of those questions and aren’t afraid to put on waders or muck boots and get in the water, GLC said this opportunity could be for you.

GLC noted there are more benefits as well. According to a recent review article, exposure to nature improves physical activity, brain activity, mental health, blood pressure, sleep, cognitive abilities and cardiovascular health.

The opportunity is for anyone 10 or older.

GLC will host a training session at 10 a.m. April 19 at Willow Creek Preserve. The training will encompass walking attendees through stream etiquette, using monitoring tools properly, using guides to assess aquatic life in the waterways and recording data. RSVP by April 5 by emailing Ashley at [email protected].

That’s it for this week, so have fun in the great outdoors.