SWTU, P.O. Box 45555, Madison, WI 53744-5555 president@swtu.org

A Big Day on Big Spring: Stream Team Report 1

By Topf Wells

The DNR firm of Justin, Lloyd & Jarret convened with the Nohr Chapter and SWTU to begin the ecological transformation of Big Spring from the bridge at the big spring to the one at Pine Tree Rd. Currently much of the creek corridor and surrounding land is saturated with willows, making accessing or fishing the creek difficult and issuing a standing invitation to beavers to take up residence. The most prominent feature of that land should be an oak savanna. Read More

A Darn Near Perfect Workday: Stream Team Report 2

By Topf Wells

SWTU members and allies worked together clearing and brush bundling along Hefty Creek. The creek’s brown trout and anglers will be happy with the result. Read More

Dane County Offering Women’s Chainsaw Workshops

For the first time, Dane County is offering Women’s Chainsaw Workshops in November and December 2023. They will be hosting 3 rounds of 2-day courses for level 1 & 2 certifications. This course is free of charge and open to women and gender minorities of all experience levels. Completing a course like this is required of all sawyers at our workdays. Learn more and register.

Finance Committee Seeks Members

By Marty Chiaro, Treasurer

We are seeking volunteers to serve on SWTU’s Finance Committee. Some of the primary functions of the Finance Committee include:

  • Serve as a financial sounding board for the Treasurer and Board of Directors.
  • Review the annual operating budget and provide a recommendation on the budget to the BOD.
  • Review the annual Operating Report submitted to TU National.
  • Review the annual tax return and prepare a recommendation to the BOD.
  • Provide feedback on various financial analyses prepared to support major Chapter operational or financial initiatives.

Read More

You can help! Short-term Volunteer Opportunities

VolunteerYour chapter needs volunteers to join the fundraising event team, without which we may not be able to host another fun and social event in the Spring of 2024.

Also, your board wants to improve the chapter’s communication skills. To achieve this, we are forming a communications team which needs your help to expand reach and impact.

Both teams have a short window of commitment.

Contact John Freeborg at john-tu@freeborg.com or 608-695-8544 to learn more.

Dark Spanish Needle

Dark Spanish Needle

Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”

by Rusty Dunn

Stoneflies are sometimes the forgotten insects of a trout stream. Their numbers rarely exceed those of mayflies or caddisflies, but stoneflies hatch steadily throughout the season. They are at times one of few food sources available to trout. Brief hatches of large stoneflies, such as salmonflies and golden stones, are legendary on western rivers, but day-in and day-out, small-bodied stoneflies provide a dependable diet for trout. Common names of the smaller species include Snowflies, Willowflies, Roachflies, Sallflies, and Nee­dleflies. In Wisconsin, small early-season black or brown stoneflies are fre­quently seen crawling on snow­banks in late winter. Read More

Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To – November 2023

Minutes from SWTU Board of Director meetings can be viewed in this Google Drive. If you have questions on what you read in them, reach out to one of the Board members listed on the last page of each newsletter. (Note that you may need to click the “Last Modified” header at the top to sort the list with the latest minutes at the top.)

 

Porknoy Easement: Finalized and Ready to Fish Next Season

The Pokorny easement has been finalized and will be open for fishing at the start of the next season. This is a lovely easement on the upper part of Sawmill Creek (Class 2 trout stream in the NW corner of Green County) and the site of a great work day this past spring. It’s one of the easements that resulted from the DNR/Pecatonica Pride/SWTU outreach in this area. Thanks to the Pokornys, Pec Pride – especially April Prussia, Steve Fabos and Marci Hess – and the great DNR team, especially Dan Oele, who worked long, hard, and patiently on this easement.

New Members – November 2023

We’re pleased to announce the addition of the following new members to our ranks! Read More