If you enjoy low-cost fun, the state is offering some old-fashioned outdoor fun this weekend for the low, low price of free.
I have a hard time getting too excited about a free fishing weekend because a fishing license is still dirt cheap anyway, and my “fishing privilege” comes with my patron license. For the once-a-summer angler who perhaps wants to take a grandchild fishing or a parent who wants to try something new with a child or neighbor kid who needs a friend, it’s a pretty good deal.
Both residents and non-residents can fish in Wisconsin waters without a license today and Sunday during Free Fishing Weekend. The Department of Natural Resources sweetens the pot by allowing you to fish for inland and Great Lakes trout and salmon without the usually required trout stamp.
If free stuff really gets you excited, the state then takes it to a whole ‘notha level with Free Fun Weekend, which is Saturday and Sunday. You don’t need any state park admission passes or trail passes, either! Think of the money you are going to save.
If you don’t have any fishing equipment or know very little about fishing, don’t worry. Hartman Creek State Park’s Allen Lake Fishing Pier near Waupaca has loaner fishing gear, expert instruction and even free bait from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (today) for all ages. You can even design your own fishing T-shirt.
The morel mushrooms have been popping in Waupaca and Shawano counties for about a week now and although they are a bit later this year than normal, you might try a morel-hunting hike in a state park, or combine it with a fishing trip. Family fun will only cost you a few gallons of gas and maybe lunch this weekend. You can also do some ATV/UTV riding on state trails without a trail pass, making the adventure even more fun.
I’ve been seeing more and more turtles along the roads I travel near a backwater of the Wolf River. My daughter, Kalispell, loves turtles and wants to take every one she finds home for at least a few days. Try to resist doing that. It doesn’t help that our backyard is an annual nesting area for multiple painted turtles. We’ve already seen at least three mama turtles laying eggs, then neatly covering them with sand before wandering off.
We’ve also seen a couple killed by cars, which is always unfortunate. I understand that baby painted or snapping turtles are hard to see when driving, but there’s really no excuse for driving over an adult turtle. If you can’t see a dinner plate-sized, slow-moving creature moving across the road, you shouldn’t be driving. A big snapper has the potential to put your car in the ditch — or worse.
The death of just a few adult turtles can impact turtle numbers in that area, according to state biologists.
The DNR is trying to reduce the number of turtle deaths on roadways and also monitor the sightings of rare turtle species with help from the public.
Waukesha County residents convinced the county highway department to create special turtle crossing stencils to make road signs marking the areas where our hard-shelled friends are often seen. The DNR also asks for citizens everywhere to report turtle sightings and turtle crossings, in part to help state-threatened wood turtles and Blanding’s turtle, a protected species with low numbers in Wisconsin.
Since the Turtle Conservation Program began in 2012, more than 1,300 citizens have reported 3,000 turtle sightings and identified more than 1,300 turtle crossing hotspots. Those sites include nearly 40 crossings with high numbers of vehicle-killed turtles.
Andrew Badje, who coordinates the program, said vehicle mortality is a major factor in reduced turtle populations, especially since some like the wood and Blanding’s turtles may take 12 to 20 years to reach reproductive age.
Go to this site to report a turtle sighting or crossing hotspot: http://wiatri.net/inventory/witurtles.