Dane County Conservation League

DCCL NEWS FOR OCTOBER  

 

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The October membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 24 at 7p.m. at Schwoegler’s Park Town Lanes in Madison. Emily Lehl, DNR R3 Supervisor, will give a presentation on the Department’s Hunting and Shooting Sports Programs.  She will discuss the program’s background and its current initiatives.  R3 stands for Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation.  

 

 

THE DCCL AND ED BROST CELEBRATE 90 YEARS TOGETHER

 

Ed Brost, one of the League’s most popular and active members, is the same age as the DCCL.  His first memory of League involvement was helping to clean the pheasant brooders in 1942.  The pens were located near the county farm on the east side of Verona where a county housing facility still exists. At the time, the farm had a large garden and the pheasant droppings were used to fertilize the garden.  Ed also remembers that a large group home that housed older residents burned to the ground but everyone escaped unharmed.  

 

Ed is also one of the few people who remember hunting prairie chickens on land in Wood and Portage Counties before the land was preserved as it still is today.   He recalls shooting several birds as late as 1954.  Ed firmly believes that the League’s involvement in saving the prairie chicken habitat was a good move and possibly the most important achievement in League history. He said that much of the credit for purchasing the lands goes to Paul Olson who was a main force at the time regarding the land acquisitions. It should be noted that Ed, along with Jerry Paffenroth and Ed Fuss, worked tirelessly in more recent years to get much of the DCCL land enrolled in the USDA’s Grassland Reserve Program which provides much of the funding for current League projects.  

 

When asked what he would like to see the League do in the future, Ed replied that assisting with purchasing land when possible should be a top priority. In addition, he feels that enrolling new, younger members is important.

 

 From the League’s standpoint, having older members like Ed is equally important.  Thanks, Ed, for all you have done for the DCCL as a member, board member and past president.

 

 

PHEASANT FARM CLOSES FOR THE YEAR

 

The farm is closed and it was a challenging year but the results were not bad. Late winter storms caused considerable damage to our pens.  Fortunately, many hard-working members stepped up and did the necessary repairs in time for the birds to use them. Nearly 900 birds were distributed to both members who qualified with work hours and to others who purchased birds.  Sales totaled nearly $2,700.  We donated 55 roosters to the Dane County Chapter of Pheasants Forever to use in their Learn-To-Hunt Day for youngsters and others new to hunting.  In exchange, the PF members assist with work at the farm. Also, a few birds were released on public land.  

 

 

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

 

1. Membership meeting on October 24, 7p.m. at Schwoegler’s Lanes, Madison.

 

2. Combination Board meeting and membership meeting on Tuesday, November 21, 7p.m. at    Schwoegler’s Lanes, Madison.  (Note: this is the 3^rd Tuesday in November.)

 

3.  Board meeting on Tuesday, December 19, 7p.m. at Schwoegler’s Lanes, Madison.

 

4. 2024 DCCL Annual Meeting, Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 7p.m. at Schwoegler’s Lanes, Madison.

 

 

 

 

Link to  printable renewal letter

 

Conserve Now That the Future May Live.......