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Agencies, landowners meet to discuss eradication of wild hogs

The ongoing feral hog issue in Crawford County came up again at a meeting in the Gays Mills Community Building Saturday morning. Approximately 20 people attended, along with United States Department of Agriculture, Wisconsin DNR and Wisconsin DATCP personnel.

The main thrust of the meeting centered upon eradicating, or at least controlling, the wild hog population in Crawford County.

DNR wildlife biologist Dave Matheys said that aerial surveys are planned for the near future in order to pinpoint the location of groups of wild hogs so that hunters can then be sent in to gun down the critters. USDA wildlife disease biologist Barbara Bodenstein will continue to set up traps in an effort to further reduce the hog population.

"It's a slow process," said Matheys regarding eradication efforts. "But, hopefully, through a combination of targeted hunting and trapping we will get rid of the problem." The few traps that have been deployed so far haven't been successful. Hogs are relatively smart and so far they have eaten bait outside of the traps but haven't gone after the bait on the inside. The traps are about five feet high, and approximately six feet wide and eight feet deep.

"Hunting alone won't do it," said Matheys, who remained optimistic about trapping efforts. More traps will be baited and set in the upcoming months and Matheys said that areas of land are needed exclusively for trapping. Hunting activity near the traps tends to scare off the wary hogs, he said.

Trapping has been successful in other parts of the United States. Crawford County farmers are eager to cooperate because wild hogs feed on crops such as corn, hay and wheat to name a few. They are also efficient predators and will prey upon young livestock and other small animals. They consume animal feed, minerals and protein supplements. The rooting of wild hogs causes serious erosion to river banks and areas along streams. Several farmers in the Bell Center, Gays Mills area have lost first plantings of corn crops and had to replant.

Matheys estimated that there are 35-70 wild hogs in Crawford County. As far as anyone knows, the hogs remain concentrated in the Gays Mills, Bell Center area.

"Crawford County has the only self-sustaining, reproducing wild hog population in the state," said Matheys, who noted that the hogs are true wild hogs and are not domestic escapees. "They have drawn a tremendous amount of outside interest," he said. Numerous hunters continue to call Matheys about the possibility of hunting the critters. There is no hunting season for wild hogs. They can be hunted year ïround, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Wild hogs are nocturnal and can be hard to find, however. When it was suggested that dogs could be used to help in the hunting of hogs, one area farmer said, "Dogs are very good at finding hogs and hogs are very good at killing dogs."

"We now have multiple agencies working in cooperation to try to eliminate the problem and we continue to communicate with landowners about eradication efforts," Matheys said. He said that if anyone sees a wild hog, they should make particular note of where they are (address, fire number etc.) and to contact the DNR as soon as possible.

In addition to eradication efforts, the USDA and DATCP are also concerned about swine brucellosis. Wisconsin currently has "brucellosis free status" and officials as well as farmers would like to keep it that way. If Wisconsin were to lose its brucellosis free status, farmers would have to have each hog tested before shipping it out of state. Currently, no testing is required. It has been estimated that it would cost a farmer $10 per hog to have them tested. Brucellosis has been reported in wild hog populations in at least 14 states. It has not been reported in Wisconsin. Brucellosis can infect cattle, cats, dogs and people.

Pseudorabies is another disease of concern. Pseudorabies is not related to rabies and does not affect people. It is of great economic importance to the domestic swine industry, however. Pseudorabies has not been detected in Wisconsin. Swine brucellosis and pseudorabies have been eliminated from the U.S. commercial-production swine herds.

Eagles' Heart and Cancer Telethon hits $500,000 mark

The money raised at the 33rd annual Prairie du Chien Eagles Heart and Cancer telethon put the collective telethon total at over $500,000, said spokesperson Tom Nelson.

The telethon, held Jan. 26 at Bluff View School, with concurrent activities at the Eagles Club, brought in a total of $36,476.

In summing up the evening, Nelson said, "There was a tremendous array of talent that performed along with a real cross section of wonderful auction items. We want to thank all the people that were involved in making this community project such a great success."

Volunteer groups who handled the telephone during the evening included the Women's Civic Club, Blackhawk Junction, Wal-Mart, Peoples State Bank, Jim Bittner Hour, Chamber of Commerce and Prairie du Chien Student Council.

Sponsor groups, which each donated $500 for the privilege, were MPC, Blackhawk Junction, Wal-Mart, People's State Bank, Prairie du Chien teachers, and Prairie Beer. The sponsor for the final hour was listed as "all who donated."

Wendy and Charlie Vanderbilt received the Danny Ruehlow Award, presented by Don Ruehlow in memory of Danny, who died of leukemia in 2000. The award is given to individuals who have been caring people in the community. The Vanderbilts are the first husband-wife combination to receive this award.

Among the many highlights of the telethon were:

´The activities at the Eagles Club brought in over $6,000. Their in-house raffle of a Brett Favre helmet and $1,000 raised about $3,500.

´Tom Stram sold two Papa Murphy pizzas for $185 and delivered them.

´Blackhawk Junction put together an auction package for their hour of sponsorship and brought in over $400.

´Prairie du Chien wrestlers did Push Ups for Pennies, bringing in a check for $1,500.

´The Girl Scouts, who opened the show with the Pledge of Allegiance, also donated a hand-made quilt for raffle. Girl Scout Brooke Boone won the raffle and donated it back to the telethon, where it earned another $50 at auction.

´The Ding-A-Lings, made up of Eagles auxiliary members, performed during the telethon, as they for have for every single telethon in the past.

Highway 18 bridge will remain open

The the Highway 18 Father Marquette Bridge which spans the river between Prairie du Chien and Iowa will remain open to traffic..

William Schirm, project manager for the bridge repairs, said the Department of Transportation (DOT) has no plans to close the bridge. Schirm said the DOT has received numerous inquiries, but the rumor that it will close for a month is just that„a rumor.

Closing the bridge would create major traffic problems, he said, since the closest bridge able to handle the volume of traffic is in La Crosse. Furthermore, he said the project is on schedule and should be completed by October, 2008 as planned.

Crawford County Fair photos sought

A photo of a race of pacers at the Crawford County Fair (in the late 50's) is part of the Permanent Collection of the State of Wisconsin Historical Society. It was purchased for inclusion, in 1959, by the U.S. Information Agency publications, primarily for overseas use. Crawford County Fair goers are asked lend their fair photos for use in the 150-year anniversary celebration of the fair. Anyone who has photos which could be copied or scanned for display is asked to send them or drop them off at the UW Extension Office, Attn: Fair Photos, 225 N. Beaumont Rod., Suite 240, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821. When sending or dropping off photos please include return mailing address on the back of each photo

New rules may affect PdC fishing tournaments

Fishing tournament organizers will have to buy permits beginning in 2009 under rules approved Jan. 23 by state wildlife officials. The rules will probably be adopted by the state legislature, and if so, will be in effect beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

There are 35-40 fishing tournaments each year in the Prairie du Chien area and these tournaments will be affected by the permits and the new rules. Permits will cost between $25 and $200 depending upon a tournament's size, format, location and prizes. The permits also limit the number of boats allowed in a tournament and require organizers to inform participants about Wisconsin's aquatic invasive species regulations.

Tournament organizers currently get permits for free and some anglers fear that the organizers will increase entry fees in order to offset the cost of the permits.

"I believe that the new rules will help us to manage tournaments and reduce congestion at boat landings," said DNR Fisheries Biologist Patrick Short of Prairie du Chien.

Short noted that the rules are designed to help protect the natural resources. The new rules will no longer allow "overland" weigh-ins, whereby tournaments are held at a boat landing and then the fish are brought ashore and transported to another location, sometimes miles away, to be weighed in before being released.

Short said that the longer the fish are in live wells and the more they are handled, the more their stress levels go up. "Higher stress levels reduce their ability to fight off a virus, such as largemouth bass virus," he said. Having the weigh-in at or near the boat landing will also help to deter the spread of the lethal VHS virus, said Short.

Short said that the tournament season in the Prairie du Chien area usually runs from late April to late October. Most of the tournaments are bass tournaments, while about a dozen are for walleyes.

Tournament organizers will have to buy a permit:

*If the tournament has 20 or more boats.

*If it has 100 or more participants.

*If it targets trout on classified trout streams.

*If it is a catch-hold-release format with offsite weigh-in.

*If it offers prizes of $10,000 or more.

The new rules will also allow the DNR to impose a three-fish bag limit on tournaments whenever conditions warrant. A recreational fisherman can take five bass or walleye per day.

Mike Staggs, the director of the DNR's fisheries bureau, said that a three-fish bag limit would reduce fish die-offs that the DNR believes occur when fish are released in warm waters. The new system is designed to combat crowding at landings and on bodies of water, reduce overfishing and cut down on die-offs in catch and release tournaments, said Staggs. DNR research shows that tournaments don't cause any long-term harm to fish populations, but significant numbers of fish have died in tournaments, Staggs said.

Under the new rules, tournament organizers would also need a plan to dispose of dead fish. The DNR would be able to impose any requirements on participants to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, including equipment disinfection.

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, which sets policy for the DNR, adopted the new rules on a unanimous voice vote after a two-hour hearing Jan. 23.

Patrick Short said that the majority of the tournaments in Prairie du Chien have 20 boats or more but very few have more than 50 boats. Some have less than 20 boats. He said that the State Resource's Board received input from numerous and various "stakeholders" in helping to develop the new rules. He also said that, hopefully, the new rules will help to alleviate any potential conflicts between tournament anglers and local recreational anglers.

"We don't have a problem with the three-fish bag limit or the new rules, unless they become too restrictive," said Prairie du Chien resident Tom Bowler, the president of the Iowa BASS Federation Nation. Bowler, who organizes two tournaments per year in Prairie du Chien, said that he is in favor of "whatever is best for the resource."

"We have a really good relationship with the Wisconsin and Iowa DNR's," Bowler said. "And we would like to keep that."

Bowler noted that he organizes one tournament in May and another in September. Both tournaments are non-profit. "We don't do it for the money," he said.

Bowler noted that his tournaments determine who qualifies as a team or as an individual for other tournaments throughout the nation. In the past, some participants have gone all the way to the BASS Masters Classic. Bowler said that the vast majority of the anglers in his tournaments are "regular working guys, weekend warriors."

"Our tournaments have a huge economic impact," said Bowler. "We generate $100,000 in hard cash that weekend." It has been estimated that there are 400 tournaments in the state of Wisconsin annually, many of which bring in 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars to those communities.

Bowler said that if some tournament organizers were to feel that permit fees are becoming too high or if rules become too restrictive, some tournaments may simply relocate across the river.

Mike Hoffman, the president of the Wisconsin Bass Federation, said that he hopes that the rules are not approved by the state legislature and that they don't go into effect.

Permit fees would go towards paying for the permit program's administration, which is estimated at $33,000 per year.

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota regulate tournaments with permits that impose rules.

City needs to build for future generations

"The past four years have been really a learning experience. I've enjoyed being mayor and meeting people. I think I can still have an impact on Prairie du Chien. It's a community that I love, and in one way or another will continue serving," said incumbent Mayor Cheryl Mader, who is seeking election for a third term this April.

Mader feels there are four issues of major importance for the city of Prairie du Chien: increasing the tax base, maintaining the level of services in the community, assuring accountability and leaving a legacy for the future.

In the last few years, she said, with projects that are already completed or are in progress, more than 135 new jobs have been created and almost $28 million has been added to the tax base. "We're becoming more and more successful at finding businesses that require a high skill level and provide a salary and benefits that people can raise a family on," she said, "and in the next weeks and months there will be announcements of more businesses that want to be in the community." Mader said she believes this is the result of a team that works well together, but added that the mayor has to be able to work with many different groups of people to make this happen.

Maintaining a high level of services is also a priority. Everybody, Mader said, wants streets plowed, good public safety, parks that look good and all the other things they have come to expect of the city. Given the restrictions placed on the city by state government, she explained, the tax challenge is to be able to maintain those services given rising fuel costs for police, fire and street department vehicles, and increased health care costs for employees. "The issue is not cutting taxes," she stated, "it's how can we hold on to our services with the little we generate. We have to work on trying to increase the quality of service while decreasing the costs of that service." Mader said she believes the city has been a leader in trying to do that. Three years ago, she said, the city remodeled the water treatment plant. Because of that remodeling and using the energy more efficiently, the result was almost $15,000 in energy savings in 2007. "We need to continue that kind of emphasis," she said.

Accountability is a third issue. This affects all areas where Prairie du Chien tax dollars are spent. Mader said department heads are expected to come in under budget in 2008. "They need to find ways to provide service for less money, whether it's better use of personnel, cheaper vendors or savings on utilities."

The state's limitation on the city's ability to generate revenues has resulted in using some of the reserve monies, Mader said, and the city needs to increase those reserves. The city needs to be prepared, she warned, for any downturns in the economy that might affect the city. "We need accountability not only from city staff, but from other places we spend money," she added, "We need to be sure public money is spent for public services."

Leaving a good community for children and grandchildren is another emphasis for Mader. She is excited, she said, at the announcement that Crawford County has been named one of the 100 best communities for young people for the second time in a row. "Communities which win that award," she said, "are building for the future."

She cited the investment being made in downtown as part of that building. "It's not just about fixing up buildings and streets; it's creating a place for the next generation." TIF districts, said Mader, are another example of building for the future. The city invests in these districts to attract new business, but when the TIF is closed out, those new businesses will go on the tax rolls and generate money for the city. The current TIFs will close between the years 2011 and 2020.

Asked about the controversial roundabouts which are part of the Department of Transportation (DOT) plan for improvements to Marquette Road, Mader said the DOT is engineering roundabouts into nearly every highway project in Wisconsin, saying they are safer and more cost-effective than traditional traffic lights.

"We know the roundabouts won't improve the train situation, but the DOT says they won't make it worse,' said Mader. "The city council listened to them several years ago, and based on the best information we had, made the decision to say yes. I think we have to go forward based on that information." She added, however: "I hope we don't have to make this election about roundabouts, because I think there are much more important issues for our city."

Crawford County named one of America's 100 best communities for second time

Crawford County has again been named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People. The county was represented at the National Forum of America's Promise Alliance in Washington D.C. in 2007 by Kyle Picha, Prairie du Chien High School student; Nancy Becker, Prairie du Chien High School Guidance Counselor; Claire Winkleski, Prairie du Chien High School student; and Rick Peterson, C.A.R.E. Director of Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital.

America's Promise Alliance (the Alliance), the nation's largest alliance dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital One, has announced that Crawford County has once again been named a winner of its 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best) competition. The 100 Best competition recognizes the 100 outstanding communities across America-large and small, rural and urban-that are the best places for young people to live and grow up. More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied for the honor this year. The 100 winning communities span 37 states.

Crawford County was named one of the 100 Best in large part because of the Crawford Abuse Resistance Effort (C.A.R.E.). CARE is a community coalition focused on healthy youth development and substance abuse prevention and in its 18 years of operation, it has had continuous participation from every school district in the county, as well as consistent representation from human services, public health, faith-based organizations, the local hospital, law enforcement, businesses, parents, and youth. To encourage wellness among young people, Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital offers free youth development programs, parenting classes, infant CPR, a Family Resource Center, nutrition classes, and healthy heart programs.

"This is a tremendous honor for Crawford County agencies, organizations and community members to be named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People for the second year in a row," said Rick Peterson, C.A.R.E. Program Director for Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital. "Last year our theme was that we were among the 100 Best and getting better, and this clearly reinforces that premise."

Jane Schaaf, UW-Extension Family Living Agent, added, "Winning for the second time is more fulfilling, it gives credence to the fact that the Crawford County community deserves to be recognized and last year wasn't a fluke."

"The prosperity of every community and this country depends on how well we care for our children and youth," said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America's Promise Alliance, "Although no place is perfect, when we have communities that make young people a priority and are working to make sure they stay in school and have all the resources necessary to lead healthy, productive lives, we must recognize them and by extension inspire other cities and towns to follow their lead."

This year's 100 Best winners were selected by a distinguished panel that included some of the nation's most well-known civic, business and nonprofit leaders.

All communities that completed entries in the 100 Best competition were required to submit detailed information to the Alliance on existing community programs and initiatives that help deliver the Five Promises‹resources identified by America's Promise as being critical to the development of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places; healthy start; effective education; and opportunities to help others; to their young people.

Applicants were also asked to describe how different sectors of their community come together to deliver the Five Promises and specific efforts and programs developed to ensure that their young people graduate from high school prepared for college and/or the workforce. Each of these communities, regardless of whether they were selected as a winner, will be eligible to apply for $300,000 in grants from the Alliance next month.

Crawford County's application included data from Seneca, Wauzeka-Steuben, North Crawford, Prairie du Chien Public, and Prairie du Chien Catholic Schools. Several youth provided testimony by submitting personal essays as part of the application process.

Hillary Bark of Eastman is a high school student at Seneca High School. She wrote, "The Seneca School District and the Crawford County organization, C.A.R.E., have provided me with several opportunities as a teen to become a better citizen. Participating in these activities has been extremely beneficial in my growth as a person. I have grown confident that as a teen, I can accomplish great things in my community, and feel that my opinion matters to adults and my peers. I truly do believe that young people can make a difference in our community."

Prairie du Chien High School senior Lacey Kruel wrote, "There are many adults who care about the youth and try to do everything they can to protect them. They try to prevent the use of drugs and alcohol among the young people in our community. Another reason Crawford County deserves to be among the 100 best communities for young people is the adults in our community through C.A.R.E. and other programs provide us with knowledge and skills to become responsible young adults."

Chelsi Schmitz is also a senior at Prairie du Chien High School. She wrote, "The reason I believe Crawford County should be named one of our nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People is that all of our community's members share a common goal and that is to make sure their young people are being loved and cared for."

"People of the community should be proud that they have as parents, students, mentors and role models have earned this distinguished honor. While it is a time to seize the moment of excitement for this national recognition, Crawford County's rural America culture sees youth as a very special asset. It is very important that we continue to engage youth and their families in the many diversified services and programs available for they are our future," says Connie Achenbach, COO at Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital.

100 Best Communities for Young People was first launched in 2005 by General Powell in partnership with Capital One Financial Corporation. A complete list of winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org. For additional information on Crawford County's recognition, please contact Rick Peterson or Emily Wetter with C.A.R.E. at 608-357-2087 or carecncl@mhtc.net or online at www.crawfordcountyspromise.org.