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Janu

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OVER 500 MEMBERS DEDICATED TO THE IMPROVEMENT AND PRESERVATION OF THE BRULE

Brule River Sportsmen’s Club, Inc.

BRSC Calendar: The next regularly meeting will be Monday,

January 28, at 6:00 p.m. at Round Up North Restaurant in Brule.

by Dennis Pratt

Three Longtime Members Retire from Board

Ron Pearson, Bill Gobin and Tom Bydalek

retired from their club positions at the end of

December.

Ron Pearson – was

elected to the board in

1988 and has faithfully

served the club for

thirty years. During his

tenure he has been

very active in all club

activities including

trout habitat improve-

ment, spring clean-ups

and was the main or-

ganizer behind the

clubs Challenge Center

Canoe Trip each year

(This year’s trip was

the club’s 16th event,

highlighted in our October newsletter).

You can also find a short video of the 2017

trip at: https://vimeo.com/248587353

Ron did a great job chairing the budget

committee whose

main purpose was to

annually audit and

report on the club’s

financial status. Ron

was presented with a

framed certificate of

appreciation by

board member Mick

Killoren in Novem-

ber for his exempla-

ry service. We will

still be occasionally

leaning on Ron for

his advice on various

issues. Glen Hill has

volunteered to fill

Ron’s board position through the rest of

the term.

Bill Gobin – joined the board in De-

cember of 2003, filling the position previ-

ously held by Marge Drews. In October of

2004, Bill accepted the financial secretary

position and very efficiently filled that role

for the next fourteen years.

Besides his club officer position Bill has

been very active in all club activities. Bill

was presented with a framed certificate of

appreciation at last November’s board

meeting. Bill tells us that he will remain a

member and said he is only a phone call

away when we need his assistance. Board

member Dean Wellman has volunteered to

fill Bill’s position.

Tom Bydalek – served on the Board of

Directors since February of 2011. He is a

very active member who typically can be

seen volunteering at all the club events.

Tom says he is stepping down from the

board as

After 32 years with the WI DNR, I’ve

decided that’s it’s time for me to join the

ranks of the smiling retirees. My last day in

the office was January 11. It’s been a long

and interesting career, but the time has

come to close this chapter of my life and

open a new one. Diane and I are moving

to Florida in January. We plan on traveling

the world for a couple of years with plac-

es like Hawaii and New Zealand top of the

list.

Who would have thought when I start-

ed my first job working at the Brule lam-

prey barrier back in 1987 that I would still

be working in Brule? I was one of the

lucky few who has been able to stay in the

area where I first started. I never

thought back then as a part time

employee that I would leave

fisheries management to pursue

a career in fish propagation.

I’d been to the Brule Hatch-

ery a few times even as a kid, but

I never thought I would be

working here, much less working

an entire career here. I have

truly come to love working here

every day. My crews and I have

put many hours of blood sweat

and tears into making Brule func-

tion as the best rearing station in

the state (now it’s the only one left).

Mike Zicus presents a plaque to Bill Gobin

Mick Killoren with Ron Pearson

Gobin Reflects on Career, Club Work

“Gobin Reflects” continued on pg. 3

“Three Retire” continued on pg. 3

2

President Dennis Pratt called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. at Round-Up North in Brule. Officers and Directors: Present - Ron Gaare, Bill Gobin, Paul Helbach, Mick Killoren, Ken Lundberg, Ron Pearson, Dennis Pratt, Dennis Smet, Jeff Stollenwerk, Walt Swanson, Jim Waletzko, Dean Wellman and Mike Zicus. Minutes of the October Meeting: The minutes as written in the November newsletter were approved following a motion by Mike Zicus and a second by Dean Wellman and unanimous approval by voice vote. Treasurer’s and Financial Secretary’s Reports: Financial secretary Bill Gobin reported that there were two deposits into general fund for a total of $785.57 since October’s meeting. The Club had two new members. The financial secretary’s report was approved following a motion by Walt Swanson and a second by Jim Waletzko. Treasurer Jeff Stollenwerk reported that November’s beginning balance was $10,213.90, and the ending balance was $10,431.76 with the following expenses: WI Wildlife Federation (2019 membership) $125.00; Joe Scaccia (October meeting) $50; Katie Thompson (October newsletter) $200.00; Arrowhead Printing (September newsletter) $182.53; Bill Gobin (postage) $10.18. Outstanding checks and scheduled payments: Katie Thompson (November newsletter) $200; Arrowhead Printing (October newsletter) ~$183; Joe Scaccia (November meeting) $50; 2018 officer stipends (review/confirm) $2,300. A motion was made by Dean Wellman to increase recording secretary to $500 and a second by Bill Gobin. Bill Gobin requested his stipend go to the Northwestern High School Scholarship, Dennis Pratt, Ken Lundberg, and Mike Zicus requested their stipends go to the general scholarship fund. Jeff Stollenwerk requested that half of his stipend also go the scholarship fund. The Treasurer’s Report was approved following a motion by Bill Gobin, a second by Ken Lundberg, and unanimous approval by voice vote. Committee Reports Habitat: Ron Gaare – nothing to report. Courtney Johnson plus Sherri and Todd Carlson were recognized as committee members. Legislative: Ken Lundberg - nothing to report. Dean Wellman to join this committee. Scholarship: Paul Helbach - Sending out letters after the holidays to 11 or 12 institutions. Breena Kroll, Northwestern High School Counselor, shared the selection criteria for the Northwestern High School Scholarship with Paul:

Recipients must be a graduating senior from Northwestern High School. Qualifying students must be attending a post-secondary education or training through a technical college, university, college, or an apprenticeship. Interest in Environmental Science and a desire to pursue a degree in an area similar. Preference given to a member of the Brule River Sportsmen’s Club. Preference to a student who has a desire to return to the area to work and give back.

Dennis Smet, Bill Gobin, Mick Killoren and Adam Helbach are on the committee. Mike Sierszen offered to join during the meeting, this was ap-proved following a motion by Dean Wellman, a second by Ron Gaare, and unanimous approval by voice vote. Education: Dennis Smet – Picking up the eggs and starting this year’s project tomorrow. The timing works out well for the schools as the hatch-ing will take place just after the first of the year. Four teachers at Superior High School are now involved. Dennis Pratt and Jim Waletzko are also on this committee. Membership: Jim Waletzko - nothing to report. Financial Secretary reported we have 398 members. Bill Gobin, Ken Lundberg, and Courtney Johnson make up the rest of the committee. Budget: Ron Pearson - no report. An appreciation plaque for Ron Pearson’s years of service was displayed at the meeting, Mick Killoren delivered the plaque to Ron. Ron has been a board member since 1988 (30 years) and was our most senior board member. Jeff Stollenwerk, Dean Well-man, and Ron Gaare are on this committee, and a suggestion to include our next financial secretary was made. Social Media: Mike Zicus – major overhaul of the website. Outdated plug-ins were the primary reason. The entire process also increases the secu-rity of the site. Additional time was taken to clean up the contents of the site. The photo galleries should be loading much faster now, and the site will be more responsive for mobile devices. Walt Swanson and Dennis Pratt round out the committee; a suggestion was made to invite our editor, Katie to be a part of the committee. Dennis Pratt made a motion on setting deadlines for when mailings come out, minutes prepared, emailing newsletters. A discussion about making the full minutes available on the website and only including a subset in the newsletter took place, Dennis Pratt asked us to revisit this portion in January. Ken Lundberg made a motion to have the minutes to Katie by the end of the first week of the month with the hope that the newsletter would be sent out by the fifteenth, a second was given by Dean Wellman, followed by unanimous approval by voice vote. Other Business Financial Secretary duties/records - Bill received a plaque, a hand-made trout net and a very unique fishing pole for his service at the Club. Bill reviewed his duties which include maintaining our membership lists and coordinating with Ken to ensure

Brule River Sportsmen’s Club

Regular Meeting Minutes

November 26, 2018

“November Minutes” continued on pg. 3

3

the newsletter email list is current. He also maintains our merchandise inventory and fills the merchandise orders. Bill also coordinates the annual elections. He will provide a detailed list of his duties and the way he handles them before he leaves. New Financial Secretary – Dean Wellman has volun-teered to take over this position. South Shore Grade Update – Ken Lundberg in-formed us the Brule River Coalition had a meeting on the 19th . Paul Piszczek mentioned that the Na-tional Fish Passage Program under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative encouraged him to reapply for the grant. Paul is requesting $60K. Land ownership still an issue. This just takes time. Coalition ap-proved a consultant for Paul Piszczek to keep the project going. Ken Lundberg requested a list of donors from Paul Piszczek. Ken Lundberg to also invite Paul to our next meeting to give us an update. Lake Superior Fish Mgt. Plan – No Progress Upcoming Election – Walt Swanson sent the fillable PDF ballot to Ken Lundberg. This, plus instructions on renewal using the web site and the list of accom-plishments, could be sent to the members that get electronic newsletters. Discarded Fishing Line – Ken Lundberg mentioned that Phil Brown was going to do a Discarded Line Collection Project. Phil could use a donation for the PVC pipe to build the collection containers. A dona-tion up to $300 was approved following a motion by Ken Lundberg, a second by Bill Gobin, and unani-mous approval by voice vote. Brule River Salmonid Regulations – Dean Wellman brought forward some changes he felt would make the regulations easier to understand for many an-glers. Dennis Pratt distributed the rules that need to be followed with laws and the regulations. He ex-plained all the processes that are involved. Jim Waletzko offered his historical recount of getting changes through the process. We will place this item of potential regulation changes/improvements at our March meeting. Website – Wendy to get a $200 bonus for her re-sponsiveness during the Club Store development and her additional work on the website overhaul. Wendy addressed a couple of pressing issues with the store while she was on vacation. Approved following a motion by Mike Zicus, a second by Ken Lundberg, and unanimous approval by voice vote. Upcoming Events January 28th meeting speaker – Senior Fisheries Biologist Paul Piszczek Great Waters Fly-fishing Expo – March 15-17, 2019 at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. The business meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m. Recorded by Walt Swanson

“November Minutes” from pg. 2

I went back through my records and

figured out that my co-workers and I

have stocked almost 11,000,000 of 12

different strains of trout and salmon for

the people of WI during my 26 years

here at Brule Hatchery, not a bad ca-

reer.

Of course, this also means that I’ll be

stepping down in my role as BRSC Fi-

nancial Secretary. This has been a posi-

tion that’s been a challenge for me dur-

ing my time in it, but it has also been my

honor and my privilege to work for our

Club. When I started in the position our

membership list was a copy from the

printer with hand written notes next to

each name as to when they renewed

etc.

Well, I’ve managed to clean things

up a bit and working with our treasurer

Jeff, your club now has the most accu-

rate accounting of expenditures that

we’ve ever had. We’ve increased the

sale of items and we’ve gone digital with

our newsletter and with our ability to

accept payments through PayPal.

Believe me these are not easy moves to

make but we’ve made them, and the

Club is better for it.

I’ve come to know so many dedicat-

ed Club members who donate their

time and energy to our goal of keeping

the Brule River the world class fishery

that it is. It is truly impressive how our

members from near and far contributed

to the South Shore Grade fund to ena-

ble the DNR to remove this dangerous

ticking time bomb.

I’d like to thank current Club Presi-

dent Dennis Pratt and current Treasur-

er Jeff Stollenwerk for their commit-

ment and assistance during my time as

FS. I’d also like to thank all the past

presidents and treasurers I’ve worked

with including; Roger Anderson, Dewey

Fjelstad, the late Ron Karlon, Damian

Wilmont, Darrel Thompson, and Ron

Gaare.

Their commitment to our Club help

us to forge forward and accomplish

remarkable things. Lastly, I’d like to

thank all our Club members past and

present for putting up with the growing

pains of my position and for your pa-

tience. I will still be an active Club mem-

ber but now I’ll be active from a dis-

tance. Good luck to all and keep up the

great work!

Bill Gobin

“Three Retire” from pg. 1

his work conflicts with our Monday night

meeting times, but he said he will be continu-

ing his volunteer service at club activities.

Tom’s board position is on this year’s bal-

lot, and as such will be filled once votes are

tallied.

Membership Reminder:

January is time to send in your membership dues;

you can find the form to mail them or pay

electronically at

https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/

contact-us/join-the-club/

“Gobin Reflects” from pg. 1

At right: Tom Bydalek teaches kids how to tie a fly at the 2016 Brule Hatchery Family Fun Day.

4

Brule River

Sportsmen’s

Club

P.O. Box 100

Brule, WI 54820

What We Do:

Fisheries Habitat Projects — Club members and others

volunteer during the summer months to restore features

necessary for fish spawning, growing and feeding.

Clean-ups — Keep the Brule clean and beautiful.

Monthly Membership Meetings — Frequently include

guest speakers.

Monthly Newsletter — Helps generate understanding

of fisheries and water quality, and keeps members and

others informed about Club activities.

Scholarship Program — Provides educational support to

students.

Officers

President — Dennis Pratt

Vice President — Ken Lundberg

Financial Secretary — Bill Gobin

Recording Secretary — Walt Swanson

Treasurer — Jeff Stollenwerk

Board of Directors

Tom Bydalek Dennis Smet

Paul Helbach Jim Waletzko

Courtney Johnson Dean Wellman

Mick Killoren Ron Pearson

Mike Zicus Ron Gaare

Newsletter Editor

Katie Thompson -- goirish@cheqnet.net

BRSC Membership Form

Name

Address

City

State Zip Phone

e-mail

Name

Address

City

State Zip Phone

e-mail

Donations Education Fund $ Habitat Fund $ General Fund $ Scholarship Fund $

Visit us online at www.bruleriversportsmensclub.com

All information contained herein is confidential. All but $1.00 of your membership dues is tax deductible. Donations are 100 percent tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

Membership Type □ Renewal (due January 1st) □ New Membership

Email newsletter only: □ $20 – Individual □ $25 – Household

Paper newsletter only: □ $30 – Individual □ $35 – Household

□ Gift membership – please send membership to:

BRSC Gift Store Order Form (prices include shipping & handling)

# Item Cost Total

Limited edition book trout print $35

Lower river map poster of Brule (36”x24”) $30

BRSC baseball hat $25

Lower Brule River map $10

Upper Brule River map $10

Historical newsletter DVD $5

The Brule River Sportsmen’s Club, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization defined by Chapter 501 (C) (3) of the IRS Tax Code.

Brule River Sportsmen’s Club, Inc. P.O. Box 100 Brule, WI 54820