The History of the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited
The first organizational meeting of what was to become the
Wisconsin River Valley Trout Unlimited chapter was held on Thursday, December
2, 1982. The meeting was called to order
by co-organizers Harold Vonderheid with Max Johnson and Alan Hauber, both DNR
Fish Managers from Antigo and Wausau.
Mitch Bent, the Vice Chairman of the Wisconsin State Council of TU
attended and presented the need for a TU chapter to protect our local trout
streams and the requirements to form a local chapter.
The new chapter was formed, standard TU chapter bylaws were adopted, and the election of officers was held resulting in chapter officers elected from the founding membership of the chapter. Mitch Bent as President, Harold Vonderheid as Vice President, Herb Hintz as Treasurer, and Henry Kanemoto as Secretary. Henry made the recommendation that the chapter be named to represent the chapter state geography, hence, Wisconsin River Valley was adopted as the chapter name.
The Antigo Chapter of Trout Unlimited donated several hundred dollars as the initial funding to operate the chapter.
The chapter originally covered Marathon, Lincoln, and Taylor counties. TU members from those counties were transferred to the new WRVTU chapter. By January of 1983, the member count was up to 61 members in the newly formed chapter. The first chapter banquet was held at the Howard Johnson Motel, Saturday, April 30, 1983.
The WRVTU chapter then began a campaign to oppose the repair and rebuilding of the Prairie Dells Dam. This campaign proved to be a great political and monetary cost to the chapter. After dam removal, sand from the above the dam washed down as the river cut a new river channel.
The chapter financed large two sand traps below the Prairie Dells Dam. This project resulted in hundreds of cubic yards of sand being removed before it could reach the lower river.
After the first two years, Herb Hintz was elected president of the chapter and the pace of fund raising and projects accelerated. Other members who volunteered and served as officers, directors, and project leaders in the early years were Gordon King, Lyle Ballschmieder, Gene Koshak, Brian Marnholtz, Tim Banazak, and Bob Pils.
The next chapter project was a fencing project on the Big Hay Meadow Creek, a branch of the Prairie River. Subsequently, the chapter created walkways to the spring ponds on the Plover River, sodded a stream improvement project above R&H Road on the Prairie River, and fenced a section of the Little Trappe River. Continued projects included planting trees, fencing, and installing an eco-friendly cattle watering area along the Plover River.
Through Herb Hintz’s tireless efforts, the chapter obtained easements on private properties along the Plover River from the junction of County Roads Y and N continuing to Bevent on Highway 153. The WRVTU chapter held a vast majority of easements on these private properties. Virtually all stream improvement work on the Plover River in this area was funded by the WRVTU chapter in cooperation with the DNR and their work crews. A DNR sign erected on the Prairie River at County Roads Y and N is a testament to Herb Hintz’s dedication and efforts on the Plover River.
Multiple Prairie River projects in Lincoln County were performed as well through complex easement negotiations. As more land opened up and easements were established, stream work on the Prairie continued as a chapter priority.
The purpose of this chapter is to preserve and protect trout as a game fish; to conserve, protect and restore the trout fisheries in the counties of Lincoln, Marathon, Price and Taylor counties in Wisconsin. We exist to educate the public and to advocate for the practical and scientific management of the watersheds. We do this in cooperation with other like-minded conservation organizations and government agencies to increase and restore trout populations. Our purpose is to educate the public, especially youth in the value of conserving our cold water resources.
The new chapter was formed, standard TU chapter bylaws were adopted, and the election of officers was held resulting in chapter officers elected from the founding membership of the chapter. Mitch Bent as President, Harold Vonderheid as Vice President, Herb Hintz as Treasurer, and Henry Kanemoto as Secretary. Henry made the recommendation that the chapter be named to represent the chapter state geography, hence, Wisconsin River Valley was adopted as the chapter name.
The Antigo Chapter of Trout Unlimited donated several hundred dollars as the initial funding to operate the chapter.
The chapter originally covered Marathon, Lincoln, and Taylor counties. TU members from those counties were transferred to the new WRVTU chapter. By January of 1983, the member count was up to 61 members in the newly formed chapter. The first chapter banquet was held at the Howard Johnson Motel, Saturday, April 30, 1983.
The WRVTU chapter then began a campaign to oppose the repair and rebuilding of the Prairie Dells Dam. This campaign proved to be a great political and monetary cost to the chapter. After dam removal, sand from the above the dam washed down as the river cut a new river channel.
The chapter financed large two sand traps below the Prairie Dells Dam. This project resulted in hundreds of cubic yards of sand being removed before it could reach the lower river.
After the first two years, Herb Hintz was elected president of the chapter and the pace of fund raising and projects accelerated. Other members who volunteered and served as officers, directors, and project leaders in the early years were Gordon King, Lyle Ballschmieder, Gene Koshak, Brian Marnholtz, Tim Banazak, and Bob Pils.
The next chapter project was a fencing project on the Big Hay Meadow Creek, a branch of the Prairie River. Subsequently, the chapter created walkways to the spring ponds on the Plover River, sodded a stream improvement project above R&H Road on the Prairie River, and fenced a section of the Little Trappe River. Continued projects included planting trees, fencing, and installing an eco-friendly cattle watering area along the Plover River.
Through Herb Hintz’s tireless efforts, the chapter obtained easements on private properties along the Plover River from the junction of County Roads Y and N continuing to Bevent on Highway 153. The WRVTU chapter held a vast majority of easements on these private properties. Virtually all stream improvement work on the Plover River in this area was funded by the WRVTU chapter in cooperation with the DNR and their work crews. A DNR sign erected on the Prairie River at County Roads Y and N is a testament to Herb Hintz’s dedication and efforts on the Plover River.
Multiple Prairie River projects in Lincoln County were performed as well through complex easement negotiations. As more land opened up and easements were established, stream work on the Prairie continued as a chapter priority.
The purpose of this chapter is to preserve and protect trout as a game fish; to conserve, protect and restore the trout fisheries in the counties of Lincoln, Marathon, Price and Taylor counties in Wisconsin. We exist to educate the public and to advocate for the practical and scientific management of the watersheds. We do this in cooperation with other like-minded conservation organizations and government agencies to increase and restore trout populations. Our purpose is to educate the public, especially youth in the value of conserving our cold water resources.
