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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 regular meeting will be
February 24 at 6:00 p.m. at Round Up North Restaurant in
Brule.
The club’s three summer volunteer
trout habitat projects (2012-2014) at
Beaupre Springs continue to accomplish
the original project goals.
Before the project was initiated, the
Beaupre Springs area was devastated by
a century of nearly constant beaver oc-
cupation. The groundwater outflow
from Beaupre Spring Pond had to pass
through a series of very large beaver
ponds which combined add up to about
14 acres of impounded water, before
reaching Beaupre Creek, a headwater
tributary to the East Fork of the Brule.
During hot, rainy periods, the high-
water temperatures of the beaver im-
poundments were destructive to the
downstream trout population when it
flushed into Beaupre Creek. During dry
periods, the ponds spring water dis-
charge was totally evaporated causing
about 500 feet of Beaupre Creek down-
stream of the ponds to dry up.
The project objective was to gradual-
ly remove the dams and slowly (over the
three years of the project) drain the
ponds, creating a single channel between
the Beaupre Spring Pond and Beaupre
Creek. Once that was accomplished, it
was critically important to check and
make sure beaver did not reoccupy the
area (they attempted to do this several
times during the project period) to en-
sure continuous vegetative regrowth of
the drained beaver ponds.
Club members continue to check for
new beaver activity every couple of
months during the spring through Fall
period. Any beaver found are immediate-
ly reported to DNR officials, who send
their contracted trappers (USDA-APHIS
Federal agents) to remove them.
The area has been maintained free of
beaver for the five years since our pro-
ject work ended. Work photos of the
project can be seen at: https://
bruleriversportsmensclub.com/photo-
gallery/beaupre-springs/
Beaupre Springs Trout Habitat Project Five Years Later by Dennis
Pratt
Project Results:
*Beaupre Spring Pond’s cold
groundwater outflow is now
reaching the Brule and the base
flow of Beaupre Creek has in-
creased by about 200%.
*Narrowed the temperature re-
gime of the stream to that re-
quired by trout.
*Increased the amount of quality
spawning and rearing area in the
Brule headwater section.
*Re-connected the salmonids of the Brule River with Beaupre
Spring Pond.
*Added about 2,300 feet of trout
water to Beaupre Creek.
https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/photo-gallery/beaupre-springs/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/photo-gallery/beaupre-springs/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/photo-gallery/beaupre-springs/
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President Dennis Pratt called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
at Round-Up North in Brule.
Officers and Directors: Present – Ed Chaplinski, Glen Hill,
Courtney Johnson, Ken Lundberg, Dennis Pratt, Mike Sierszen,
Dennis
Smet, Jeff Stollenwerk, Walt Swanson, and Mike Zicus.
Minutes of the November Meeting: The minutes as written in the
January newsletter were approved following a motion by Mike
Zicus, a second by Ken Lundberg, and unanimous approval by voice
vote.
Treasurer’s and Financial Secretary’s Reports: Dennis Pratt
reported for Financial Secretary Dean Wellman that there were
depos-
its into the general fund for a total of $6,886.93 since the
last meeting and the Club had five new members. The Financial
Secretar-
y’s report was approved following a motion by Ken Lundberg and a
second by Dennis Smet. Treasurer Jeff Stollenwerk reported
that January’s beginning balance was $9,489.30, and the ending
balance was $10,591.19 with the following expenses: U.S. Posta
l
Service (P.O. Box annual fee) - $120; officer stipends for 2019
- $2800; Pro Print (November newsletter) - $36.21; Constant
Con-
tact (eNewsletter, eServices) - $348.83; transfer to Scholarship
Savings (December donations) - $2,480. The Treasurer’s Report
was approved following a motion by Mike Zicus, a second by Ken
Lundberg, and unanimous approval by voice vote.
Committee Reports
Habitat: Ron Gaare – No report. Short discussion on getting
enough younger members to help, including using Constant
Contact.
Legislative: Ken Lundberg – nothing to report. An attending
member asked Ken about what the Annual Wisconsin Wildlife
Federa-
tion meeting is like and typical discussion topics.
Scholarship: Mike Sierszen – Paul Helbach turned over the
committee chair to Mike Sierszen. Mike has changed the
application
process so that applications are submitted electronically. He
has already received three college scholarship applications.
Discussion
about getting more information on the high school scholarship on
the website. A decision was made to revise our membership
form and the Club’s web store so that scholarship donors can
designate either the college or high school fund for their
donation.
Dennis Pratt made a motion to move current unspecified donations
to the college fund, followed by a second from Mike Sierszen,
and unanimous approval by voice vote.
Education: Dennis Smet – The fish have hatched at Superior High
School. About 75% have hatched and are hiding in the rocks
according to John Kedrowski. Carey Edwards, fish biologist – US
Fish and Wildlife Service, brought food for the fish. No
contact
with Kraig Anderson from Northwestern Middle School. Carey
Edwards has asked us to find someone to do a March presentation
for the new aquarium placement at Hayward Middle School. The
Superior and Northwestern presentations are planned for March.
Membership: Dennis Pratt – The Club received a thank you letter
from longtime member Stan Gumm, saying he was giving up his
membership in the Club. Ken Lundberg made a motion to keep his
newsletter going, followed by a second from Mike Sierszen and
unanimous approval by voice vote. Of the Club’s 406 current
members, only 99 have paid as of the beginning of the meeting.
Dis-
cussions proceeded on how the Club can use existing tools such
as Constant Contact to send reminder notices.
Budget: Nothing new until budget committee meets in March.
Social Media: Mike Zicus/Dennis Pratt – Reading list on fishing
the Brule and Brule history has been put on the website. Dennis
Pratt has added a half a dozen new items on Facebook.
Other Business
South Shore Grade Update – Nothing new to report.
Fly of the Month – Dennis Pratt for Dean Wellman – This added
feature would begin for March opener (place first fly in
Brule River Sportsmen’s Club
Regular Meeting Minutes
January 27, 2020
“January Minutes” continued on pg. 3
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February or March newsletter). Dennis Pratt brought in three
examples including a brown stonefly, which Dean Wellman has
recommended as our first showcased fly. Discussions followed
about how to use the website to display the flies in addition
to
the newsletter.
Election Results – By using Constant Contact to push the
ballot out to members, we received about three times the
pre-
vious voter turnout. All candidates on the ballot were
elected
unanimously. Ed Chaplinski made a motion to accept the elec-
tion results, a second from Mike Sierszen, and unanimous ap-
proval by voice vote (Candidates refrained from participating
in
the motions or voice vote).
Donation Requests – Discussions around how to handle the
donation requests we regularly receive. Need to develop
guidelines.
Upcoming Events
Great Waters Fly-fishing Expo – March 20-22, 2020, at
Hamline University in St. Paul, MN.
Douglas County Fish & Game League Sport Show –
March 27 -29 at UW-Superior Wessman Arena
The business meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m.
Twelve Minute Brook Trout Spawning Video – Dennis
Pratt
Recorded by Walt Swanson
“January Minutes” from pg. 2
The recent election revealed that all five officers were
re-elected for the next two-
year term running from 2020 through 2022. The board of
representatives unanimously
approved the election results once the ballots were tallied at
the January 27 meeting.
The board members thanked the officers for their continuing club
support.
Short biographies of the officers can be found on our web site
at:
https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/2019-candidate-bios/
Club Officer Election Results
Time to Renew your Dues
for 2020
Help our Club fund the upcoming year’s pro-jects. Your annual
dues make up a large share of the monetary resources needed to
allow us to con-tinue our very important work of protecting,
en-hancing and maintaining the Bois Brule River fishery.
Please send in your dues soon. You can send them in by mail with
the form in this newsletter or pay for them online in our Club’s
web page at:
https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/contact-us/join-the-club/
2020 Scholarship Application
Announcement
The Brule River Sportsmen’s Club offers an annual one-time
scholarship of $5,000 designed for ad-vanced undergraduate and
graduate students pre-paring for careers in natural resources.
Eligibility requirements can be found on the club web site at:
https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/club-scholarship/college-scholarship-information/
https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/2019-candidate-bios/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/contact-us/join-the-club/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/contact-us/join-the-club/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/club-scholarship/college-scholarship-information/https://bruleriversportsmensclub.com/club-scholarship/college-scholarship-information/
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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
in-
formed about Club activities.
Scholarship Program — Provides educational support to
students.
BRSC Membership Form
Name
Address
City
State Zip Phone
e-mail
Donations College Scholarship Fund $__________ Education Fund $
High School Scholarship Fund $______ Habitat Fund $ General Fund $
Multiple Funds $
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
Brule River
Sportsmen’s
Club
P.O. Box 100
Brule, WI 54820
BRSC Gift Store Order Form (prices include shipping &
handling)
# Item Cost Total
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
Framed Lower River Map $125
The Brule River Sportsmen’s Club, Inc. is a tax-exempt
organization
defined by Chapter 501 (C) (3) of the IRS Tax Code.
Officers
President — Dennis Pratt — [email protected]
Vice President — Ken Lundberg
Financial Secretary — Dean Wellman
Recording Secretary — Walt Swanson
Treasurer — Jeff Stollenwerk
Board of Directors
Ed Chaplinski Dennis Smet
Paul Helbach Jim Waletzko
Courtney Johnson Mike Sierszen
Mick Killoren Ron Gaare
Mike Zicus Glen Hill
Newsletter editor: Katie Thompson ([email protected])
http://www.bruleriversportsmensclub.com
