Wisconsin Trout Fishermen- Proposed Law

The state Assembly has a bill in consideration which will greatly affect access
to the smaller trout streams in Wisconsin. If passed, many of the native brook
trout streams that are now open to the public will possibly be posted and, even
worse, be subject to nearly non existent rules regarding their development and
channelization. The proposed bill (Assembly Bill 506) will change the definition
of navigable from any stream that will float a person in a boat (canoe, pontoon,
whatever) at any time the year (even if its just one day), to a stream that
will do the same for 6 months out of the year. Don't forget many streams are
frozen 4 months out of the year here. So if your favorite brookie stream loses
enough flow to fail the floatability test for a couple montrhs then it is wide
open for a developer to ditch, dam or drain it.
Here is a link to the bills sponsors and contents:

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2003/data/AB506hst.html

If you are a Wisconsinite or just a person who thinks they might like to sample
our brook trout streams some day then we need you to let your position be
known. For those Wisconsinites who have the misfortune of living in one of the
dim witted sponsors districts (like me), it can't hurt to fire off a letter or
two to their office telling themthat they should be working for you and not the
Wisconsin Builders Association. Letters to the local papers would also help.


g.c.

Who's mad as hell and is not going to take it any more. Grrrrrrr!!