By KEVIN NAZE
Correspondent
Whitetails Unlimited will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with a pair of banquets coming at Stadium View Sports Bar & Grill on Holmgren Way.
The Northeastern Wisconsin Ladies Chapter Banquet will be held Sept. 22, followed by the Green Bay Deer Hunters Bash Banquet Oct. 25.
WTU National President Jeff Schinkten said the Sturgeon Bay-based organization has more than 114,000 members.
Since its inception in 1982, the group has provided more than $116 million in support of conservation, education, wildlife enhancement and the preservation of the shooting sports and hunting tradition for future generations.
For tickets or more information on the N.E.W. Ladies event, call Jan at (920) 494-5291.
For more on the Hunters Bash, visit whitetailsunlimited.com/events/banquets/ or call (800) 274-5471.
Estuary Reserve Meetings
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is hosting two public meetings to share the preliminary recommendation for the natural area site(s) of the Bay of Green Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
More than 11,000 acres of publicly owned land in the Peshtigo, lower Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay areas are on the list of recommended sites in what is expected to be a four- to six-year process.
The selection of a site for the reserve’s visitor and education center will occur at a later date.
The reserve was proposed in March, 2019, and UW-Green Bay began the work to assemble site development, evaluation and coordination committees in September, 2020.
The public can attend in-person Wednesday from 1-2:30 p.m. at the S.T.E.M. Innovation Center on the UW-Green Bay Campus, or virtually a day later (Sept. 8) from 3:30-5 p.m. via Zoom at https://wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/j/99551264991?pwd=QUlPc0dhWSthRUFGaDYvakZvNG1XUT09.
The meeting ID is 995 5126 4991 and the attendee access code is NERR.
Participants may also join the meeting by phone (1-312-626-6799).
The meeting ID is 995 5126 4991, and access code 688730.
Registration for the meetings is not required, but is encouraged.
You can do so here: https://uwgreenbay.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0wAO0aEAbO0oJUy.
Learn more at https://www.uwgb.edu/national-estuarine-research-reserves/, and email comments by Sept. 15 to [email protected].
Hunter education classes
Beginning hunters can sign up for a traditional hunter education class or an online course plus a field day.
Both are available in the coming weeks in Brown County.
Unless hunting under the Mentored Hunting Law, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, must complete a hunter education course and have a hunter education certificate on file to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin.
There are two regular hunter education courses coming up this month, one starting Sept. 20 at the Kroc Community Center and the other Sept. 22 at the Barkhausen Nature Center.
Both end Sept. 24.
Another option for many is studying online, then attending a field day to finish up.
The field day option is available from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 8 at the New Franken Sportsman’s Club.
Before enrolling in any course, interested students must first obtain a Wisconsin customer ID number.
You can do so online at https://gowild.wi.gov/customers/profile/new.
For more information on safety education classes by county, visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/Education/OutdoorSkills/safetyEducation.
Take a hike
Want to take a walk on the wild side?
You can participate in a trail walk led by a Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary naturalist every Tuesday and Thursday in September.
The free hikes last about 45 minutes.
Meet in front of the Nature Center at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon.
Terrain varies, so wear sturdy shoes.
Please call (920) 391-3671 to let staff know you’re coming.
Weekly Water Levels
As of Aug. 26, Lake Michigan water levels were two inches lower than late July, nine inches below last August and down 26 inches since the monthly record was set in 2020.
Levels were still seven inches above the 100-year average and 39 inches above the record monthly low, set in 1964.
The lake level is projected to drop another three inches by late September.