KAMO December, 2020 Newsletter
For comments related to this document, contact Mike at brownmtjc@gmail.com

President?s remarks
Hello KAMO members
This is KAMO President Mark Walters with my monthly update. I am sorry, but there are not a whole lot of updates on my end. I do believe that our chapters annual dues will be greatly reduced this year and that will be decided in an upcoming BOD meeting. I have recently spoke
with Mike Brown about our two Vice Presidents sharing the job of KAMO
President. This is Mike and Bob’s idea and I am fine with it.
In all honesty it is very difficult for me to watch Covid 19 basically shut down an organization that we have all tried so hard to build. With time and if we can retain all of our mentors hopefully Covid will be behind us and KAMO will be an active organization across Wisconsin in the near future.

Next B.O.D. teleconference meeting – Late January/ early February. Agenda items so far: president replacement, ideas for getting chapters restarted post Covid, dues payment adjustment.
President replacement possibilities – someone from within the organization is welcome to step into the role.
We could recruit an individual from outside the existing membership.
We could operate without a president with the two vice presidents taking care of things. This would require a bylaws change, be a temporary measure. Of the three options, this would be a last resort.

Dues payments suggestions so far have ranged from no payment to $150.
Strategies for going back into activities depends on where covid stands and whether a chapter feels the need to make adjustments.

KAMO Forum on Lake- link – On the popular outdoor lake-link.com site, under ?General Outdoor Discussion?, ?KAMO?,there is a KAMO blog. This thread has been viewed over 250,000 times. That is some serious readership..
Lakelink is benefitting from this volume of traffic – planting ads among the posts. if you visit using a desk or laptop unit, you?ll see them.
So,what does this mean to you? You can post on that blog for free. This represents great potential to tell our story.

Wisconsin Youth Conservation Corps – Wisconsin Youth Conservation Congress ? This statewide youth program is designed to grow and develop future conservation leaders in our state. The Youth Conservation Congress (YCC) is a student extension of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
The goal of the YCC is to effectively engage, educate, and involve youth in the management and protection of our natural resources and foster a conservation ethic through participation in the YCC.
Kyle Zenz, YCC Coordinator, is working to connect more students across the state to the YCC. ?I am especially excited about this program because it allows youth an incredible opportunity to work directly with a variety of natural resource managers and experienced outdoor mentors. Our goal is to provide students with access and the opportunity to follow their outdoor passions whether they are hunting and fishing related or natural resource career driven.?
The Youth Conservation Congress program offers opportunities for students from all backgrounds, including those who have extensive outdoor experience and for those who consider themselves beginners. Our program is best suited for high school students, but we don?t turn away younger interested individuals, and we currently have a couple of incredibly motivated middle school students.
YCC delegates will be exposed to various aspects of natural resource management and have access to professionals in those fields. They will also gain real world experience through a variety of service-learning opportunities. They will gain an understanding of the process by which Wisconsin?s natural resource policy is determined and the role and history of the state?s statutorily recognized citizen advisory body, the WI Conservation Congress. Participants will strengthen valuable skills such as problem-solving, effective communication, teamwork, and leadership competencies through working with other YCC delegates, WCC delegates, and DNR staff, while building an appreciation for the many facets of resource management.
Samantha, a high school senior and YCC delegate from Racine County, has eagerly engaged in all that the YCC has to offer. ?I enjoy learning about conservation across the state, as well as volunteering directly with the DNR. One of my most memorable outdoor experiences would have to be pheasant stocking with local DNR staff. I loved learning from this hands-on opportunity, especially knowing that I am contributing to wildlife management.? Samantha will be attending UWSP next fall and has already connected with UWSP staff as well as natural resource leaders in the state due to her involvement with the YCC. ?The YCC really allows you to explore options for your future and create a line of networking across the entire state with not only other adult and youth delegates, but DNR personnel along with other agencies or conservation groups?.
The YCC program mirrors the Conservation Congress?s focus on county level initiatives. County Congress members serve as mentors and as a point of local contact for the YCC delegates. Youth who are interested in the program should contact Kyle Zenz with questions about the YCC and how to become involved. For more information visit: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/about/wcc/ycc
There are future opportunities for KAMO and the YCC to partner on local conservation initiatives and work together to find new ways to introduce youth to outdoor experiences and skill building. Both organizations share the value that spending time outdoors and sharing knowledge is significantly important for our future generations!

Written by Kyle Zenz

Website – The website gets visited mainly on Tuesday and Wednesday. 91 % of the visits the past 30 days were from new people.The number of blocked attempts to get into the site is back to a minimum amount. Hackers must be preoccupied with other stuff in December.

Chapter Reports –

Baraboo – The Baraboo chapter met on December 14 at Rivers Edge Resort. In spite of all the covid worries our chapter mentors managed over 250 hrs of time with kids over the past month with much of it with deer and duck hunting. We will not be having a January meeting but will be picking back up in February. At this point we do not have any events planned other than our summer camping trip, but we are hopeful with the vaccine roll out, that current restrictions will be loosened or eliminated.

Tradition Forward – Rick

Beaver Dam – Plan for an organizational meeting in February

Coulee – Sent out a mailing to parents/ agencies saying we had a slow year,but will still be around in 2021.

Other chapters commented that they had no activity to report.