KAMO Newsletter for September, 2018

Hello to all KAMO members,

This is KAMO President Mark Walters with my monthly update. On
Wednesday, September 25th KAMO held it’s autumn Board of Directors
teleconference and all chapters of KAMO were represented. This was a
very positive meeting and the gist of much of this meeting was mentor
and mentee recruitment. We made decisions on authorizing each chapter
to have the state give them funds for member recruitment and we also
authorized funds to help build the Marsh/Point chapter of KAMO.

We also discussed the upcoming “Joe Hunt” and I would like to
remind everyone reading this that anyway that you can help the managers
of this hunt (Bob and Rick) really need for you to be on top of your game

Tom St Clair is KAMO’s Treasurer and Tom asked that those
chapters that have not sent there tax filings to him to please do so,
this is very important.

As always I want to thank each and everyone of you for everything
that you do for KAMO and I would also like to ask you to please help us
to find more members so that we can continue as well as expand the good
work that we do for our youth.

Mark

News from our Webmaster:

The KAMO website has had 256 views in the past month. Sixty of these were in one day, probably reflecting interest from La Crosse area college groups. Community involvement/ volunteerism is being promoted, recommended, and sometimes even required in college classes.

Our site gets the most visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.The average time spent on our site has dropped by about 30 seconds. I believe that people are looking for activity information. Please talk to me about adding an activity link to your chapter’s page.

There is a need to change the homepage picture that is now green leaves, river, and bicycles to a fall theme. A golden leaf/ kid engaged in activity picture is needed.

On my wish list as web person is to have someone else among the state mentors take a look at the site and send me a message – “Hey Mike, I noticed this or that when I was on the site”. As often as I visit the site, it often contains errors.

Thanks to those who have sent directory updates. The quality of the website and directory are only the quality that we collectively make them.

Submitted by Webmaster Mike Brown

News from the Baraboo River Chapter:

Rick sent a lengthy email to those thinking about mentoring at the Joe deer hunt near Poynette in December. If you need to see that information again, let me know and I?ll forward it to you.
Our chapter will be participating in the Fermentation Fest Farm Art D’ Tour on October 6,7 with AJ Jones serving food and we will also be having some outdoors clinics of archery, air rifles, and sporting dog retrieval exercises.

Submitted by Rick Miotke

News from the Coulee Chapter:

Mentors have been taking 1-1 or small groups out on Lake Onalaska and the Black River. Fishing has been on fire – the best in years. On August 25th, we held our trap/ pigeon shoot south of La Crosse. There were 20 participants. This was a prep for the upcoming waterfowl season.

Mike led a group of hunters education instructors during an Internet Field Day Hunter?s Education class near Holmen on September 8th. There were 17 students – four of these were KAMOKIDS. Three more adults in the area became certified to teach hunters education using this style of instruction as a result of this class. I was skeptical about this internet/ one day hands on/ testing approach, but thought I?d try it. It has been nothing but a pleasant surprise in terms of student success.

These newly certified kids have been taken out duck hunting since then. We are now preparing to take them on a new DMAP in the area during the youth deer gun season. Two mentors volunteered at hole #17 deuring a golf outing at Drugan?s Golf Course. They ran the set up at this spot and introduced KAMO to over 120 golfers who came by in groups of six throughout the day.

Mike went in and talked to two University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Environmental Science classes on September 11th about opportunities available to help out their local KAMO. KAMO was also introduced to students at other classes at U.W. L and Viterbo (by professors requiring their students to be involved in service to the community).

The Galesville area has taken an interest in KAMO both at the county and public school level. A middle school principal from Galesville wants to work with Coulee to spearhead a volunteer/ mentor drive in Trempealeau county in hopes that these adults, if recruited, would be willing to work with some of his students, both male and female.

Submitted by Mike Brown

News from the Indianhead Chapter

No news from the Indianhead Chapter, though Jim collected and sent in information necessary to recertify all of KAMO for background checks and served as secretary for the recent BOD Teleconference. He also led a hike to the Felsenmir rock gully in Rusk County which included some kids. And gave a presentation on tar sands oil dangers which may have included a new mentor for the MarshPoint Chapter.

Lake Wisconsin Chapter/ Meadow Valley Chapters

No news submitted this month

News on the MarshPoint Chapter:

Marsh/Point as we all know is now entering it’s 3rd month of
rebuilding. This project is going to take time but we have a solid
core group of people that is steadily expanding. We will be holding our
next meeting at on Tuesday, October 16th at 7:00 at the Upham House in
Marshfield, Wisconsin. Address is 212 West 3rd St, Marshfield.

This chapter has a ton of potential and we could really use your help.

News from the Northwoods Chapter:

Meeting held on Wed. Sept. 19th

Discussion of our senior citizen outing in August and assignments for our upcoming pheasant outing on Oct. 6th were given.

Each youth attending gets to load their own shells and shoot unlimited clays throughout the day, harvest a pheasant in the field with a dog assist, have lunch, gets help cleaning their bird and takes home a knit KAMO embroidered hat.

It was decided that no meeting will take place in October or November (deer hunting and vacations) and that our next meeting will be on December 12th.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Northwoods Chapter