Submitted by DNR Office of Communications

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds anglers that 2024-2025 fishing licenses expire on March 31. On April 1, 2025 all residents and nonresidents over 16 must possess a valid 2025-2026 general fishing license to fish in Wisconsin’s inland waters. Along with the new licenses, the new fishing regulations are now available for the 2025-2026 fishing season.

Annual resident licenses cost $20 each, or purchase a spousal license for $31 so you and your spouse can fish together. All fishing licenses and stamps can be purchased online via Go Wild, at a registered sales location or at DNR Service Centers.

Buy Your License Now; Early Opportunities Abound – Although Wisconsin’s 2025-2026 general inland fishing season doesn’t open until May 3, there are still some outstanding angling opportunities available throughout the state, so don’t wait to buy your license.

Hook and line fishing is open year-round on some waters for many species. Anglers should note that for many of these year-round fishing opportunities, there are some specific rules on species, sizes and bag limits, so check the Special County Regulations before wetting a line.

Additionally, catch and release fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass is open year-round in most inland waters.

The early catch and release trout season is also open through May 2, 2025. Check the 2025-2026 trout regulations for fishing opportunities near you.

All catch and release anglers are reminded of the importance of proper fish handling to ensure a safe release. More information, some helpful tips for safely releasing fish and a how-to video can be found on the DNR’s Responsible Release webpage.

Protect Our Waters Against Invasive Species – As the season kicks off, anglers are reminded to disinfect their gear and follow these guidelines to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species:

• Inspect your boat, trailer and equipment.
• Remove any attached aquatic plants or animals (before launching, after loading and before transporting on a public highway).
• Drain all water from boats, motors and all equipment.
• Never move live fish away from a waterbody.
• Dispose of all unwanted bait in the trash.
• Buy minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer.

Please note that anglers may take leftover minnows away from any state water and use them again on that same water. Leftover minnows may be used on other waters only if no lake or river water or other fish were added to their container.

By Heather Close, The Rural Blog

Whether it’s high egg prices or the fear of another pandemic, many Americans want bird flu, also known as avian flu, contained and a long-term answer found. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, “recently mused about a novel way to contain bird flu, which is to let it ‘run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it,'” reports Hanna Rosin of “The Atlantic.” “This could involve millions of birds dying slower, more horrible deaths.”

While studying birds — not necessarily chickens — that are immune to bird flu is important work that could help breed more resilient flocks, many scientists would not recommend letting bird flu “run through” flocks “because it would only give the H5N1 virus that causes bird flu more opportunities to evolve, which it’s already doing at what experts see as an alarming rate,” Rosin explains. “So far, the outbreak has caused one human death in the United States and several others overseas.”

Looking back, the U.S. government had a brief window to act and contain the virus in the spring of 2024, when bird flu surfaced in a small number of dairy cows. Science reporter Dr. Katie Wu explained to Rosin how the virus spread: “Instead, they let business proceed as usual and dairy cattle move all over the place throughout their lifetime. They gave the virus more opportunities to spread. That should have been a five-alarm-fire level of: We need to ratchet up this response and make sure that the virus does not move any further than it already has. And that did not happen.”

Will the virus reach a tipping point from a growing concern to a full-blown epidemic? That point is uncertain and perhaps there are more important concerns. Wu told Rosin, “I think the right question to be asking is: How prepared would we be if this truly escalated to that point? And the answer is: not at all. Like, not even a little bit. It’s impossible to say with any kind of certainty, “Oh, there’s exactly, you know, a 14.7 percent chance this is going to turn into a pandemic.” . . . We can’t know those things. A lot of this is about randomness, about how we continue to respond, about just vagaries of the virus that people don’t fully understand yet.”

Covid-19 and Americans’ response to it still has many citizens weary from years of mask debates and misinformation wars. Wu told Rosin, “The public is still really fatigued from having to respond to all of that — there was a lot of trust in public health and science eroded during that time —and I think because of the nature of the slow burn of all this, just slowly percolating through animals, affecting certain farm animals, maybe sort of affecting some aspects of the food supply.”

To read more about how bird flu could mutate into something much more harmful for humans, read Rosin’s full transcript at “The Atlantic – Radio” or listen to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Submitted by US Army Corp of Engineers

ST. PAUL, MN – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, announced today, March 20, that the first tow of the 2025 navigation season arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Motor Vessel Neil N. Diehl locked through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 19, with nine barges. Reaching St. Paul marks the unofficial start to the navigation season because it’s the last port on the Upper Mississippi River to open every year. The delay is a result of ice in Lake Pepin, near Red Wing, Minnesota, that prevents tows from heading upstream of the area until conditions improve.

The average first tow to reach the head of navigation in St. Paul is the third week in March. The Motor Vessel Joseph Patrick Eckstein was the first tow of the 2024 navigation season to reach St. Paul. She arrived March 17, 2024. The earliest date for a tow to reach St. Paul occurred March 4. It happened in 1983, 1984 and 2000.

With the head of navigation open, the Mississippi River navigation channel will continue to providing safe, reliable and cost-effective waterborne transportation for the fertilizers that farmers depend on to grow the corn and soybeans that help feed America. The St. Paul District maintains the 9-foot-deep navigation channel and operates 12 locks and dams to support navigation from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa.

Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. A 15-barge tow is the equivalent to more than 1,000 semi-trailers or 200 rail cars. One barge can carry more than 50,000 bushels of wheat, or enough to make around 2.1 million loaves of bread. A barge filled with 50,000 bushels of corn can produce around 1.3 million boxes of cereal. Shipping these commodities on the river saves money and ultimately helps to reduce costs at the grocery store.

Submitted by Andrew Badje, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Biologist

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking volunteers for the annual Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey to help document frog and toad breeding calls throughout the state this spring and summer.

Formally launched in 1984, this long-running survey helps the DNR follow trends in Wisconsin frog and toad populations. Over the years, volunteers have helped DNR conservation biologists better define the distribution, status and population trends of all 12 frog and toad species in Wisconsin.

“Our volunteers, lovingly known as ‘froggers,’ are important advocates for frogs and toads in Wisconsin,” said Andrew Badje, DNR conservation biologist and Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey Coordinator. “They are the beating heart of frog monitoring and conservation in Wisconsin. They are why this survey is the longest-running community-based frog calling survey in North America.”

Volunteers can participate in three ways:

• Traditional Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey: Volunteers will drive a pre-set route for three total nights, once each in early spring, late spring and early summer. Volunteers make 10 stops per night, listening for five minutes at each site, documenting the species heard calling and the relative abundance of each species. Check out the available 2025 survey routes and learn how to volunteer on the Frog and Toad Survey’s webpage.
• Mink Frog Survey: Mink frogs are only found in northern Wisconsin and often call in the daytime. In June and early July, volunteers will listen once during the day and once at night, along routes targeting ideal mink frog breeding habitat. Learn more about the survey and how to volunteer on the Mink Frog Survey webpage.
• Phenology Survey: Volunteers for this survey help monitor when frogs and toads first start calling each spring. Phenology volunteers will choose one wetland to monitor throughout the frog calling season and record data as often as possible for five minutes per night. Learn more about the survey and how to volunteer on the Phenology Survey webpage.

Dates for each survey vary, and some depend on the changing seasons. Volunteers will receive more details on timing after contacting the survey teams.

Making A Difference – Since the survey began, volunteers have collectively spent more than 10,500 nights surveying 103,400 sites across the state. Volunteers are continuing to document increasing trends for American bullfrogs and Blanchard’s cricket frogs since the survey began, an encouraging sign for each of these species. Volunteers are also contributing substantial knowledge into the unique calling patterns and distribution of mink frogs throughout the Northwoods.

Other ways to help – The Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey and reptile and amphibian conservation in Wisconsin are supported, in part, by the Endangered Resources Fund. Learn more about the Endangered Resources Fund or make a donation on your Wisconsin income tax forms.