ARC



Directory

The Association of Retired Conservationists was organized by a group of retirees from the Wisconsin Conservation Department in the 1960's. By the mid-1970's, the WCD had been combined with the Department of Resource Development to form the Department of Natural Resources, and the retirees group had grown significantly, met monthly for lunch and began inviting speakers to address the group on issues of interest to the members. Today, the organization has more than two hundred members.

website contact: retiredrick@wisarc.org

Meeting Minutes





THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED CONSERVATIONISTS

 

Meeting of March 1, 2023 held at Kavanaugh’s Esquire Supper Club, Madison

 

ARC President Laurel Steffes called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm.

 

34 people were in attendance. The cost of the meal was one of 4 choices – chicken salad, cheeseburger and fries, fish sandwich and fries or a Reuben sandwich.

 

A moment of silence was observed for friends and family who have passed and for our troops who are serving in harm’s way and essential workers.

 

Financial Report:

 

The treasurer reports $111 in Savings, $150 in Checking.

Recent Expenses: Several checks were written to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin for donations in memory of deceased ARC members.

 

New Members: - none

 

“Frank-n-Miller Report:”

 

Ed Frank said that adjustments will be in your May payment and the latest report available shows around 1% for Core and -17% for Variable.

 

Old Business:

 

none

 

New Business:

 

Today is the last day to submit comments to DNR on Wolf Management plan. Next month, we will have speaker to discuss the plan and its history.

 

As always, keep up to date by checking the NEWS NOW and What’s New sections of the ARC website for posting about legislative issues, obituaries, DNR press releases, stories of interest.

 

Deaths:

 

Ed Brick – retired DNR employee, formerly Water Resources Engineer

Roger Schlesser – retired DNR employee, formerly Aquatic Biologist

 

Birthdays:


This month Ed Frank turns 90, Tom Howard 75 and Rick Wojciak 70. Happy Birthday everyone!!

 

Meeting adjourned at 1:15 pm.


Presentation: (thanks to Mike Foy for ensuring that we had AV equipment for the presentation!)

 

Laurel introduced our speaker Bryan Richards, Emerging Disease Coordinator for USGS at the National Wildlife Health Center. He shared the latest information about on-going research into the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin and showed slides that illustrated where the disease has been detected throughout the state and the country over the past 20 years. Modeling suggests a number of ideas on what it may take to arrest the growth of CWD, and Bryan emphasized that focus should be on healthy systems v. a healthy species or individual.