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🤿 'Ed the diver' cleans up WI rivers

🤿 'Ed the diver' cleans up WI rivers

PLUS bear quota, trails add millions to economy, and CWD

Forrest Koslowski
January 30, 2025

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Mornin’ to any anglers—Rhinelander was named a Top-10 place to ice fish in the nation. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly, the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

This week’s weekly:

🐻 Bear hunting quota expands in 2025

🚵 Woah: WinMan Trails adds $4.3 million to economy

☠️ STUDY: Chronic Wasting Disease reduces deer survival, growth

🤿 Story of the week: Local celebrity ‘Ed The Diver’ finds trash and treasure in Wisconsin waterways

🐻 Bear hunting quota expands in 2025 LINK

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved a 6% increase in the bear hunting quota to 4,075 bears and a 14% increase in licenses issued, following a record harvest last season.
While state officials say the bear population remains stable or growing, Ojibwe tribes have raised concerns about overharvesting and are working with the state to improve conservation efforts.
Interest in bear hunting is growing, with around 135,000 applicants for licenses or preference points last year, and most hunters using bait or dogs to harvest bears for meat and cooking oil.

🚵 Woah: WinMan Trails adds $4.3 million to economy LINK

WinMan Trails in Vilas County attracted over 55,000 visitors in 2023, generating $4.3 million for the local economy, with most visitors coming from outside the area.
The trails, FREE to use year-round, play a vital role in supporting local businesses, lodging, and tourism by drawing people to the Northwoods
The other trails studied in the economic impact report are City of Eau Claire paved trail system: $4.1 million; Dodge County Parks/Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center: $8.4 million; Lafayette County’s Cheese Country Trails: $7.2 million; Marathon County’s Nine Mile County Forest: $3.3 million

☠️ Southwest Wisconsin CWD, deer and predator study results LINK

A Wisconsin DNR study found that chronic wasting disease (CWD) significantly lowers deer survival rates, with infected does having half the survival rate of healthy ones and bucks faring even worse.
In areas where CWD prevalence exceeds 29%, deer populations are expected to decline, particularly in southwestern Wisconsin, where infection rates are as high as 55% in bucks.
Despite ongoing research and sampling, there is no single solution for managing CWD, and efforts to regulate deer farms and limit disease spread have faced political and industry resistance.

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🤿 STORY OF THE WEEK: Local celebrity ‘Ed The Diver’ finds trash and treasure in Wisconsin waterways LINK

Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers are beautiful, but beneath the surface, they’re hiding a lot of trash—lost fishing lures, phones, sunglasses, and even some ~bizarre~ surprises.

Enter Ed Bieber, aka “Ed the Diver,” a Wisconsin-based recovery diver who’s cleaning up the waterways while entertaining millions online.

It all started with a simple fishing trip. Bieber and his kids kept losing lures, so he decided to dive in and retrieve them—along with the countless others lost by anglers from around the world.

But he noticed a bigger problem: a shocking amount of pollution, too. Tires, plastic bottles, batteries, etc littered the riverbeds. The good ‘Scon he was, he upgraded his diving gear and started hauling out as much junk as he could over coming trips.

Bieber’s videos on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook have gained millions of views, entertaining the masses with tangled fishing lines to unexpected treasures. His efforts even earned him the 2025 “Celebrity Impact Award” from Do Good Wisconsin, and this November, some of his discoveries will be displayed at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay.

His finds range from the ordinary to the incredible. In the Wolf River, he discovered a 1993 Barbie doll covered in grime and mussels. A viral video led to its sale on eBay—purchased by a woman from Green Bay who later became his fiancée!

He’s also recovered rifles, laptops, and even tangled wildlife, often rescuing creatures stuck in discarded fishing line.

Bieber describes the underwater world as murky and eerie, full of muck, low visibility, and even massive sturgeon bumping into him. Once, someone reported him to the DNR for petting a sturgeon—an accusation that ended in laughter.

Despite the pollution, Bieber stays optimistic. “With all the trash, you’re gonna find some treasure,” he says. And with every dive, he’s inspiring others to care for Wisconsin’s waters—one sunken lure at a time.

Now forward this email to a friend, have a great weekend, and get out ‘der.

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