Wiscampsin Weekly
Posts
WI State Parks celebrates 125 years

WI State Parks celebrates 125 years

PLUS elk hunt success, mapping the Great Lakes, new DNR secretary

Forrest Koslowski
January 02, 2025

Happy New Year to everyone interested in candlelight ski and snowshoe events this month. 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:

🦌 Successful 2024 Elk season

🌊 Mapping the bottom of the Great Lakes

🌲 New DNR secretary after yearlong vacancy

🎂 Story of the week: WI State Parks celebrates 125 years

🦌 Successful 2024 Elk season LINK

Wisconsin’s seventh managed elk hunting season marked a huge milestone, allowing hunters to harvest elk in both the Northern and Central Elk Zones for the first time.
Eight randomly selected hunters from over 25,500 applicants participated, with six harvesting bull elk and Ojibwe Tribal hunters meeting their four-bull declaration, including a notable success by a 10-year-old mentored hunter.
The 2025 elk hunting application period opens in early spring, with $7 from each $10 fee directly supporting elk management, habitat restoration, and research.

🌊 Mapping the bottom of the Great Lakes LINK

The Lakebed 2030 initiative aims to fully map the Great Lakes floor, identifying erosion-prone areas and mitigating risks to coastal communities amid increasing severe storms and ice loss.
Despite progress in mapping 15% of the Great Lakes, funding and legislative support remain critical, with bipartisan efforts like the Great Lakes Mapping Act proposing $200 million for high-resolution mapping and NOAA involvement.
Mapping efforts not only enhance environmental stewardship and economic benefits but also uncover maritime heritage, such as shipwrecks, while offering opportunities for local exploration and understanding of fish habitats and hazards.

🌲 New DNR secretary after yearlong vacancy LINK

Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Karen Hyun as Wisconsin's new DNR secretary, marking the first woman in the role since 2017 and the first Asian American to lead the department, ending its yearlong vacancy.
Hyun brings extensive environmental policy experience, including leadership roles at NOAA and the National Audubon Society, and has pledged to prioritize conservation, resilience, and accessibility of Wisconsin’s natural resources.
The appointment comes amidst tensions between Evers and Republican lawmakers over issues like stewardship funding, PFAS contamination spending, and the firing of 21 Evers appointees, complicating the state’s environmental policymaking.

Sign up for the Wiscampsin Membership to read the story and trip of the week
For $1.84/month you’ll get full access to Wiscampsin: 3 shorts, meme, trip idea, Story of The Week, and poll.

🥳 STORY OF THE WEEK: Story of the week: WI State Parks celebrates 125 years LINK

In 2025, Wisconsin will celebrate the 125th anniversary of our beloved State Park System, a network that spans more than 307,000 acres of parks, forests, trails, and recreation areas, ripe for biking, backpacking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and more. Time for a rewind:

The system’s roots date back to 1900 with the creation of Interstate Park, though the state’s first attempt at a park began in the 1870s before being sold off.

Early conservation pioneers like Harry Baker and George Hazard fought to protect natural treasures like the Dalles of the St. Croix River, a stunning canyon formed by glacial meltwater.

Today, the Wisconsin State Park System includes 50 state parks, 44 trails, 15 forests, and numerous other recreational areas.

Devil’s Lake State Park, one of the state’s most popular sites, owes its establishment to landscape architect John Nolen, who laid the framework for the park system in the early 1900s. Nolen’s vision was clear: “No question before the American people today is of greater importance than the conservation of our natural resources.”

Visitor numbers have surged in recent decades, with nearly 20.3 million visits recorded last year—50% higher than two decades ago, partly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows—while user fees provide significant revenue, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources faces a $1 billion maintenance backlog. Recent state budgets have allocated some funding for improvements, but more resources are needed to preserve these spaces.

The year-long celebration will feature a series of events across the state, starting with First Day Hikes on January 1 and culminating in a main event at Interstate Park in September.

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

READER GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away a Wiscampsin Basic Tee to a Wiscampsin Membership reader this week! To enter the drawing, simply subscribe to the Wiscampsin Membership (scroll up!) before midnight tonight. It helps support us and our mission!