Summer Fishing Coaches Lure Urban Children to the Water

Author: Theresa Stabo

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has long had an urban fishing program in Milwaukee County, the state’s largest population center.  The program has largely consisted of hosting kids’ fishing clinics twice a year (winter and spring) on stocked ponds in county parks. Striving to move beyond the one-day clinic model, the WDNR imagined a reputable pied piper with a fishing pole and launched an internship program to provide fishing coaches to urban community centers in 2005.  The first intern was stationed at the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) on the banks of the Milwaukee River on Milwaukee’s north side, an area known for poverty, drugs and violence.   The UEC itself has taken a bold step in helping residents reclaim the river that flows through the neighborhood they share.  The WDNR is proud to join them as partners in introducing Milwaukee-area youngsters to fishing and the waterway in their midst.  Capitalizing on the success of the Milwaukee Fishing Coach we stationed an intern at the Dane County Boys and Girls Club in Madison in 2006 and also continued our partnership with the UEC.  Like the children served in Milwaukee, the children served by the Boys and Girls Club come from challenging socio-economic backgrounds that limit their fishing opportunities.  This poster will highlight the needs met by the Fishing Coach Interns.