Westby Workshop - POSTPONED
Westby Workshop - this event has been postponed. Hope to reschedule - be safe, wash your hands, and social distance (go fish)
LTU volunteer leaders, members, staff and supporters from across the region will unite in the Driftless Area for an enlightening and inspirational experience starting Saturday, April 4th, 2020 in beautiful Westby, Wisconsin.
Conference Focus
Since 2004, the Westby Workshop has brought together TU volunteers and potential leaders and offered them training in restoration project planning and organizational strengthening. The lessons are inspiring, as experiences are used to illustrate what we’ve learned. You’ll be able to bring your own questions and have them answered by people who’ve been where you are and have special expertise.
The workshop is a grand opportunity to network and build relationships with fellow TU volunteer leaders and staff and bolster your conservation toolkit. You’ll find yourself bringing away good ideas to try at home and, if you wish, you can plan your own restoration project with the help of experienced project organizers from TU’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort. They’ve taught hundreds of volunteers already, and those volunteers have carried out hundreds and hundreds of effective projects.
One of our foci this year will be implementing TU’s efforts for diversity, equity and including groups traditionally underrepresented in our organization. We’ll have experts there to share successful methods to bring more diverse folks into the TU tent, and there are sure to be robust discussions about how to do it.
Experts in their fields of science will also share their thoughts about the unique features of the Driftless Area—its geology, bedrock, groundwater and hundreds of cold clear spring creeks. You’ll have a chance to tour a recently completed project in the Kickapoo River Valley with TU Habitat Project Specialist Paul Krahn, who oversaw the entire project. Fishing may be good to very good in early April, the beginning of the best dry fly fishing of the trout season, so consider coming early or staying after to take it in. We’ll give you tips on where to go and what to use.
There’s fun too: Saturday night we’ll get together for a catered dinner of the Rockton Tavern’s “Soon to be World Famous” grilled chicken at the Viroqua American Legion Bistro 138. Seating is limited so register today!
Registration
We can’t wait for you to join us in Westby. Starting at $95, there are a variety of registration options to meet your interests.
Schedule
Workshops begin Saturday morning and will offer speakers and panel discussions through mid-afternoon. You’ll be able to fish or take a project tour Saturday afternoon and we’ll join for dinner. Sunday morning we’ll start with a keynote speaker and offer discussions until 12:30 p.m. when we’ll finish up the workshop.
Lodging
Accommodations for the Westby Workshop are provided by Living Waters Bible Camp, located in a lovely coulee along one of the uppermost tributaries of the West Fork of the Kickapoo River, one of America’s 100 Best Trout Streams. You may stay in the rustic camp cheaply and take in the surroundings, or you may wish to stay in Westby or nearby Viroqua which have plenty of lodging options.
A block of rooms has been set aside at the Vernon Inn in Viroqua for $79 + tax/fees for a night with double occupancy. Reserve there by March 23 to get the special TU Group rate by calling 1-800-501-0664.
Transportation
The nearest regional airports are at La Crosse, 38 miles from Westby, and Madison, 90 miles away. Minneapolis-St. Paul’s International Airport is 3 ½ hours away via a scenic drive.
Fishing
In addition to planned angling opportunities in the agenda, excellent guides operate in the area. Several work with Mat and Geri Wagner out of Viroqua’s Driftless Angler Fly Shop.
For where-to-fish information, the best Wisconsin resource showing improved trout waters that are on easements with public fishing access is Todd Hanson’s book, Map Guide to Improved Trout Waters of Wisconsin. This book is also available at Driftless Angler Fly Shop.
For additional information and assistance, contact Duke Welter or Jeff Hastings.
