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NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY

Celebrate National Public Lands Day on Sept. 24 by getting outdoors and volunteering at a state property. The Wisconsin State Park System boasts nearly 156,000 acres of public lands to explore and help maintain.

Giving Back Together is the theme for this year’s National Public Lands Day, marked every year on the fourth Saturday in September. The tradition was established in 1994 by the National Environmental Education Foundation.

There are volunteer activities at state parks all year long, ranging from cleanup and trail maintenance to tree planting to assisting with building projects. Learn more and find a link to sign up using the DNR’s Volunteer Impact System at dnr.wi.gov/tiny/1006.

The National Park System and other federal agencies also mark National Public Lands Day with free entry to national parks and more, and volunteer opportunities nationwide. For details, see neefusa.org/npld.

This rendering shows design student Genevieve Gholizadeh's plan for running shoes made from recycled fishing line.

Genevieve Gholizadeh

FISHING LINE FOOTWEAR

Did you know that monofilament fishing line can last 600 years in freshwater? Thanks to the DNR’s monofilament fishing line recycling program, you can help protect wildlife, boat propellers, water enthusiasts and the environment from negative effects of used fishing line.

While the recycled fishing line is generally melted down into raw plastic pellets to make products like tackle boxes or spools for fishing line, one graduate student discovered a clever new use for the used line: footwear.

Genevieve Gholizadeh, an industrial design graduate student at North Carolina State University, is focusing her thesis on the design and creation of beach running shoes made of used fishing line and fishing nets. Her closed-loop design — which is when a product is recycled to create something new — got a little help from the Badger State.

In need of more fishing line, Gholizadeh reached out to the Wisconsin DNR, which sent her 20 pounds of fishing line collected for recycling at DNR service centers, enough to start working on her project. She now has renderings for her shoes, and her next step is to create prototypes.

Stay tuned for more on this story in an upcoming issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources. To learn more about recycling your fishing line, go to dnr.wi.gov/topic/recycling/fishingline.

Nick Volmer

STILL TIME FOR TROUT

With generally cooler weather on the way in autumn, this can be a great time of year for trout fishing; the general inland trout season continues through Oct. 15. September also is time for the lake sturgeon hook-and-line season, running through the end of the month, and fishing for many other species continues in fall as well.

Check dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing for all season dates, regulations and to buy a license, just $20 annually for Wisconsin residents and only $5 for first-time resident buyers.

Wisconsin DNR

SALUTE TO VETERANS

With Veterans Day on Nov. 11, the DNR recognizes the service of military members past and present by extending privileges related to hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits. State residents in active full-time service with the Armed Forces are eligible for a free small game and fishing license, with state stamps included. In addition, any resident who has received a Purple Heart medal is eligible to purchase a conservation patron license for just $10 ($165 regular resident price), which includes gun-deer, turkey, small game and other hunting licenses plus an annual fishing license, park entry sticker and more. For details, see dnr.wi.gov/permits/veterans.