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MADISON – It’s now easier than ever to find a place to launch watercraft or dunk a worm from shore thanks to a new interactive Web map of Wisconsin. Users can search the Wisconsin Boat and Developed Shore Fishing Access map for developed boat launches and developed shore fishing access points with their computer mouse by either clicking on a map or searching by county name.
“Wisconsinites love the water and so do our visitors,†said Steve Miller, director of the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Facilities and Lands. “They love to fish and they love to get on it with their watercraft. With this new web tool they can find boat launches for lakes, rivers or flowages in Wisconsin from their computer screen. It’s Internet based so it’s accessible from home, from a coffee shop, a library, or a hotel room.â€
Wisconsin annually sells about 1.4 million fishing licenses and is the number two destination fishing state in the country. Watercraft registration records show more than 636,000 registered watercraft in Wisconsin. There are thousands more watercraft that do not need registration such as canoes and kayaks. Wisconsin has 15,000 named lakes, 44,000 miles of streams and 659 miles of Great Lakes coastline.
Almost 2,000 improved boat ramps are documented on the Web map with another almost 400 walk-in/carry-in sites. Roughly 450 are maintained by DNR, which develops and maintains the sites with funds received through the federal Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) Fund. SFR dollars come from an excise tax paid on purchases of fishing and boating equipment. Remaining sites are operated by counties, towns, cities, villages and the federal government. Many sites – state and local -- are on lands purchased through the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
All sites are open to the public. DNR sites are free while some sites operated by local governments may charge a launch fee which is used for upkeep and maintenance.
“This new page compliments our DNR Managed Lands page [dnr.wi.gov/maps], which is also interactive allowing folks to pick an area to hunt or recreate, identify public parcels and zoom in for details such as acreage, boundaries and directions,†adds Miller.
The news come from www.bossgoo.com
