An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters sponsored by

Necedah Outdoor Adventure Club/any community could

do this

Hello friends, This week’s column is a bit different but something that the people of any community could do. I was going to write this column this winter, but my truck the Chevy Hotel has passed away. I am vehicle-less and searching for a truck.

So, I got home from deer camp last November after seven months of running hard and I have an email from Necedah School District administrator Tanya Kotlowski. Tanya is one of the coolest people in the world as in farm girl, horse woman and, most importantly, nothing stops her from achieving goals and everyone in our community loves her. So, I met with Tanya two days after reading the email and from that moment my life changed. Tanya’s idea: start an outdoor club that is associated with the school district and available to people of all ages.

Tanya wanted me to lead it and she was going to be right there every step of the way. Before I go any further, Amanda Apitz who is our Community Outreach Program Coordinator, would join and she has an education on making things happen and an incredibly positive attitude.

For the most part, when we met in early winter, we were just getting our bearings. I thought we should create a beach in Necedah and, in the winter, have ice skating right at what is called Old Mill Park.

Necedah has a community Facebook page that is very popular and, about once every 10 days, I posted a positive update on our plans. Next, we met with the Necedah Village Board and got its approval to put in a beach as long as they had zero expenses or maintenance. Next, we went through the WDNR permitting process and were successful. On May 31 my good friends Jim and Ryan Rattunde “father/son get it done guys” and myself created a beautiful beach, which we finished at midnight.

After that we came up with funding for buoys and a swim float and I am the chief weed cutter, which is done with a machete and a rake.

Another thing that we have experimented with is local hikes in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and journeys out of the area on Saturdays.

We had three campfires at my house with ATV rides pulling kids in a wagon. In June we held a fishing event with a picnic. In early May we had a picnic/fundraiser with music and in late July we held Beach Bash, which was a picnic/fundraiser with music. I spend a lot of time at the beach working and it is pure joy to watch young and old enjoy it.

Other goals are a dog park and a sledding hill on the Necedah bluff. Our current energy is toward a disk golf course on village property, and we have really pulled the people together to educate the public on this popular sport.

I love Necedah and, over the last eight months, have come to realize that it really is not that difficult to pull a community together that was really, really weak in the outdoor areas, and as long as we can keep our energy, no one can stop us from making good things happen.

Check Necedah Outdoor Adventure Club “NOAC” out on Facebook and stay positive!

Sunset