An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Northwood Chapter of KAMO’s Kids Day on the Ice

Hello friends, Seventeen years ago this week, I woke up on a frozen lake near Mellen and drove to the Florence Resource Center, where I had no idea how many people would attend a meeting about a thought I had to start an organization that would eventually be called KAMO (Kids And Mentors Outdoors), with the emphasis to get kids more involved outside. Mick Milner, Terry Stebers, Dwaine Drewa and Jeff Moll would attend that meeting along with several other people. As the years passed, what would become the Northwoods Chapter of KAMO has grown into a community organization that is active, respected and proud. This week I visited my good friends and helped in their annual Kids Day on the Ice outing on Lake Emily, which this chapter has a whole lot of history on.

Saturday, Feb. 24 – High 35, low 16 Last night I stayed at my good friends Dwaine and Ann Drewa’s remote home on the shores of the Pine River. Dwaine is the vice president of this chapter and has been on KAMO’s board of directors since the beginning. For this outing and most, Dwaine has been in charge of food, and he only buys the best and is an excellent cook. A little side bar note, I had both of my golden retrievers along and as I started this journey, I realized that both are coming into heat. I will be getting Red bred.

So this morning it was cold, which seems unusual for me to write this winter, and as soon as we arrived at the park and campground at Lake Emily where the Northwoods Chapter also hosts a summer outing, it was a get-‘er-done mood for all the volunteers. The actual fishing takes place about 600 yards from the landing and Rick Knepper, a longtime KAMO volunteer, brought out his UTV and would run gear and people all day long. With the ice being very slippery, Rick’s help was greatly appreciated. The location where we would set up several “Eskimo” ice shacks is over a series of fish cribs, or should I say “reefs,” built several years ago. Past Northwoods President Mick Milner had coordinated the building along with a lot of KAMO volunteers, some professionals with the Wisconsin DNR and, most importantly, McLain Brothers Logging, which provided and delivered a great many loads of hemlock for this fouryear KAMO project.

When the kids and some parents started arriving, I witnessed an incredibly smooth operation. President Johnny Johnson and Tom Jonet as well as others had a shop “work party” the weekend before and had 36 rod and reel combinations and 14 tip-ups ready for action. Castaway Sport Shop had donated all the bait we could use, and it was game on.

What I witnessed was truly what I hoped for when I dreamt up the idea to create what would be KAMO back in 2006. Every kid and parent who took part in this day had a great attitude, I did not see a cell phone come out, never a complaint and it really helped that the fish were biting.

KAMO volunteers like Mark St. Louis, Terry Steber and Wayne Reske were constantly helping and the entire process should have been filmed and could be used nationwide for a how-to video on an ice fishing get-together for kids. I’m sure I missed some good helpers’ names, but everyone involved and reading this in the 60 papers and great many websites should get the idea that Florence County KAMO rocks!

Wanna start a chapter? Check out kamokids.org. Sunset

Mark Walters