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| I copied this from another site for those of you interested!
"Other than getting the Wisconsin Guide License through the DNR, you also must obtain a Limited Operator of an Uninspected Vessel (OUPV) through the Coast Guard. It's not an easy process, but its also not impossible. I'm currently the enforcement officer for Wisconsin.
I'm not here to put folks out of business, and we WILL work with you as long as you work with us. Until congress removes the Winnebago Chain from the list of federal waters, we have a job to do. I'll be posting a Marine Safety Information Bulletin in the near future to as many discussion forms as I find. We will also be going around to various bait shops and launches to post the information.
We will be doing random enforcement patrols, and I can tell you that if you get caught without a CG License, while guiding, you'll be ordered back to the dock, and given an Captain of the Port Order(COTP Order). If we catch you again (guiding), after you receive a COTP Order, not only will you be fined up to the $11,000 for not having a CG license, but plus an additional $32,500 for violating the COTP Order.
If you have any questions in regards to obtain a limited OUPV license, please contact the Regional Exam Center in Toledo, OH at 419-418-6010. If you would like to speak to someone in Milwaukee, then contact 414-747-7154 and ask for Petty Officer Schmidtke or Petty Officer Wilson. "
Good Luck
Tyee
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| What site was it? |
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Member
Posts: 378
Location: Omro,Wi. | Never mind I found it. "http://www.lake-link.com/boards/boards/viewposts.cfm?Thread_ID=31409" I must say your comments are interesting? Glad most people don't think that way.
Edited by Hafe 3/23/2005 3:39 PM
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| I don't think those are Tyees comments but are the comments from the cg unless you are refering to other things? |
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| I talked to Petty Officer Schmidke and have asked him to post the definition of what makes the Winnebago system a federal waterway. I had a very good talk with him that lasted for well over an hour, very informative. My goal here is to have the boundries re-defined or to have the entire waterway removed from the federal designation. What ever makes SENSE based on the water, the rules and as they are applied elsewhere and the CG's ability to not only enforce ONE rule but to provide search and resque. I am also trying to find out when and WHY the CG station in Neenah was closed and confirm via documents provided to Fremont regarding the Corps of Engineers abandoning the Wolf River as a "navigable" waterway. This actually might go all the way back to commercial logging and clamming on the Wolf River. IMHO, for the Wolf River, the rule is as needed as a pile of festering carp. It probably makes sense on "bago" but then why not Green Lake or Pewaukee Lake. Fishing guides on those bodies of water are engaging in commercial boating too under the rule. Look out Rock River, OUPV required there too.
I have again been in contact with Senetor Herb Kohl's office and hope to get a some focus to this. Heck, Officer Schmidke didn't even know where Leeman is!! ( the northern boundry of the federal waterway, 96.2 miles above the mouth of the Fox River at Lake Winnebago.) It might be up-stream with a broken paddle but I'm on this like stink. It needs to change. |
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Member
Posts: 874
Location: Neenah, WI | I couldn't agree with you more, Doc. I feel that if they want to enforce 1 law, then they can start placing buoys and doing search and rescue like they do on the Great Lakes and other Federal Waterways. As I stated when this whole mess got started; I think this is the result of some new ambitious officer to put a feather in his cap by doing some sword rattling. I applaud your efforts. Thank You. |
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Member
Posts: 185
Location: Port Washington, wisconsin | http://www.senate.gov/~kohl/gen_contact.html
He'd love to hear from a few hundred or so people! |
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| Why? The boundries are there for all to see and they have been forever. Everybody that has been guiding on these waters has known this, you know you have. You have just decided to bury your head in the sand and hope you don't get called on. You have! Get the license. Anybody that is out there without it is illegal and not a proffessional. This is the cost of doing business. |
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| Doc, I need a contact number for you, either phone or e-mail |
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Winneconne, WI | I used to guide (mainly the upper lakes) and had absolutely no idea a Captains License was required---talked to the DNR and they stated all I needed was a guide license on the whole Winnebago System----Well here we are---I sure hope that they aren't going to selectively enforce just certain rules---It's a ridiculously stupid law anyway...I e-mailed and wrote letters to all our Senators----Kohl, Feingold, etc----I got the same stuff the Coast Guard gave me---that the rule required it---I spoke with Kohl and stated I already knew that and that the boundaries or rule needed to be seroiusly looked at, I brought up the fact about bouy placement, and other rules that they are not taking care of ---He said he would look into it???!!! |
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| Bagz, great post!! Perfect addition to the discussion. As far as getting caught?? Well I, like sauger and Larry Smith and others we were all opperating under EXACTLY what the DNR told us when we applied for a guide license. It was considered an inland waterway, had been abondoned by the Corp's of Engineers and even the Waupaca County Sherriff did not know if was FEDERAL water, so Mr. accuser, get your facts straight. As far as ME personally, I had suspended my guiding business well over a year PRIOR to the start of this due mainly to health reasons and partially because of Triton's change in local dealer, MY change to Mercury Marine and to Triton's Aluminum group as sponsor (so I was basically without a boat for almosy a year) MY personal interest is in how it affects numbers of other qualified guides, tourism (at least on the short term) and the fact that it doesn't make sense, at least for the Wolf River. If they are going to consider the water federal waters for commercial opperation, then give us the other "shoe" (as it were). As was stated by another participant on this board, then where was the Coast Guard helicopter when those two young boys were missing while duck hunting. And if it makes sense then how are they going to proceed. What's the plan. Re-open the CG station in Neenah. Help our already overworked and understaffed water patrols deal with the idiots and un-safe boaters or is it all we can do is enforce the OUPV requirement because we don't have the staff, money or resources to do anything else and the only reason we are doing this is because some whiner wouldn't leave us alone about it and made it an issue. The DNR doesn'rt believe in it or they would have been telling us what the requirements were from the start. I'm sure they were as surprised as Larry, myself and the rest of the people who are qualified professional guides on the Wolf River.
Dan, my contact number is available on my website http://www.wolfrivercountry.com
Edited by Joel "Doc" Kunz 3/26/2005 1:52 PM
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| Quote "I'm sure they were as surprised as Larry, myself and the rest of the people who are qualified professional guides on the Wolf River." Boloney, You all knew it and didn't want to do the right thing. This has been go on forever. I heard this same stuff back in the early ninties. |
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Member
Posts: 378
Location: Omro,Wi. | Doc-I will agree with you,and others that those of us who have been guiding these waters for over ten years,had no idea that the OUPV was a requirement.If we want to continue in this business than according to the current rules,we will have to get the license.What really bothers me more that anything is that people who post on a subject,make up fake names,to hide their idenities?That tells me and others that they have either no basis of fact,in their statements,or no confidence in their own opinions.We do need to get the rules changed for these waters,unless they provide ALL the services to us, than it is not fair,and borders on harassment.You are right about ONE person who guides these waters,once or twice a year being responsible for the uprising.I think most of us know who he is ,and I really am looking forward to talking to him at the next tourny he fishes on Bago.If you have some ideas about getting this rule changed, feel free to contact me,and I'll get involved. |
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Member
Posts: 1314
Location: Menasha, WI | Tom Petri, Representative from the WI 6th Congressional District, will be holding townhall meetings this week. Could be an opportunity to speak directly to a Washington politician about the issue.
Monday, March 28th
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. — BEAVER DAM
Beaver Dam Community Library
311 North Spring Street, Welsh Meeting Room
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. —WATERTOWN
Municipal Building, 106 Jones Street
Room 2041
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. — GREEN LAKE
Caestecker Public Library
518 Hill Street
Conference Room
Tuesday, March 29th
11:00 - 12:00 p.m. —ADAMS
Municipal Building, 101 North Main Street
Council Chambers
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. —WAUTOMA
CAPsell Center, 205 East Main Street
Conference Room B
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. — MONTELLO
Marquette County Courthouse, 77 West Park Street
County Board Room
Wednesday, March 30th
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. —MENASHA
Elisha D. Smith Public Library,
440 First Street, Company E Room
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. — OSHKOSH
City Hall, 215 Church Avenue
Room 406
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. — FOND DU LAC
City-County Government Center
160 South Macy Street
Legislative Chambers
Thursday, March 31st
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. —SHEBOYGAN
Mead Public Library, 710 North 8th Street
Rocca Meeting Room
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. — TWO RIVERS
City Hall, 1717 East Park Street
City Council Chambers
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. — CHILTON
City Hall, 42 School Street
City Council Chambers
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| viking, hafe great additions to the thread. Balony, check your facts and don't point a fiinger unless you can back it because you can't. That is unless you were in the room when I got my guides license and were a fly on the wall when others gathered their own information. One of those people (now a former guide) was a Winneconne police officer. Do you think he also intentionally broke the law? If you do then you are full of hooey. No-one that I know of personally did anything but proceed with the proper intent in order to comply with the requirements as we were told. (prior to 2004) I plan on making a couple of those town meetings. |
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| You guys are right, when I started guiding in 1987 all that was needed was a licence from the DNR. Sometime in the early 90's the Coast Gaurd sent a letter to the DNR stating that guides on the Winnebago chain need to be Coast Gaurd licenced when I contacted the Coast Gaurd at that time I was told any waters that you can reach a ocean in without removing your boat from the water is federal waterway. I explained to this guy that we have a lock that is dry and we are unable to get to Green Bay in the water, I was told then both verbally and in writing that we would not need a Capitans licence.
So what has changed? I've been told by the Sturgeon Bay and Toledo, Ohio office that the change occured after 9/11, a huge amount of money has been earmarked for the Coast Gaurd for Port saftey and patrol's. So they hired a bunch of officers and started patrolling the system in 2003, other than during the week of EAA, then in 2004 besides patrolling the waters they were attempting to book trips in some sort of a sting operation, I recieved 2 calls myself last year. I also saw for the first time in my life other than during duck hunting Federal wardens patrolling are waterways. Please understand these guy's are just doing what they are told to do, I do not think this system belongs on the Federal waterways listing, As a matter of fact most of the waters on the list should be exempt.
Doc / Hafe I'm in and will do what ever we can do to reverse this law and remove it from the books, I understand that a section of the Wisconsin River has been removed, maybe thats where we could start, gather info on how they did it. I also agree that if the Coast Gaurd is going to reestablish themselves on the Winnebago System then shouldn't just cherry pick some of the duties, take the whole job. As a taxpayer I understand we ( Winnebago Co.) spend about $75,000.00 a year to set and remove bouys, if they don't have the manpower or equiptment for this they can certainally find a pen to write the check!!
Doc, I will call you this week. Also I,m not opposed to getting licenced but why do we have to go to Tolodo to do it!! |
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Member
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Location: Winneconne, WI | FYI ---Northeast WI Tech College in Green Bay is holding the OUPV class up there---The Coast Guard was in to the Winneconne Police Department and handed out brochures for this |
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Member
Posts: 378
Location: Omro,Wi. | I receive this on Jan. 27 from them.
Good Afternoon Sir,
We anticipate this three day class being offered in late March. I will
contact you as soon as I have finalized the class with the instructor.
Edward S. Janke
Associate Dean of General Studies/Public Safety
2740 W. Mason St.
Green Bay, WI 54307
Phone 920-498-7988
1-800-422-6982 ext. 7988
Cell 920-366-4820
For information on the NWTC Public Safety Division
http://online.nwtc.edu/publicsafety
So far they have not gotten back to me,so I e-mailed them again today.Does the info have the dates? They did say it was a evening class.
_____________________________________________________
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Winneconne, WI | It says for details and start dates, please send and e-mail message to [email protected] or call Sarah Deuchert at 920-498-6240----This is a 24 hour course held over three 8-hour days with a 50 question exam. The fee is $250 which includes materials, charts, a 250 page student manual and the final licensing exam. Those that sucessfully complete the course will receive a certificate which can be submitted with the completed application for a license to the USCG Regional Exam Center, along with a request for the specific geographic area. Requirements for a Limited OUPV are:
--at least 18 years old
--At least 90 days of time on the water in the geographic area for the license with a certified course
--drug test
--Satisfactory background check
--No drug related convictions
--Acceptable eyesight
It also says Classes Start Soon: Courses start several times throughout the year. Enrollments are accepted on a first-come first- served basis. Call early to find out how to reserve your spot.
My assumption is that its $250 for the course and another $$$ amount for the license |
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Winneconne, WI | I just looked on the back of the brochure and it says----First Class offering April 8-10, 2005 |
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| Just received this from . NWTI-----
Our first course offering is 4/8-4/10. Runs from 8AM-4:30PM. This is for the OUPV-limited and the cost of the course is $250. We currently only have one registration so there is a very good chance that the course for April is going to be cancelled. I have not been advised of additional dates but will be sure to contact you when they are determined.
Please submit the attached registration form if interested and I will be contacting you by the end of the week to let you know if the class will be a "go."
Thank you!
Sarah Deuchert
Public Safety
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
2740 West Mason Street
PO Box 19042
Green Bay, WI 54307-9042
Phone: 920.498.6240
Fax: 920.498.5673
If anyone is interested-please let them know,maybe we can get the class back on schedule.
Thanks
Hafe |
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Member
Posts: 194
Location: Northern Illinois | What a mess, class in 2 weeks. Threat of class cancellation..........good luck to you guides. WM |
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| We have 3 people,and they will do the class, if a total of 6 sign up.Please contact them if you are interested.The exam they give is the final test,and you do not need to test again with the Coast Guard.You can complete the rest of the documentation at your leisure.You do not have to have the forms filled out,when you go there. |
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Member
Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | I just cant fit it into my schedule so i'll have to pass at this time. Thanks anyway |
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Member
Posts: 378
Location: Omro,Wi. | We now have 4--just 2 more---please |
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