Fish Packs

Fish Packs are a great way to learn about Wisconsin fish as you explore our lakes and rivers. You'll discover the underwater life of lakes, hear some amazing fish stories, ponder some fishy problems, and find out about your role in taking care of our fisheries.

Who Are They For?

Fish Packs are for middle-school kids in families, youth groups, or school classes. If you have younger brothers or sisters, you can include them in most of the activities. They will just need extra help from you!

Educators can borrow the packs with the understanding that there are not enough materials for large numbers of kids. However, the packs work well as independent learning stations or as incentives. Offer time with the packs to students as a reward. Locations listed with an asterisk (*) have teacher duffels. These duffels have a teachers' guide and enough equipment for a group of 30 students.

What's In the Pack?

The backpacks are full of activity cards, field guides, storybooks, exploring tools, and games. Everything you need to do the activities except paper and some ordinary things you probably have at home, school or in the car.

Locations

You can find Fish Packs at many Tackle Loaner Sites, plus the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Education Center! Locations listed with an asterisk (*) have teacher duffles.

Inland Lakes Version

• Baldwin
• Eau Claire*
• High Cliff State Park
• Interstate State Park
• Kettle Moraine State Forest - NU
• Buckhorn State Park
• LaCrosse*
• Oshkosh*
• Park Falls
• Peshtigo
• Plymouth
• Woodruff*
• Spooner*

Great Lakes Version

• Green Bay*
• Milwaukee Regional Office*
• Richard Bong Recreation Area
• Superior*
• Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Education Center (with Inland Lakes components, as well)*

Fish Pack Activities

• Lake Life: After you search for signs of life, relax with a game of "Go Fish". It's the familiar game with a new twist!
• Read a Fish: Figure out where fish live and how they survive by taking a good look at them! Then, use the information to design your own imaginary fish.
• Something's Fishy: Find a dead fish and become a detective! How much of this mystery can you solve by just looking at the specimen?
• Great Lakes Yearbook: As the yearbook editor you get to organize group pictures for all the important Great Lakes clubs and activities. Be careful when you get those predators together for a group photo!

Catch a Fish Tale

• Gone Fishin': Find out how much fishing has changed and how much it has stayed the same. Go ahead; try your luck fishing with a soda can!
• Fish Stories: Separate the whopping big fish stories from the real truth. Be prepared to swallow some strange tales!

Ponder Fishy Problems

• A Life of Crime: Check out the common gull with a field guide and binoculars. Discover how a life of cheap living affects a scavenger.
• Unfair Advantage!: Explore the beach for zebra mussel shells and find out how they live, grow, and take over a habitat.
• Rival for Survival: Discover the fish-eat-fish world out in the lakes while you play a board game.

See Your Connection

• Imagine - No lakes!: Search the waterfront and the backroads for ways that people depend on the Great Lakes.
• Choose Your Ripple Effect: Describe what you would do when confronted with a sticky situation. Maybe you can relate to a courageous storybook frog who stands up for his environment.

Build Your Own Pack!

Can't find a Fish Pack near you to borrow or want to put one together for your very own? Here's a pdf [PDF 1.5MB] of the whole shebang with pre-trip, field trip, and post-trip activity plans! Download it, gather the supplies and materials, and it'll be yours to keep to use with your family, troop, classroom, or whomever you see fit.

Brought to you by...

Fish Packs were funded by the Bureau of Fisheries Management of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. They are a subset of the Great Lakes Park Packs. Great Lakes Park Packs were created and funded through a partnership between the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. Additional funding was provided by a 2001-2002 grant from the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board and funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.

For more information on Fish Packs, please contact:

Theresa Stabo, Aquatic Resources Educator
(608) 266-2272