Kids and Mentors Outdoors KAMO

03/28/2026

The Baraboo River Chapter held their monthly meeting on Monday March 9th at Rivers Edge in WI Dells. We had guests: Adam from the Horicon area and Bob & Linda Brodeur. It was our annual Mentor Appreciation Dinner plus we honored Rick Miotke with a plaque for his 17+ years of dedication and support to KAMO and getting kids outdoors. Rick has been an anchor of our Chapter and has held the positions of President and Treasurer in the past. We wish him the very best with his upcoming April 1st retirement from KAMO. No bridges were burned, and the door remains wide open if Rick chooses to return to KAMO.

Our Chapter reported 191 hours spent in the past month getting Kids Outdoors. This included Ice Fishing and Skiing. Kevin Seymour has stepped up to be the new Treasurer for our group and we got the bank account information updated with the changes. We did receive a small grant from Alliant but are still waiting on a hard copy of our updated Non-Profit Status. Sounds like this is on the agenda for the State Meeting on March 28th.

We have reservations for the Castle Rock Camping trip June 26th—28th and menu plus activities being planned out at the April meeting. Upham Woods is hosting an ATV Safety Course April 17th & 18th. You can sign up at Go Wild website.
Our next meeting will be Monday April 13th at 7pm at Rivers Edge.

03/28/2026

Good turn-out at our most recent hunter’s safety class! We love seeing and encouraging more safe, knowledgeable and responsible hunters!

03/28/2026

Rick Miotke’s farewell & retirement dinner! Rick joined Kamo in 2009 and we cannot thank him enough for his dedication and contributions over the years! He will be missed!

03/07/2026

“Get a kid outside and see what happens.” - A lovely quote that stuck out to us from Jim B. in our monthly newsletter. Truer words were never spoken…outdoor activities are good for the mind & body, they can spark life-long hobbies & skills, and they give kiddos the opportunity to form connections with like-minded inviduals, young and old, along the way. If you have any interest in being a part of something so inspiring, whether as a kid or a mentor, or a behind-the-scenes roll (we currently have openings for presidential and other official roles) please send us a message and we would love to get you more information on how to get involved.

03/07/2026

The Genoa Fish Hatchery offers two kids fishing days each year. One in February and one in May. This year, about 300 people were on the ice of one of their trout rearing ponds.
One of our mentors submitted these photos of a youngster with some rainbow trout. Some fellow mentors are planning a fishing outing with some kids on their day off of school soon in a backwater of the Mississippi - stay tuned!

02/25/2026

The Baraboo River Chapter held our monthly meeting Monday February 9th at Rivers Edge in WI Dells. We had guests Chad R. and Greg P. from the Dodge County Chapter in attendance. Our group reported over 310 hours spent since our last meeting of getting Kids Outdoors. This included the Joe Hunt, Ice Fishing and Skiing. KAMO is needing some updated paperwork on our Non-Profit Status for Grants & Donations and Mike B. and Mark W. are in the process of getting this from the IRS. Dwaine handed out Thank You cards from the Joe Hunt with the Deer Pole pictured and all of the kids signing the back.



A lot of discussion was on upcoming changes to our Chapter. Kevin Seymour has agreed to become our Chapter Treasurer with Rick Miotke’s upcoming retirement on April 1st. AJ is also going to re-sign as V.P. but will continue to help as a Mentor when available. We reviewed ideas on how to attract more Mentors to join us and activities/promotions on getting the word out about KAMO. We talked about combining a couple Chapters in this area and will continue to include other Mentors in activities/events.



Our annual campout is set for June 26th—28th at Castle Rock County Park. Plans are underway, but we are looking for a boat to pull the kids on a tube. It has been the highlight on past campouts. Jon reported that Pheasants Forever is holding their banquet March 19th at Glacier Canyon and we are planning to park the KAMO trailer out front for some exposure during the event. Upham Woods Outdoor Center is hosing an ATV Safety course April 17th & 18th. You can sign up on the Go Wild website.



Our next meeting will be the Mentor Appreciation Meal on Monday March 9th at 7pm at Rivers Edge.

02/07/2026

If you are interested in working with kids on outdoor activities in your area, you are in good company. We hear from a lot of people and it may seem like an intimidating amount of effort to run something, but KAMO may be able to make it much easier by helping you set up, run, and finance (through reimbursement) your outdoor activities. We also often already have activities planned that you can join in on. We are always looking for new ideas for events, fresh faces, and would love to chat more with anyone who may be interested!

Here are some counties with an active chapter or near existing chapters that could help you with planning -

Adams
Allamakee (Iowa)
Columbia
Crawford
Dane
Fond du Lac
Forest
Green
Grant
Houston (Mn)
Jackson
Jefferson
Juneau
La Crosse
Marinette
Marquette
Monroe
Sauk
Trempealeau
Vernon
Washington
Winona (Mn)

01/25/2026

Thank you Lucas for being a part of The Joe Hunt this year and for the handwritten note, it sure is a special experience for everyone involved!

01/11/2026

Hi All,

Beginning on February 1st, our state president position will be vacant. Current president, Mark Walters, has stated that he will assist whoever takes on the role and you will have the support of other chapter presidents & our whole organization. If you, or anyone you know, may be interested, please shoot us a message and we would be happy to talk in more detail about what the role entails!

01/11/2026

Upcoming Event Info! This event is free, fishing equipment and food/drinks will be provided, and most importantly is in honor of Kraig Hoff, a former KAMO mentor. Please shoot us a message if you have any questions and hope to see you there!

01/01/2026

This time of year calls for a little look back at our 2018 KAMO ice fishing event. 👏 Check it out! -

MarshPoint KAMO Chapter 2018 Ice Fishing outing.

01/01/2026

The Baraboo River Chapter held our monthly meeting during the Joe Hunt Dec 12th—14th. It was a busy place with 23 youth hunters in the Lodge plus all of the Mentors and support staff. Despite the extreme cold weather 15 deer total were harvested. The Bingo games on Saturday evening were popular again and Jim Braker from Dodge County had a wrapped Christmas Gift for every youth hunter with one of the prizes being a gun! The giant smiles are priceless and the excited screaming never gets old! Mark Walters secured the gun this year for the Blackout game, which was won by the only female youth hunter.



Most of our meeting discussion was related to the upcoming April 1st, 2026 retirement of our club “Anchor” Rick Miotke. Rick has been a dedicated KAMO volunteer for over 15 years and prior President of our club. He is currently our club Treasurer and KAMO Statewide Board Member. Rick has been the Head Chef and Food Coordinator for the Joe Hunt the past few years and was previously the Huntmaster. Rick has been the Chef and Food Coordinator for the annual camping trip for the past several years as well. Captain “Wildman Rick” pulling the tube behind his boat for the kids is always the highlight of the weekend. Rick has volunteered countless hours towards getting Kids Outdoors. He will surely be missed and we wish him well in his future endeavors.



We are not holding a January meeting so our next meeting will be Monday February 9th, 2026 at Rivers Edge.