CHAPTER MEETINGS
7PM
The Brewing Projekt
1807 N. Oxford Avenue
Eau Claire, WI
Upcoming Meetings

Emily Fairfax
American ecohydrologist and assistant professor
of geography at the University of Minnesota.
Trout, Beavers and
Healthy Streams
Save the Date
October 15, 2026
The Brewing Projekt
The role of beavers in our ecosystem and beaver management in trout streams is an important topic among anglers, wildlife managers and researchers. Internationally recognized researcher Emily Fairfax will join Wisconsin Clear Waters for an insightful evening focused on North America's largest rodent, the beaver.
Emily Fairfax is an American ecohydrologist and assistant professor of geography at the University of Minnesota. She studies how beavers create drought- and wildfire-resistant patches in riparian landscapes. Her work has received international media attention, informed land management policy in the western United States, and provided the scientific basis for the Pixar animated film Hoppers (2026).
Emily's Work has generated great media interest.
Emily is a scientific consultant on Hoppers, a Pixar movie featuring beavers.

Previous Meetings

April 9, 2026
The State of the Trout in Buffalo, Jackson & Trempealeau Counties
Zach Woiak and Dan Hateli from the Black River Falls DNR office will be the guests at our April Wisconsin Clear Waters chapter meeting. Zach will give an overview of the 2025 field season stream survey results. He will also highlight some tree planting projects and provide an overview of the recent stocking changes that have occurred in Buffalo, Jackson and Trempealeau counties due to new WDNR stocking guidance. There is some great fishing south of Eau Claire, so you won’t want to miss this presentation.


March 12, 2026
Joseph P Gerbyshak, DNR
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin Counties
Program Joseph will be talking about trout management in Chippewa, Eau Claire, Pepin, and eastern Dunn Counties. These counties provide ample coldwater resources and plenty of opportunities to chase healthy, naturally reproducing populations of both brook trout and brown trout. This is a talk you won't want to miss. Joseph Gerbyshak grew up in northeastern Wisconsin, earned his bachelor’s degree from Sevens Point and master’s degree from Northern Michigan University working with coaster brook trout in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. After college, he worked for the USFWS in Alpena, MI in grant administration for the National Fish Passage Program. In 2014, he accepted a fisheries biologist position for the DNR in Eau Claire and have enjoyed the job ever since. The Eau Claire area has some of the most diverse fisheries resources in the state from cold water trout streams, to glacial lakes, to large impoundments, to naturally flowing large rivers. He and his wife, Anna, and daughter, Finley, reside outside of town in the Menomonie area where they fish, hunt, manage a small orchard and make maple syrup.


