Back in December of 2006, I wrote in this very same column about my thought that here in Wisconsin we should have a multichapter organization that helps to get kids outdoors. Sixty days later the process began to create what would be called KAMO (Kids And Mentors Outdoors). We have six chapters in Wisconsin and in a year’s time a lot of memories are created in many forms of outdoor activities. Visit kamokids.org for more information.
Joe Stecker Kochanski was one of our earlier KAMO mentors and was a good and brilliant man. Joe managed Buckhorn and Roche a Cri state parks and was my sanity when things would get over my head for this undertaking.
Joe was also one of the early birds on starting what we call “The Joe,” our annual Learn to Hunt event for whitetail deer. We stay at the Mackenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette, my “hometown,” and out of the 19 young hunters a half-dozen hunt the property and the rest on private land. Joe has since passed away and it was an enormous loss for everyone who knew him.