FREEMAN PRAIRIE ARBORETUM RECEIVES $23K GIFT
Local Sportsmans Club also donates to Lake Menno for updated campsites
Thanks to the Turkey Ridge Sportsmans Club, children and serious anglers alike will enjoy well-stocked waters at the Prairie Arboreum for years to come. The Club recently donated more than $23,000 toward maintaining the pond.
The Turkey Ridge Sportsman’s Club had supported outdoor recreation in Turner and Hutchinson counties for several decades beginning in the 1990s. While the Club hasn’t been active for many years, members Ray Schultz, Dennis Wollman, Jim Hofer, Loren Tschetter and Cordell Graber gathered in February to distribute their remaining funds equally to two causes that match the club’s focus — the Prairie Arboretum on the Freeman Academy campus in Freeman and Lake Menno located three miles northeast of Menno.
“We’ve been working with the Arboretum for several years,” said club president Dennis Wollman, “and the funds for Lake Menno will be used to update campsites.”
After the frequent blizzards during the winter of 2022-2023, the deep snow caused a complete fish kill at the Arboretum the following spring. The Turkey Ridge Sportsman’s Club stepped in to help before the Fishing Derby in June.
“Last year we gave 300 bass, 800 perch and five gallons of minnows to the Arboretum,” Turkey Ridge Sportsman’s Club member Ray Schultz said. “We had an easy winter so I’m hoping those fish spawn and get the population going again. There were some big fish in there. I caught a ten-pound catfish in the past.”
“We can’t thank the Turkey Ridge Sportsman’s Club enough,” said Prairie Arboretum Board Chairman Dave Kaufman. “Those funds will support a strong fish population and pond-related maintenance for a long time.”
Anyone interested in supporting efforts to maintain and enhance the Arboretum’s fishing pond are encouraged to contact Dave Kaufman at 605-360-4723.
Current pond projects include repairing the south bridge, managing cattails, and considering a program with the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks to install floating platforms for fishing.
