A canoe with the WWA logo.

This year, Wisconsin Wetlands Association is making a special effort to help others experience the wonder and beauty of wetlands. We’re holding a Swampstakes—a sweepstakes-with-a- wetland-twist—to encourage more people to become members of Wisconsin Wetlands Association and to provide opportunities for our current members to help spread the word about wetlands. Join the fun and you could win a restored vintage canoe!

Entries must be received by the close of business on Wednesday, February 1st. We will announce the winner of the Swampstakes at the Annual Membership Meeting on February 21st in Stevens Point, WI.

Prizes         How to enter       About the Canoe       Fine print

Prizes

The Swampstakes Grand Prize: a 1941 Old Town wood canvas canoe lovingly restored by WWA Board Vice Chair Jim Ruwaldt. This wood canvas canoe is a “model AA,” the top of Old Town’s line in 1941. Jim has the original build sheets for the canoe and used them to guide his restoration.

Other prizes:

  • $300 gas card from Kwik Trip
  • One-day walleye fishing trip outing for two in Green Bay with Matt Wachowiak, winner of several area walleye tournaments
  • Patagonia Black Hole Pack 25L (black, value $129)
  • Patagonia Refugio Pack 28L (green, value $89)

The drawing for the Swampstakes will be held in February 2023.

How to Enter

Entries must be received by the close of business on Wednesday, February 1st. We will announce the winner of the Swampstakes at the Annual Membership Meeting on February 21st in Stevens Point, WI.

You have multiple opportunities to enter the Swampstakes. Each of the actions on the list below makes you eligible for an additional Swampstakes entry—the more you do, the more chances you have to win!

  • Become a new member by giving $30 or more.
  • Recruit a new member who gives $30 or more.
  • Renew your current membership.
  • Organize and host a WWA field tour and/or meet-and-greet event in your community during the Swampstakes (one entry for organizing/hosting and one entry for each event attendee who becomes a new member as a result of that event).
  • Become a Wetland GEM® by signing up to give every month through a recurring monthly donation. (Current Wetland GEMs® are automatically eligible for an entry in the Swampstakes.)
  • Make a legacy gift:
    • Notify us that you’ve included Wisconsin Wetlands Association in your will.
    • Make a gift of stocks, property, or real estate.
    • Notify us that you’ve named Wisconsin Wetlands Association as a beneficiary on your life insurance or retirement plan.
    • Set up a charitable gift annuity.

Of course, anyone who sends a postcard to our office (214 N. Hamilton Street, Suite 201, Madison WI, 53703) indicating their interest in the Swampstakes will also be entered (no purchase or donation necessary).

You can claim your eligible entries in several different ways:

  • If you give online, type “Swampstakes” into the comments field of the online donation form.
  • If you send in a check, write “Swampstakes” onto the form or envelope you send to us with your donation.
  • If you recruit a new member, have that person give us your name when they make their donation. You can also contact us directly once you know your new recruit has become a member.
  • You are always welcome to call us at 608-250-9971 x8 or email WWAMembers@wisconsinwetlands.org to confirm that your name has been entered into the drawing.

About the canoe

This 1941 Old Town OTCA is a “model AA,” the top of Old Town’s line in 1941. Jim has the original build sheets for the canoe and used them to guide his restoration. The canoe is built with traditional wood and canvas construction, in which canvas is laid over a framework of lightweight cedar planks and ribs. According to the WoodenBoat School:

“This construction method permits a clean, sharp entry and a subtle shape that is difficult to achieve with aluminum or fiberglass. The century-old technology of clenching thin planks to steamed frames and then covering the hull with a tight canvas skin yields an amazingly flexible and rugged craft.”

The thwarts and inwale of the restored canoe are mahogany and the stem and outwale are white ash (learn more about canoe terminology). Jim used dark green paint in this restoration as that was the original color of this canoe. He maintained Old Town’s trademark diamond-shaped bolts and the period-appropriate Old Town decal.

One new feature: the simple green leaves of WWA’s logo now grace the canoe’s bow.

Learn more about canvas-covered Old Town canoes.

About the restoration

Want to know more about what went into the restoration of this 1941 Old Town wood canvas canoe? Join Jim to learn about and watch various key points in the restoration process—we promise you’ll be even more impressed with this canoe once you know the art and craft that went into its restoration.

Wetland Coffee Break

The fine print

 

  • Members of the board and staff of Wisconsin Wetlands Association and their immediate family members are not eligible for the Swampstakes.
  • The winner of the Swampstakes Grand Prize canoe is responsible for picking up and transporting the canoe from southcentral Wisconsin (no delivery).
  • Only one prize per Swampstakes.
  • Winners are responsible for payment of any applicable taxes on prizes.